This is a low powered community station at Lincoln. Would anyone within 30 
miles or so be so kind as to tune-in and tell me if they can receive it, how 
well they can receive it, and their approx location?

Bill

I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky, 
as well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was 
working fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and 
the cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers, 
but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
broadcasts from time to time.

 From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 
28.2E so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or 
otherwise damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need 
to do is plug the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes 
into the house?

If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
If not, what else do I need to do/get?
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

Kennedy McEwen wrote:

>  From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 
> 28.2E so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or 
> otherwise damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need 
> to do is plug the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes 
> into the house?

Freesat TV transmissions use exactly the same transponder streams as those 
used for Sky FTA channels, in other words a dish for Sky will work for 
Freesat, and the reverse, providing it has been aligned correctly. Freesat is 
really nothing more than an alternative EPG.

> If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
> If not, what else do I need to do/get?

My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box does 
get very hot. Humax make one for 150 Quid. Before Christmas Humax are 
promising an HD Freesat PVR, they are showing it at next week's IBC trade show 
in Amsterdam.

Have a lurk in this Digital Spy group too:-

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=142


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ii47fFqmri0U1@mid.individual.net...
> Kennedy McEwen wrote:
> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
> does get very hot. Humax make one for 150 Quid.

The Humax one allows a second channel list with all the FTA non-Freesat 
channels, incl an HD one. Very good boxes I'm beginning to think, having 
sold a few.

Bill

In message , Kennedy McEwen 
 wrote
>I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky, 
>as well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was 
>working fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and 
>the cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers, 
>but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
>broadcasts from time to time.
>
>From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 
>28.2E so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or 
>otherwise damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need 
>to do is plug the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes 
>into the house?
>
>If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
>If not, what else do I need to do/get?

If the sky dish was pointing at 28.2E just connect a Freesat box to the 
cable.

There are only two High Definition boxes with the Freesat branding
The Humax Foxsat and the Alba products

Alba = Bush, Goodmans and Grundig. Any HD box from the Alba brands will 
have identical electronics. The only difference will be badge/case and 
possibly the price.

Both boxes have had their problems but both are probable pretty stable 
now.  The Humax is still around £150 whereas the Alba boxes can be 
obtained for around £30 less.

The manuals for both boxes can be downloaded from the web
http://www.humaxdigital.com/freesat/support.asp
http://www.bushdigital.co.uk/ProductSupport.htm

-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

In message , Mark Carver 
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>
>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the 
>box does get very hot.

The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
Post number 43 in above thread


-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

"Kennedy McEwen"  wrote in message 
news:hhHWBYDBS9wIFwMv@kennedym.demon.co.uk...
>I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky, as 
>well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was working 
>fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and the 
>cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers, but I 
>would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD broadcasts 
>from time to time.
>
> From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 28.2E 
> so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or otherwise 
> damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need to do is plug 
> the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes into the house?
>
> If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
> If not, what else do I need to do/get?

They are the same signals from the same satellites, there are actually
four Astra satellites at 28.2E but your receiver sees them as one
system.The thing that makes Freesat Freesat, is the EPG which
to complicate things is broadcast from a fifth bird called Eurobird 1
at 28.5E but a small dish cannot even resolve this a separate bird.
I understand that some program streams also come from Eurobord 1

-- 
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

Graham. wrote:

> I understand that some program streams also come from Eurobord 1

Yes, along with the primary source of Freesat's EPG data, as well as the over 
the air software updates.


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Alan wrote:
> In message , Mark Carver 
> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>
>> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the 
>> box does get very hot.
> 
> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
> 
> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
> Post number 43 in above thread

Eeek ! Still that MPEG4 decoder chip is doing one hell of a lot of number 
crunching I suppose !  I'll put my hand on the Humax HD PVR when I hopefully 
see it at IBC next week.

-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
dish as just as one big satellite.

