Sat Equipment. Cable, connections, sat meter, etc.

pgdavy

Hello everyone. Just looking for a bit of help. Starting my new job next week installing Sky Digital and I need to get up and running with stock and tools. Can anyone give me help as to which companies are the best for ongoing supplies, ie. cable, conncections, clips, etc. and one off purchases, ie. 24v cordless hammer drill, sat meter, etc.

I have tried the sticky "A list of Satellite shops both online and bricks and mortar." but was wondering if there are any installers on here that might know of better.

I am in County Kerry. Thanks in advance.

watty

Shouldn't your employer supply the gear and train you?

pgdavy

No, I will be self employed installing for a few shops in my area. Any idea on my original post?

St Senan

Electroplus cable and satellite in Dublin 014199262 trade sales {John pigott}

or

Armstrongs Electronics Unit 3 Bluebell Industrial Estate Dublin 12
Telephone: 01 450 9480 {John long}

or
www.corksat.com are close to you, dont have a phone no for them

Best of luck in your new career, do you have much experience in this buisness or dealing with the public.

Rippy

KD Electronics in Cork. Strictly trade only.
0214316066

pgdavy

Thanks for the replies guys. Spoke to John Piggot yesterday. Price list in the post. Spoke to Gerard Donovan at KD yesterday and got a quote for the Wosley Lacuna Sat meter (e423inc vat). Is this meter any good? I heard some people had problems with them!

Corksat.com seem to be offline of late. Where is the best place to buy cable and connections? KD told me to call in for pricing as they are in the middle of price restructuring. Are they cheap enough to warrant a two hour drive from Kerry?

Cheers

Aquos76

I use the Horizon meter and think its excellent. The battery is also quite good.

byte

I use the Lacuna myself at work, but I don't rate it much at all. It is incredibly easy to use, but having used a Horizon in the past, the Horizon is superior to the Lacuna. The Horizon has a standard double-8 charging connector, which is easily got in any place should your meter runs down. Although I never tried it, I think the Horizon can also be powered from a pluggedin receiver, using the line voltage. Maybe Aquos76 can confirm that?

As far as other meters go, I'd say the ultimate meter is the Promax TV Explorer *drool*
http://www.promax.es/ing/NOTICIAS/tvexplorer/index.htm

These are sold by Alban Electronics in UK, though a few suppliers in ROI should have them too. I know of one anyway.

kerryman

I find KD Electronics very good to deal with,it is a small company and very helpful.

Rippy

Agreed, treated myself to a Promax Explorer before Christmas and It's brilliant!
Also .yes. KD are very helpful, prices are good for Ireland!

Tony

Congrats on your new meter, I'm still trying to sell the old one so i can get an explorer:)

pgdavy

Thanks for replying Byte!

Where is the best place to buy a meter in Ireland? My budget is €600.

kerryman

I now have a promax exloper but before that i was using a rover and a wolsey. The rover was handy because if your battery was dead you could plug it in to the mains and work away.. I know this not the best because of health and safety but if you are down in caherciveen or dingle it saves you another days work.

The wosley cost me €350 +vat from KD Electronics the rover was €750 from JW Hardy

pgdavy

Thanks for replying Kerryman. Are you an installer yourself? I got a pricelist from Electroplus during the week. They seem to be the cheapest around! I can get a second hand Horizon meter for €198+vat or a new Lacuna with all extras (charger, car charger, download lead and leather case) for €370+vat. I also priced a cordless 24v Dewalt hammer drill with 3 batteries for €600inc vat from MP Morans. Is that a good price or is there cheaper around?

Any help is appreciated.

Tony

pgdavy wrote:

Thanks for replying Kerryman. Are you an installer yourself?

He is and a very good one at that

pgdavy

What, Tony, in terms of a sat meter, would you recommend a beginner to start with?

byte

If I were to choose between the 2nd hand Horizon and the new Lacuna, I'd go for the Horizon, though the Lacuna is still good and is idiot-proof! Or better still, a new Horizon.
http://www.horizonhge.com/hge/hdsm.shtm
http://www.lacunasystems.co.uk/satmeter.htm

Am I to assume you're only installing satellite? And not aerials?

