[mythtv-users] Two tuner sticks unstable together - need help

[Sven Bretfeld]

Hi Bill

Thanks for your suggestions.

Bill Meek <keemllib at gmail.com> writes:

> You might get more information running mythbackend
> with the --verbose important,general,record levels
> if you already haven't.

I've made a full log with all verbose flags (incl. database) of an
unsuccessful switch to the second source. Nothing like an error message.
I cannot make much of this and attached the output at the end of this
mail. It is quite long and too large for this list.

> Any chance that by changing the 2 cards around that
> you've ended up with a corrupt database entry?

Hm. I see one chance. Indeed I had a PCI capture card that I removed
from the PC before I added the second USB device. But I deleted all
capture cards, sources and connections in the backend-setup after that
(several times!). What I have NEVER deleted are the recording rules.
What makes me suspicious here, is that both sticks worked on the first
evening. The lock-problem occurred one day later. There was a recording
event in between. Is it possible that the recording mixed up the
configuration?

Just another theory. Is it possible that, although the signal strength
is given as almost 100%, the lock cannot be achieved because of the
weakness of, yes, whatever, signal? I'm asking because I have just again
deleted all cards etc. and newly configured them. Now both receivers get
a lock again, but the second one (the problematic one) has lots of
artefacts, although the osd says Signal: 97%. Each of my sticks has its
own antenna, both are amplified. I put them in about 2,5m distance from
each other in two opposite corners of the same large window. Maybe they
nevertheless disturb each other? What I'm testing at the moment, is a
yet greater distance between them. I put the second antenna in front of
another window with 5m distance and an oriel wall between them, so that
they can't "see" each other (though they are still in the same room). At
the moment it works, even the artefacts are reduced. But if really a bad
reception was the whole problem, why was the signal strength displayed
in the osd window always so high?

> For example, in mythtv-setup -> Capture Cards
> I'll assume the type is DVB and the 2 devices
> match previous posts, as in:
>
>  /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0 and
>  /dev/dvb/adapter1/frontend0

Yes, they are still the same as before.

> Since I don't have either of your cards, this
> is a guess based on my DVB cards --- on the 
> Recording Options page, is Max recordings set
> to 1?  It always starts with 2 for my cards and
> I have to set it to 1 manually.

It is set to 1 for both cards.

> I see that the channel id in the last post was
> 18411. If that is source 18 channel 41-1, then
> I'd suggest reviewing:
>
> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/260095#260095
>
> Which, in short, says delete all capture cards, sources and
> connections. Then re-enter them. I've done that as recently
> as last week (but for a different problem than yours.)

I did that several times in the last two days.

> Last idea: If none of the above help and you're comfortable
> using mysql, you could try 'select * from inuseprograms;' to
> see if there are any entries. Stop mythfrontend and
> mythbackend first.

Ho. I will wait if my above suggestion or the protocol gives any new
hints before I learn about this. I will do, if this is the last chance.

Thanks again

Sven