To the OP:  Yes, basically you are correct.  The best way to test the
dish before splashing out is to try and borrow a receiver from family,
friends, or neighbours just to check that everything works as
expected, though there shouldn't normally be a problem.

We get quite a lot of enquiries like this here, so I've written a
document outlining the various options for receiving TV in the UK.  If
you have any further queries, that may help you answer them, if not,
come back to us here.
	http://tinyurl.com/5r73m4
... standing in for ...
http://www.cemh.eclipse.co.uk/JavaJive/AudioVisualTV/TVInTheUK/TVInTheUK.html

On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:27:26 +0100, Mark Carver
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
> Graham. wrote:
> 
> > The thing that makes Freesat Freesat, is the EPG which
> > to complicate things is broadcast from a fifth bird called Eurobird 1
> > at 28.5E but a small dish cannot even resolve this a separate bird.
> > I understand that some program streams also come from Eurobord 1
> 
> Yes, along with the primary source of Freesat's EPG data, as well as the over 
> the air software updates.

In message , Mark Carver 
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>Alan wrote:
>> In message , Mark Carver 
>><mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>>
>>> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but 
>>>the  box does get very hot.
>>  The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of 
>>the  case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>>  http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
>> Post number 43 in above thread
>
>Eeek ! Still that MPEG4 decoder chip is doing one hell of a lot of 
>number crunching I suppose !  I'll put my hand on the Humax HD PVR when 
>I hopefully see it at IBC next week.
>


If Humax have done something similar on the PVR it may be the bottom of 
the case that is too hot to touch.

If the PVR is running hot it may be worth asking about the life 
expectancy of the hard disk or electrolytic capacitor at the elevated 
operating temperature.  A 12 moth warranty may only suggest a 13 month 
life expectancy :)

-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

Kennedy McEwen  wrote:
> I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky,
> as well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was
> working fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and
> the cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers,
> but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD
> broadcasts from time to time.

Buy the box, connect it up, switch it on,
and you are ready to go. Simple as that.
(other than tearing out the previous
connection to the phone line)

As part of the setup they ask you to input
your postcode. Should you want to watch
TV  from some other area than that in
which you are currently located, then just
input a postcode from the desired location

Incidentall whether it is worth spending
£150 odd on a HD rather than £50
at Argos for a SD is a moot point, IMHO

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ii47fFqmri0U1@mid.individual.net...
> Kennedy McEwen wrote:
>
>>  From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 
>> 28.2E so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or 
>> otherwise damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need to 
>> do is plug the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes into 
>> the house?
>
> Freesat TV transmissions use exactly the same transponder streams as those 
> used for Sky FTA channels, in other words a dish for Sky will work for 
> Freesat, and the reverse, providing it has been aligned correctly. Freesat 
> is really nothing more than an alternative EPG.
>
>> If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
>> If not, what else do I need to do/get?
>
> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
> does get very hot. Humax make one for 150 Quid. Before Christmas Humax are 
> promising an HD Freesat PVR, they are showing it at next week's IBC trade 
> show in Amsterdam.
>
> Have a lurk in this Digital Spy group too:-
>
> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=142
>
>
> -- 
> Mark
> Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

You seem to be paying over the top, even my local B&Q offers a FreeSat at 
£59.99
which is for the box and dish,

Ian wrote:

>> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
>> does get very hot. Humax make one for 150 Quid. Before Christmas Humax are 
>> promising an HD Freesat PVR, they are showing it at next week's IBC trade 
>> show in Amsterdam.

> 
> You seem to be paying over the top, even my local B&Q offers a FreeSat at 
> £59.99
> which is for the box and dish,

HD or SD ?  I was talking about HD boxes.


