Changing to foreign satellite from Sky

jockey#1 · 31-12-2007 01:02PM #1

Hi Guys,

Im looking for your trusted opinions. I am a complete novice when it comes to satellites etc. I would like to see football etc on the foreign satellite channels you all talk about regularly as opposed to paying sky's rip off prices.

I would like to know what the best set up would be for me. I live in north cork and its not very sheltered. I would like access to as many satellites as possible.

Also by using one of these satellites will i be able to access channels such as bbc 1,2,3 & 4 or do i still need to have a sky dish. Are there any companies in the cork area who set all this up for you or is it easier to do it yourself and finally where is the best place to buy the satellite receiver and motor?

Thanks for your help in advance

Jockey # 1

watty · 31-12-2007 06:52PM

If you want lots of Satellites you need 1.1m motorised dish. You often need a non-Sky Digital Receiver with CAm/Viewing card slot and subscription. Though there is some Free Football. Then you can get BBC also.

There are ways to have up to four satellites without motorisation (thus keeping BBC). A Sky Box won't be suitable generally unless it is fed separately.

See ICDG in my sig.

Pal · 02-01-2008 10:18AM

For football, you will be comprehensively served if you get 4 sats on an 80cm dish.

These are the sats located at 13e 16e 19e 28e
(e means east)

it can be done without a motor but its a bit tricky. ask a sat installer.
a motor will likely add to the expense, mostly as it takes a lot of setup time.

These sats will deliver a huge amount of football free especially European and International stuff.
Premier League is usually scrambled although there are some free games.

Get a good receiver box. Technomate is very popular.
Search for Technomate forums and read up.

For Premier League, get a viewing card.
Digitalb is the cheapest. Do a google.
Or alsat forum seems to be the expert place on this.

watty · 03-01-2008 10:12AM

16E doesn't fit properly on most dishes as the separation of LNBs touching is about 4.5 to 5 degrees.

There are skinny hard to get Kathrien LNBs or else use a Wavefrontier T90.

With a motor there is only one instead of 4 LNBs, no Diseqc switch box and no adaptor arm, so parts cost is about the same.

Eurorunner · 04-01-2008 04:43PM

watty wrote: »

16E doesn't fit properly on most dishes as the separation of LNBs touching is about 4.5 to 5 degrees.
There are skinny hard to get Kathrien LNBs or else use a Wavefrontier T90.

Slender 'Alps' LNBs available that will do the job. Run a search on ebay.

byte · 04-01-2008 11:43PM

Eurorunner wrote: »

Slender 'Alps' LNBs available that will do the job. Run a search on ebay.

I think those Alps LNB's were also branded Triax, who used them for their multi-LNB kits.

watty · 05-01-2008 03:01PM

I have the Alps/Triax "pointy" LNBs. They do not allow the required spacing on 13, 16, 19 on a Triax 90cm dish.

If you align 16 and do best you can on 13 & 19, the LNBs are up tight and the weaker channels on 13 & 19 don't work. You will lose more channels in Rain.

They do save a slight amount of space.
Skinny Alps (the Quad & Quattro versions is slightly bumpier).

VERY Skinny Kathrein

Eurorunner · 05-01-2008 03:33PM

byte wrote: »

I think those Alps LNB's were also branded Triax, who used them for their multi-LNB kits.

Could well be. They fit quite snugly into the triax multi-lnb bracket I bought with them. These are quads and i'm hoping I might be able to get 28/19/16/13...if I don't get 16, its not the end of the world.
Dish is a little bit small for the job at 88cm but will give it a shot anyways. All i've done so far is fit the quads onto the arm - heavier than i thought with all 4 onboard...hope thats not going to be an issue.

If I'm trying for the above, the arm should be pointing at between 17-18*E with 2 lnbs each side?

Not really looking forward to setting this up but i'm sure the neighbours will be just as relieved as I am when its done! (very noisy moteck motor at the moment)

watty · 06-01-2008 01:29PM

You can get 16, but the 13E & 19E will be poor. The LNBs simply don't go close enough together.
reverse one bracket so 16&19 touch either side (19 on western side) of the arm and then align dish for the 16E signal.

the bar should be tilted up a lot toward 28.2E near western end of bar.
The 13E goes on east side of 16E close up.

Only ever align dish on one LNB (the 16E in your case).
for 28E you need to wiggle adaptor arm up/down a little and slide LNB in/out. The slope of adaptor arm won't affect 16E & 19E as they are close to pivot.

Put the LNBs on a Wavefrontier T90?

Eurorunner · 07-01-2008 05:01PM

watty wrote: »

Put the LNBs on a Wavefrontier T90?

I know the setup I want but not sure if I want the probable disruption to viewing and frustration that will go with it!
The Wavefrontier would make 13/16/19/28 more achievable and easier to set up wouldnt it?

I could then use triax lnb holder for another location - with 13/19/28 setup. I'd imagine I can get away without using slimline lnbs (they would be dual output) for this second setup?

byte · 07-01-2008 11:19PM

You should have no problems with using standard size LNB's for 13/19/28 setup on an 88cm dish.

