free to air satellite

Bakugan

Hi all,
I just set up a free to air satellite system. Using a satellite finder I got good satellite strength from a satellite ( not sure which which satellite though ). all my connections are ok but i am still having difficulties getting signal strength on the telly. i have tried changing some of the settings on the decoder, with no joy. Have been at it all day, at boiling point now, need help please, any ideas.
Cheers.

FREETV

Bakugan wrote: »

Hi all,
I just set up a free to air satellite system. Using a satellite finder I got good satellite strength from a satellite ( not sure which which satellite though ). all my connections are ok but i am still having difficulties getting signal strength on the telly. i have tried changing some of the settings on the decoder, with no joy. Have been at it all day, at boiling point now, need help please, any ideas.
Cheers.

Hi, I presume that you are trying to direct your dish towards Astra 28.2E for the Freesat channel line up or the full FTA Uk stations? If you cannot get your hands on a cheap magnetic compass then are there any neighbours dishes pointing south east in that general direction that you can approximately align your dish to? You could check the signal strenght and signal quality readings from the built in signal meter of your satellite receiver if you could bring a portable tv outside and put it on a secure chair and have a waterproof cover for the tv and any extension reel incase of rain and watch both the signal and signal quality reading and pictures of channels from A to Z and lock the highest signal readings possible or ask someone indoors to ring you on your mobile while outside. You need to make sure that the preset satellite is set for Astra 28.2E on your satellite receiver or it will be on the wrong satellite and you won't be able to check and receive the pictures for Movies4Men, BBC1 London,ITV1,2,3,4 True Movies, CBS Action, Horror Channel for example or else you will get a black screen with a no signal message on the tv screen. A spirit level is a must to make sure that your satellite dish is also level on the wall or pole it is mounted too aswell as the pole or mount used. What make and model number of satellite receiver do you have? Trevord below has given you some great advice also. One degree out of alignment even can mean the difference between a steady picture in bad weather without breaking up or none at all in some cases. The dish will look as if it is pointing very slightly downwards towards the ground for Astra 28.2E

Trevord

Bakugan wrote: »

Hi all,
I just set up a free to air satellite system. Using a satellite finder I got good satellite strength from a satellite ( not sure which which satellite though ). all my connections are ok but i am still having difficulties getting signal strength on the telly. i have tried changing some of the settings on the decoder, with no joy. Have been at it all day, at boiling point now, need help please, any ideas.
Cheers.

If you don't know how to use those cheap sat finders propoerly you'd be as well off getting a guide dog to aim the dish.

There is a fair chance you are locked onto nothing or a satellite with continental European channels.

Suggestions:

1. Bring the box to a neighbour or friend's house and connect it to their dish. Satisfy yourself that you know how to set up the box properly and get a picture on their TV.

2. Now back at home check to see where any neighbours' dish is pointing. it should be roughly south east. Check the direction with a compass - you want to be about 143 degrees away from North, although that varies slightly depending on where you are in Ireland.

3. Make sure that the arm of the dish is more or less horisontal.

4. Get another person to monitor the tv

5. Now move the dish a tiny fraction to the left or right and wait for 5 seconds. If you get no signal repeat the process by going further left or right until you get a picture on the TV. Slow incremental movements and wait in between. Dont wave it round like a rabbit's ears.

6. The LNB (the device at the end of the arm of the dish) needs to be skewed to one side. This mean you need to click it into place. If you twist it gently, it should make a clicking sound. Needs to be pointing at 7 o clock position roughly.

John mac

handy video here

and some more here

.

PyeContinental

If you find yourself getting frustrated when doing any DIY job, always stop and take a break. Maybe even leave it for a few days. Take the pressure off yourself, otherwise you'll almost invariably end up making a balls of the job, damaging the equipment, and probably injuring yourself.

Read and follow the instructions in the post above after the red mist has lifted

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055761436

Let us know how you got on in the end.

dirdeen

have me a possibly flashed 'the box - super USB' from a year or so ago. . . . wondering if it will work to recieve freetoair. does the software make a difference on it or should i factory reset it if possible? have a satellite dish which im currently in the process or redirecting my satellite dish to astra 28.2E.

Digifriendly

John mac wrote: »

handy video here

and some more here

.

Excellent video there and superbly explained.

Tony

Digifriendly wrote: »

Excellent video there and superbly explained.

