Free to view satelite receivers.

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curatokid
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Free to view satelite receivers.

Postby curatokid » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:03 pm

I have seen them in AKI etc and wonder why some have one LMB and others two, what is the difference ?? nothing too technical please !!!! are they easy to self install ??

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Postby Beachcomber » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:30 pm

I take it that these receivers are sold complete with a dish as that is where the LNB is fitted.

If the dish has two separate LNBs rather that one twin output LNB it is likely that this is to enable you to receive signals from two satellites in different but adjacent orbital positions. This will only be of advantage to you if you wanted to watch transmissions from, for example, Eutelsat at 16ºe and Eutelsat at 13ºe or Astra at 19ºe.

If you want the receiver just to watch the free to air BBC and ITV channels at 28ºe it probably would be of no advantage to you as there are no adjacent satellites carrying programmes which may be of interest. Furthermore, the fact that each LNB has to be slightly offset in relation to the dish will mean that they are less efficient at collecting the signals from the dish.

The idea of a twin output LNB is that you can run two satellite receivers from the same dish (ie watch one channel on one of them and a different channel on the other.)

Bear in mind that, if you are intending to use the receiver and dish to watch BBC and ITV it is likely that the dish will be too small as most off the shelf packages include a dish of only 80 or 90 cms and you will need one of at least 1,20m.

Installation without the proper equipment is a matter of trial and error. You may get lucky first time or it may take you several hours. Dish alignment and LNB skew for Astra 2D is critical because of the weak signal.

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Postby spanish_lad » Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:12 am

beach, have you heard about the new mini dishes? 80 cm and recieve all uk freeview channels without problems?
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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:24 am

Spanish_lad, do you mean free to air channels? I certainly didn't know you could receive 2D with an 80cm dish. Is there something special about the dish or is it designed to work specifically with FTA receivers which tend to have a much lower signal threshold?

I can sometimes get 2D on an old 80cm dish with my Promax level meter but not on a Sky digibox.

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Postby spanish_lad » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:10 am

posted by.. someone, somewhere else on a different forum that i cant mention...

Now that ITV has gone Free to Air, I have all the BBC channels plus ITV1, 2, 3 and ITV4, as well as the usual free to airs. I have installed the new 'small dish' system thats out from www.Soleil-Satellite.Co.Uk. I'm on the Costa del Sol with a 75cm dish, where the others use the expensive 1.4metres. This system is working in all weathers and seems a good alternative to the Digibox with a big dish. Has anyone else any results?


(the link doesn´t work, so dont click it...)
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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:19 pm

Thanks for the information Spanish_lad.

This is a system using a free to air satellite receiver not a Sky digibox. They don't reveal the make but it is probably an Echostar, Technomate or Humax etc. all of which have a much lower signal threshold than a Sky digibox so will work with a smaller dish and all of which can be obtained from any specialist satellite shop (NOT the likes of Lidl or Aki or even Urende) for a much lower price.

Try the link like this:

www.Soleil-Satellite.Co.Uk

(you had a full stop after uk which is why it wouldn't work!)

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Postby spanish_lad » Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:51 pm

beach, i didn´t write that post, i "stole" it from another user of another forum.

something you may be interested in, it says that a 75cm dish would be adequate to recieve BBC and ITV !!!!

http://www.uk-satellite-tv.co.uk/footpr ... 03674.html



something controversial for everyone to think about :)
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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:23 pm

OK, sorry, but that's why his link wouldn't work.

Have you seen this footprint map? It gives much more detail of side lobes and hot spots than the official Astra one.

It is based on the use of a Sky digibox though and, as we seem to have discovered, branded FTA satellite receivers are much better at coping with weak signals than Mr Murdoch's offerings.

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Postby Kahuna » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:55 pm

Any one got further information on the brands of FTA boxes and LNB's necessary to allow a small dish use??
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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:06 pm

Try asking Patricia who started this thread. She has just bought an Echostar and may know the answer to your question, at least, as far as the Echostar is concerned.

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Postby spanish_lad » Fri Dec 02, 2005 10:56 pm

Beachcomber wrote:OK, sorry, but that's why his link wouldn't work.

Have you seen this footprint map? It gives much more detail of side lobes and hot spots than the official Astra one.

