Selected Lidl/Aldi Sat box posts

wheres me jumpa

Im thinking of buying one of these for my parents. Can you pick up RTE 1, RTE 2 and TV 3 on these?



[Mod: These posts are from This large 45 page thread]

mjsmyth

Hi,

The only way to view RTE 1 &2, TV3 and TG4 on satellite is by use of a Sky Digibox and a subscription.

mj

kkennedy

Trevord wrote:

I've heard from some people that they had problems with the silvercrest receiver and that it stopped working after 12 months or so........

The older Comag SL55 that lidl did a few years back did tent to overheat and the Power supply would blow( is easily repaired with a few components and a soldering iron). Dont know if its the same with the SliverCrest SL65.

watty

Silvercrest don't exist. It is a comag.

Tallspoon

Can anyone tell me if the Lidl satellite system can pick up all the satellite radio stations that I can get on my sky digibox. I want a unit to listen to satellite radio around the house and am not that interested in TV. The kids use the Sky box to watch their programs and I need another unit purely for the radio.

Sparky

Yeah a lot of the radio on Sat is free. The only encrypted ones are the music choice radio channels.

the_galway_fry

is this system in any way compatible with the ART card required to get the ART sattelite?

also general question . is it possible to set a dish in the ground or does it have to be up high?

byte

the_galway_fry wrote:

is this system in any way compatible with the ART card required to get the ART sattelite?

also general question . is it possible to set a dish in the ground or does it have to be up high?

Firstly, the system will not accept any Pay-TV cards. You'll need a box with CI slots to do this.

A dish can be put anywhere, as long as there is nothing in front of it to block signals.

kkennedy

watty wrote:

See
http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/kategorie.php?k=1

I suspect Silvercrest is Lidl own brand name. My Silvercrest TV is a Beko.


SILVERCREST, a new LIDL Quality brand, is ONLINE!

Manuals, Firmware etc for Comag SL65 via Lidl Silvercrest site:
http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=51&av=2

or via the comag website
http://www.comag-ag.de/engl/com-download/receiver/com-dwl-cmg-sl65.html

Tony

Vas_Guy wrote:

As a novice would I be right in saying that the first thing to do is mount the dish in a southern facing direction and use the satellite finder to find the position of the Astra 2D satellite and evaluate the dish to this position?

sounds like a good way to start

Zaphod

netwhizkid wrote:

Anyway much to my chagrin my Meter (Yellow Brick type one) is now going faulty and is giving me "LNB Short, Shutting Down" < anybody know what this means and it is f**ked??

LNB short usually occurs when the outer braid of the coax touches the inner core and creates a short circuit. If you see this error when a coax is attached, then recheck your f-connectors and cable.

If you you are getting the error message even when no cable is attached, then your meter is in trouble.

byte

It's well possible to have the dish aimed at 19E (Astra 1) and 13E (Hotbird) with multi LNB brackets and 2 LNB's. Although a wee bit harder, 28E (Astra 2) can be got also, though I'd question the strength of the Lidl dish's arm to sustain the weight!

If you go the multi-lnb route, you'll also need a DiSEqC switch connected to the LNBs and the receiver will then control the switch, changing the LNB it uses depending on the channel you've selected.

The other alternative is a motorised setup. THis is more difficult to get working properly, and I would recommend you buy a good sturdy dish if you're going the whole hog!

Kristok

byte wrote:

It's well possible to have the dish aimed at 19E (Astra 1) and 13E (Hotbird) with multi LNB brackets and 2 LNB's. Although a wee bit harder, 28E (Astra 2) can be got also, though I'd question the strength of the Lidl dish's arm to sustain the weight!

Do you mean that youd have to have 2 seperate lnb's pointing at a slightly different point on the dish ?

byte

Kristok wrote:

Do you mean that youd have to have 2 seperate lnb's pointing at a slightly different point on the dish ?

Precisely! That's exactly what I mean. See here to see what I mean. That bracket is specifically for Triax dishes, mind, but there are brackets available for various other types and brands of dishes also.

