Help on how to move to Saorview & free sat plse

ondablade

I'm clueless on this stuff (55yrs +), and getting conflicting feedback from shops on changing to a free set up. We have a Sky sub (roughly 5yr old std box and dish) on a newish Philips 42PFL7404H/12 TV which is supposed to be ready for all sorts.

Can anybody advise a cost effective route, the specific hardware needed and the method of hook-up to get RTE and related channels (Saorview on a new aerial?) plus the UK BBCs, ITVs, C4s etc and a decent selection of free satellite channels - for (a) standard, and (b) HD options. (from the Sky dish via the Sky box - with means to switch between the Saorview aerial and the dish?)

Are there choices that need to be made that determine the selection of satellite channels? e.g. different box etc. Kippure is our transmitter.

One installer fitted a Saorview rau gun aerial, and a dual cable with splitters so the TV could take a signal from both the new aerial and the old Sky dish. The Saorview part worked fine for RTE etc, and the Sky box was receiving a selection of satellite channels with the Sky card out - but we lost the UK channels with a 'no satellite signal 36' message coming up when they were selected. He doesn't seem to have much of a clue as to what was going on, or how to fix it.

Thanks in advance,

ian

dogtoffee

Has the dish been moved?

try removing the sat feed at the back of the box rub copper wire and reconnect it might a static.

The Cush

ondablade wrote: »

but we lost the UK channels with a 'no satellite signal 36' message coming up when they were selected. He doesn't seem to have much of a clue as to what was going on, or how to fix it.

Cowboy installer obviously. Find a proper installer here - http://www.isaa.tv/isaamap.htm, http://www.cai.org.uk/component/content/article/474, http://www.nationalguild.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=106&Itemid=74

ondablade wrote: »

Can anybody advise a cost effective route, the specific hardware needed and the method of hook-up to get RTE and related channels (Saorview on a new aerial?) plus the UK BBCs, ITVs, C4s etc and a decent selection of free satellite channels - for (a) standard, and (b) HD options. (from the Sky dish via the Sky box - with means to switch between the Saorview aerial and the dish?)

Are there choices that need to be made that determine the selection of satellite channels? e.g. different box etc. Kippure is our transmitter.

Your TV appears to be OK for the Saorview channels. Are you keeping the Sky receiver and sub?

If you're planning to cancel your Sky sub the receiver can be replaced by a Freesat receiver for the FTA channels using the existing dish.

ondablade wrote: »

One installer fitted a Saorview rau gun aerial, and a dual cable with splitters so the TV could take a signal from both the new aerial and the old Sky dish.

What's a rau gun aerial?

How many cables do you have from the aerial and satellite dish to the main TV and Sky receiver?

The TV doesn't have an in built satellite receiver so no point feeding it from the satellite dish.

The TV requires a single feed from the aerial for the Saorview channels, the standard Sky receiver requires a single feed from the satellite dish. The Sky receiver should be connected to the TV via scart to view the Sky channels.

championc

You could consider investing in a bog standard Sat Receiver or maybe a Combo Box - see http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056086354 to replace your Sky box. It's a pain having all the Sky Channels in a Sky box list if you don't subscribe. The alternative is a "Freesat" UK receiver but if you go that route, make sure you get one for FreesatHD.

Have a look on the internet for a list of satellites and frequencies for Astra 28.2 I just wonder if all the channels you can see are all either H or V polorized because I'm just wondering about this "dual cable" bit ? I wonder if your setup now will not flick the LNB between H and V and is stuck on just one of them.

The "dual cable" bit, was a cable taken from the Aerial and Satellite, joined together in the loft, brought down into your living room on one cable and then split out again between both your current Sky box and the Aerial socket on the TV ?


C

ondablade

Thank you guys, that's been a big help - I think I'm starting to get my head around picture. Some answers/info/thoughts:

- The dish wasn't moved, and worked 100% once the original single cable installation feeding the Sky box was restored.
- Will try cleaning the cable if needed next time. (discovered tonight that the installer hadn't even screwed up the retaining collar on the cable entering the Sky box - no question but that he doesn't know his stuff)
- Meant 'ray gun' aerial, typo. The RTE (UHF?) type with a long section sticking out between two paddles.
- The install had two cables (one cable each from the RTE/Saorview (UHF?) aerial and Sky dish) fed into a combiner (or splitter as I called it earlier), a single cable from that into the house into another combiner/splitter, from which one cable went directly to the TV (RTE/Saorview), and one into the Sky box.
- Not planning to keep the Sky sub.
- I can't check the satellite channel polarisations as I had him remove everything and restore the original set up before leaving.

I think the cabling was basically OK because both the Saorview and the satellite channels were coming in OK, it was just that the UK channels were showing 'no satellite signal 36' when selected. The problem seems like it almost has to have been something to do with the revised cabling as nothing else had changed. Unless the quite old (5yrs?) std Sky box is in some way incompatible.

Either way the links to the channel listings etc (thank you) got me thinking. It sounds like poor economy to miss out on having HD - and there's some chance that a switch to a HD free to air box or similar might sidestep the missing channel problem.

Which raises more questions. Free to air, or Freesat? A quick search suggests Free to air is cheaper and more flexible re. satellites - it can presumably be hooked up if needed to a recorder etc too.

Thanks again for the help...

The Cush

The combiner/splitter setup should have worked OK, it's normal in a single cable installation to combine aerial and satellite dish feed into one cable and split them again at the TV end. Something not right with the installation.

Do you have all the channels you subscribe to with Sky? Which UK channels were missing previously?

Do you have the Saorview channels now, aerial connected to the TV?

Regarding the free satellite channels a Freesat + receiver is the most user friendly option - Sky like epg, built in HDD recorder, HD channels and it automatically updates the epg if there is any channel changes or transponder moves.

A free to air receiver is a little less user friendly but does give access to all FTA chanels. No epg, only now and next info displayed per channel. Some have HDD recorders. Channel changes are not automatically updated, manually tuning and channel sorting will be required.

A satellite receiver with a HDD recorder (PVR) will require a second cable from the LNB on the dish. If the LNB has only one output a twin or quad LNB will be required also.

ondablade

Thanks C. I'm working from memory as the new cables were removed, but:

1. My info from another source is that the twin cable/splitter/combiner as wired should have been OK too.
2. Sky function was 100% restored with the return to the original single cable.
3. The BBC channels were missing from the satellite reception with the twin cable set up, not sure if others were affected as did not check.
3. Saorview is now removed, but seemed 100%.

I thought maybe there was something about the Sky box set up that meant it was blocking reception of the BBC channels, but presuming that this is not the case then it has to be something to do with the alternative cabling installed.

We found a loose connector retainer (the screw up collar) on the original single cable installation after the installer refitted it, so it does sound possible there could have been other similar issues in the twin cable set up caused by sloppy assembly.

The installer is blaming interference from an adjacent Digiweb Metro broadband receiving aerial, but the original single cable Sky install was fine so the twin cable set up would have to be more sensitive for this to be true. Digiweb say that their aerial has a transmitter, and that it can cause problems with satellite dishes close by on occasion - but that it is very unlikely to be the issue in this case since it's all working fine on the original single cable set up. They gave me instructions on how to power down the aerial for a trial anyway - so that should enable it's elimination/not if it happens again.

Ta for the other info. We're thinking of going for a HD free to air combo box to get HD - perhaps it might solve the issue too...