Sky Installation

Niall1234 · 07-01-2006 7:47pm #1

Just wondering one thing. With the positioning of our house and with local laws etc, we'll be forced to put the satellite dish up on the chimney stack.

Now, I'm just wondering aswell. Is there a standard charge for the installation, or this go up considering the difficulty of the installation. i'm guessing putting a dish up on top of a 2 story house aint going to be easy ?

Anyone know the installation cost ?

Tony · 07-01-2006 8:13pm

chimney is the worst place you can put it, go for a bracket on the back of the house

Niall1234 · 07-01-2006 9:46pm

I'm guessing it would want to be fairly high off the back wall of the house, or the roof would be blocking the signal ?

Tony · 08-01-2006 12:13pm

Niall1234 wrote:

I'm guessing it would want to be fairly high off the back wall of the house, or the roof would be blocking the signal ?

No unless the roof is very steeply pitched it should be ok, the dish would normally sit a few inches above the lowest part of the roof unless it needed to be slighly higher for reasons of obstruction like a chimney although you can usually avoid this by clever siting of the bracket. Bear in mind that the dish is an "offset feed" in other words it picks up a signal at a much higher angle then it seems to be pointing visually.

Lex Luthor · 08-01-2006 1:31pm

I had this issue 4yrs back when I got sky installed...
they wanted to put the dish on the side of the house facing frontwards, but I was getting an extension built over the garage 6 months later, so it couldn't go there, cos I didn't want to have it moved again.

So he asked me where I would like to put it and I suggested the chimney...

He himmed & hawed for 20sec until a crisp €20 found its way into his hand.

Niall1234 · 08-01-2006 3:06pm

Just one other question.

I'm after getting an english FTV card.

Is there any SKy digital decoder that comes with 2 spaces for viewing cards, eliminating the need for me to keep switching.

Mossy Monk · 08-01-2006 3:27pm

Niall1234 wrote:

Is there any SKy digital decoder that comes with 2 spaces for viewing cards, eliminating the need for me to keep switching.

no

one slot for a viewing card and one slot for an interactive card

Niall1234 · 08-01-2006 4:35pm

Will the constant changing destroy both cards ?

byte · 08-01-2006 4:39pm

Niall1234 wrote:

Will the constant changing destroy both cards ?

It could be detrimental in the long term. I think I'd worry more about damaging the card-reader more than the card!

That said, many switch cards here, and I don't hear of many issues.

watty · 08-01-2006 5:06pm

It is best to have two receivers. Card change over is also slow.

Also either card can miss keys if out of slot for a few days and then can take up to 24hrs to work again.

The switch at back of slot wears out first, then card, then card contacts.

It depends how often you switch.

Allegedly it is bad to have phone line connected. I have never had phone line on any of my digiboxes (my 5 year old one died a month ago).

Niall1234 · 08-01-2006 5:16pm

Hmm. Will think about picking up a 2nd box so.

it doesn't need to be a sky one though ?

I'll also have to split the dish feed into 2 ?

watty · 08-01-2006 6:02pm

You can't split the feed. You need a quad output LNB on dish.

Only Sky box takes a Sky card (Sub or FTV).

The FTV card only gives C4, Five and Sky3 extra compared with no card or a cheap 90 Euro FTA receiver box (can share dish using a Quad LNB).

Even a cancelled Irish Sky card now does Sky3.

All BBC and ITV (plus 70 radio and a bunch of other good channels) work on any digital satellite receiver, no card or subscription required.
FTA = Free To Air = No Card.

FTV = Free To View = Freeview from Sky = Card once off payment lasts 3 to 5 years.

byte · 08-01-2006 8:58pm

Only thing to bear in mind is that if you want to put the 2 boxes beside the same TV, switching channel on one box, will do the same with the other box.

Only way around that is to get a Sky+ box, as the remote uses different IR frequencies than the standard Sky digibox.

Niall1234 · 10-01-2006 9:42pm

Would it be possible to do the following.

I know its simple enough to split analogue TV feed using a RF Switch. This is used mainly for old computer consoles so that instead of switching the lead into the back of the TV all the time, all you needed to do was flick the switch.

How about, getting a similar switch for the digital feed. Put some form of switch before it enters the boxes, from the switch have a feed going into both boxes, but have the switch controlling which box the feed goes into.

Sure it would be annoying but a lot easier than having to get a dual or quad LNB for no reason, especially considering C4 and C5 will prob go FTA in a few years ?

Is there any sort of switch of the job ?

http://www.mselectrical.co.uk/products/cocom70356.jpg

watty · 11-01-2006 12:07am

Yes, but this also is a problem for the Digibox. The card in disconnected box misses keys and then then channel you want won't work for 1 hr to 20hr...

I have my 2nd Digibox in kitchen. TV aerial loops through it. The box with more used channels is in Living room. Rarely change channel on the Kitchen box.

Ulsterman 1690 · 12-01-2006 4:22pm

RE: the two cards in a digibox thing.

Im sure theres a market out there for a device that would silde into a card slot and have a ribbon cable going to a box with two card slots and a switch (Something like those dual SIM card adaptors one can get for some mobile phones)

Any takers ?