I can just about get 13/16/19/28 using slightly narrower (than normal LNB's - it's the feedhorn that's slightly narrower) Inverto LNB's on the 4way arm on a Triax 110cm. I'd to keep 16E as close to centre as possible, being the weakest satellite. LNB's for 13 and 19 are both touching either side of the 16E LNB.

watty · 08-01-2008 10:39AM

Quads & Quattro seem to be the problem with the Alps. It's the fatter body not the horn that limits spacing. I thing with single output LNB the spacing is better.

This is my Alps (on its back)

Quattro allows you to feed as many receivers as you want.

Eurorunner · 10-01-2008 01:07PM

Wavefrontier will be with me next week. Will post back how it works out..

Pal · 10-01-2008 01:48PM

please do.

byte · 10-01-2008 11:29PM

I'll be interested also.

What would the equivalent standard dish of a T90 be? 90cm?

watty · 11-01-2008 09:22AM

About so. Maybe slightly less for a single LNB dish, but hugely more for off axis LNB on a multi-LNB arm on a regular dish.

byte · 11-01-2008 11:23PM

watty wrote: »

About so. Maybe slightly less for a single LNB dish, but hugely more for off axis LNB on a multi-LNB arm on a regular dish.

OK so. I reckon it'd be not as good with 16E as my current 1.1m then (even though my 16E LNB is slightly off centre)

watty · 12-01-2008 12:04PM

put the 16E on it's own on the 1.1 and all the other LNBs on the T90. You'll get some 16E improvement.

Eurorunner · 12-01-2008 12:04PM

I don't suppose it improves my chances of attempting to pull in 1*W ?

737tx · 13-01-2008 10:52AM

Eurorunner wrote: »

Wavefrontier will be with me next week. Will post back how it works out..

Where is best place / price - to order the T90 dish? Can't find it on internet so far, at least not from Ireland or Europe.

Eurorunner · 13-01-2008 11:05AM

737tx wrote: »

Where is best place / price - to order the T90 dish? Can't find it on internet so far, at least not from Ireland or Europe.

hm-sat.de

€109 + €19 (postage) + (i think its..)1% credit card fee + another €10 if you want light grey dish instead of anthracite/dark grey.

Cheapest deal I could find on the www. There was one german based ebay seller with same price but he wasnt prepared to ship to IRL.
UK prices are extortionate for this dish for some reason.

737tx · 13-01-2008 11:07AM

Just found this site -
http://www.wavefrontieruk.co.uk/products.htm
But no address or tel number - only email contact.

Any better contacts for T90 dish?
Thanks

737tx · 13-01-2008 11:08AM

Thanks Eurorunner - will contact them, Wife complaining about 4 dishes in garden so it should solve that problem and give me more satellites at same time.

watty · 13-01-2008 01:20PM

It's about 1/2 to /13 prices from German sites search.

Those wavefrontieruk people are just expensive dealers. Not actually the makers.

http://www.preisroboter.de/search.php?search=wavefrontier&min=&max=

or similar. The "regular" german sites used here do it but I'm ill and can't remeber name

EDIT

Stupid me. It's earlier in thread
hm-sat.de

I shall get one soon.

Eurorunner · 13-01-2008 08:48PM

737tx wrote: »

Thanks Eurorunner - will contact them, Wife complaining about 4 dishes in garden so it should solve that problem and give me more satellites at same time.

Forgot to mention, you can avoid the credit card fee by paying in advance via IBAN bank transfer (although it will delay the process by a couple of days). The Germans are not big credit card fans.

MisterAnarchy · 13-01-2008 11:27PM

So will 4 standard LNBs on a T90 get 13,16,19 and 28e or do I need one slim lnb ?

watty · 14-01-2008 02:50PM

I don't think you need slim LNBs.

Zaphod · 14-01-2008 03:08PM

The German site dxtv.de is well worth a gander if you want to see what's possible on a toroidal dish.

http://forum.dxtv.de/wbb/thread.php?threadid=12618

syboit · 14-01-2008 03:23PM

so its is just a case of sliding the different lnbs along the arc'd bar till you hit a satellite,east one way and west the other ?

If your using a sat card in a pc or a settop box, does it register a satellite name/number somewhere to let you know you've hit the right one ?

gorm · 14-01-2008 08:06PM

just seen this thread now. I've used a T90 for over 3years now with no problems. Currently setup for 13E, 16E, 19.2E and 28E using std lnb's supplied except for 28E where I use a quad lnb. Bought from he-sat.de. Only thing to watch out for is that it uses a 60mm pole which is larger than normal. Should be supplied with it but not sure these days as the kit content seems to change.

Eurorunner · 14-01-2008 09:01PM

Zaphod wrote: »

The German site dxtv.de is well worth a gander if you want to see what's possible on a toroidal dish.

Cheers for that. A couple of good threads there.

gorm wrote:

Only thing to watch out for is that it uses a 60mm pole which is larger than normal. Should be supplied with it but not sure these days as the kit content seems to change.

Crap...can't believe I overlooked this. Thats just added extra work to the job. I suppose I will have to take down the 50mm wall mount..

Changing to foreign satellite from Sky

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