RTE Announce FTA Saorsat service

mickymcg

hi
i have a vu+duo, using 90cm motorised dish,
tryed scanning Circularly Polarised. 20.185MHz Ka Band, on 9e, nothing.
now can anyone please tell me, Do i need a special lnb? i have a universal lnb at mom, for all sats,
thank,s mick.

Apogee

mickymcg wrote: »

hi
i have a vu+duo, using 90cm motorised dish,
tryed scanning Circularly Polarised. 20.185MHz Ka Band, on 9e, nothing.
now can anyone please tell me, Do i need a special lnb? i have a universal lnb at mom, for all sats,
thank,s mick.

A Universal Ku-band LNBF covers 10.7-12.7GHz. You need a Ka-band LNBF which covers 19.7-20.2GHz - they are not commercially available yet.

DIY solutions exist - read back through the thread.

mickymcg

thank,s

Mr. Rabbit

Machinehead wrote: »

C5 has been FTA for a while now on 10773H but only on the UK Sky & Freesat EPG. Up until now all region versions have been encrypted, but within next few weeks all C5 versions & 5* & 5 USA are expected to go FTA thanks to the extra narrow beam capacity made available with the newly launched Astra 1N (freq 10964H 22000).
Roumers over on DS fourms are that C5 HD will follow in mid 2012.

5+1 starts on Freesat, Sky (and Freeview ?) on 6th December.

5* and 5 USA on the 8th December, apparantly.

Freesat is now an excellent alternative to any UK viewers inflicted with Freeview Lite post DSO (i.e. relay transmitters) and ROI viewers without access to a Freeview transmitter in either NI or Wales.

Ther's little point in Freesat from Sky now.

Macy0161

Mr. Rabbit wrote: »

I'd very much doubt it would be 5 million plus.

Last census figures have it approaching 700,000 born in ireland living in Britain iirc. That will have gone up. That's before you get into 2nd and 3rd generation. So even if it was "only" that number, it would lead to an increase in island of Ireland rights.

Apart from the other cost issues that make saorsat a better option (if it works as proposed).

Mr. Rabbit

Last census figures have it approaching 700,000 born in ireland living in Britain iirc. That will have gone up. That's before you get into 2nd and 3rd generation

I still very much doubt 5 million plus people in the UK will watch RTE, even it were free to air under the add channels option

Apart from the other cost issues that make saorsat a better option (if it works as proposed).

Well, still no equipent commercially available, either LNBs or set top boxes (or PVRs), along with intermittent test transmissions

Personally, I think the whole thing is a complete mess for those who can't get saorview in the ROI.

It'll be interesting to see what the situation is in 10 months time.

Mr. Rabbit

they are not commercially available yet.

DIY solutions exist - read back through the thread.

That just about sums Saorsat up.

watty

Nonsense. It's not a live service yet.

rlogue

Watty, since you seem to have the inside track on Saorsat, why is it all being given third secret of Fatima status inside RTE? Who benefits from the secrecy?

Sam Russell

rlogue wrote: »

Watty, since you seem to have the inside track on Saorsat, why is it all being given third secret of Fatima status inside RTE? Who benefits from the secrecy?

Everything has that status within RTE. The whole digital switchover has been dogged by secrecy, with it even being secret whether programmes are transmitted in HD on RTE2. As far as I can tell, not being an insider, RTE have decided to wait until next October before they launch Saorview. In the meantime, they are just carrying on as if it did not exist. Little on no promotion of it, no schedule for RTE NewsNow, no schedule for RTE Jr - and no kids programmes at the weekend, and programmes, like FairCity, missing from RTE 1+1. TV3 and TG4 also are ignoring Saorview.

We have had two launches so far, three if you count October 2010. I suppose we need a third one.

We did not need to wait until the nothern changeover, we have it all in place (apart from Saorsat) already and have had since May, 2012.

Why the secrecy?

Hotblack Desiato

Mr. Rabbit wrote: »

I still very much doubt 5 million plus people in the UK will watch RTE, even it were free to air under the add channels option

RTE has some programming which would be very attractive to UK viewers - US series broadcast well in advance of their UK airings, Champions League games not available FTA in the UK. You're basically rehashing the old 'why isn't RTE FTA on 28.2E' argument, which has been flogged to death in many threads over many years, and using it as a stick to beat Saorsat with, ignoring what Saorsat is actually intended for and intended to do. It's a relatively cheap alternative to building lots of small DTT relays, and a means of providing backup feeds to DTT sites. Just because it uses a sat to do this doesn't mean it does, or should, have anything whatsoever to do with the UK's 28.2E services.

Hotblack Desiato

Great post Sam.
Even more bizarre than the near-omerta about Saorview on RTE, is the decision of Dept of Comms to launch their own campaign, and then promote Sky and UPC on it.

