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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

DMC · 2002-12-11 12:44:39

Hi folks, The Satelllite board needs you help! I'm going to build a simple sticky FAQ of topics that we have discussed to death on this fair Satellite board.... I would like them in this format. We are not going to do a Howard Wilkinson ("this is a dish, this is an LNB" no no, but a post what explains the difference…

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11-12-2002 1:44pm

#1

DMC

Registered Users Posts: 10,726 ✭✭✭✭

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Hi folks,

The Satelllite board needs you help!

I'm going to build a simple sticky FAQ of topics that we have discussed to death on this fair Satellite board....

I would like them in this format. We are not going to do a Howard Wilkinson ("this is a dish, this is an LNB" no no, but a post what explains the difference between FTA and FTV etc is welcome!) just relevant stuff we've dealt with, that can be used in as a quick referernce for old hands like me, and newbies, who continue to be welcome as well as a fresh source of info. I would like them in a Question and Answer format.

I'll get the ball rolling now, I'd add some more later.

Q. Why arent the new BBC TV channels and Radio stations not on the Irish EPG?
A. Have a look at the Campaign for BBC3, 4, News 24 and BBC Radio in Ireland. thread. Replies from Sky and the BBC are included here.

Q. Will UTV and Channel 4 come onto Sky soon?
A. The UTV and Channel 4 sometime before the end of time? thread should answer this.

Q. How do I get a FTA card from the UK?
A. The Clarity on UK FTV card. thread and in particular, bkehoe's first post explains all you need to get one.

There is no need to show the links like I have above. Just include the question at the top, and supply the name of the thread and the link to it, we can tidy it up later. This is work in progress, so just submit all the info in this thread, and in a week or so, we should have a tidy FAQ section.

Q: I got my FTV card through a mate in the UK, but it is identical to my Sky card, have I been sent the right one?

A: Yes, they are identical.

Q: My brother wants me to record the WWE PPV which is on Box Office in the next week or two. I seem to vaguely remember hearing that there are issues with recording from box office (ie. you're not able to!) Can anyone confirm?

A: WWE PPV's and all events on channel 770 record with no problem. There is no Macrovision (encryption) on that channel. But other Box Office Channels use this.

Q: I see "Digiguide" mentioned a lot around here. What is it?
A: Digiguide is an offline TV Guide program, and a great schedule planner. It gives more details of programmes compared with a listings magazine like the RTÉ Guide and supports, as Cloud said, over 200 channels, including the US, and from next year, mainland Europe.

There is a 30-day trial, and its costs only €11.50 for the year, think of it as buying 6 or 7 RTÉ Guides for that price, and not a cookery section or knitting pattern in sight! Some recent converts claims are be viewed on these threads
here and here.

Irish Channels in the UK
Q: I'm wondering if there's a way to receive RTE channels in the UK. I have a sky digital installation in my home in England and have just cancelled my subscription to Sky.
My folks live in Dublin and they've already got Sky - does that block me from subscribing at their address for a second subscription?

A: Yes, unfortunatley its one house, one Sky Sub, as it is in the UK. Mirror subscriptions are not available here yet.

Q: Could I use the Irish card in the UK box or would I need a new digibox? (I'm thinking of switching to Freeview in England for BBC channels).

A: No, a new box is not really needed. Bring your box to Ireland, sign up for Sky contract here, bring your box back, Irish TV in England!

--

Q: I have just ordered Sky Digital. What make/model/colour can I expect as my Free Digibox ?

A: You normally get a Pace, Grundig or Panasonic Digibox, and from reports there on these and other forums, the Panasonic boxes are by far the most reliable.
Damien,
Assistant Moderator, ICDG.

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#2 11-12-2002 3:36pm
Richard

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The new FAQs are at
http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-list_faqs.php

"Find" (i.e. search works well).

Anyone can suggest questions and anwers. Suggest new topics for FAQs on this thread.

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#3 14-12-2002 1:55am
chernobyl

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Lots of good info and help here:

http://www.lefdata.com/start.html

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#4 30-01-2003 9:08am
Greenman

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This is a good FAQ http://skydigitalfaq.cjb.net/

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#5 30-03-2003 12:53am
Capt'n Midnight

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Buying a Wide Screen - bring a tape measure to compare the height of the screen to your existing TV
The 28"/29" power city "Black Diamonds" are a cheap and chearful alternative to a small wide screen - while you are saving up for a decent sized wide screen. - Sky remote code 065

Teletext:
If you are into foreign languages check the teletext settings - it's kinda hard to read Italian or German subtitles in a cyrilic font Though since TV3 and Network2 (Gaeltext 480) don't seem to use as many Fáda's as they used to you will have to check through the languages in the TV OSD setup to make sure the ones you want are there..