There is also the option of a Monoblock, which is sort of 2 LNB's in one, spaced apart to pick up both Astra 1 and Hotbird, and has an integrated switch. I have never used one however and would personally prefer the 2 seperate LNB's option myself.

watty

The monoblock is not adjustable for different dishs or satellite and not expandible to 3 or 4 Satellites.


Sky 28.E -- Astra 19E -- Hotbirds 13E
From about 2001.

Was upgraded to a better home made bracket with Quad for Sky and Dual for Astra,
Now replaced by 4 x Quattro Triax LNBs on Triax boom and a 16 way multiswitch. (28, 23.5, 19, 13). I have 4 x Alps Quattros to test that may allow 3 degree spacing instead of 5 to 6 minimum.

You can drill a pair of holes 30 degree apart on top edge of dish and run nylon cord guy wires to the end of the LNB arm if the arm is bending

Vmaxer

I have the lidl system set up and pointing at Hotbird, flicking through the stations there doesn't seem to be many English speaking channels...
Would I be better off pointing the dish at 19E I believe that MTV is FTA on 19E or is it only in German.

watty

There is every style of Pop video station on Astra 19E and Hotbirds 13.

Surely you don't really care what language the presenters speak. I think it is an advantange to not understand them. Yes it is MTV Germany.

Vas_Guy

I got mine working and found Astra 28.2 Degree East and i've just one query, I can get all pre programmed station, BBCs, ITVs, etc Film Four, True Movies are not on the list and as they are FTA is it possible to tune it in on the receiver?

watty

You need to either scan Satellite or add transponder. Built in lists never up to date.

Trevord

See Item 7 on this link

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

If its Astra 28.2E you want (bbc/itv/sky news etc) then when facing the dish the bottom of the lnb (where wire connects) should skew to the left. You will have to play around a bit to get the best signal.

beer enigma

Could I pick up Hispasat with the Lidl dish from Cork ?

L1011

Hispasat can be done on a metal dustbin lid in Cork, just do not expect the Americas beam anywhere east of the Azores.

watty

AIM wrote:

What components did you have to replace? My pwr supply has just packed up and I need some details on how to repair. Tnx

See www.satcure.co.uk

If you are not familiar with PSUs, live mains and soldering electronics, it's better to buy a new one. You need to pay at least €50 to get someone professional just to open the case...

conax

MisterAnarchy wrote:

I set one of these up for a neighbour today.
Best i could get for Astra 28.2e was
93% Signal Strength and ~75-80% Signal Quality after tweaking it .
Is that good or should it be higher ?

that looks pretty good.

Our man in Havana

Which is the better system to buy, camping or the fixed one?

wil

Bond-007 wrote:

Which is the better system to buy, camping or the fixed one?

Right I could give you the pedantic answer or a helpful one.
Pedantic answer just to get it out of the way, if you intend using it for camping then obviously the camping kit, if not then the other one.

Basically the differences between the 2 kits AFAIR as follows

Camping

---

Mains
Receiver SL65/12.................. ........SL65
12volt ........................................mains voltage
Tiny size (paperback novel) ............Standard size
No RGB out ..................................RGB out
No RF out ....................................No RF out (ignore the adverts)
Dish 35*37cm ...............................80cm
various mounts .............................Standard pole mount
carrying case ...............................none
Lidl price 99 (previous Aldi price 80) ..79

Both receivers appear to offer same specs otherwise, similar to most FTA receivers with RF out being the main feature lacking that might be a requirement for some people.
TBH dish size is the only significant factor between them.
I havent seen the current 80cm dish offered but if like previous offerings I am sure it is not the most sturdy, but should work nonetheless. Probably not really suitable for multiple lnbs without some extra diy support.
The small camping dish is small but will work reasonably adequately for Astra28 in places of good signal strength (East Coast etc) but you will have little or no margin for bad weather etc so unless you are considering using it for camping or absolutely have no room to accomadate a larger dish then you should really go for the larger size (and cheaper).