Say Dublin Bus were changing a bus route. It's up to DB to inform the public. Dept of Transport don't launch an information campaign of their own saying people can use this new changed bus route, or buy a car instead, and here is a list of car dealers...

watty

I thought myself the Saorsat launch was late spring/early summer 2011, then put back to Autumn (October? 2011) and now Dec 2011/Jan 2012. Today is the first time I heard a suggestion of October 2012. Saorsat doesn't really need to be running today, but Availability of the cheapish LNBF for Ka and a live service at least six months before ASO to give time for installs seems reasonable.

As to why? I Have no idea. I'm just a Veteran Kremlin Watcher.

I'm guessing they want to hold off as long as possible so that people that need an Aerial or box just for Saorview get sorted as perhaps starting Saorsat too early could inhibit the Terrestrial takeup. They'd want those that can't get Saorview to have priority for LNBFs rather than geeks with Diseqc and multifeed dishes using one Sat box for UK & Saorsat. Their priority is fill-in. Not making it easier for people to avoid Terrestrial completely!

watty

rlogue wrote: »

Watty, since you seem to have the inside track on Saorsat, why is it all being given third secret of Fatima status inside RTE? Who benefits from the secrecy?

Ha! that's easier than any timetable from RTE
Here you are: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html

I really honestly don't know what RTE's Timetable is. We are in uncharted waters as it would have been expected that the Domestic Ka LNBF was in the Irish Retail channels and the service live last month. No-one is even saying "off the record" what is happening. Information I get is about as erratic as rice paper notes slipped through the Bamboo Curtain.

Macy0161

ninja900 wrote: »

Great post Sam.
Even more bizarre than the near-omerta about Saorview on RTE, is the decision of Dept of Comms to launch their own campaign, and then promote Sky and UPC on it.

I think that's EU competition rules. Governments have to promote all options, whereas RTE can just promote saorview.

On the lack of information - it could just be that RTE are testing it and don't want to say to much until their absolutely sure it'll do what it's supposed to.

watty

I have been passed a piece of rice paper

rustle rustle

早春，接收机和高频头小号，从初夏。

(you may need to install Chinese fonts) I can't vouch any accuracy. But seems believable.

munch munch

But my advice is to use an aerial outdoors if possible and if not wait and see.

TV3 now already has MUCH better coverage on Digital Terrestrial than on Analogue, so no-one is going to fuss if they refuse to join the club. They'd be daft though.

Coverage in main UK of Saorsat is not much different to Terrestrial Spillover. There will be no additional rights costs.
See http://www.techtir.ie/saortv/saorsat-coverage

The Cush

ninja900 wrote: »

Even more bizarre than the near-omerta about Saorview on RTE, is the decision of Dept of Comms to launch their own campaign, and then promote Sky and UPC on it.

Who does what in relation to DTT and ASO is set out in the Broadcasting Act.

Regarding the spending of state funds promoting Sky, UPC etc. some previous discussion here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=74531150&postcount=68
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=74930569&postcount=127
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=74951478&postcount=164

Booms

watty wrote: »

I have been passed a piece of rice paper

rustle rustle


(you may need to install Chinese fonts) I can't vouch any accuracy. But seems believable.

munch munch


You did get that from one of the Mandarins?

Should be quoted on all Saorsat correspondence!

欢闹，我的底部，离开

Gerry Wicklow

How many grains of salt do we need with all this rice paper?

watty

A bit.

Nothing is sure till it happens.

That's when I'll buy a Ka LNBF.

My apologies for this but I have been following the saorsat thread for a long while, a lot of you obviously know what you are talking about and I'd appreciate some guidance from you (for my Christmas present!)

What I eventually want to be able to do is watch Freesat and Saorsat, dispense with Sky and not use a terrestrial aerial. I live in Termonfeckin near Drogheda and terrestrial coverage is very poor/non-existant. I have a sky dish with a quad lnb and feed two cables to Sky+ and two to a Humax Foxsat. As a start towards a system that still has just one dish, but receives Freesat and Saorsat, I am considering changing the dish to a Triax TD88, reusing the existing quad lnb and cabling. Then, at some time when they become available, installing a dedicated lnb for saorsat on a multiblock lnb holder.

My question is, is it worth installing the TD88 now (My wife wants to get me something for Christmas and is happy to indulge my hobby!) in preparation for the future, or am I just wasting her money!

Many thanks

satwyn

probably best to wait nothing on saorsat as yet and no info as to if and when the service will start to install the new dish would not be expensive if you can diy there are no ka band lnbf out there freely available but if you want to proceed with the new install use a ku band lnb to align 9e then you can swap the lnbs for the saorview when the ka lnb becomes available

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

My apologies for this but I have been following the saorsat thread for a long while, a lot of you obviously know what you are talking about and I'd appreciate some guidance from you (for my Christmas present!)

What I eventually want to be able to do is watch Freesat and Saorsat, dispense with Sky and not use a terrestrial aerial. I live in Termonfeckin near Drogheda and terrestrial coverage is very poor/non-existant. I have a sky dish with a quad lnb and feed two cables to Sky+ and two to a Humax Foxsat. As a start towards a system that still has just one dish, but receives Freesat and Saorsat, I am considering changing the dish to a Triax TD88, reusing the existing quad lnb and cabling. Then, at some time when they become available, installing a dedicated lnb for saorsat on a multiblock lnb holder.