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

In article , Mark Carver 
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> writes
>
>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the 
>box does get very hot. Humax make one for 150 Quid. Before Christmas 
>Humax are promising an HD Freesat PVR, they are showing it at next 
>week's IBC trade show in Amsterdam.
>
Thanks Mark.  I had a Humax Freeview box before getting the HD-Ready 
IDTV and was pretty pleased with it, although I wished at the time that 
I had waited for their PVR before buying.  That was just a spur of the 
moment thing while wandering round Sainsbury's and it was only later 
that I discovered it was a highly rated box.

I'll keep an eye on their web site and check when the HD Freesat PVR is 
released.
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

In article 
, 
semiretired@my-deja.com writes
>
>Incidentall whether it is worth spending
>£150 odd on a HD rather than £50
>at Argos for a SD is a moot point, IMHO

Well I would guess that the HD from the £50 SD box would be somewhat 
disappointing, so its hardly moot.
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

Kennedy McEwen wrote:
> In article 
> , 
> semiretired@my-deja.com writes
>>
>> Incidentall whether it is worth spending
>> £150 odd on a HD rather than £50
>> at Argos for a SD is a moot point, IMHO
> 
> Well I would guess that the HD from the £50 SD box would be somewhat 
> disappointing, so its hardly moot.

What I would say is that SD [1] (via the Scart) from the Bush HD box is 
diabolical, the HDMI output for HD and SD channels is fine, so unless you 
intend to connect the box to an HD TV set via HDMI from day one, don't buy it.

[1] That's both native SD from SD channels, and downconverted SD from the HD 
channels.

-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ii6m8Fqe3cjU1@mid.individual.net...
> Graham. wrote:
>
>> I understand that some program streams also come from Eurobord 1
>
> Yes, along with the primary source of Freesat's EPG data, as well as the 
> over the air software updates.
>
Perhaps that should have been Eurobaud then  :-))

-- 
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

In message <ga138m$1g5$1@news.albasani.net>, Ian  
wrote


>You seem to be paying over the top, even my local B&Q offers a FreeSat at
>£59.99
>which is for the box and dish,
>

Maybe a SD box but it will not be a Freesat HD box. More likely it will 
be a free to air box without the 7 day EPG.

-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

> We get quite a lot of enquiries like this here, so I've written a
> document outlining the various options for receiving TV in the UK.

I think the Freesat offical website could make things clearer
for the general public by saying something like "Your existing
Sky Digital dish is suitable for Freesat"

-- 
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

Graham. wrote:
>> We get quite a lot of enquiries like this here, so I've written a
>> document outlining the various options for receiving TV in the UK.
> 
> I think the Freesat offical website could make things clearer
> for the general public by saying something like "Your existing
> Sky Digital dish is suitable for Freesat"

I suspect they're reluctant to mention Sky in their blurb, for fear of making 
Joe Public think that Sky are in some way connected. You can't blame them, Sky 
have done a fantastic job of making a great many people think;
<satellite tv=Sky=satellite tv>

-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Now I'm the one guilty of potentially misleading ambiguity ...

On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:53:37 +0100, Java Jive  wrote:
>
> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
> they can, because all the signals from

the 

> different sats

in that cluster

> appear to the
> dish as just as one big satellite.

"Alan"  wrote in message 
news:8KTs+gGkM+wIFw93@amac.f2s.com...
> In message , Mark Carver 
> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>
>>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
>>does get very hot.
>
> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>
> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
> Post number 43 in above thread Alan
>
>
The old Grundig 2000 Sky STB processor used to burn up too, the mod
was to glue a CPU fan over it and connect up to the PSUs 12v line

Steve Terry

Mark Carver wrote:
> Alan wrote:
>> In message , Mark Carver 
>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>>
>>> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the 
>>> box does get very hot.
>>
>> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of 
>> the case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>>
>> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
>> Post number 43 in above thread
> 
> Eeek ! Still that MPEG4 decoder chip is doing one hell of a lot of 
> number crunching I suppose !  I'll put my hand on the Humax HD PVR when 
> I hopefully see it at IBC next week.
> 
Could you ask Humax what's happening with missed start of recordings on 
BBC1 & itv1, please Mark?