I bought the Aldi camping kit a few months back and despite what some who never seem to have owned them may say I like it. Nice menu, easy to use, intuitive if you ignore the poor manual, very small size, no heat, diseqced to 4 dishes very quick with no noticeable delay between sats. Also seems more sensitive than some receivers, giving a stable picture on a weak signal when they were breaking up, or handling higher SR rates.

My impression is that many people once they get the hang of and hooked by satellite on these cheap no frills systems then look to more accomplished/advanced systems later so in that regard they do appear to make a good introduction to the subject.

To_be_confirmed bring in your receipt and give them a try, Ive found them to be fairly ok in these regards. You could say you were waiting for someone to install it and they found the part was missing and wasnt opened till then.

Well done Jasin, as I said patience, and now look how far youve got, Ill be asking you for tips.:)

Zaphod

Puggy wrote:

1) I seem to be able to pick up more than 1 sattellite at a time, as I mentioned above. If I point to Astra 28 signal I also get Astra 19. Is this because they have channels duplicated on both and I'm not really picking up both at the same time? As I understand it although the Lidl blurb states the LNB is dual, this refers to two outputs rather then two skewed LNB's

The satellite operators often reuse the same transponder frequencies for satellites in different orbital positions. If you overlay the graphic represenations of the transponders of 28E and 19E in the pic below, you can see the two coincide at various frequencies.


http://www.satsig.net/spectrums-europe.htm

For example, on Astra 2D 28E, BBC One is available on 10.818, V, 22000, 5/6. On Astra 2C 19E, CC Valencia is available on 10.818, V, 22000, 5/6. The receivers are dumb and if you select the satellite as being 19E, they will assume that your dish is indeed pointed at 19E.

The LNB is dual -> 2 outputs to feed 2 receivers.

wil

Another aspect to be careful about is scanning in channels under the wrong satellite name. If your dish is pointed at Sirius, but you do a scan of Astra2, you could end up with a mash up list of channels from both satellites listed under the one Satellite name. This would get very confusing. You would not be sure what satellite you were pointed at. Of course you would only be able to view those from the satellite you were pointed at, the rest would be blank, but youd have to check frequencies to see what sat your on.
If it happens, it is easier to delete the whole list for that sat, then rescan afresh.

Puggy

Wil

Just came back to the PC and saw your post:o Had mistakenly done exactly what you said to be careful of. Was thinking that I should delete the lists and start again, cause I noticed the list for some satellites getting bigger. Have to admit as its my first attempt at this, I was a little worried about deleting things.

Thanks for the advice though, I delete and start again.

stevecrow74

1. The manual mentions ASTRA 1 19.2E and ASTRA 2 19.2E so presumably the latter is a typo and should be ASTRA 2 28.2E?

looks like a typo alright

2. From reading other material here and elsewhere it looks like it's possible to use a single dish and LNB (and no motorised setup) to receive from both the ASTRA 2 28.2E and Eurobird 1 28.5E - is this correct?

it is possible but you are reducing the signal streangth from both satellites , but it is possible


3.The manual does not list Eurobird 1 as one of the pre-programmed satellites so does this matter in relation to the previous point and, if not, will things just be picked up automatically once the dish is aligned (elevation, azimuth and skew etc.) correctly and some sort of scan process carried out?


Eurobird 1 is at the same angle ass Astra 2, so as long as you have the transponders programmed in you will be able to scan for chanels broadcast on Eurobird 1


4.The manual says that software updates can be done from ASTRA 1 19.2E or via RS232. Does this update the receiver firmware which controls the user interface etc. or something else (e.g. just channel details etc.)? Is it important to do such an update straight off or on a regular basis? If you never point at ASTRA 1 then how do you do it via RS232?


its extremely rare that a satellite will upgrade software for the stb (set top box), but it is worth a try every 6 months or so, and yes it does/is supposed to update firmware, no it isnt important to update firmware(unless you want to customize the stb)

if you want to update firmware(not recomended if you dont know what you are doing) you need a null modem serial cable, a computer with rs232 port, software to transfer and backup firmware/channel list etc and the updated firmare (usually found in the manufacturers website)...


the only reason i have my stb hooked up to the computer is just for ease of programming and sorting channel lists (takes 2 minutes to do on the computer and 1 min to transfer to stb, whereas it takes up to 15 minutes to organise through the stb alone

wil

Sorry to repeat most of the answers as I see Stevec has ably replied, got dragged away in middle of typing but Im sure it wont hurt. The previous question is in there too.