I wouldn't recommend reusing the the Sky LNB on a Triax. The LNBs for Sky minidishes are designed for an elliptical dish and may not work as well on a circular one.

Ronnie Raygun

Deleted User wrote: »

As a start towards a system that still has just one dish, but receives Freesat and Saorsat, I am considering changing the dish to a Triax TD88, reusing the existing quad lnb and cabling. Then, at some time when they become available, installing a dedicated lnb for saorsat on a multiblock lnb holder.

My question is, is it worth installing the TD88 now ...

Are you only going for 28 east & 9 east? That's a big spread & unless I was also going to mount lnbs for say 19 & 13 as well, I'd just use a separate dish for each sat. position, as it would be necessary to have the lnbs for 28 & 9 offset well out of the TD88's central focal area & would seem like compromising reception just for the sake of the 1 dish solution (& a waste of a TD88).

Also, to my eyes, one 80/90cm dish is just as obtrusive looking as two Sky dishes or "normal" 60cm types (unless they actually enforce the planning laws in your area, are you only allowed 1 dish in ROI?).

But that's just my opinion.

lucernarian

By my reckoning, most of Termonfeckin has good coverage unless you live towards Almondstown (the hill outside Clogherhead) or else right along the river through Termonfeckin. Most of the aerials are receiving from Clermont Carn to the north as it also picks up Kilkeel's broadcasts from the north. CC is currently on lower power until October next year too. If the aerial was set up to receive only Saorview then Three Rock/Kippure from Dublin would work much better. I suggest a visit to the Terrestrial forum for more info.

And here's Saorview's coverage predictor http://coverage.rtenl.ie/RTENLcoveragechecker.php

watty

yes you are allowed one dish up to 90cm

One 90cm dish is less obtrusive than 2 x 65cm. In the East a 80cm will work. It's only Eurobird in the west is needing the 90cm

number_1

Karsini wrote: »

The LNBs for Sky minidishes are designed for an elliptical dish and may not work as well on a circular one.

While the Sky dishes are horizontal ellipses, I use a Sky quad LNB on a dish which is a vertical ellipse (without skewing the LNB at all), which I suppose should be even worse than using it on a circular dish. Despite this signal quality is usually 80% to 90%!

To_be_confirmed

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

By my reckoning, most of Termonfeckin has good coverage unless you live towards Almondstown (the hill outside Clogherhead) or else right along the river through Termonfeckin. Most of the aerials are receiving from Clermont Carn to the north as it also picks up Kilkeel's broadcasts from the north. CC is currently on lower power until October next year too. If the aerial was set up to receive only Saorview then Three Rock/Kippure from Dublin would work much better. I suggest a visit to the Terrestrial forum for more info.

And here's Saorview's coverage predictor http://coverage.rtenl.ie/RTENLcoveragechecker.php

Many thanks for this solid advice. I have installed an aerial and now receive Saorview. Just one remaining question, if someone could help, please.

I want to send the dtt signal down the one of the shotgun coaxs I use for satellite. In the lounge I have a triax 304129 "Sat II Outlet plate" which has connections on the back for two feeds (Sat1/TV/Radio and Sat2) plus one return coax (to take the sky signal off for distribution). I am using an old diplexer in the loft to merge the sat and tv signals, but can't get it to work

I initially set up the aerial so that I used the return cable "backwards" to take the aerial signal down from the roof, and that worked ok. The diplexer is definitely passing the aerial signal - I tried it in line. The diplexer also allows the satellite signal pass thru - I tried that in line, too. The I tried just joining the dtt aerial cale to the sat1 aerial feed , but I couldn't get a signal out of the room plate (using the "TV" outlet)

I am obviously doing something stupid - can anyone enlighten me please

Many thanks

Peter Rhea

So you're 100% sure that this 'sat 1' cable you connect to is actually the one that's connected to the triplexed outlet (& not actually 'sat 2')?

zg3409

I assume you have the following wall plate:

http://www.triax.co.uk/Products/Wall%20Outlets/Triax%20Screened%20Outlets.aspx?productId={7969B451-48AE-4001-9BC4-A55081882735}&Tab=0

which is the 304109 (could not find info on 304129)

The above unit is indeed designed to seperate a combined TV aerial and satellite signal.
To combine the signal at the other end (say the attic) you need a similar diplexer.

One like this should work:
http://www.aerialsuperstore.co.uk/indoor-vhf-uhf--satellite-if-diplexer-367-p.asp

There are other splitters which look similar but are not the same. Anyway connect the TV aerial to the black connection in bottom left. Connect the satellite dish to the red connector bottom left. The top connector is the combined signal that travels down to the room.

You need a displexer with:
One lead marked Sat (950-2250)
One marked TV (5-860)
One marked Combined (5-2250)

One side should say "power pass". If not you do not have the right type. It sounds like the diplexer you have is the incorrect type.