It is based on the use of a Sky digibox though and, as we seem to have discovered, branded FTA satellite receivers are much better at coping with weak signals than Mr Murdoch's offerings.

christ!!!! thats detailed ! !!!

why the high / low spots tho, i dont get it ? surely if its all going off one satalite it should just radiate in circles?
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Postby Beachcomber » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:00 am

One would have thought so but obviously not. If you ask the question in a technical forum like Digital Spy you will be told that it's just the way it is.

No-one is able to give a logical explanation and all satellites have these remote hot spots but it is Astra 2D that gets all of the attention because of the channels it carries.

If you want more information about Astra 2D in particular you should check out this web site which also has lots of interesting (for the likes of us at least) technical information.

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Postby patricia » Sat Dec 03, 2005 6:04 pm

I have not set my Echo up yet. I was wondering what satellite dish to use. In the shop where they were selling them as well as setting up the whole thing, they were using a 95cm dish and they told me that this was sufficient, however if there was a smaller one I would prefer that so at the moment I am trying to find a shop around Malaga which sells them

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Postby Beachcomber » Sat Dec 03, 2005 6:34 pm

You should be able to use a smaller dish than is necessary for a Sky digibox but make sure that it is a good quality one with a low noise LNB.

Can you not buy the dish from the same place you got you Echostar?

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Twin LNB satellite

Postby olive » Sat Dec 03, 2005 6:51 pm

Hi

I bought one of these from AKI. Mine has two LNB's . One on the dish to decode the satellite signals and one in the Metronics box to decode signals from the aerial. The satellite bit works fine with my English TV.

I am not so impressed by the lack of BBC1.2 and ITV and CH4 etc despite hours carefully setting up the dish. I do have many German channels, some Eastern European stuff etc along with Sky News, BBC worldnews and CNB. I feel a bit cheated but in the small print in the box it does say you might not get BBC1,2 etc. So I need a bigger dish or possibly a better box. The daft thing is I managed without a Tele for over twelve months but thought a few class dramas etc would be nice!!

Can anyone suggest a company that can help me with the parts? I can find my way around Granada, the coast e.g. Solsat at Salobrena and parts of Malaga.

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Postby Beachcomber » Sat Dec 03, 2005 7:24 pm

Could you explain a little more. Is your receiver a dual one that will receive both digital satellite and digital terrestrial signals?

It sounds as though your dish is dish at the wrong satellite, probably Astra 1 at 19ºe or possibly Eutelsat. You need to be facing 28.2ºe. Even if your dish is too small for the BBC and ITV channels you should, at least, be able to receive BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 and many of the Sky FTA shopping channels.

Just because these channels are not pre-programmed into the receiver does not mean that you cannot receive them.

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Twin LNB

Postby olive » Sat Dec 03, 2005 7:44 pm

The dish just has one LNB, so the other is in the box. A single LNB version is 50 euros less from memory.

Yes it is pointed at the 28. ..... correctly. we get a few shopping channels but in German. No other FTV channels.

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Postby sunnyboy » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:47 pm

Last Fiday, (the 2nd I think) Spainish_lad and Beachcomber were having an interesting discussion about the ITV/BBC system - "Now that ITV has gone Free to Air, I have all the BBC channels plus ITV1, 2, 3 and ITV4, as well as the usual free to airs. I have installed the new 'small dish' system thats out from www.Soleil-Satellite.Co.Uk. I'm on the Costa del Sol with a 75cm dish, where the others use the expensive 1.4metres. This system is working in all weathers and seems a good alternative to the Digibox with a big dish. Has anyone else any results?

I bought mine before the summer and it works great all the time. I was sold it as being a sensible cheaper choice, and the dish is hidden away behind my balcony rail - so I don.t have to debate whether I should have a dish with Signor - el Presidente. I was told the receiver has its own special design tuner for - I think - front end gain or similar.

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Postby Beachcomber » Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:53 pm

Sunnyboy, is it a branded receiver? If so could you tell us the make and model please.

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Postby alisonb » Mon Dec 05, 2005 7:23 pm

I looked at the website of Soleil Satellites - the ones advertising the small dish. It says on there that if you point your dish at the sun at 10.30 (winter) or 11.30 (summer), you are pointing directly at the Astra 2 satellite. Don't know whether that's right, but sounds a relatively painless way to align if it's correct. Anyone know if that's correct?
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