Saorsat for my dad

Timmaay

Time to ditch the sky package here which my dad is getting very little use out of other than rte1 and 2. We cannot get saorview so has to be saorsat. Anyways he is utterly useless when it comes to technology ha, what's the simplest box to get to receive saorsat, that he can easily turn on himself and get rte1 without having to 1stly find the htmi on the telly remote, then turn on the satellite box and wait for it to load etc (which has to be done now with the sky box). Oh and he insists on pulling out the extension plug on the wall every night for the telly and sky box ha!

Johnboy1951

I guess you are looking at a second 80cm satellite dish with a KA band LNB fitted.
This would be in addition to the present Sky satellite dish, which no doubt he will wish to be retained so he can access the FTA Astra channels.

See this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-6PKamgIkg

Schorpio

As far as I know, there's no box which will auto-swtich to the relevant hdmi channel. Does he currently use a Sky HD box? If so, the procedure will be the same.

You should also be aware that the tv3 group of channels are not broadcast via Saorsat, and that some sports aren't viewable via Saorsat due to broadcasting restrictions.

Tigerandahalf

Timmaay wrote: »

Time to ditch the sky package here which my dad is getting very little use out of other than rte1 and 2. We cannot get saorview so has to be saorsat. Anyways he is utterly useless when it comes to technology ha, what's the simplest box to get to receive saorsat, that he can easily turn on himself and get rte1 without having to 1stly find the htmi on the telly remote, then turn on the satellite box and wait for it to load etc (which has to be done now with the sky box). Oh and he insists on pulling out the extension plug on the wall every night for the telly and sky box ha!

Tv3 is not available on saorsat. The 6 Nations rugby will be on tv3 next spring.

In your situation you are nearly better off keeping sky.

exaisle

Roughly where is your dad located?

I wouldn't give up on Saorview just yet...got a perfectly usable signal today for somebody living in the shadow of Kippure (but obscured from the mast) on a simple table-top antenna..(to my complete surprise I have to admit)....

PabloAndRoy

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Tv3 is not available on saorsat. The 6 Nations rugby will be on tv3 next spring.

In your situation you are nearly better off keeping sky.

Who mentioned rugby?

Nevertheless, BBC & ITV are FTA on Astra, both in HD. They have 6 Nations up to 2021, so no need for TV3.

I have Saorview / Astra FTA set up and I never watch the fuzzy vision TV3/e3/Be3 channels. Anything decent on those channels is available on ITV in HD, usually before it comes to the TV3 channels.

Timmaay

exaisle wrote: »

Roughly where is your dad located?

I wouldn't give up on Saorview just yet...got a perfectly usable signal today for somebody living in the shadow of Kippure (but obscured from the mast) on a simple table-top antenna..(to my complete surprise I have to admit)....

East Wicklow. I only got thinking this myself earlier also ha. Back in the analog days we struggled to get rte 1 or 2 on the vhf, we had a uhf pointed towards the bbcs, and I'm fairly sure I tried picking up tv3 a few times but no joy. I got a new enough lg telly myself which I only really use for streaming, would it be able to take saorview if I went and got a saorview antenna to try it out?

exaisle

Timmaay wrote: »

East Wicklow. I only got thinking this myself earlier also ha. Back in the analog days we struggled to get rte 1 or 2 on the vhf, we had a uhf pointed towards the bbcs, and I'm fairly sure I tried picking up tv3 a few times but no joy. I got a new enough lg telly myself which I only really use for streaming, would it be able to take saorview if I went and got a saorview antenna to try it out?

Try this for starters...

https://www.saorview.ie/en/get/coverage

East Wicklow..you could try for Kippure, Three Rock, Greystones, Arklow or Gorey...

Saorsat is more trouble than it's worth...why they didn't just make it free to air on the Astra platform is beyond me, rather than put people to relatively huge expense, and that to just get RTE1, RTE2 and TG4....