I have a name but it's buried in my Yahoo emails, but their servers seem 
to have crashed!

I suspect they'll say it's the Broadcasters.

Richard

In message <ga18er$r4t$1@registered.motzarella.org>, Graham. 
 wrote

>I think the Freesat offical website could make things clearer
>for the general public by saying something like "Your existing
>Sky Digital dish is suitable for Freesat"
>


They cannot do that because some of their official partners only want to 
sell a box with installation even though a sky digital dish may be 
installed already.

-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

Is there a legal temp limit for the outside of consumer devices that are not 
actual cookers?

I only ask as I damaged a nice  polyurethane lacquered table with a laptop 
psu once. It stuck to it!

Brian

-- 
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
 graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email: briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Alan"  wrote in message 
news:8KTs+gGkM+wIFw93@amac.f2s.com...
> In message , Mark Carver 
> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>
>>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
>>does get very hot.
>
> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>
> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
> Post number 43 in above thread
>
>
> -- 
> Alan
> news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

What next, water cooled stbs?

Brian

-- 
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
 graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email: briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Steve Terry"  wrote in message 
news:ga1a6t$a4v$1@news.albasani.net...
>
> "Alan"  wrote in message 
> news:8KTs+gGkM+wIFw93@amac.f2s.com...
>> In message , Mark Carver 
>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>>
>>>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
>>>does get very hot.
>>
>> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
>> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>>
>> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
>> Post number 43 in above thread Alan
>>
>>
> The old Grundig 2000 Sky STB processor used to burn up too, the mod
> was to glue a CPU fan over it and connect up to the PSUs 12v line
>
> Steve Terry
>

"Brian Gaff"  wrote in message 
news:xaXwk.54560$E41.44414@text.news.virginmedia.com...
> What next, water cooled stbs?
> Brian
<snip top post>
>
That's a good idea, stick the whole STB into a bucket of water

Steve Terry

In article , Mark Carver 
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> writes
>Kennedy McEwen wrote:
>> In article 
>>, 
>>semiretired@my-deja.com writes
>>>
>>> Incidentall whether it is worth spending
>>> £150 odd on a HD rather than £50
>>> at Argos for a SD is a moot point, IMHO
>>  Well I would guess that the HD from the £50 SD box would be somewhat 
>>disappointing, so its hardly moot.
>
>What I would say is that SD [1] (via the Scart) from the Bush HD box is 
>diabolical, the HDMI output for HD and SD channels is fine, so unless 
>you intend to connect the box to an HD TV set via HDMI from day one, 
>don't buy it.
>
Thanks for the info.  As the TV has integrated terrestrial DTV, I would 
only be looking at the STB for HD, via HDMI.  In fact, if possible, HDMI 
is the only connection I would want between the TV and STB.
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

In article <ga138m$1g5$1@news.albasani.net>, Ian  
writes
>You seem to be paying over the top, even my local B&Q offers a FreeSat at
>£59.99
>which is for the box and dish,
>
HD Freesat @ £59.99?  Tell me more!
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

"Kennedy McEwen"  wrote in message 
news:Xakr$4CJ8GxIFww8@kennedym.demon.co.uk...
> Thanks for the info.  As the TV has integrated terrestrial DTV, I would 
> only be looking at the STB for HD, via HDMI.  In fact, if possible, HDMI 
> is the only connection I would want between the TV and STB.

Yes but you might as well have access to all the SD channels that are FTA on 
sat but are not on DTT. Several hundred on them if you get the Humax box.

Just connect via HDMI. That's all you need.

Bill

On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:31:34 +0100, Dickie mint
 wrote:

>> Eeek ! Still that MPEG4 decoder chip is doing one hell of a lot of 
>> number crunching I suppose !  I'll put my hand on the Humax HD PVR when 
>> I hopefully see it at IBC next week.
>> 
> Could you ask Humax what's happening with missed start of recordings on 
> BBC1 & itv1, please Mark?

