Freesat dish - DIY possible ?

Make that GuidePlus+...

Reply to
Dave Liquorice
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The Humax has two modes: freesat and non-freesat. All FTV channels from Astra at 28.2E are available in the non-freesat mode, only freesat channels are available in freesat mode, surprise, surprise.

The other freesat boxes are said to be getting the non-freesat mode 'soon'.

Plenty of information at

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Reply to
F

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:54:16 +0100 (BST) someone who may be "Dave Liquorice" wrote this:-

They have a now and next EPG, due to EU law. They also have a full EPG if this is being transmitted in standard form (as some German stations do).

Unlike crippled boxes station lists can be arranged in the order the owner wants. If someone wants Channel 4 first, then BBC1 London, then S4C that is no problem.

Channel 4 is now free, Sky viewing card or not and can be picked up by any box.

Reply to
David Hansen

Still only FTV not FTA on a Skybox 104, just checked...

Yes there is a FTA stream that you can use via "Other Channels" on a Skybox but that is PITA to use and GuidePlus+ can't drive a Skybox that well.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Where do you get a freesat card from for these FTV (Free To View) channels? Or do you really mean FTA (Free To Air)?

I think Mr Hansen has just tripped over the confusion between FTV and FTA in relation to Sky boxen and Channel 4...

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

David Hansen explained on 10/06/2008 :

The unit we bought for the caravan - satellite in a suitcase - has a dish LNB and receiver which enables you to view various satellites which are all preprogrammed. For the Astra 28 deg sat it is programmed with all of the local bbc and ITV transmissions. In other words wherever we are, we can choose the local TV service, or choose the same one we would get at home via our aerial.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

You don't need a card. The freesat box (Humax Foxsat at the moment, the rest real soon now) has two modes, the second of which presents you with all the FTV channels available at 28.2E.

He seems angry about something...

Reply to
F

Oops! Should've been FTA!

Reply to
F

Pretty easy.

I have an Echostar one which I've had for three or four years. This has an EPG which is built using information from the channel transmissions. As a minimum, there is the channel name, others have entries for the current and following programs while most have a more detailed program listing. The information is not as rich as Sky's EPG in that there are not the detailed info capabilities and so on. However, it's perfectly possible to make grouped and sorted lists of channels by name, for example.

This particular receiver has a built in 36V dc positioner with 3-5A output for a motorised dish. With this, I can simply select the channel that I want and the dish moves appropriately to the correct satellite. I can sub group the channels by satellite if I want to do that, so that for example I have all of the Astra 2 channels together, Astra 1, Hotbird, Thor and so on.

Newer receivers tend to have DiSEqC signaling for control of satellite motor positioners because the power supplies can be made smaller. There are now motor positioners that can be operated by the DiSEqC signal via a coax, but they currently all seem to be the lightweight ones. For a larger dish or an exposed position, a heavy duty motor is a good idea (e.g. the Jaeger 1224 which is pretty much an industry standard). These are 36v only and need a small positioner control box to convert the DiSEqC signals. Apparently, this can all be automated though.

Reply to
Andy Hall

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:37:02 +0100 (BST) someone who may be "Dave Liquorice" wrote this:-

That does not contradict my statement.

As you said, "Yes there is a FTA stream". It was available for some weeks, perhaps a few months, before the Freesat launch date.

I make no comment on the problems which crippled boxes have in receiving channels.

Reply to
David Hansen

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:44:59 +0100 (BST) someone who may be "Dave Liquorice" wrote this:-

You think wrongly.

Those Channel 4 channels which were not already free popped up unencrypted on the morning of Freesat launch date, with the exception of Channel 4 itself which had been available unencrypted for some weeks, perhaps a month or two, before the launch (presumably as a trial). The exception is Channel 4 HD, which is still encrypted.

Reply to
David Hansen

What does ethernet enable you to do? Stream recordings/live TV over your LAN or just upgrade the firmware?

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

There are boxes around like the Dreambox and some others, look up

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that have this so you can stream from the sat RX and to it IIRC...

Reply to
tony sayer

All true, although it's worth noting that the C4 stream that the Freesat boxes map to is different to that used by Sky boxes. The Freesat stream as you say is FTA. However Sky boxes still map to one of six C4 streams (depending on your postcode region) that are all still FTV (i.e. encrypted)

Reply to
Mark Carver

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:39:15 +0100 someone who may be Mark Carver wrote this:-

That is true, though I didn't claim (or even think) otherwise. From memory the unencrypted channel is called something like 3910, can't be bothered to look it up.

Reply to
David Hansen

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