Advice Needed What setup for Astra 28.2 + Eutelsat 16A?

[PK114]

This is new territory for me. I want to get RTRS (Banja Luka) which is free to air I believe, plus the UK Freesat channels. Apparently I need a motorised dish, that could be moved between Astra 28.2 and Eutelsat 16A. I've been told that boxes might be available that would move the dish automatically as channels are selected. Could anyone suggest such a box, and is a standard-size dish ok? (I wouldn't mind going the Sky route, if that has advantages.)

By the way, Al Jazeera Arabic is available on Freeview, so does that mean it is also on Freesat?

Many thanks for any advice.

 

[Analoguesat]

Some of the 16E transponders are pretty rubbish power.

However a 1m fixed dish with the main focus on 16E and an offset lnb for 28E will work well for you and also allow you to use receivers on both satellites at the same time should you so wish.

 

[PK114]

Some of the 16E transponders are pretty rubbish power.

However a 1m fixed dish with the main focus on 16E and an offset lnb for 28E will work well for you and also allow you to use receivers on both satellites at the same time should you so wish.

Many thanks!

 

[PK114]

Just another point.... Will I need two cable feeds from the dish into the house? I'll be using just one receiver, with twin tuner, and was thinking of getting a VU+Duo, and assume its DiSEqC capability would avoid need to swap cables to pick up the two satellites.

 

[Analoguesat]

If you are using one receiver just one cable. If you want to use a separate Sky or Freesat PVR you will need 2 cables from the 28E lnb plus one from the 16E lnb.

 

[PK114]

Many for another quick reply! If I'm not pushing my luck too far, could I ask one more thing: would a single cable allow me to watch one channel while recording another?

 

[Analoguesat]

Not easily - usual advice is for one cable per tuner.

It will work to some degree but you are horribly limited to what other channels you can get.

 

[PK114]

OK, that's the way I'll go. Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

 

[PK114]

I set up a dish as suggested in the second post. The receiver (Vuplus Duo with VTi image) has found hundreds of channels from 28.2E but nothing from 16E. It tells me it is scanning Eutelsat W2, though the channels I'm after seem to be more usually listed on 16A than W2. Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[Mickha]

How have you set up your dish, and LNB's?
The VU+ Duo has 2 tuners, have you got one LNB to each tuner or are you using a Diseqc switch and have both LNB's going into a single tuner?
Try running a cable directly from the 16E LNB to the receiver and just scanning in those channels.

 

[PK114]

Both LNBs go to LNB1 socket on the receiver, via a Diseqc at the dish. I think when I have started to understand the Vu Duo a little bit, the way to get the most from it will be to have one cable going to each receiver, each cable coming from its own Diseqc, so two Diseqcs at the dish, each fed by both LNBs.

I haven't managed to try running cable direct from 16E LNB to the box yet but in the meantime I reconfigured the tuners. Tuner A now has 16E on Port A and 28.2E on Part B. Previously the other way round. (For the moment, Tuner B = Tuner A.)

I now get 600-odd channels on 16E, including all the ones I want (from ex-Yugoslavia). But from 28.2E I now get only about 160 channels instead of the previous 900-plus and none of the usual Freesat stuff. This is not so critical (I still have Freeview via smart tv) but it would be nice to get it sorted!

 

[Mickha]

How are you scanning in the channels?
try doing a manual scan, for the missing channels on 28.2E:
http://www.lyngsat.com/Eutelsat-28A-and-Astra-2A-2E-2F.html

 

[PK114]

Thanks Mickha. I do manual scans, selecting one satellite at a time. I've also tried searches on single transponders, entering frequencies and polarisation for those with channels I'm seeking. For instance 10788V which has some of the BBC channels. I still get "nil" returns from transponders that have the Freesat channels, but at least the scan takes a bit less time!

Maybe I should just wait till I've got both tuners seeing both satellites, and then have another go.

Thanks again.

 

[Mickha]

Have you set up the satellite tuner correctly, allocating a different Diseqc option to each satellite?

 

[PK114]

No! At least, not knowingly. This could well be where the problem is.

At present the tuner configuration mode is "simple" and the line under that shows mode as diseqc A/B. I can see that if I change the configuration mode to "advanced" I then get options for diseqc mode. Changing diseqc mode to anything other than "none" opens up many more options but (needless to say) I don't know their significance. Am I even looking in the right area?

 

[Mickha]

Yes, but Diseqc A/B should work, depending which ports you're using, on your Diseqc switch, most have 4 in 1 out.
Just had a quick look on my VU+ receiver and simple is the easiest method.
Go into the tuner settings, highlight Diseqc A/B and use the arrow button, on your remote, to change it to Diseqc A/B/C/D then try configuring the 4 ports to find out which input you have 16E and which input you have 28.2E.

 

[PK114]

I appreciate your time... and patience.

I've fiddled with the configuration in various ways, but to no effect. Nothing I do finds more channels. Furthermore I have discovered that the channels I did manage to get from scanning 28.2E are not from 28.2 at all. According to Lyngsat etc, they come from transponders at 19.2. (For instance 11186V.) Might that help to pinpoint my problem?

 

[Mickha]

It sounds like you haven't set your LNB's up correctly.
Can you please post a picture, of your LNB's.
Can you please carry out a manual scan of 11597 V 22000 DVB-S and post any channel names you scan in.

 

[PK114]

I tried that scan, but found no channels. I will send photos tomorrow - my neighbour has been away, and left his van in a position where I could not get to the satellite!

I am beginning to think that the way to get most value from the Vu+ Duo will be to have coax cables going to both tuners (LNB 1, LNB2) with both satellites feeding into each cable, via two diseqc switches at the dish. If this is indeed the ideal arrangement, should I get that setup installed before continuing to resolve my problem of getting channels from only one satellite at a time? (Just as a reminder, I have a 1000mm dish, pointing at 16E, with an offset LNB for 28.2E.)

 

[Analoguesat]

It tells me it is scanning Eutelsat W2, though the channels I'm after seem to be more usually listed on 16A than W2. Any thoughts, anyone?

Eutel W2 failed terminally about 4 or 5 years ago and was sent to junk orbit. Eutel 16A replaced her at 16E.

You can always edit the satellite name if you so desire