Hear, hear.

> I suspect they'll say it's the Broadcasters.

Undoubtedly. This so called "Accurate Recording" facility on DTT is worse
than PDC, which only failed occasionally for me.
AR misses the start of the majority of the things I record.

The whole DTT platform is a shambles though, what with the need of various
boxes to have to be rescanned when a new 'channel' appears and the
consequent loss all your timer settings.

In message , Bill Wright 
 wrote
>
>"Kennedy McEwen"  wrote in message
>news:Xakr$4CJ8GxIFww8@kennedym.demon.co.uk...
>> Thanks for the info.  As the TV has integrated terrestrial DTV, I would
>> only be looking at the STB for HD, via HDMI.  In fact, if possible, HDMI
>> is the only connection I would want between the TV and STB.
>
>Yes but you might as well have access to all the SD channels that are FTA on
>sat but are not on DTT. Several hundred on them if you get the Humax box.
>
>Just connect via HDMI. That's all you need.
>

Several hundred channels and nothing to watch.

There are several  hundred SD channels that can be whittled down to tens 
of channels assuming you don't want to watch the phone in sex, religious 
nutters and shopping channels :).

I believe the Alba boxes allow the addition of other free to air 
channels but via a manual mode on a channel by channel basis.
-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

In message <Xakr$4CJ8GxIFww8@kennedym.demon.co.uk>, Kennedy McEwen 
 wrote

>>What I would say is that SD [1] (via the Scart) from the Bush HD box 
>>is diabolical, the HDMI output for HD and SD channels is fine, so 
>>unless you intend to connect the box to an HD TV set via HDMI from day 
>>one, don't buy it.
>>
>Thanks for the info.  As the TV has integrated terrestrial DTV, I would 
>only be looking at the STB for HD, via HDMI.  In fact, if possible, 
>HDMI is the only connection I would want between the TV and STB.

Some HD broadcasts have Dolby Digital 5.1 audio so maybe an optical link 
to an AV amp as well.

I recall there were some complaints about the HDMI interface between the 
Humax Foxsat and Panasonic (and other)  TVs resulting in 'soft' 
pictures.  This may have been resolved for some people when Humax 
provided a range of different output formats over HDMI thus allowing the 
receiving TV to operate in a different mode.

It may be worth searching  for 'Humax soft picture' in the digital spy 
(Freesat) forums.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=142


-- 
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

"Steve Terry"  wrote in message 
news:ga1a6t$a4v$1@news.albasani.net...
>
> "Alan"  wrote in message 
> news:8KTs+gGkM+wIFw93@amac.f2s.com...
>> In message , Mark Carver 
>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>>
>>>My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the box 
>>>does get very hot.
>>
>> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
>> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>>
>> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
>> Post number 43 in above thread Alan
>>
>>
> The old Grundig 2000 Sky STB processor used to burn up too, the mod
> was to glue a CPU fan over it and connect up to the PSUs 12v line
>
> Steve Terry
>

So did my old RSD, so I rigged a PC fan in it.  Eventually the box would not 
work in the upper band except when first switched on and still cold.

"Kennedy McEwen"  wrote in message 
news:hhHWBYDBS9wIFwMv@kennedym.demon.co.uk...
>I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky, as 
>well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was working 
>fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and the 
>cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers, but I 
>would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD broadcasts 
>from time to time.
>
> From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position: 28.2E 
> so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or otherwise 
> damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need to do is plug 
> the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes into the house?
>
> If so, any recommendations on the best box to get or the ones to avoid?
> If not, what else do I need to do/get?
> -- 
> Kennedy
> Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
> A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
> Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when 
> replying)

Just get an el cheapo FTA receiver either from a specialist satellite vendor 
or from Maplin
e.g.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
£40
or
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
£60

No EPG, but who cares

R. Mark Clayton wrote:

> Just get an el cheapo FTA receiver either from a specialist satellite vendor 
> or from Maplin
> e.g.
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
> £40
> or
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
> £60
> 
> No EPG, but who cares 