Tigerandahalf

Saorsat is more trouble than it's worth...why they didn't just make it free to air on the Astra platform is beyond me, rather than put people to relatively huge expense, and that to just get RTE1, RTE2 and TG4....

That would mean people in England could pick up rte. Not viable when you consider rights issues.
I don't know if they could have offered an encryption service using a card reader. They would have had to pay for the encyrption service.

OP
There are a few people around here who have the Saorsat setup - Friendo I think is one.
They might come on and offer advice.

Given that you are in East Wicklow it is possible that you could pick up the English channels from the signal overspill.

I am not sure what type of box you need to pick up Saorsat. I think a standard satellite box will do. It is just the settings of the dish have to be different.

Johnboy1951

Timmaay wrote: »

East Wicklow. I only got thinking this myself earlier also ha. Back in the analog days we struggled to get rte 1 or 2 on the vhf, we had a uhf pointed towards the bbcs, and I'm fairly sure I tried picking up tv3 a few times but no joy. I got a new enough lg telly myself which I only really use for streaming, would it be able to take saorview if I went and got a saorview antenna to try it out?

I get the impression you have not checked with a proper aerial whether or not you can get Saorview.

If that is the case then I urge you to do so, or to get a professional to check and fit an aerial if it works.

swoofer

Then get your dad a saorview tv, button 1 = rte1, 2 = rte2 , 3 = tv3 and so on. Put in your address on the kippure coverage and it should show you.

You can get saorsat and astra 28east on one dish but you need a box that's tricky.

Soarsat is really for west of country.

look here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oelcysN1gw

Timmaay

swoofer wrote: »

Then get your dad a saorview tv, button 1 = rte1, 2 = rte2 , 3 = tv3 and so on. Put in your address on the kippure coverage and it should show you.

Yeh that would be the best solution by far. Coverage map says saorview is a challenge in my area. I can install an antenna no problem myself, I may check my own telly (a yr old LG smart tv) and see if it can take saorview, probably be worth getting an antenna and checking it out then myself, I could get an installer to check but would their call out fee be the price of the antenna ha?

Tigerandahalf

Timmaay wrote: »

Yeh that would be the best solution by far. Coverage map says saorview is a challenge in my area. I can install an antenna no problem myself, I may check my own telly (a yr old LG smart tv) and see if it can take saorview, probably be worth getting an antenna and checking it out then myself, I could get an installer to check but would their call out fee be the price of the antenna ha?

You can also get boosters to increase the signal strength coming in which might still give you saorview.

As was said above get a professional in to look into it and go through your options.

Thurston?

swoofer wrote: »

... You can get saorsat and astra 28east on one dish but you need a box that's tricky.

Soarsat is really for west of country.

So they don't have mountains in Wicklow then?

And any box with DiSEqC will work seemlessly for more than one satellite position, so that's any non-proprietry box, nothing 'tricky' about it, unless maybe getting a proper programme guide for all channels.

STB.

First of all you need the proper S2 box that does both aerial and satellite and that allows you to combine the channels in one list from noth aerial and satellite. Get a Ferguson 153. They have a scart on them. Connect it via scart and they will come on automatically even when switched off at nighttime.

You can then worry about the aerial. If that aerial was previously set up to point at Wales, then thats partly your problem. You need to turn the aerial around till you find the nearest Saorview transmitter, before you go down the road of Saorsat.

Also you can use your existing dish used for sky for the free to air channels off 28.E that its currently pointing at.

Come back here when you've ruled out that the aerial reception is definitely. out.

Antenna

STB. wrote: »

You can then worry about the aerial. If that aerial was previously set up to point at Wales, then thats partly your problem. You need to turn the aerial around till you find the nearest Saorview transmitter, before you go down the road of Saorsat.

The existing aerial is likely a grouped one (A , B or C/D in the past) rather than wideband. If that's the case and without knowing what UK transmitter was received in the past (and what Saorview one to try now) its more likely to be unsuitable. If it is suitable, the polarization might need to be changed too (as well as ' turn the aerial around'). And if it hasn't been used since ASO in Wales, what condition it is now is another matter?