1 - Typo, I think elsewhere it also mentions Astra1 28e

2 - ***simultaneously no, not without addition of extra lnb, diseqc switch and multilnb bracket.
Separately yes, by moving dish.***

***correction - for reason in 3 below, no problem to receive both simultaneously.
I was mistakenly referring to Astra 2 and either Astra1 or Hotbird. Sorry for mistake.

3 - The Astra2s and Eurobird1 are in same approximate position so appear as one satellite.
4 - Firmware updates usually just for the onboard software, maybe to iron out any bugs, update menu etc. Should be done with caution as there it the potential to corrupt your firmware and possibly render your stb unusable. Normally there is little need to do such. On the digibox it does happen automatically fairly regularly but that is mostly to update the epg with channel additions, updates etc. (Digibox has a much more limited scan function so relies on these updates for the epg/channels.)
It may be possible to download the channels list to a pc, edit it then reload back to stb. There may be a channel editor on the silvercrest/comag website. Again use with caution.
You need a null modem 9 pin serial cable for this.

Re deleting channels - I think there are 3 options IIRC - Delete All, Delete Satellite, or Delete channels. Havent tried Delete all, if you delete Sat you have to type back in info to set up again
Your safest bet to avoid losing too much and not being able to figure out how to get it back is to use the last one.
So Menu, TVChannel List, Left/Rightarrow to particular sat, 5 to Edit, then 1 to mark each channel to delete, when all marked, press OK and confirm.
Then rescan as before.

TM

TM wrote:

The www.comag-ag.de website does not seem to have anything in the way of updates or utility software for applying same so I guess that I will leave well enough alone unless this changes.

Actually there does seem to be some SL65 utility and firmware upgrade stuff on the Comag and Silvercrest websites:

http://www.comag-ag.de/engl/com-download/receiver/com-dwl-cmg-sl65.html

http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=105&av=2
http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=51&av=2
http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=82&av=2

TM

What about the "software" and "software editor" ZIP files here:

http://www.comag-ag.de/engl/com-download/receiver/com-dwl-cmg-sl65.html

And the "editor tool" here:

http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=105&av=2

and here:

http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=82&av=2

And "software" here:

http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=51&av=2

I haven't looked at these in detail but some of the ZIP files do contain something that looks relevant.

In relation to the earlier caveats about firmware updating this Wikipedia article might also be of interest in relation to which chipset versions of the box can be updated with which firmware:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvercrest_SL65

Bear in mind that I only recently got my SL65 package and have not yet actually done anything with it and am just reading up on some bits and pieces so I bow to the superior knowledge of those who have actual first hand experience!

fat-tony

liamtech wrote:

Hi folks. Im a newbie to satellite systems. I purchased one a couple of weeks ago after doing some homework on what to expect. I have to admit i was astonished by the wealth of stations available. However im having difficulties with the signal strength and quality along with polarities H&V. My questions are in relation to drops in signal iv been having. When i do a tp scan it says my quality is between 73-80% fluctuating slightly. My signal strength never drops below 93%.
However this is only with the H polarity. When i check V its signal is way lower sometimes dropping to 15%.
I have a clear view of the sky and used a sat finder for optimal position. Most of the time all 500 stations(unencrypted ones ) are perfect. But i get a weak signal from time to time. Some stations which are supposidly in the V polarity (http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/index.html) such as film 4 show perfect despite the poor v rating in my tp scan.
Sorry for going off on a rant guys but any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You may need to rotate the LNB in its holder slightly to improve the signal quality on the vertically polarised transponders. Don't worry about the signal strength particularly, it's the signal quality that is important. I'm not sure whether you think your picture quality will improve if you get near 100% signal quality - it won't, unless you are getting disturbance to the picture at the moment (picture breakup, blocks of random colurs etc.). If you DO manage to get the signal quality up it will help when we have heavy rain, as it is then that the reception will drop out altogether if your setup is not "spot-on".

