2012 - Whats the best blind search and sensitive receiver on sale?

[hdp160]

Back in 2009 a similar thread had hundreds of contributions.
Its about time for a new one maybe?

I have my trusted Dreambox and some Kathrein kit ... but I'm thinking of dabbling with some SERIOUS "blind scanning"

What you got?
What wouldn't you buy?
What would you buy if money was no object?

 

[Lazarus]

Have a look here (Post #4 in particular)

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/receiver-software-international-section/199059-skybox-f3.html

 

[hdp160]

Thanks Tivu, yes I've seen this one...... what I'm hoping for is contributions from members giving their personal favorites, pros and cons Etc.

 

[Vipersan]

Well ..I guess I'm predictable ....but consistant..
My personal favourite is the DrHD F15 ..
The blind scan isn't the fastest ..but can be step controlled 1 ,2 ,4 ,8 meg steps....and is fairly thorough.
It has in my opinion the distiction of being the most sensitive tuner for weak signals I have so far encountered..
It's not perfect ...but so nearly is for fta out of the box ..
It also has a card and cam slot ..
The picture reproduction both HD and SD upscaled is excellent ..with storage for recording to usb stick or usb drive.
I could have done without the integrated games ..and the memory freed up for better use..but it has to appeal to a TV watching audience as well as a DXer ..so is in a way understandable.
It along with my TBS6925 pcie card forms the backbone of my system ..and you can see from my system details ...I have a few good but not excellent set top boxes.
Each have their own qualities ..but the F15 imo would take some beating.
rgds
VS

 

[hdp160]

Thanks Vipersan nice contribution, DXing is fun (Radio Ham 35+years) so much new kit is coming out of China and Korea, I thought it would be a good idea to get everyones 2012 opinions.

 

[sonnetpete]

I have both a DrHD F15 and a VU+ Solo. Not being a feed hunter (or a real dx'er until I put a C band LNB on my motorised dish) my need for blind scan is limited. Like VS, I'm a fan of the Dr.HD, which just has the edge on the VU+ for tuner sensitivity but falls down for it's lack of networking capability. I know the latest VIX image for the VU+ has enhanced blind scan features so given an unlimited amount of money probably I'd plump for a VU+ Ultimo.

 

[hdp160]

Thanks sonnetpete another nice contribution, so far all the predictable contenders, BTW here I have clear view from 45W to 43E with my motorised dish, not alot but I can only speak english and german so some of the channels are purely academic and a challenge to receive.

 

[pride21]

hi hdp160 i have been using the technomate 5402HD and have been well pleased especially on weak signals.

 

[Captain Jack]

Yes, some TM boxes seem to have the same tuner (and therefore sensitivity) as the Dr HD F15. Not sure if they do blind scan as well though.

 

[hdp160]

Thanks pride21 and Captain Jack, So far its looking a dead heat 50:50 between the Dr.hd and TM.........

 

[Costactc]

For blind scan speed I would say the Skybox f3 and for tuner sensitivity the Optibox anaconda.

 

[Lazarus]

For blind scan speed I would say the Skybox f3 and for tuner sensitivity the Optibox anaconda.

Yes, your Skybox F3 caught my attention and for the price even an impoverished soul like me might be able to justify getting one.

 

[aceb]

Same as Tivu, I might treat myself to one as well, there's been a few occasions recently I've wanted to check something on sat but not fire up another PC.

Costactc, thanks for highlighting the Skybox, could you give some examples of blindscan speed as I'm interested to see how it compares to Crazycats Blindscan Pro both in terms of speed and how configurable it is.

 

[Costactc]

On linear sats on ku band, normal speed was under 2 minutes. It does take a bit longer on some of the circular c band satc on c band but that's normal as my lnbf is linear. Nss806 at 40.5w just scanned in in under 3 minutes.

 

[Costactc]

223 channels scanned in on Intelsat 11 in 2 minutes and 1 second.

 

[aceb]

Nss806 at 40.5w just scanned in in under 3 minutes.

Thanks, I'll try this one in EBS tomorrow and see how long it takes, do you/can you specify step and minimum SR?

 

[Huevos]

I know the latest VIX image for the VU+ has enhanced blind scan features so given an unlimited amount of money probably I'd plump for a VU+ Ultimo.

Vu+ Uno has blind scan if you are on a budget... and the Xtrend 9x00 too.

I think this is really about what you want blind scan for. VS uses it for DX and doesn't want to miss anything. Other people want to find feeds and find them fast before they disappear. From what I have seen on Youtube and heard from VS the F15 it seems to suit his style, but for feed hunting where you want to scan a satellite in just a couple of minutes it just doesn't fit the bill.

 

[Costactc]

Thanks, I'll try this one in EBS tomorrow and see how long it takes, do you/can you specify step and minimum SR?

Although the F3 receiver does not have parameters for blind scan limitation, it just scans. Tp frequency for Nss806 should be set to 3600 and the lowest symbol rate I scanned in was 1844.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Yes, some TM boxes seem to have the same tuner (and therefore sensitivity) as the Dr HD F15. Not sure if they do blind scan as well though.

The second generation TM1500 receivers include it and I've had one of those years. Some later models (those with integrated/embedded software for a card slot only) are a cheaper build and do not have blind scan. No MPEG4 though.

 

[Vipersan]

Just read the ebayer sellers spec on this box ..
Its certainly cheap enough to have as a 'tool' for outside and dish setup use..
Same purpose as a meter but capable of resolving H264.
What caught my eye was the 16PSK claim in the spec ..plus its ability to blind scan rapidly.
I may well add one of these to my collection ..if only to avoid having to disconnect the F15 and tote it outside when I'm working on the dish(s)
The F3 plus a 15 inch lcd monitor and a flying lead would be preferable to a small screen meter when I'm working up a ladder ..as I could see it at distance.
Pity it doesn't do 4:2:2 ..or it would be substituted indoors for the AZbox.
rgds
VS