Bush HD Freesat box in Germany

TheHairyGoblet

Hi there, this is my first post so please be gentle and excuse my ignorance!

I live in Germany and recently bought a Bush HD Freesat box from Argos and a dish. Initially, I was getting 0%, so I took it to a technical guy and he changed all of the frequency settings to allow me to receive all the channels from the Astra2 satellite (I have a friend here who says this sounds weird).

Last night, I spent 4 hours stuck on 90% signal strength and no picture whatsoever. I followed the instructions of "adding non Freesat services" and hit the search button. It came up with "services found: 1" and "services added: 0".

Now, my guess is that this is the German service that it has found and has not added it because it is not programmed to do so. I know for a fact that the satellite that allows German channels is 1cm away from the Astra2 satellite.

I really need help with this. Does it sound like I am pointing it at the German satellite? Last night, I managed to get the signal strength up to 100% for a split second, which suggests that I found the Astra2 satellite very, very briefly. I am just concerned by that 90% signal with no picture.

With the Freesat box I have, there is a term "Lock" at the end of the signal strength bar, I am guessing that I need to get 100% before it will lock these channels?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, because I don't want to pay 100€ to get some dude out to move the dish 2mm's and pick up all the channels.

Thanks again and sorry for my ignorance.

Tivù

Well I suspect you are on or close to 28E as there have indeed been some Channel changes this week and your box would not recognise that if it were not receiving the relevant stream.

I haven't a clue what the "technical guy" claims to have done. There should be no need to intervene with the box settings at all. Plug and Play (for Freesat mode, anyway).

No, you don't need 100% for Lock. And it is ultimately the Quality bar which is important, not the Strength. You'll get a misleading Strength reading even with total misalignment.

What you actually do need is not easy to say in numbers as the "metering" is very crude.

In practice, resolving stable Video and Audio is the crux.

Can you please tell us about your Dish etc ?

If it was at one time correctly aligned to 28E (UK), it isn't now likely to be aligned to 19.2E (German) without human intervention.

Have you ever had this Box and Dish actually receiving Freesat Channels?

Finally, you may not be aware that there have been significant problems with the Bush/Goodmans HD Boxes recently ....... Freesat update - goodmans hd fault


Edit: I think I know what you are trying to get at by saying the two Satellite positions are only 1cm apart! But actually they are thousands of miles apart. I assume you are talking about how much the Dish needs to move.

TheHairyGoblet

I have never received Freesat channels with this box either, I have only had it 2 weeks and this is the first I have tried.

Has the technical guy messed around with the settings then? Could that be the reason it is not working? He gave me frequency of 10802 and 22000 for something else.

TheHairyGoblet

Not sure my previous reply got through, still new to the site!

I will type it out again.

The dish is called Trivax (?) and is a 64 cm dish but I was told it should act like an 80cm one. I also get 90% on the quality bar as well.

I was told by the technical guy in the shop not to use any updates or anything like that, yet there is an update option on the menu screen. I have been reading reports about people who have had to update their Bush Freesat receiver for it to work. Is this something I should look at despite what this guy said?

I am concerned that I am not getting any picture with 90%. The other stange thing was that _www.dishpointer.com told me the elevation needed to be 29.8 degrees and on that I was getting 0%, it was only when I adjusted it to over 35 degrees (at least that is what I assume the numbers on the back of the dish are?) did I get this 90% feed.

Help, seriously confused!!

Tivù

If you've never had it working, then ignore my last Post completely and let's start at the beginning.

Please tell us about your Dish: Provenance, Type, Size, Who Installed and When - and to which Satellite, Have you or anybody else shifted it recently?

I suspect now that the Dish alignment/function is the key to your problem.

The Box is Plug & Play in Freesat Mode, subject to being connected to a Dish/LNB/cable known to be operational at 28E.

Although the EPG and other data is transmitted from Eurobird 1 (which you should have no difficulty in receiving subject to correct alignment), there may be Dish size issues in getting all the Channels from Astra 2D owing to the restricted "Footprint" (The 28E position used by Sky and Freesat consists of Astra 2A, 2B, 2D and Eurobird 1).

You need to ask other UK Residents what size Dish they need to get Astra 2D reliably.

Have you ever had any sort of Box connected to this Dish and working? Receiving what?

Analoguesat

Posts from new members often get put into moderation queue - this is to stop the spammers (a site as popular as this one gets a lot of attempted spamming!)

Analoguesat's message to the world Analogue forever!

TheHairyGoblet

Ok......

I installed everything myself, which of course could be part of the problem! I bought the Tivax dish from my local electrical store here in Frankfurt and the LNB single feed. I have it all set up on my balcony with the wire in the back of the box. I did everything according to what the guy in the electrical store told me.

I spent 5 hours last weekend trying to get the signal and then had it looked at in the electrical store. He changed the frequency settings, now I can get 90%. But, I spent 5 hours trying to get BBC et al last night to no avail.

Tivù

Still no idea what the change to settings is supposed to mean. Ignore it for now - I repeat: It is Plug and Play for Freesat.

Getting Strength and Quality but no results means you are on the wrong Satellite.

Shift the Dish nine degrees further East and decrease the Elevation marginally.

As for the numbers on the Elevation scale, you have probably mounted the back plate upside down.

The Dish face should be more or less vertical by eye.

And treat with scepticism claims of Dishes performing like bigger ones.

Tivù

Also see what dish size is required in Frankfurt (Germany) area

According to Post #3 your Dish is probably ok, if carefully aligned.


(I know, some good news at last!)

TheHairyGoblet

Brilliant - what a rookie - mounting the degrees plate on the back of the dish upside down!!