Links:
url]http://www.satcure.co.uk[/url Lots of UK Satellite info inc. reciever specific problems and fixes.
url]http://www.satcure.co.uk/digifaq2.htm[/url SKY DigiBox FAQ
SKY in Carvans url]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/de.sullivan/[/url

FTA channels.
Perhaps we shoud have a list of encrypted channels on SKY that are FTA on other satellites ? eg: Fox / MTV central etc. / EuroSport on analog, but you combine with digital pictures too

Italian Stations:
Most of the terresterial channels are FTA. Most large cities / regions have their own independent stations so there are lots of real channels eg: Sardinia has Videolina, Sardegna 1 & 2. (Unlike BBC & UTV regions on SKY which are not all that different) Also the shopping channels sell real stuff - kitchens and brand name consumer goods - not your QVC crap.
Ntoe: RAI3 does have regional variations - but only the Lazio (Rome) one gets onto Satellite.

RAI 1/2/3 still transmit on Analog and for some sporting events use a simple scrambling system based on line synch timing - you get "3 ghost" images. But like most analog scrambling the sound is clear. So if you want to watch F1 (or other sporting events in Italian etc.) just get the picture from RTE and sound from an Analog reciever or a digital radio station.

I came across this FTA theory about US produced stuff...
Since about 250 million people in Europe speak English as a first or second language Hollywood etc. seem to be asking for large royalties on satellite stuff. However, dubbed versions of the same programs can be free to air since most of the speakers of other languages tend to be in their home country for which royalties have already been paid.. This would mean if BBC go FTA then they probably won't show movies etc. , but then again you can probably see most of that lowest common denominator stuff on RTE/TV3 a few weeks earlier anyway.

El Capitano..

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#6 01-04-2003 6:56pm
Mike 1972

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I think an FAQ should include a full list of Irish Northern Ireland and UK terrestrial transmitters recievable in Ireland including channel numbers and a coverage map failing that links to the relevent pages on the Corkradio, and Richard Logue's sites and the Radiowaves sites (think of them as complimenting rather than competing with this page)

Heres the links

http://www.irish-tv.com/irishtrans.html
(main RTE transmitters with map)

http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/7225/tvch.html
("Corkradio" list of ALL RTE transmitters INCLUDING RELAYS)

http://www.itc.org.uk/uk_television_sector/reception_advice/index.asp
(UK transmitters)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception
BBC reception advice (lots of good info)

http://www.radiowavesforum.com/rw/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9
(Radiowaves board)

http://members3.boardhost.com/irishtv/
(Irish TV bar room)

Im sure if you include links for the last two theyll return the favour

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#7 27-10-2003 11:07pm
Greenman

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Good info link http://www.eutelsat.org/glossary/8_1_3.html try it.:)

This is a very interesting site with loads of info http://www.satelitska-tv.com/

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#8 25-11-2003 1:04am
Mike 1972

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Current state of play with FTV Solus 1 (light blue) Solus 2(dark blue) F2V (£23.50) expired Sky cards what can you get on each one
Initiallising or reinitiallising each type of card cards process by phone/modem/other
Leaving a card in overnight to update which channel should i leave the box on
Default transponders and EPG's what they do
How to add a second LNB to a dish
Whats the phoneline for
How much to install/subscribe to sky if i dont have a phone connection
How much to get a digibox without Sky sub
Which modelof digibox is best
Will an EXPIRED irish Sky card still get RTE/TV3/TV4
Will an EXPIRED UK Sky card still get UK History/ITV2/TV5
Why are some channels encrypted on Astra 2 when they can be recieved FTA on other satellites and/or Freeview
Which channels are FTA which are FTV and the difference
Pros and cons of Sky v's FTV digiboxes (ability to recieve FTV channels v's ability to recieve channels with obscure symbol and FEC rates)
procedure for getting a FTV card if you live in Ireland
procedure for getting an Irish Sky sub card if you live in UK/Europe

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#9 25-03-2004 11:07am
ShaneOC

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If you have Sky+ and are also using an AV amp for sound then this may be of interest to you. You can control the volume of the amp via the Sky+ remote.