How do either of those choices comply with the section of Kennedy's
post that reads:-

Quote:-

" but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
broadcasts "

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ii6tsFqe3cjU2@mid.individual.net...
> Alan wrote:
>> In message , Mark Carver 
>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote
>>>
>>> My parents have a 120 Quid Bush HD Freesat box, does the job, but the 
>>> box does get very hot.
>>
>> The Humax box does not run cool. After running for 2 hours parts of the 
>> case on my Foxsat have been measured at 57C   :(
>>
>> http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=888216
>> Post number 43 in above thread
>
> Eeek ! Still that MPEG4 decoder chip is doing one hell of a lot of number 
> crunching I suppose !  I'll put my hand on the Humax HD PVR when I 
> hopefully see it at IBC next week.
>
> -- 
> Mark
> Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

The Humax box does get quite hot on the top surface. However if you are 
brave I suggest you run your fingers on the under surface of the box. Be 
prepared for some degree of pain! It appears to me that the heat sink for 
the main gubbins is actually the bottom plate of the box. It is a shame it 
is of pressed steel rather than say aluminium which would bleed off the heat 
more readily.

Having said that the box is hot and the underside is even hotter I do not 
think it really is anything to worry about, it does after all carry a 
sensible guarantee and if failure happens one can get one's money back and 
start over.
To avoid any potential problems I have placed my box on 35mm high legs ( 
black painted cotton reels) on an open shelf next to the TV. It now runs 
below egg frying temperatures.
 Richard H

"Alan"  wrote in message news:JYKBqeBGGNxIFwC6@amac.f2s.com...
> In message , Bill Wright 
> Several hundred channels and nothing to watch.

Mostly dross but some good stuff.

> I believe the Alba boxes allow the addition of other free to air 
> channels but via a manual mode on a channel by channel basis.
It's very inconvenient though.

Bill

"R. Mark Clayton"  wrote in message 
news:zuOdnVjZ2cuIgVjVnZ2dnUVZ8j2dnZ2d@bt.com...
> Just get an el cheapo FTA receiver either from a specialist satellite 
> vendor or from Maplin
> e.g.
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
> £40
> or
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
> £60

Or the same number of euros in any European supermart.

Bill

Bill Wright wrote:
> "R. Mark Clayton"  wrote in message 
> news:zuOdnVjZ2cuIgVjVnZ2dnUVZ8j2dnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Just get an el cheapo FTA receiver either from a specialist satellite 
>> vendor or from Maplin
>> e.g.
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
>> £40
>> or
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
>> £60
> 
> Or the same number of euros in any European supermart.

Give it a few more months, and the two currencies will probably equal each other.

-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ilbfbFr6pikU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Or the same number of euros in any European supermart.
>
> Give it a few more months, and the two currencies will probably equal each 
> other.

And then?

Bill

Bill Wright wrote:
> "Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
> news:6ilbfbFr6pikU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> Or the same number of euros in any European supermart.
>> Give it a few more months, and the two currencies will probably equal each 
>> other.
> 
> And then?

We may as well adopt the Euro (only joking).

On 7 Sep, 14:17, Kennedy McEwen  wrote:
> I recently moved into a new house where the previous residents had Sky,
> as well as Virgin cable.  As I understand it, the satellite system was
> working fine up until the day they moved out and they left the dish and
> the cabling.  I have never really been interested in what Sky offers,
> but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD
> broadcasts from time to time.
>
>  From what I have read, both satellites appear at the same position:
> 28.2E so, assuming that the dish hasn't been disturbed in the wind or
> otherwise damaged by the recent weather, is it correct that all I need
> to do is plug the Freesat HD box into the satellite cable that comes
> into the house?