The trouble I was having was that when the dish is basically vertical, I was getting 0% on everything. As soon as I arched it back a bit, the signal went crazy. I think I must have found the German satellite. It is very frustrating, because we are talking about millimetres.

I am very sceptical of this electrical company, not naming them because they basically control Germany's electrical market. I am frustrated by this technical guy and his interference of the frequency settings. Because, beforehand I was getting 0% and I was at it for hours. Then he did something and now I get signals, just not the right one.

Tivù

Well now you trust me (!!), just shift the Dish nine degrees further East and down the tiniest bit ......

And FORGET the "technical guy" - just concentrate on getting it working in Freesat mode first.

I advise you to dig unto the Manual and the Menus and do a Factory Reset on the Box.

After that, find the option to disable Automatic Updates.

Then we'll move onto non-Freesat.

TheHairyGoblet

Ok, thanks for your reply Tivu, I appreciate it. I will have to do it all tonight after work and I will let you know how I get on!

Not sure the degrees plate on the back of the dish is upside down, I mean, the numbers of the degrees are all the right way up.

I am assuming that as soon as it picks up the Astra2 satellite it will automatically programme in all the Freesat channels for me?

Tivù

Yes, it should do ................ but do that Factory Reset first.

To be frank, it's a lot easier to use a Box that doesn't employ a Platform EPG if you are also using it to assist with alignment.

I wonder if you might be better advised to spend another €10 or so and get yourself a cheap Satellite Finder with a Needle Meter?

As you've discovered aligning dishes requires precision and is always easier in retrospect!

Tivù

Many Dishes have a reversible bracket which gives access to two different Elevation scales.

So whichever way you assemble it, you'll have one or other of the scales showing some figures apparently the right way up.

The reason for the reversible bracket is to make the Dish more universal - folk much further South require considerably higher Elevation than us in Northern Europe.

TheHairyGoblet

I do trust you by the way, so dont take this the wrong way, but if I reset everything to the factory settings, I will end up back with 0% again. Because I had it like that for a weekend where I couldn't even get 1%.

Everytime I turn on the box, it resets itself to the settings it has already which gives me 0%. It is only when I type in the frequency of 10802 and 22000 that I get the 90% feed.

Tivù

Which is irrelevant because you aren't on the correct Satellite.

If you really feel confident using non-freesat mode (which appears to be the case), then what you really need to do in order to ensure reception of the Freesat EPG is to align it using 11428 H 27500 2/3.

Alternatively, you can try using 10773 H 22000 5/6 which carries a bunch of BBC Channels.

Then, once you've proved your are successfully aligned to the correct Satellite, check what happens in Freesat mode. If all is well, then enjoy your viewing. If not, follow the Factory Reset procedure at that time - and disable Automatic Updates until we are sure the dodgy update Harvard International produced is in no danger of getting anywhere near your Box!


Our advice is, however, not compulsory....................

TheHairyGoblet

Ok, that is great advice, thanks.

I only question so much because I am a complete newbie to this and have never set up a dish before, so the whole frequency thing is new to me. I will try the frequency you have given me that carries a loaf of BBC channels.

I am really confused about what non-Freesat and Freesat modes are. I thought I find the dish and all the channels come forth!?

Tivù

In Freesat mode, if you connect it to a Dish known to be correctly aligned to 28E, it will automatically find all the Channels that have paid to be on the EPG. It does this chiefly by simply looking at the Transponder I referred to in my last Post.

BUT, it is not easy to actually align a Dish in this "high level" Plug & Play mode.

In non-Freesat mode, you can operate the box like a generic Digital Satellite Receiver (not attached to a Platform like Freesat, Sky etc.) and it can not only scan and detect Channels that have not paid to be on the Freesat EPG, but you can better use it as an alignment tool.

Don't worry - we all knew very little when we started and the fog soon lifts.

PS: I do like the idea of a "loaf of BBC Channels" ...............

If you want to know what Channels reside where, have a look at _http://www.flysat.com/28east.php

TheHairyGoblet

Ok, cool. I think I will just use the Freesat mode to get all of the channels that I am supposed to get first just to make sure that works, then I will try and get those "loaf" channels.

I take it that I would have to manually input the frequency to get these extra channels, like Babeworld MILF for example!!?

Channel Hopper

I wonder if the dish system supplied uses the LNB that needs a 45 degree shift ?

Skew problem with Fortecstar LNB FSKUVN and Icecrypt 0.1db single LNB

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Tivù

Not sure exactly how to drive non-Freesat mode on your Box as that feature has only recently been introduce.

I have the Humax Foxsat, which has always had non-Freesat mode.

TheHairyGoblet

I did want to ask you one other thing actually. Should I do the "First Time Install" that is on the Settings Menu? I haven't touched this and a mate at work reckons this might pick up the channels better?

Tivù

Yes- but only after you've proved your Dish is correctly aligned to 28E.

That routine is the one that takes you through the Plug & Play routine: It will ask you for a UK Postcode.

Select a Postcode which relates to the BBC/ITV Region you prefer (probably the one you had "back home".

It will then scan and put in place all the Channels that have paid to appear on the EPG.

TheHairyGoblet

Ok, cheers.

I must confess to be even more confused now! All day yesterday, I was using the "add non-Freesat Services" option on the box and then "Manual Tune".......this to me sounds like I have been doing the wrong thing because I just want to get the Freesat services.

Honestly, I am not trying to be annoying on purpose!

Tivù

Don't worry - use the non-Freesat mode you've now become familiar with to help align the Dish. If it makes it easier to reconcile, just think of it as being Satellite Meter Mode!

Once you are happy you can receive from 28E, do the First-time Installation.

As I said before, the fog will lift