Details of how to do this are here.

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#10 05-04-2005 1:06pm
seano

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What is scrambling ? -Conditional Access Systems.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/strl/publica/bt/en/le0012.pdf

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#11 09-08-2005 5:49pm
Nukem

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Dunno if this is any help to anyone but era sur.
Found this on my googling,its a list of all channles on Sky and whats on for the day........... Linky

Nukem

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#12 26-09-2005 12:44am
greglo23

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2 handy tools for setting up your satellite. http://www.multimap.com/ and http://www.al-soft.com/saa/satinfo.shtml zoom in on multimap to your position and it will give your latitude and longitude and the alsoft program will do the rest. i hope this is helpful.

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#13 29-09-2005 3:06pm
DMC

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The new FAQs are at
http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-list_faqs.php

"Find" (i.e. search works well).

Anyone can suggest questions and anwers. Suggest new topics for FAQs on this thread.

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#14 08-12-2005 5:35pm
ShaneOC

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If you have Sky+ and are also using an AV amp for sound then this may be of interest to you. You can control the volume of the amp via the Sky+ remote.

Details of how to do this are here.

The link I posted previously is no longer valid.

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#15 01-10-2006 6:49pm
Kwekubo

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Here's a small one one I just worked out for myself : if you've set your set-top box to receive UK channels and are getting some but not others, consult your TV listings - certain channels only operate in the evenings etc and you might have tuned in before/after broadcasting hours.

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#16 27-10-2006 9:27pm
watty

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http://www.heyrick.co.uk/ricksworld/digibox/

have a look!

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#17 23-11-2006 8:47pm
byte

Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 19,096 Mod ✭✭✭✭

byte

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Posts: 18873

Here is a handy PDF made by construct06 on how to connect up all your AV equipment.

[url=https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/71296/35869.pdf[/url]

construct06's thread may be found here

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#18 24-11-2006 10:53am
construct06

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mods MIGHT EDIT above post to link to the revised setup dwg. and then delete this post.

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#19 11-01-2007 10:01pm
byte

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byte

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Yes, Channel 4 is now on Sky on number 142, just below BBC1 NI.

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#20 28-01-2007 7:02pm
Mandi

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i've read the sticky regarding finding channels on fva sat but it didin't give the v-pids etc that my system asks for, i'm looking for ITV 2 CITV, ITV 4 and film 4 in particular. I've the other ITV channels but just can't get the above. Can anyone help??? Pretty Please:)

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#21 28-01-2007 7:59pm
byte

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byte

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Mandi wrote:

i've read the sticky regarding finding channels on fva sat but it didin't give the v-pids etc that my system asks for, i'm looking for ITV 2 CITV, ITV 4 and film 4 in particular. I've the other ITV channels but just can't get the above. Can anyone help??? Pretty Please:)

Use this link
http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html

The channels you're looking for are listed near the top.

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#22 15-02-2007 12:56pm
JHMEG

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Just had a look at http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=How+to+align+a+satellite+dish

Well done to watty and zaphod, I think this is one of the best articles on this topic I've seen.

About skew angle: what are the typical settings might be useful. ie "for 28.2 the angle should be roughly X".

And also what to expect if you have your skew angle wrong (just twigged I've mine the twisted the wrong way)

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#23 19-02-2007 4:29pm
Zaphod

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Channel list variations on Sky Digital EPG in the UK and Ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Digital_(UK_%26_Ireland)_EPG

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#24 01-03-2007 11:10pm
byte

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byte

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List of Freeview channels, and their availability on satellite.

Originally posted by DMC. Thanks!

Colour Coded.
Black indicates on Free to air (FTA) on Satellite.
Orange indicates on Free to View (FTV) on Satellite.
Red indicates on subscription on satellite
Yellow indicates its not on satellite at all.

BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Three
BBC Four
ITV 1
ITV 2
ITV 3
ITV 4
ITV Play
Channel 4
More 4
E4
E4 +1
Film 4
Film 4 +1
Five
Five US
Five Life
Sky Three
UKTV History
FTN
ABC1 (not in Wales)
S4/C (Wales only)
TeleG (Scotland only)

CBBC
CBeebies
CITV

BBC News 24
BBC Parliament
Teletext
Sky News
Sky Sports News
S4/C 2 (Wales only)

The Hits
TMF
UKTV Bright Ideas
Community Channel
Teachers TV
Ideal World
QVC
Price Drop TV
Bid TV

BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
BBC 6 Music
BBC 7
1xtra BBC
BBC Asian Network
BBC World Service
BBC Radio Scotland (Scotland only)
BBC Radio Ulster (Northern Ireland only)
BBC Radio Wales (Wales Only)
BBC Radio nan Gaidheal (Scotland only)
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Foyle
U105
Heat
Kerrang
Kiss
Magic
Mojo
Oneword
Premier Christian Radio
Smash Hits Radio
Smooth FM
Talksport
Q
The Hits
Virgin
3C
Heart
Radio Music Shop

Note: Teletext from that service provider is available on the channels with which it has ye olde teletext with, ITV and Channel 4, and their associated spin-offs.
HTH.

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#25 27-09-2007 10:51pm
irishgeo

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Didnt see this posted before and it did a search for it.

http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/ or www.dishpointer.com

this is a dish pointing tool which gives you an idea of the direction in which to point the dish as well as other things. its uses goggle maps its just a shame Ireland coverage is pretty crap.

just thought i would let you know.

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#26 05-11-2007 9:55pm
byte

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byte

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Posts: 18873

Can I receive RTE free via satellite?

RTÉ, TV3 and TG4 are NOT available Free-To-Air (or Free-To-View) via satellite. You need a Sky subscription (any will do) to receive these, otherwise you'll need an aerial (TV3 availability subject to transmitter).

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#27 10-11-2007 12:06pm
Macfaji

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If you can't see the picture of all the channels listed, it may be that you'll have to add extra transponders and or change the "PIDs".

Check the list of transponders at www.flysat.com/astra28.php
Print this off to have it handy during the next steps. (This list is for Astra 2: hunt around on that website and you'll find links to other satellite lists.)

These instructions work on my LIDL"PartyII", a Comag box about 2 years old.

Go to the Installation menu

Select Antenna setting

Select the Satellite you want (eg Astra 2)

Select Transponder and go across to the list (eg 12560V 27500 2/3)

Check the transponders listed against your printed list from www.flysat.com/astra28.php

If any of the transponders are missing, scroll down the transponder list until you find "New TP", click OK and add the Frequency, Polarisation, Symbol rate and FEC. Click OK.

Some transponders broadcast on Vertical and on Horizontal- they need to be added individually.

When you've added all the necessary transponders you need to start a new channel search.

Search for ALL channels, that is Pay and FTA. (UTV, for example, is shown as a $ Pay channel although it is actually free.)

Start Search. Go get a cup of coffee!

When the search is 100% complete, Exit the Antenna Setting and Installation Menus and go to the "Service Organising" menu.

Scroll down through the list of channels and any that don't show a picture may have the wrong Video or Audio PID.

Select the "Modify option and enter the correct Video / Audio PIDs, Click OK and you should have a picture now.

BBC 1 +2 Northern Ireland and Film4, for example, on my set needed to be changed in this way.

It appears that the transponders change from time to time, so you may have to repeat this.

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#28 21-11-2007 10:00pm
subway

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MODEDIT: Post copied from another thread. May be handy for somebody wanting to use one of these remotes for Sky.

instructions and codes are attached...

sky: 154, 182, 190, 191
Sky Digibox: 224
Sky Digital: 154

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#29 16-03-2008 7:25pm
byte

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byte

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Posts: 18873

Here is a PDF detailing how to change the power supply board in a Thomson SkyHD box.

PDF compiled by mathias. Thanks.

http://bytelive.com/files/Replacing%20SkyHD%20PSU.pdf

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#30 20-04-2008 12:55pm
jfcassidy95

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Posts: 3

Greetings Everybody and thanks for all teh above detailed info.
Trying to tune in BBC World TV tuning frequency through Skybox - aware unavailable in UK - any suggestions

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#31 20-04-2008 5:00pm
byte

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byte

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jfcassidy95 wrote: »

Greetings Everybody and thanks for all teh above detailed info.
Trying to tune in BBC World TV tuning frequency through Skybox - aware unavailable in UK - any suggestions

BBC World TV is not available to tune in via your Skybox. Sky use Astra 2 and Eurobird. BBC World transmit on Astra 1, Hotbird, Thor 5, etc.

Unless you're looking for BBC News 24 (soon to be renamed BBC News, I believe), which is now on Frequency 11.954; Polarity H; Symbol rate 27.5; FEC 2/3.

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