I think the TV Explorer may be outside your budget!

Tony

pgdavy wrote:

What, Tony, in terms of a sat meter, would you recommend a beginner to start with?

well i've always believed an analyser is a must however thats just my opinion and may not be shared by other installers. I think an analyser gives you a much better idea of whats going on with the lnb and cabling so its great for fault finding whereas the basic meters dont have this functionality. I currently use the promax mc 277b which i hope to upgrade to an explorer.

Welcome to the satellite industry BTW

pgdavy

Thanks for replying Tony! What is an analyser? Would you recommend I start off with one of those instead of a meter or do they have two different functions? I've only been trained to use a Premiere meter. Where can I get an analyser in Ireland? Also, the Promax meter you currently use, can it be bought in Ireland and, if so, where and how much?

Cheers, Paul.

Tony

pgdavy wrote:

Thanks for replying Tony! What is an analyser? Would you recommend I start off with one of those instead of a meter or do they have two different functions? I've only been trained to use a Premiere meter. Where can I get an analyser in Ireland? Also, the Promax meter you currently use, can it be bought in Ireland and, if so, where and how much?

Cheers, Paul.

check out http://www.promax.es/ , I currently have MC577 but there are many others there

kerryman

pgdavy wrote:

Thanks for replying Kerryman. Are you an installer yourself? I got a pricelist from Electroplus during the week. They seem to be the cheapest around! I can get a second hand Horizon meter for €198+vat or a new Lacuna with all extras (charger, car charger, download lead and leather case) for €370+vat. I also priced a cordless 24v Dewalt hammer drill with 3 batteries for €600inc vat from MP Morans. Is that a good price or is there cheaper around?

Any help is appreciated.
Yes electroplus are very cheap but i found the tread in the f Connectors very bad so i went back to KD, I get my cable from Kellihers Electrical in Tralee

I would agree with Tony an analyser is the business for fault finding. I always used a meter but since i got my analyser I have saved myself alot of time

If you want any help in geting started. just give me a call

hriservices.ie

byte

Yeah, an analyser is great for fault-finding. I would use the Promax (which was primarily bought for terrestrial installs) for fault-finding. But for installs, I prefer to use the Lacuna meter I have, as it's handy and quick!

Rippy

byte wrote:

Yeah, an analyser is great for fault-finding. I would use the Promax (which was primarily bought for terrestrial installs) for fault-finding. But for installs, I prefer to use the Lacuna meter I have, as it's handy and quick!

Agree 100%. I have the Lacuna and the Promax Explorer and use them in the same way.

Rippy

I would recommend using Crimp on f conns. Far more secure than the twist on jobbies and I find them quicker as well. Check out www.alltrade.co.uk for these and plenty of other stuff. KD have them too.

watty

As long as:
1) The cable is EXACTLY the right size for connector or vice versa
2) A professional crimp tool
3) You really know how to trim the coax properly for crimp.

I've replaced 100s of badly done RG58 crimps on LANs before CAT5 became popular. I've seen CT100 cables "fall off" that were crimped too.

A good crimp *IS* far better than a screw on.

A bad crimp is MUCH worse than a moderately well done screw on.

Anything less than an analyser is really not much better than a 20 quid beeper used by an expert with final tweek by looking at quality. I don't "professionally" install at the moment, so only have access to serious lab based analysers. I use a 2.4GHz video sender and pocket TV to see the "quality bargraph".

An analyser will quickly show source of wierd problems if you understand what it is telling you.

Tony

for f connectors and scarts hard to beat these guys http://www.sieger-electronic.de/

byte

Tony wrote:

for f connectors and scarts hard to beat these guys http://www.sieger-electronic.de/

Wow, that site has definitely a fine selection of just F-connectors alone, not to mention the other bits and pieces!