The current issue of 'What Satellite' (September 2008) has an article
about whether it is possible to get the new Freesat service with a Sky
dish.  The answer should be blindingly obvious (i.e. yes), but the
writer found that he was given conflicting advice by, frankly, people
who should know better!

John

On 7 Sep, 15:53, Java Jive  wrote:
> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
> they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
> dish as just as one big satellite.

This may be so with a smallish satellite dish.  However, would that
necessarily still be the case for a much larger dish, as used in large
comunal systems?

John

On 7 Sep, 20:01, "Graham."  wrote:
> > We get quite a lot of enquiries like this here, so I've written a
> > document outlining the various options for receiving TV in the UK.
>
> I think the Freesat offical website could make things clearer
> for the general public by saying something like "Your existing
> Sky Digital dish is suitable for Freesat"
>
> --
> Graham.

I cannot disagree!  See the woes of the journalist in this matter in
'What Satellite' for September 2008.

John

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6iklotFqcgmbU1@mid.individual.net...
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>
>> Just get an el cheapo FTA receiver either from a specialist satellite 
>> vendor or from Maplin
>> e.g.
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
>> £40
>> or
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222347&C=Froogle&U=222347&T=Module 
>> £60
>>
>> No EPG, but who cares
>
> How do either of those choices comply with the section of Kennedy's
> post that reads:-
>
> Quote:-
>
> " but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
> broadcasts "
>
Oops sorry try
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=99265
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224742
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224743
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222346
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224785
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224786

R. Mark Clayton wrote:

>>> No EPG, but who cares
>> How do either of those choices comply with the section of Kennedy's
>> post that reads:-
>>
>> Quote:-
>>
>> " but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
>> broadcasts "
>>
> Oops sorry try
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=99265
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224742
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224743
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222346
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224785
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224786 
> 

OK, except they are all more expensive than Freesat HD receivers, though 
I do acknowledge they can record using external USB hard drives.

BTW, this one is only SD, don't be fooled by the HDMI interface :-

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222346

Without the EPG data, all are not terribly user friendly, and be aware 
that because ITV-HD has a rather eccentric set of parameters, (in 
attempt to make it only available to Freesat boxes) it might not be 
possible to view it on any of these boxes.

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:6ini23Frij94U1@mid.individual.net...
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>
>>>> No EPG, but who cares
>>> How do either of those choices comply with the section of Kennedy's
>>> post that reads:-
>>>
>>> Quote:-
>>>
>>> " but I would be interested in getting a Freesat HD box to receive HD 
>>> broadcasts "
>>>
>> Oops sorry try
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=99265
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224742
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224743
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222346
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224785
>> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224786
>
> OK, except they are all more expensive than Freesat HD receivers, though I 
> do acknowledge they can record using external USB hard drives.
>
> BTW, this one is only SD, don't be fooled by the HDMI interface :-
>
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222346

true - bit of a cheat really

>
> Without the EPG data, all are not terribly user friendly,

Even a box I bought in the 90's could manage now and next.

>  and be aware that because ITV-HD has a rather eccentric set of 
> parameters, (in attempt to make it only available to Freesat boxes) it 
> might not be possible to view it on any of these boxes.
>

That is down to ITV-HD IMO

R. Mark Clayton wrote:

>> Without the EPG data, all are not terribly user friendly,
> 
> Even a box I bought in the 90's could manage now and next.


Now and Next is part of the DVB spec, so all receivers should support it.
However only having N&N available for a PVR would be a PITA, it's like going 
back to the VHS days as far as timer setting goes.

>>  and be aware that because ITV-HD has a rather eccentric set of 
>> parameters, (in attempt to make it only available to Freesat boxes) it 
>> might not be possible to view it on any of these boxes.
>>
> 
> That is down to ITV-HD IMO 

It is, but as it's only one of two FTA UK HD channels available, not receiving 
it for the sake of not buying a Freesat box would be cutting off your nose to 
spite your face.


