Terrestrial reception Ballybunion, Kerry

Quackhart

Total noob on this so excuse me if I trip over myself trying to sound all knowledgable etc.....:o

Current situation is a house in Ballyb with large (old 10yr+ plus) Aerial in attic. Receiving (badly I might add) bog one through 4 on TV (3 to 4 yr old).

Would like to do following, on a seriously non existant budget:

Improve reception, get more channels and then hook up too HDD box (I think I need an older Analogue type?) to allow recirding etc.

All (relevant, non techno babble please) advice welcome.....

The Cush

Making assumptions here but I guess you have a VHF aerial in the attic for the RTÉ channels from Mullaghanish or Maghera which is also picking up UHF TV3/TG4 badly. These two transmitters require 2 aerials (UHF & VHF) for analogue RTÉ 1&2, TV3 and TG4, it's always best to install the aerials externally. Someone in the Ballybunion area might advise on TV reception.

I would suggest waiting for DTT (digital terrestrial television) to launch before you do anything, it's due to launch from the main transmitters I mentioned above by the end of Oct, test transmissions at the moment.

To receive this you will require a UHF aerial and a set top box (e.g. like this one in power city) connected to your current TV. There will be other models on the shelves in due course and probably cheaper.

A consumer information campaign should also happen about the time of the DTT launch.

As DTT is only a replacement for the current analogue service you won't get many extra channels. Your best options for extra channels without a subscription would be a satellite dish and a freesat satellite receiver.

Freesat satellite PVR recorders are available but not cheap e.g. Humax HDR or Sagem. No PVR available for the yet-to-launch Irish DTT service. A standard VCR or DVD or HDD recorder should suffice for the existing 4 analogue channels.

Many people in Ballybunion receive RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2 and TG4 from Knockmoyle near Tralee. This also carries DTT now. The analogue channels are 53, 57 and 63, vertically polarised.

I think Maghera is problematic in some parts due to Knockanore mountain being in the way.

The Cush

Karsini wrote: »

Many people in Ballybunion receive RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2 and TG4 from Knockmoyle near Tralee. This also carries DTT now. The analogue channels are 53, 57 and 63, vertically polarised.

I think Maghera is problematic in some parts due to Knockanore mountain being in the way.

Quackhart said in his post he was receiving all 4 analogue channels i.e. "Receiving (badly I might add) bog one through 4 on TV", so it has to be either Mullaghanish or Maghera, Knockmoyle doesn't do analogue TV3. An external aerial should have no problem receiving DTT from whichever main transmitter or posssibly Knockmoyle.

slegs

Knockmoyle is visible from Ballybunion so I presume this is the new best source for DTT there

Quackhart

I know it's impolite too resurrect but I felt it was time to give an update on how I fared with the above project!

Kit: 1 * Walker 32" HD Saorview Approved Televisual Goggle Box.
1 * Ferguson Ariva HD combo box (120)
1 * External USB drive for recording
1 * Red tipped Aerial for the Saorview
1 * Sat Dish with Quad LNB for the FTA. Standard Sky type dish.

Setup:
Aerial in attic and fed directly into fourway box, plates in the main rooms for connection. All done by a local man at a very reasonable rate.
Satellite facing due easterly (28.summitorother) setup and cable ran to four way box by a mate as a freebie, good lad Miko, and after a quick factory reset on combo box (15 min wait) now picking up FTA also. Good strength and signal on 28.8c I think it was! 80% plus strength and signal quality.
Without Miko I would have been lost on the cable runs etc, so I would recommend getting a professional man in and paying him some money for goods and services in order to ensure you don't have to spend all manner of time trying to do the satellite part.

In short great stuff now it is done and working...

Now the problems, answers on a thread only no DM's please.

1 = Two feeds into the combo. I presently only have the feed out from the box for the aerial to the TV. If I was also to run a sat out from the box can I combine them into one? TV only has one IN cable feed point you see. I'm thinking this will get me around the issue of not being able to watch and record another channel at the same time on the box.

2 = Saorsat. Is it really worth the hassle of getting the second LNB up? And if I do am I correct that it will / should resolve 1?

