self install free to air

c-note

hey guys
living in louth and currently picking up tv through ariel only.
we get bbc 1&2 utv and chan4

watching the winter olympics, i dont know why they complain of lack of snow, 90% of my picture comprises of snow! (bbc2)

so i think its time to try a free to air system
the one i'm considering is from http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Freesat_DIY_satellite_systems.html
they're chargin about €250 for gear and install
but only about €100 for diy install.

my only concerns, having never done this before, are aligning the dish, and routing the cable into the house.

(edit)
i'll be runnign two tv's off the dish, requiring 2 recievers, i think this means i'll nead a twin output lnb?
(/edit)

anyone any tips or advice or tales of woe?
thanks for your help:D

PeterRehn

Hi,

I live in Louth too and was experiencing the same issues as you. I got the package Lidl offers occasionally for about 80 EUR and now have BBC 1 to 4, ITV 1 to 4 plus LOADS of other free to view channels mainly UK ones.

Was easy enough to set up and has worked great. Had it since 2007 and have had no hassle.

Pretty good value for money.

St Senan

PeterRehn wrote: »

Hi,

I live in Louth too and was experiencing the same issues as you. I got the package Lidl offers occasionally for about 80 EUR and now have BBC 1 to 4, ITV 1 to 4 plus LOADS of other free to view channels mainly UK ones.

Was easy enough to set up and has worked great. Had it since 2007 and have had no hassle.

Pretty good value for money.

The lidl satellite system is not good value for money it has been discussed to death here before the wall brackets are piss poor and the bracket at the back of the dish is made of plastic. There is a lot of better value systems available for roughly the same price B@Q are selling a DIY kit for €50

http://www.powercity.ie/?par=10-23-28212R&pages=1&prod=28212R&brands=PHILEX

http://www.freesat.ie/index.php?cat=Free-to-air_System

http://satellite.ie/acatalog/Freesat...e_systems.html

http://satworld.ie/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=100

pa990

try looking at some german sites, for hardware.. (hm-sat.de)
And get a freesat box from ebay or up north

Thats what i did.. Never looked back

Randyleprechaun

Try this crowd

www.tvtrade.ie

The following is one option for what you require

Receiver
http://tvtrade.ie/show/67,Triax-FTA-Satellite-Receiver-Pre-Programmed
Dish
http://tvtrade.ie/show/1,Sky-Satellite-dishes-no-LNB
LNB
http://tvtrade.ie/show/4,Sky-Quad-LNBs
Fixings
http://tvtrade.ie/show/259,COACH-BOLT-8MM-AND-PLUG
Connectors
http://tvtrade.ie/show/16,F-type-twist-on-connectors
Cable
http://tvtrade.ie/show/123,100m-Black-RG6-Satellite-cable-LG

They are fairly good and the site offers advice on how to install.

Putting the dish up and alligning is not the hardest job in the world. If you point it roughly in the direction of a neighbours and then use a little meter like this

http://tvtrade.ie/show/318,Satellite-Meter-DIY

you should be able to allign it in a matter of minutes.

Of course you will need a drill and sockets, spanners, screwdrivers,snips,knife etc to put it all together and connect it all up.

Mr McBoatface

I'd defo try the self install first. If there is no obstacles in the way the dish doesn't need to be that high up. You'll be aligning to Astra 28.2 see this page for set-up help " http://www.onastra.com/how-to-receive-astra/installation-assistant/index.php ". If you have a nearby neighbour with a sky dish point your dish in the same direction.

Also if you live in a semi-detached and your neighbour has a sky dish and provided they are alright with it and have a spare receiver or two on their LNB you could run your cables from their dish to your house. I've an octo LNB on my dish with one feed going to a neighbour, no point in covering our houses with dishes when one will do the job for multiple dwellings.

Any sky box without a card can be used for free-sat, they can be got cheap on adverts.ie , you might even get a dish there.

There is also a few guys who will put the dish for you at a much better rate than you been quoted:- " http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=75301&cat=38 " & " http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=103238&cat=38 "

Avoid the Lidl dish, can be hit and miss

Tony

jobyrne30 wrote: »

Also if you live in a semi-detached and your neighbour has a sky dish and provided they are alright with it and have a spare receiver or two on their LNB you could run your cables from their dish to your house.

No you cannot, this is seriously dangerous from an electrical safety point of view.

Mr McBoatface

I don't see any electrical safety issues there at all. It's common in apartment blocks where multipul housing units are run from one dish :- " http://www.skyinyourapartment.ie/ "

Tony

Well just beacuse you dont see any issues does not make it good practice. Apartment blocks uses multi switches , common earths and earth bonding bars, an entirely different set up to what you are advising. Connecting two houses to one dish may also invalidate the household insurance.

jobyrne30 wrote: »

I don't see any electrical safety issues there at all. It's common in apartment blocks where multipul housing units are run from one dish :- " http://www.skyinyourapartment.ie/ "

eamonnq

Tony wrote: »

No you cannot, this is seriously dangerous from an electrical safety point of view.

I was thinking of doing this myself ? What are the dangers with it and how is it any different to running 2 or 3 cables from your own dish into your house ?

whosedaddy?

Tony, I'm interested to know too. was thinking about same. running cable from neighbours quad LNB - for freesat channels only!

Tony

Running multiple cables from your own dish is fine but if you run one dish to two houses you are effectively connecting both electrical circuits together which may compromise the safety devices on each fuseboard. At best it might lead to the earth leakage circuit breaker or similar device tripping out which will cut your power or at worst lead to a shock from any other electrical device in the house. This is why apartments and multiple dwellings all have to be earthed back to a common point.

eamonnq

Tony wrote: »

Running multiple cables from your own dish is fine but if you run one dish to two houses you are effectively connecting both electrical circuits together which may compromise the safety devices on each fuseboard. At best it might lead to the earth leakage circuit breaker or similar device tripping out which will cut your power or at worst lead to a shock from any other electrical device in the house. This is why apartments and multiple dwellings all have to be earthed back to a common point.

Thanks for that! Much appreciated.

Tony

eamonnq wrote: »

Thanks for that! Much appreciated.

My pleasure Eamonn

whosedaddy?

Tony wrote: »

Running multiple cables from your own dish is fine but if you run one dish to two houses you are effectively connecting both electrical circuits together which may compromise the safety devices on each fuseboard. At best it might lead to the earth leakage circuit breaker or similar device tripping out which will cut your power or at worst lead to a shock from any other electrical device in the house. This is why apartments and multiple dwellings all have to be earthed back to a common point.

I wouldn't want to electrocute my elderly neighbours... ok, bigger dish then for 3 LNBs.

Mr McBoatface

Thanks Tony :- I love a good solid answer to put me in my place :-) It's common practice up my way and I suspect through out the country, you might just get some business earthing these set-ups for people like myself reading this thread.

@ cnote2 - maybe you should get Tony to do the installation for you.

Tony

jobyrne30 wrote: »

Thanks Tony :- I love a good solid answer to put me in my place :-)

Sorry did not mean to put you in your place, i'm just a little over sensitive to bad practice over the years I guess

jobyrne30 wrote: »

you might just get some business earthing these set-ups for people like myself reading this thread.

Think its a lot easier and cheaper just to have a single dish per dwelling, when we do apartment blocks for example we get a certified electrician to run and test the common earth.

c-note

Thanks for the help.

Seems i've all the tools i need,
will prob order a system next week (just in time to miss the olympics!):rolleyes:

Tony

Good luck with it.