A little help with first time Freesat set up!

Benjo14

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Hi,

Just joined and first post.
I'm setting up a Freesat system after a house renovation. I have all the cables in and have worked out how and where I'm going to mount a DAB aerial, FM aerial, Digital terrestrial and freeview aerial and dish but was going to install a white dish, something slightly larger than a mk4 sky dish at around 42cm diametre(?) as in a bit of a dip behind a hill in Richmond (have been told that I can get good reception in bad weather if I go for the larger 80cm diameter zone 2 dish if I have sky). But what I wanted to know is if I don't want something that large can I go for for something like a Triax 64cm round dish to pick up Freesat which is all I want at the moment and then later if I want to get sky (through the proper channels of course) get the sky man to use that same dish to pick up sky? Will it work? Or do I have to go for a 42cm or 80cm sky dish and use it to pick up Freesat and have it there for sky if I get it?
It'll have a quad LNB is that ok as well?
Probably haven't explained that very well.
Any advice much appreciated.
 

Analoguesat

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A Sky "Zone 2" (60cm) oval dish will give you plenty of signal in anything up to monsoon conditions. The new satellites are much higher power than the old ones. The most dilapidated satellite still in operation (Eutelsat 28A) is fading fast & will be switched off in the near future with the channels moved over the the higher power modern satellites

Sky & Freesat use the same channels so a good set up for one will work fine with the other. :)
 

hexah

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I have a Triax TD64 and it is very good.

I think the $ky man would just plug in the cables they see in the room. But I doubt they would have the 40mm LNB used, you would have to maintain the dish and LNB yourself and replace it yourself if it dies (very easy of course).

The Zone 2 is much better than the Zone 1 and they use the same LNB so the $ky man could replace it but often they replace the dish as well when they replace an LNB and it would be replaced with a Zone 1 in your part of the country.
 

satelliteman

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Hi, satellite reception doesn't work quite the same way as in bad signal areas referred to in terrestrial terms. A 60cm zone 2 will be more than adequate for your set up ;)
 

hexah

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Whatever choice you make, always keep a spare LNB handy.

Just in case it fails on Christmas Eve or some other annoying time.
 
A

archive10

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Hi,
[snip]but was going to install a white dish, something slightly larger than a mk4 sky dish at around 42cm diametre(?) as in a bit of a dip behind a hill in Richmond (have been told that I can get good reception in bad weather if I go for the larger 80cm diameter zone 2 dish if I have sky).
Makes no difference. If you have a direct line-of-sight the 28.2 East satellite position (and you do from most if not all rooftops in London), it makes not difference if there are nearby hills, warehouses, skyscrapers.

But what I wanted to know is if I don't want something that large can I go for for something like a Triax 64cm round dish to pick up Freesat which is all I want at the moment and then later if I want to get sky (through the proper channels of course) get the sky man to use that same dish to pick up sky? Will it work? Or do I have to go for a 42cm or 80cm sky dish and use it to pick up Freesat and have it there for sky if I get it?
It'll have a quad LNB is that ok as well?
Probably haven't explained that very well.
Any advice much appreciated.
The dishes all work the same. If you stick a TD64 on the roof and use it for Freesat, the Sky install will literrally be a swap of the set-top box, reconnect the cables in the living room, and you're off. If you don't have a Sky dish (Zone 1 or 2) with Sky LNB already (and therefore free), or plan on doing freesat first, then just stick a triax on the roof with the quad LNB you have, and you should be happy. No need to change this to an elliptical sky dish (which required the sky LNB to match the shape).

Not sure what the cabling structure is (and what you're intending to achieve), but sticking the outputs into a multiswtich, or even a loft-box will give you UK SAT TV in either shape or form easily in most rooms of your house.
 

Benjo14

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That's brilliant.
So is there any reason why I shouldn't use a Triax 64 dish over a sky 60 dish? (Other than slight wind resistance as sky one is perforated)
Also if I say went for the sky dish would spray painting it do anything to the signal!? (Probably a very silly question)
 

hexah

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I would rather use the Triax TD64.

You can spray the dish and mount and LNB (except the white cap) with non metallic matt spray paint e.g. plastikote. Don't use white as it will reflect too much sunlight and eventually damage the LNB cover which would let water in. White dishes that you buy are actually a very light grey or a cream colour. Here is a good example.

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...ish-multi-lnb-system.74232/page-2#post-506510

He forgot to paint the LNBs and holders.
 
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