3 = How does one get a Setanta Subscritpion on this if needs be?

I thank you....

zg3409

Quackhart wrote: »

Now the problems, answers on a thread only no DM's please.

1 = Two feeds into the combo. I presently only have the feed out from the box for the aerial to the TV. If I was also to run a sat out from the box can I combine them into one? TV only has one IN cable feed point you see. I'm thinking this will get me around the issue of not being able to watch and record another channel at the same time on the box.

2 = Saorsat. Is it really worth the hassle of getting the second LNB up? And if I do am I correct that it will / should resolve 1?

3 = How does one get a Setanta Subscritpion on this if needs be?

I thank you....

1) The feed between the 120 and the Saorview TV. Is this a SCART or HDMI lead? Is so then yes, also run a lead from the aerial out (non threaded) connector, into the TV. This will allow you to record on the 120, while watching Saorview only channels on the TV. Not ideal but workable. Get's confusing with two remotes etc.

If you did not have a TV with inbuilt Saorview tuner:
With a combo box you cannot record one satellite channel while watching another. This is a limitation of the box itself. a true combo PVR (like the Sky+ box) may be launched in the next year. This takes two feeds from the dish and two aerial inputs, and allows recording of one channel while watching another. With a basic combo you can record in some ways.

Record terrestrial while watching Sat and vice versa
Record sat while watching another Sat channel (only if on same transponder)

2) Sasorsat is not intended for use if you can get a Saorview signal, and no it will not solve the problem.

3) As far as I know you need a Sky branded box to sign up to Setanta, as you need a box that can decode the encryption for Sky and accept a Sky card. Even though Setanta is a different compnay to Sky, they use Sky boxes. There is dodgy s/w for the 120 that may allow a valid Sky card to be used on a 120 to decode pay channels but that is illegal so can't discuss. You would still need a valid card.

Peter Rhea

Quackhart wrote: »

1 = Two feeds into the combo. I presently only have the feed out from the box for the aerial to the TV. If I was also to run a sat out from the box can I combine them into one? TV only has one IN cable feed point you see. I'm thinking this will get me around the issue of not being able to watch and record another channel at the same time on the box.

There's no point feeding satellite signals to your tv unless it has a satellite tuner, in which case it would have a separate input.

2 = Saorsat. Is it really worth the hassle of getting the second LNB up? And if I do am I correct that it will / should resolve 1?

You already have 2 Saorview tuners between the tv & the combo, do you really need a 3rd source that only has RTE & TG4?

zg3409

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Saorsat.... do you really need a 3rd source that only has RTE & TG4?

Saorsat does not have TG4. It may never have, but no-one is sure

Quackhart

Right. So in short, I have an interim solution, albeit one that is working well. The problem of course beingn the limtiations of the box in that it does not allow View One / Record Other. Ideally what I should be looking to do is buy a box that has a twin Sat tuner in it? Humax http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10068 seem popular around these here parts, but are the cheaper less attractive alternatives exactly that?

The talk of the extra LNB is to negate the Terrestrial Feed / Satellite feed Conundrum. The ideal solution of course is to have just one feed from the Satellite to the tuner and on via Scart / HDMi to the televisual goggle box.

The Cush

Quackhart wrote: »

Ideally what I should be looking to do is buy a box that has a twin Sat tuner in it? Humax http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10068 seem popular around these here parts, but are the cheaper less attractive alternatives exactly that?

That Humax you've linked to is a Freeview terrestrial PVR, mpeg-2 decoder only so no Saorview and no satellite - http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/new_leaflet/PVR-9300T_leaflet.pdf (Post on it over in DS today - http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=57725827&postcount=1192)

Humax twin tuner Freesat receiver - http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_stb_satellite_foxsathdr.aspx

Quackhart

The Cush wrote: »

That Humax you've linked to is a Freeview terrestrial PVR, mpeg-2 decoder only so no Saorview and no satellite - http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/new_leaflet/PVR-9300T_leaflet.pdf (Post on it over in DS today - http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=57725827&postcount=1192)

Humax twin tuner Freesat receiver - http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_stb_satellite_foxsathdr.aspx

doffs his cap..
de nada.