Thanks for the link.

Blaster99

I wouldn't be surprised if you can find these meters cheaper online.

Do you guys just do Sky installs? Do you really need all this fancy gear for that? I found the appropriate satellite(s) within a minute or so using a €10 sat finder. I'm sure more exotic stuff is much harder to find, though.

watty

You need the fancy gear for when it doesn't go smooth. Also for a commercial installer ANYTHING that saves time and makes a more reliable quality job = money saved.

Not worth scrimping. Hence when I did installing of studios my drill was 5 times price of a domestic one.

Blaster99

Good point. With a mickey mouse sat finder you need to get off the ladder to check that you are indeed pointing to the right satellite.

Can I ask a related question... I spent roughly the same amount of time nailing in cable clips as I did the rest of the install job and the end result was far from perfect. Do you guys use nail guns for this or are you just God's gift to nailing those bastards into the wall?

Tony

byte wrote:

Wow, that site has definitely a fine selection of just F-connectors alone, not to mention the other bits and pieces!

Thanks for the link.

My pleasure, Mat is a nice guy to deal with

Tony

Blaster99 wrote:

I wouldn't be surprised if you can find these meters cheaper online.

Do you guys just do Sky installs?

absolutely not, I rarely do sky installs now and in any case no self respecting professional with go to work without a proper meter.

watty

Perfect fit clips make a big difference, but my garden wall rendering can be drilled, but even a nail gun would be erratic. After two attempts I dug a trench and put a pipe for all the cables.

watty

Tony wrote:

for f connectors and scarts hard to beat these guys http://www.sieger-electronic.de/

BUT!
Not at 3am with the laptop volume full up in the bedroom. At least he has an off button!

Tony

watty wrote:

BUT!
Not at 3am with the laptop volume full up in the bedroom. At least he has an off button!

Moral: turn volume down when surfing at 3am

Rippy

Can I ask a related question... I spent roughly the same amount of time nailing in cable clips as I did the rest of the install job and the end result was far from perfect. Do you guys use nail guns for this or are you just God's gift to nailing those bastards into the wall?

On rock- hard old concrete I drill a 5.5 mm hole and use nailing plugs.
Quicker and easier!

pgdavy

Hello guys, thanks for all your PM's and replies! I bought the Lacuna for €423inc VAT as I read that it is the easiest and quickest meter to use. Will be buying most of my stuff from Electroplus as they seem to be the cheapest around. What I still need to get is a decent drill, F connectors and a crimping tool. I would much rather go for the crimp on connectors as they are quicker to use and look tidier. What connectors should I be looking for to go on RG6 cable? I have noticed so many different crimp on connectors out there! Also, what is the best crimping tool? I trained with a guy who had a crimper made by Argus which was quite a tidy piece of kit. Finally, what is the best drill? These are my options: Dewalt 24v cordless sds 3 batteries (2.0ah)= €600 Bosch 24v cordless sds 2 batteries (3.0ah)= €650 Ryobi 24v cordless sds 2 batteries (2.0ah)= €380

Thanks again, Paul

vsat

Best F connectors,are compression.
self sealing, and look well.
no need for tape,which can hold water if not put on correctly.:)

Tony

you should really be using ct100, rg6 is for amateurs not professionals. Try Beacon communications in western ind estate for this . The german site above is best for crimp on connectors. I use hilti cordless drill

pgdavy wrote:

Hello guys, thanks for all your PM's and replies! I bought the Lacuna for €423inc VAT as I read that it is the easiest and quickest meter to use. Will be buying most of my stuff from Electroplus as they seem to be the cheapest around. What I still need to get is a decent drill, F connectors and a crimping tool. I would much rather go for the crimp on connectors as they are quicker to use and look tidier. What connectors should I be looking for to go on RG6 cable? I have noticed so many different crimp on connectors out there! Also, what is the best crimping tool? I trained with a guy who had a crimper made by Argus which was quite a tidy piece of kit. Finally, what is the best drill? These are my options: Dewalt 24v cordless sds 3 batteries (2.0ah)= €600 Bosch 24v cordless sds 2 batteries (3.0ah)= €650 Ryobi 24v cordless sds 2 batteries (2.0ah)= €380

Thanks again, Paul

byte

As for the drills, all 3 would be able to cope with the job at hand. I hear many good reports on DeWalt gear, though I don't use DeWalt myself.

pgdavy

Hello lads, me again!