TM

Yes - clockwise for an easterly satellite, anticlockwise for a westerly one.

http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=How%20to%20align%20a%20satellite%20dish

7. Set the skew angle - As you face the dish, rotate the LNB clockwise for an easterly satellite or anticlockwise for a westerly satellite until the quality is again maximised.

Zaphod

xocal wrote: »

the only BBC I can get is BBC World, yet I have fantastic crystal clear reception for Al Jazeera, Sky News, Euro news and sport, France 24, cnn, etc!

Your dish is aligned to Astra1 19East - the wrong satellite. You need to lower the elevation by 3 degrees and move the dish east to Astra2 28East.
http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=How+to+align+a+satellite+dish

biologikal

petronius wrote: »

I was just wondering for future reference for software updates (and default settings) where I find the password - since I didn't see it in any of the documentation(maybe due to my eyesight) is there any point emailing the makers Silvercrest? or shall i ring them on a work day!

Try "0000", it's in the manual somewhere.

TM

petronius wrote: »

Its a PC Serial Cable rs232 - there maybe USB to rs232 conversion cables as well but I have never seen em.

These are readily available - for example (6th product down in the list):

http://www.marxcomputers.ie/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=cablesext&cart_id=

or just try eBay where they're probably even cheaper.

Ger Roe

I have not yet managed to find an editor proven to work with the latest version of the SL65 sold by Lidl. The 12volt system version will allow you to upload from the box and edit, but it displays error messages when you attempt to burn back to the box and I have not been brave enough to try it yet.

I have been looking at some uk based discussion boards trying to get to the bottom of what seems to be a very badly designed menu structure on this latest SL65, but so far everyone seems to be suffering from the same issues -really bad user menu design, problems with motor control, inability to add satellites from the user menu and no compatible editior :mad:

Maybe if enough complaints are made to comag, they might issue a firmware update for the box.

Puggy

Excellent, now I understand, does that mean the LNB with my Lidl will not do C Band?

Sorry, but as you can guess I'm almost a complete noob.

Vroomfondel

Puggy wrote: »

Excellent, now I understand, does that mean the LNB with my Lidl will not do C Band?

Your existing LNB is designed for Ku band and your dish is also too small.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_band

wil

This question gets asked so many times, in fact on every occasion after these units are sold in Lidl/Aldi, that a long time ago I suggested the question be stickied. I now suggest it again.
Your dish is with 99% certainty pointed at the wrong satellite most probably Astra1 19E, not Astra2 28E
BBC1 from transponder on Astra 2 is transmitted at the same frequency 10773 H as channel TVP coming from a transponder on Astra1.
Their other parameters are different so you dont see a picture, but you do register a strong signal.
Other channels share common frequencies too.
But if you are not pointing at the correct satellite you will likely only see a strong signal but no picture.
This has been discussed at much length previously so take a look back for "Strong signal but no picture".

If you switch your receiver to Astra 1 you will immediately have loads of channels from that sat, thats how you know you are pointing at the wrong one. You are fairly close though so dont give up.
Patience and perseverance, eventually you will be able to do it with your eyes shut
I often think using satfinders/bleepers can be just a waste of time in a novice hands, you would be better off watching for the TV picture and use the on screen signal level and tone as you move the dish.

vkid wrote: »

Folks,
Is there a way to know what sat you are locked on to? I have just spend the day messing about with a LIDL dish and receiver and am getting channels on Astra 28.2 E but can;t get any BBC/ITV channels. I am not getting a no signal/weak signal message...just a blank screen. Everything is working ok but I just can;t get the UK channels to work? Is there a setting somewhere that could be causing this?

Lost/knackered/annoyed..

Any suggestions?

homer911

Is it possible to pick up the FTV HD channels on the Lidl system? They all seem to come up blank for me!