Thanks for the kind words

Tony

Are you sure its a satellite receiver you have? Sounds more like a cable box.

dirdeen wrote: »

have me a possibly flashed 'the box - super USB' from a year or so ago. . . . wondering if it will work to recieve freetoair. does the software make a difference on it or should i factory reset it if possible? have a satellite dish which im currently in the process or redirecting my satellite dish to astra 28.2E.

mjsmyth

If I am not mistaken or misunderstanding you, what you have is a flashed NTL/Chorus box which apart from being incredibly dodgy will not in anyway work with satellite tv.

watty

dirdeen
If so, it's only useful as a door stop. If bought in Ireland, you can demand money back as it's not fit for purpose. (Only cable company cable boxes allowed).

Satellite, Cable and Terrestrial Digital are three totally incompatible systems.

MMDS can be Cable (ex NTL) or Terrestrial Digital (ex Chorus).

There are also different "generations" of receiver on each system, backwards compatible, while older receivers won't work on later versions.

dirdeen
Maybe you need to take it to recyling centre if it was sold you for cable.

dirdeen

watty wrote: »

dirdeen
If so, it's only useful as a door stop. If bought in Ireland, you can demand money back as it's not fit for purpose. (Only cable company cable boxes allowed).

Satellite, Cable and Terrestrial Digital are three totally incompatible systems.

MMDS can be Cable (ex NTL) or Terrestrial Digital (ex Chorus).

There are also different "generations" of receiver on each system, backwards compatible, while older receivers won't work on later versions.

dirdeen
Maybe you need to take it to recyling centre if it was sold you for cable.

hmmm this is all very interesting and also over my head!! i used to be down with what was cool, then they changed what cool was. . . .now im not sure what im down with anymore!! recon your right there lads it could very well be a cable reciever!! all it says on it is digital receiver and doesn't mention anything bout satellite's etc. pretty annoying. a lot of wasted effort today!! ye recon it wont work even though i have the cable from my old sky digital cable going straight into the decoder?

John mac

what make is it ?

model number?

dirdeen

John mac wrote: »

what make is it ?

model number?

'the box, super, USB' its something like the starview 4 from what i remember. . . .also says on it digital receiver!! :rolleyes:

Tony

dirdeen wrote: »

also says on it digital receiver!! :rolleyes:

Yes its a digital cable receiver, useless for satellite

dirdeen

Tony wrote: »

Yes its a digital cable receiver, useless for satellite

was looking online and lidl actually have an offer on this week of a digital satellite receiver:

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20100722.p.HDMI_Digital_Satellite_Receiver

you guys recon i could use this along with my sky dish and pick up free to air channels?? dont wanna spend 60 quid on it if it aint gonna work

Cantona's Collars

It'll work perfectly well with your sky dish-and it has a hdmi connection which is a bonus.It will pick up all fta channels,all you need do is connect it up and set it to scan then just put the channels in the order you want.

dirdeen

zerks wrote: »

It'll work perfectly well with your sky dish-and it has a hdmi connection which is a bonus.It will pick up all fta channels,all you need do is connect it up and set it to scan then just put the channels in the order you want.

cool. obviously i have to redirect my satellite but im sure i can get an app on me iphone for that oh i have the cable going through a splitter cause the run was too long. . . will this effect the signal at all?im assuming it wont

watty

Though really an Freesat box, or Freesat HD box is a better investment. It's a fairly poor HDTV that doesn't have good scart for SD. There is no SD in that box and at the price it's unlikely to do decent upscalling for HDMI.

Lidl have an HD Monitor which isn't as it has no HDMI and also LCD Digital TVs, which are not as they are only MPEG2. Only use for non-HD and in UK only, not here.

A dish for Sky picks up all the Free channels from UK. In fact all the best channels on sky sub are actually free channels! No need to move it unless you want German or Polish or Italian.

STB

I havent laughed so much in a long time. I really need to get out more. I wonder how many people out there think they can connect their starview box to a satellite dish.

Tony like the video and overdubbed the instructions!

How do you get your hands to move that quickly.

watty

It's Digital, it receives TV, it has the right connector.

Actually not an unreasonable assumption for the "man in the street".

Now why won't a scan of 28.2E give me BBC instead of all these pesky German channels. I'm sure that's the right satellite to select when I connected the new box on my old Sky Satellite. Is it because a German supermarket sold it?

snaps

Lads, before we shoot this guy down, Starview do make satellite receivers now and apparently they are not too bad either.

Perhaps we should find out what model he has 1st to confirm it is a DVB-C receiver and not a DVB-S!

Im a little confused with this thread, As the OP seems to have had his thread hijacked!!!

dirdeen

feck it, lidl were sold out when i went to get one!!! after looking around though it seems they lidl weren't even that cheap to begin with. i'm gonna make my way over to power city now and pick up one of these

http://www.powercity.ie/?par=10-23-28207R&brands=PHILEX