Freesat query

[williamwright]

Yes of course, but that's a bit crap really.

Bill

[williamwright]

Yes but I didn't to seem as if I was stating the obvious.

Bill

[SH]

I have 2 off 5 x 16 multswitches that feed FM, DAB, 10 CCTV channels, Freeview (from Oxford, Snday Heath, Waltham, Sutton Coldifield combined via a TMB 2000) and Freesat to 32 triplex sockets around the house.

I also have 2 off 17 x 16 multiswitches that take Astra 1, Hotbird, Hispasat and Eutelsat 5W and again feeds it to 32 satellite points aropund the house.

I also have FTTP fed to 47 ethernet sockets via a Netgear GS748T switch for IP TV and Catch up players.

[Owain Lastname]

I use them in rotation, to even out the wear.

Owain

[Sn!pe]

Clive Arthur [e-mail]> wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Neither do I, but I would like to know more. Is there a good "Idiots Guide To Satellite TV"? Other than this highly esteemed group, obvs.

[xpost: uk.d-i-y; uk.tech.digital-tv]

[John Rumm]

Rotation sounds painful :-)

[John Rumm]

Yup fair point, well made! My answers were assuming old school.

[The Natural Philosopher]

A satellite dish comes equipped with one to four 'LNB's' = Low Noise Block down converter, powered down the coaxial line by whatever is plugged into it...

"The LNB is a combination of low-noise amplifier, frequency mixer, local oscillator and intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier. It serves as the RF front end of the satellite receiver, receiving the microwave signal from the satellite collected by the dish, amplifying it, and downconverting the block of frequencies to a lower block of intermediate frequencies (IF). This downconversion allows the signal to be carried to the indoor satellite TV receiver using relatively cheap coaxial cable; if the signal remained at its original microwave frequency it would require an expensive and impractical waveguide line."

(wiki)

They will not be using a cheap and nasty coax but the threaded sort.

So with satellite you can share the dish, between sets, but not the LNB or the cable.

In practice you simply plug your STB into the telly, the mains and the LNB, using the appropriate cables, and that's that. Freesat will be there.

>

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, both will do either. Freesat and sky use the same down converter.Sky is juts encrypted, that's all.

[The Natural Philosopher]

is a very good explanation.

showing what control voltages are fed to the units to get particular bands or polarisations.

And that is why you have more than one LNB - its not per se between sky and freesat, it's between different frequencies and polarisations.

The set top box or PC dongle - or TV - will cycle round all of those to scan for available channels.

If you have paid for sky, it will also decrypt any channels that match your key.

[Robert]

Yes Or obtain an old Sky box ( preferably not a plus + one and find a SKY HD one if you want the HDMI output) for next to nothing just ask around. (Freegle or Freecycle)

[Robert]

+1 And Sky Q is different .....

[Mark Carver]

Not even that, the channels that are common to Sky and Freesat are exactly the same transponder signals, unencrypted for both platforms.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

nothing wrong with a connector with the coax inner as the pin ....

[The Natural Philosopher]

Or buy a satellite dongle for your P? and forget the TVs. Wont work for subscription TV tho - no PC cards I found take the decryption card

[alan_m]

Technology has moved on quite a lot.

You could always share the dish and LNB with an intermediate switch but these days if you go for the latest technology you can now do away with a separate switch and distribute the signal to multiple receivers all from a single cable from the LNB (using splitters). However there is

99.99% chance that the OP does not have this technology installed by the previous occupant of the house.

Not if the LNB is a more recent Sky Q model unless the STB/PVR supports a Sky Q LNB.

[Sn!pe]

Thank you.

[alan_m]

Yes, Sky doesn't encrypt its free to air channels and there a a few more channels on Sky free to air than Freesat. Freesat is basically the 7 day electronic program guide (EPG) for the broadcasters who wish to pay for it and is transmitted over the air (from the satellite). Sky free to air channels also have a 7 day over the air EPG but you may have to jump through a few extra hoops to get it and have a box/software capable of doing so.

Rememmber Sky don't own any of the satellites - they just rent facilities on them the same way as any other broadcaster who wishes to use them.

[alan_m]

because they use a newer technology for their LNBs which outwardly works differently to that from a a universal LNB and which is mainly only supported by Sky Q branded boxes.

[alan_m]

And a connector that screws in.