Timmaay

Antenna wrote: »

The existing aerial is likely a grouped one (A , B or C/D in the past) rather than wideband. If that's the case and without knowing what UK transmitter was received in the past (and what Saorview one to try now) its more likely to be unsuitable. If it is suitable, the polarization might need to be changed too (as well as ' turn the aerial around'). And if it hasn't been used since ASO in Wales, what condition it is now is another matter?

Fairly sure it's fallen off the roof by now ha, defo not of any use if it is still around. But yeh gonna try saorview definitely. What sort of booster boxes are available?

funkey_monkey

I've got a TV set up with UK Freeview and Saorsat feeding into a DiSEqC which then goes into an LG TV. The LG has built in FreeView/Freesat tuners.
It is a dead easy setup - there is minimal lag when changing across the DiSEqC. The only crap thing about not having a dedicated box is that the channels are all over the show.

Does he want the ability to record shows?

The Cush

Timmaay wrote: »

What sort of booster boxes are available?

Masthead amp mounted close to the aerial with power supply at the other end of the cable - http://www.freetv.ie/saorview/amplifiers/masthead/

STB.

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I've got a TV set up with UK Freeview and Saorsat feeding into a DiSEqC which then goes into an LG TV. The LG has built in FreeView/Freesat tuners.
It is a dead easy setup - there is minimal lag when changing across the DiSEqC. The only crap thing about not having a dedicated box is that the channels are all over the show.

Does he want the ability to record shows?

You which which what now.

You are using a diseqc switch between 28.E(UK FTA Satellite) and 9E (Saorsat).

Freeview is the UK channels received off an aerial in the Uk and parts of East coast. and along NI Border.

Freesat is the satellite equivelant of Freeview within a managed software system but with a satellite dish. If it isnt freesat branded then its just the UK Sat Channels, commonly referred to as FTA Sat.

His father wants a simple system with the channels all in one channel list. Pressing list buttons and changing input type is not helpful to the OP. (and by the way, chansort is the free software that you want to sort those satellite channels on your LG into one so they wont be all over the shop)

funkey_monkey

Pressing list buttons and changing input type is not helpful to the OP.

Changing input type??? It is done automatically. Couldn't be any simpler. Press 1 for BBC1. Press 6 for RET1. etc... The channels are all on one list.

Thurston?

You're not using DiSEqC with Freeview & Saorsat.

If the feeds are combined, it's just a satellite/terrestrial diplexer.

funkey_monkey

Thurston? wrote: »

You're not using DiSEqC with Freeview & Saorsat.

If the feeds are combined, it's just a satellite/terrestrial diplexer.

I made a mistake it is the FTA stations from the Sky Dish.

Tigerandahalf

OP

Does your father still want to keep the English channels? I'd imagine a lot of folks would like to be able to watch bbc news etc.

Even if he doesn't you should still get someone in to have a look at it.

Does he need the use of an epg (channel guide) to see what is on or to record things?

Without the sky system it is a challenge to get a combined epg. You can get a combined channel list though.

I have a fta sat/saorview system and the channels are combined in a simple list for the channels I use most.

At the end of the day I also switch off the plugs at the wall and on again to start up the box. I don't have to turn off tvs/boxes etc.

exaisle

Thurston? wrote: »

So they don't have mountains in Wicklow then?

And any box with DiSEqC will work seemlessly for more than one satellite position, so that's any non-proprietry box, nothing 'tricky' about it, unless maybe getting a proper programme guide for all channels.

I recently sorted out Saorview for a neighbour and last year I set up Saorsat for a friend of mine in deepest mountainous Wicklow...the only difficult part was actually directing the dish as it's much harder to find than the Astras. Other than that, I installed a standard Sky dish for the free to air channels from Astra and used a DisEqC with (as Thurston says) a non-proprietory box to decode.

I'm in the West of the county but if OP wants to send PM me, I'd be happy to offer any assistance..