Thanks

wil

Nope - it is not a HD box. Who knows this time next year they might be selling them if China starts producing them in quantity as demand increases.
I wonder is there any licence or rights issues in producing a HD box?

homer911 wrote: »

Is it possible to pick up the FTV HD channels on the Lidl system? They all seem to come up blank for me!

Thanks

MisterAnarchy

Tried to upgrade the firmware on the SL65 today via RS232 port.
Seemed to be going ok but its now bricked I'd say.
It powers on but only half the last Led digit is on.Black screen,nothing happening.
Fecking idiot I am ,I was initially only going to edit the channel listing but then I got a mad urge to flash it.
I used the firmware here http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=51&av=2
This box is very fussy with flashing,I've flashed lots of other boxes in the past and never had a problem.

watty

Yes, there is a whole family of sat boxes Palcom & SL series that you can only add satellite slots with difficulty via PC. Some you have to add at least one transponder & service too or the added bird is ignored.

byte

photo_gaa wrote: »

to get 28.2 can you scan it, or do you have to move the dish on the wall?

As you're already picking up BBC1, etc. it means you're already using 28.2 so you just have to scan it. No need to reset dish.

biologikal

Bozacke wrote: »

Bio,

I'm after just getting the triple LNB holder you mentioned, but I don't understand how the holder with it's semi-circle fitting fits onto the round arm of the Lidl's dish? How is the LNB holder suppose to mount to the arm of the dish?

It doesn't fit onto the arm; leave your centre LNB in the Lidl holder as normal, then unscrew the hex nuts for the centre holder/circle, and attach it to the body of the LNB. You may want to loosen your LNB in the main holder, and push it forward or backward to give yourself some room; test signal quality to ensure you're not loosing some.

The photo in this auction might give you a clearer understanding:

http://www.satkiwi.com/images/ebay/mfh/mfh31.jpg

From: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Multifeed-Triple-LNB-Holder-Universal-3-Sats-on-1-Dish_W0QQitemZ130194749329QQihZ003QQcategoryZ29783QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

The centre LNB has the dish arm holder at the front, closer to the cap.

Bozacke

I've always thought if you wanted to watch to watch diffrent satellite channels on two TVs you needed a second receiver and a quad LNB. But I've just realised that my SL65 has an output jack and I ran a cable from it to a 2nd SL65 connected to another TV in another room and I can watch different programs on the two TVs. I don't have a 3rd box to test but I assume you could daisy chain the boxes and possibly connect to a 3rd and 4th TV??

Also I am planning on setting up 3 LNBs on my dish (28, 19, 13) will I be able to get programs from all 3 satellites on multiple TVs by daisy chaining the set top boxes?

samih

samih wrote: »

Does anybody happen to know a generic remote (brand, model) that works with the SL65? Our remote broke down and the Lidl universal one has not got any codes for Comag/Silvercrest. It sucks to crawl on the floor to change the channels :-)

Just an update: I have now (finally) bought a remote, OneForAll URC-7555, that supports the SL65. FYI, the correct code under SAT is "1579" (Comag).

watty

You do!

Bozacke wrote: »

I've always thought if you wanted to watch to watch diffrent satellite channels on two TVs you needed a second receiver and a quad LNB. But I've just realised that my SL65 has an output jack and I ran a cable from it to a 2nd SL65 connected to another TV in another room and I can watch different programs on the two TVs. I don't have a 3rd box to test but I assume you could daisy chain the boxes and possibly connect to a 3rd and 4th TV??

Also I am planning on setting up 3 LNBs on my dish (28, 19, 13) will I be able to get programs from all 3 satellites on multiple TVs by daisy chaining the set top boxes?

It only seems to work. An LNB can be on Low or High band and on Vertical or Horizontal polarisation. That is 4 possibilities. If the possibilities don't match, one receiver will have no channel or the wrong channel.

You need a multiswitch for what you want.

The Loop Through IF is for an Analogue receiver at the same place, with only one receiver active.