First time Freesat installation (possible tivùsat one?)

OfflerCrocGod

I've recently bought a Sony 75XH9505 and I've connected it to an aerial in the attic to get the Saorview channels so now I'm thinking of getting Freesat. I would have liked tivùsat too but that seems more complicated than Freesat (the TV has a CAM slot for decoding satellite signals though) so I'm going to try and bite off one thing at a time.

Firstly I'll need a dish and I thought I'd go for this 80cm one as I need a wall bracket that goes beyond my gutters and it's a universal one so in theory it could pick up tivùsat in future? I'm based in Blanchardstown so I should only need a 60cm dish for Freesat but the neighbor behind me has very tall trees that interfere with the signal for the neighbor to my side so I thought a larger dish might help with that too (along with maybe https://www.freetv.ie/galvanised-mast/ to push the dish higher)? I was thinking https://www.freetv.ie/single-universal-lnb/ as the LNB.

I'm not totally sure about aligning the dish though, is a simple compass enough?

Gerry Wicklow

A single LNB is a waste of money. To be able to record one channel while watching another you need at least a twin LNB with two cables going to the box/TV. You can get basic satellite finder meters under €20. Enter your address into this site and select 13E hotbird for the Italian stuff or Astra 28E for Uk stuff. This will give you an idea of direction. There is also an option to check nearby obstacles. You MUST have a clear line of sight to the satellite in the sky. DISEQC switches will let you change between the two satellite signals.

OfflerCrocGod

Thank you Gerry, so I can get both satellite signals with one dish? I thought I could multiplex the satellite signal to multiple end points/coax cables with some device but are you saying that changing channels basically changes what the LNB is tuning in so for each end point I need a separate connection on the LNB?

Gerry Wicklow

Satellite Tv uses 4 different tuning bands. When you select a channel the box sends a control signal to the LNB to select the correct band. If you want to watch one band and record another you need separate feeds from the LNB to separate tuners in the TV/box. If you look at your Sony TV you will probably see 2 satellite sockets MAIN and SECONDARY I think is how Sony marks them. If you want multiple satellites you need to fit multiple LNBs onto the dish arm. These must be aligned VERY accurately. The picture just gives a rough idea of the principle. You can then use devices called DISEQC switches. Once configured the Tv/box sends a control signal to the switch and LNB to select the correct LNB for the satellite as well as the correct tuning band. Again if you want to watch one while recording another, you need at least 2 DISEQC switches.


If you want to feed multiple rooms it gets even more messy. One solution is a multiswitch. These come in various configurations but essentially they combine multiple LNBs and allow you split the signal to multiple rooms. Some also let you piggyback the terrestrial signal along with the satellite signals and thus save some wiring. A small splitter behind the set extracts the terrestrial signal again.