Just a quick question on FTA boxes. I will be going out installing Sky for the first time next week and I know its a fairly quiet time for installing (down here anyway). I was thinking about selling and installing FTA systems and am wondering what the best/cheapest boxes are for this purpose only. I have a couple of price lists but unsure as to which box will do what!

Any advice would be great. Thanks, Paul.

Tony

pgdavy wrote:

Hello lads, me again!

Just a quick question on FTA boxes. I will be going out installing Sky for the first time next week and I know its a fairly quiet time for installing (down here anyway). I was thinking about selling and installing FTA systems and am wondering what the best/cheapest boxes are for this purpose only. I have a couple of price lists but unsure as to which box will do what!

Any advice would be great. Thanks, Paul.

Thats a matter for personal choice really, weigh up the different features and ease of use, you will soon find out what customers prefer

pgdavy

All the customer needs is a dish and box that will give free channels off the Astra 28 satellite. Can anyone recommend anything off the Electroplus price list?

satworld

electroplus is a bit pricey?

St Senan

pgdavy wrote:

Hello lads, me again!

I was thinking about selling and installing FTA systems and am wondering what the best/cheapest boxes are for this purpose only. I have a couple of price lists but unsure as to which box will do what!

Any advice would be great. Thanks, Paul.

I prefer the Globo 3000 it has an easy menu it's easy to scan and also comes with a few games. we have been using them for a while now with out any problems

Tony

pgdavy wrote:

All the customer needs is a dish and box that will give free channels off the Astra 28 satellite. Can anyone recommend anything off the Electroplus price list?

hardly, they are a competitor

watty

have browse with Google
Look at tarasat.nl satellite.ie maplin.co.uk and others in the Suppliers sticky to get an idea of products and prices.

A receiver onnly is 75 Euro to 200 Euro and a system without motor 140 Euro to 300 Euro. Motor 100 Euro extra and I recommend 80cm (min) dish to 1.1m (max) dish for motor. Recommend 60cm absolute minimum for Sky only, and 70cm/80cm gives better rain and rusting margin. The larger the dish the more accurate alignment must be.


Those are all retail ex-install prices but some wholesalers are more expensive.

If Scaller/Satworld have nothing better to offer in posts than promoting themself, I'll discuss it with the other mods.

byte

Strong receivers are quite good. Though I find them rather slow at scanning.

I have tried Triax for the first time last week. Seem to scan quicker than the Strong, and seem like quite a good receiver, though I'll not know for a while how reliable they are.

Have you tried Armstrong Electronics for prices?

Rippy

byte wrote:

I have tried Triax for the first time last week. Seem to scan quicker than the Strong, and seem like quite a good receiver, though I'll not know for a while how reliable they are.

I have had a fair bit of trouble with Triax receivers in the past, mainly software issues. I have been assured that this is sorted, but I would still not go near them. Shame really, as Triax do not usually put their name to crap.

I am now using SAB receivers
www.sabsatellite.nl/products.php?cat=61
These I find excellent.
It is a pity SAB will not sell directly to Ireland (Ihave to buy from one of my competitors who has the franchise), however they are still good value.

bunker

For the basic stuff you could try Kellihers Electrical in Ballymullen,Tralee.Not sure about their pricing but there supposed to be ok.My cousin is a sparky here in kerry and uses Meteor Electrical from Tyrone (048)8672 8908 or www.meteorelectrical.com ,they can bill you in euros and deliver to kerry on a regular basis. Hope this helps

byte

Handy link, bunker.

Might be useful in the future.