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"JOHN PORCELLA"  wrote in message 
news:1b82b3ec-ae61-4fbf-9213-f57756e148f8@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
> On 7 Sep, 15:53, Java Jive  wrote:
>> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
>> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
>> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
>> they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
>> dish as just as one big satellite.
>
> This may be so with a smallish satellite dish.  However, would that
> necessarily still be the case for a much larger dish, as used in large
> comunal systems?

Yes.

Bill

"Bill Wright"  wrote in message 
news:Ib-dnT1uA8blfFvVnZ2dnUVZ8tjinZ2d@pipex.net...
>
> "JOHN PORCELLA"  wrote in message 
> news:1b82b3ec-ae61-4fbf-9213-f57756e148f8@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
>> On 7 Sep, 15:53, Java Jive  wrote:
>>> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
>>> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
>>> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
>>> they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
>>> dish as just as one big satellite.
>>
>> This may be so with a smallish satellite dish.  However, would that
>> necessarily still be the case for a much larger dish, as used in large
>> comunal systems?
>
> Yes.
>
> Bill

I wonder if anyone has tried a universal LNB at the focus of this
http://snipurl.com/3oqe8

-- 
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"Graham."  wrote in message 
news:ga6vj4$e67$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> I wonder if anyone has tried a universal LNB at the focus of this
> http://snipurl.com/3oqe8

Is it on eBay?

Bill

On 9 Sep, 21:49, "Bill Wright"  wrote:
> "JOHN PORCELLA"  wrote in message
>
> news:1b82b3ec-ae61-4fbf-9213-f57756e148f8@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On 7 Sep, 15:53, Java Jive  wrote:
> >> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
> >> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
> >> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
> >> they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
> >> dish as just as one big satellite.
>
> > This may be so with a smallish satellite dish.  However, would that
> > necessarily still be the case for a much larger dish, as used in large
> > comunal systems?
>
> Yes.
>
> Bill

Thanks Bill for your short, sweet answer!

I was wondering because I read somewhere that the larger the dish, the
more focussed it is and less likely to pick up stuff from the side.

John

"JOHN PORCELLA"  wrote in message 
news:a6e84c6c-48f3-42fa-966c-13b83a37dfea@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
On 9 Sep, 21:49, "Bill Wright"  wrote:
> "JOHN PORCELLA"  wrote in message
>
> news:1b82b3ec-ae61-4fbf-9213-f57756e148f8@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On 7 Sep, 15:53, Java Jive  wrote:
>> >> Yes, but I think unfortunately and unintentionally Graham may have
>> >> given the OP the mistaken impression that the Eurobird 1 signals
>> >> cannot be received at all, whereas he was really trying to say that
>> >> they can, because all the signals from different sats appear to the
>> >> dish as just as one big satellite.
>>
>> > This may be so with a smallish satellite dish. However, would that
>> > necessarily still be the case for a much larger dish, as used in large
>> > comunal systems?
>>
>> Yes.
>> Bill
>
>Thanks Bill for your short, sweet answer!
>I was wondering because I read somewhere that the larger the dish, the
>more focussed it is and less likely to pick up stuff from the side.
>John
>
It is possible if the dish is slightly misaligned it could still pick the 
sats at
28.5 OK, but too far off for those at 28.2, or visa versa.

Steve Terry

In article 
, 
JOHN PORCELLA  writes
>
>I was wondering because I read somewhere that the larger the dish, the
>more focussed it is and less likely to pick up stuff from the side.
>
True, but it needs to be a fairly large dish.

Astra D is transmitting around 11GHz +/-.

Schoolboy physics (remember when they taught that subject?):
Minimum angle, theta, that you can discriminate signals is 1.22 * c / (f 
* D) where D is diameter of aperture (ie. dish diameter).  In this case 
theta is 0.3deg, or 5.24mrad, c is 3x10^8, f is 11x10^9.

That works out to a dish diameter of around 6.5m, or 20ft - and that 
assumes a perfect dish profile, without tolerances.  ;-)
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)