JohnDigital · 12-01-2006 5:39pm

Pretty small market for such a device as only ROI Sky Subscribers would ever need to be swapping cards as the UK gets all the stations on their card to begin with, but it would be nice for us :-)

The set up that I have is two identical Thomson boxes in the living room, one with Sub card and the other with FTV card. I have put a small piece of electrical tape over the remote sensor of the FTV box so it does not see the remote signal. I have the Sub box connected with Scart to TV and then have the FTV box tuned into the TV using the RF2 outlet of the box, which stays tuned to C4.

When I want to watch C4 I just press TV on the remote and select channel 1 which gives me the FTV box, and to go back to Sky Sub I just press the sky button and the box switches back to the Scart feed. When I want C5 I just switch station manually on the FTV box. Only drawback is that the RF2 feed only outputs Mono.

watty · 12-01-2006 8:04pm

Hmm. You really just need two bare readers*, a two pole slide switch+ and one of those sticking out PCBs that takes a SIM card. About 5mins soldering.

How small a market are we talking:)

*Even chopped out of old analog receivers. But they arn't expensive, maybe 5 Euro

+ You don't need to switch all the wires I think there is in, out, Power, Ground and Clock. Only the outs or bidierectional pins need switched. Possibly even the unused card wouldn't miss its keys.

byte · 12-01-2006 8:15pm

Such a device would be good, but I doubt it exists. Cardman.co.uk has a Doubler, which allows 2 Irdeto cards to be used simultaneously, but this doesn't work with anything except Irdeto and Betacrypt.

Niall1234 · 12-01-2006 8:59pm

Hmm.

Been doing a bit of research.

I read that splitting the feed into both boxes will still work, its just that both boxes would then be limited to whatever the band and modulation that the other box is using.

In my case, this wouldn't matter at all as I would only be using one box at a time.

And just on the rf switch question. Anyone know of where I could buy a device. i have a playstation rf switch but would this fit ?

And how long would it take a FTV card to lose its keys ?

Rippy · 12-01-2006 9:19pm

Niall1234 wrote:

Hmm.

Been doing a bit of research.

I read that splitting the feed into both boxes will still work, its just that both boxes would then be limited to whatever the band and modulation that the other box is using.

In my case, this wouldn't matter at all as I would only be using one box at a time.

And just on the rf switch question. Anyone know of where I could buy a device. i have a playstation rf switch but would this fit ?

And how long would it take a FTV card to lose its keys ?

Problem is both boxes would still be supplying power to the LNB even when in standby.
Only way it could be done leaving both boxes connected would be to disconnect the power to the box not in use. Not reallty feasable due to start up time, and you WILL forget to shut off the power!

A switch on the cable would work, sure i've seen them somewhere, don't use a crappy plastic job, use a proper screened metal one with f connectors,
maybe Doonberg?

Niall1234 · 12-01-2006 9:34pm

Just wondering, but is the feed from the aerial compatible with normal analogue cabling.

And this Doonberg switch ? Any link cause I can't find anything on google.

Rippy · 12-01-2006 9:42pm

Niall1234 wrote:

Just wondering, but is the feed from the aerial compatible with normal analogue cabling.

QUOTE]

Eh? Lost me there.

Niall1234 · 12-01-2006 9:48pm

well, I noticed that the cable going into the digibox looks like a normal analogue cable.

I'm just wondering if analogue splitters and such are compatible with this ?

Rippy · 12-01-2006 9:55pm

Niall1234 wrote:

well, I noticed that the cable going into the digibox looks like a normal analogue cable.

I'm just wondering if analogue splitters and such are compatible with this ?

As I said best not to use a splitter. I will try to dig out a source for a proper switch for you.

Here is a good explanation of cable types. http://www.megalithia.com/elect/cable/index.html

Rippy · 12-01-2006 10:17pm

Niall1234 wrote:

And this Doonberg switch ? Any link cause I can't find anything on google.

Sorry www.donberg.ie
But I can't see them there anyway

Rippy · 12-01-2006 10:19pm

Found it!
http://www.donberg.ie/descript/l/lnbswtch.htm

watty · 13-01-2006 12:13am

There isn't analog or digital cable. There is good cable and rubbish

mjsmyth · 13-01-2006 9:44am

Emmm...... the logo on the Donberg page, does anyone else find it, well, how can I put this, emm a little I dunno german 1940's.....

MJ

byte · 15-01-2006 9:27pm

mjsmyth wrote:

Emmm...... the logo on the Donberg page, does anyone else find it, well, how can I put this, emm a little I dunno german 1940's.....

MJ

Well, it is run by Germans! At least, I think they're German!

Zaphod · 15-01-2006 9:56pm

Niall1234 wrote:

Hmm.
I read that splitting the feed into both boxes will still work, its just that both boxes would then be limited to whatever the band and modulation that the other box is using.

In my case, this wouldn't matter at all as I would only be using one box at a time.

A smart priority switch would prob be a better option for what you want:
http://www.globalcom.co.uk/prod_blank.php?ProductsID=47

Or an active splitter - 2 boxes can be on at the same time, but only one can pass power.
http://www.globalcom.co.uk/communal/splitter4.html

watty · 16-01-2006 2:07pm

Priority or smart switches do work with FTA receivers. But not with Skydigibox without fitting a real on/off. It is still running in standby. Unless you get a switch that can use the SCART on/off (pin8?) signal. The sky box sets this to 0V for standby(Or if you press TV button), 5V for WS and 12V for 4:3 (Sky button or ON pressed previously)..

Sky Installation

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