OldBen
Mad Scientist
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2005
- Messages
- 249
- Reaction score
- 4
- Points
- 18
- Age
- 47
- My Satellite Setup
- Triax TD110 with multi LNB 28.5E, 23.5E, 19E, 13E Inverto Black Ultra's (Black Premium on 28.5) into multiswitch. VU+ Duo. Emitor Satlook Lite meter.(Retired: Technomate 1500CI+, Moteck DG2100 DisEqC Motor, Metronic 85cm Clear Dish, Invacom 0.3db LNB
- My Location
- UK
Hello oh wise and learned satellites comunity!
Benn lurking for some time and reading up on what's what, what changes, what stays and what to avoid. I will rant on... and summerise for ease of reply in a bid to cover my requirements and request for help in detail.
I am looking to install a Sat TV system for mainly: Extra Channels, possibility of TV in Czech for the girlfriend, better motorsport coverage (Le Man 24hr, DTM on German channels etc), possible PVR to complement single tuner Humax 8000 freeview I have, all the other beinifts.
Immediatly decided I needed a DreamBox (7020) as it runs Linux! My main PC is 100% Linux, my 24x7 file/web/mail server in the garage runs Linux, my PDA runs Linux, my wireless access point runs Linux, my toaster runs linux... ok well not the toaster, but the rest is true and I am addicted the flexibility and customistation/integration options it offers.
Sanity option was consided, this is something I have started doign the last 6 months to save money, considering what I really needed and if I was just buying the best thing around (which it seems I was...) and decided Technomate 1500CI+ was most sensible option. 1. It was 1/3rd the price. 2. it was possible the misses can operate it... which can not always be said for the rest of the house when I go with the most technically valid solution!
SO, this lead me to looking at channels and realising Czech link is on Eurobird at 28.5E.. and the biggest "bang for bird" seems to be Astra 19E and Hotbird 13E .... which means I needed a motor. This seemed a bit OTT, but Disecq takes the pain complexity away provided you can cope with the simple geometry and DIY crossbreading required which seemed within my limits. There are even some good technomate 1500/dish/motor bundels going... and I thought I had it sorted provided I can let go of the Dream...
BUT Seach of the forum reveals there is UPC on 1B/C/Etc, and also that Czechlink is moving to Astra 3A/1D at 23.5E!
AND THEN the same search (thanks to "student" for asking so many questions... and the forum for answering them!) it turns out all the Czech TV stuff is Cryptoworks encrypted as UPC do not want you to watch it outside the Czech republic. Now I am not really for piracy of content... just buy DVD's etc rather than dload movies for example... but as you can watch it inside the Czech republic I am not adversed to a bit of, ahem, non-standard viewing technique. But it seems from the forum Cyptoworks is (mostly) secure still and to use the slim chance available currently you need CAM/cards etc which is all a bit messy (having read up fully on "patched" recievers and softcams).
IN Addition to all that jazz above I also checked out potential sites, our house faces pretty much south west, so the wall most eligable for a dish... faces next door (we are detached and their is a 2m gap). I reckon I can get 30 degrees each side of South if mounted towards the front (but still on the side of) the house which should be ok as I can only really get a 80-85CM dish up without it looking damn ugly or fouling the wall on full swing 30 degrees or so west, and I think from reading I need a bigger dish to swing way out to the sides. There is always the option for getting the evil kenieval suit out and up the ladder to the house eves to clear next doors roof... but I am holding back on that one as I don't fancy being 6-7M off the deck trying to find due south (compass in teeth perhaps?!) If I go this way I need to read up on offset more as its possible the 2M might give me clearence I need for top of roofline as they are about 4 brick courses lower than us... not really wanting to invest that amount of maths at this stage!
So the lack of Cryptoworks "options" other than a legit card (which is possible, but the misses is not that bothered), and hassle with getting a full arc on a motorised dish without risking life and limb to mount it turned me off motorised a little. Although as someone with a minor fasination for radio comms (and a discone on the shed) it still appeals ;)
ON TOP of all that research (hope someone is still reading this!) I found the Dream DM500... which is only about £40 more than the technomate yet will give me a PVR (I can NFS/CIFS mount my fileserver). This seemed perfect as its the same as its bigger, twice the price, brother but lacks the internal HD and the USB connector. As I already have a linux server it is easy to give it more space via the network for PVR storage, swapfile, images etc so I don't think I need USB or internal disk anyway.
BUT AGAIN I found an issue, the Dream DM 500, which by the way says on their website " DiSEqC - Rotor Control", has "issues" driving Diceqc motors as the PSU brick is external and only 12v, as most motors want 14-18v it means issues (possibly) or more current (definetly) but if the manufacturer says it works why not? Most on the DM500 forum have this combo DM500/diseqc working, although austrailian dream site says it invalidates warrenty (nothing in the marketting brochure when used as described invalidates warrenty in my opinion, or UK law as far as I can tell!) but I imagine a lot of aussies are using really big dishes hence more current hence their dream boxes are popping some PSU circuits.
Few, anyone still awake?
You can't say I have'nt
first!
Although I am now a bit frazzeled :-googly
Hence I need help with:
1. Shall I plan for Cryptoworks eventually being "adjusted" so I can get Czech TV from Astra 3A and go motorised?
2. If it does, err, bend to allow viewing, do people think Dream DM500 with no CI slot would limit my options?
3. Shall I just give up and stick up a fixed dish with twin LNB for Astra 19E and Hotird? (thus also curing my not sure how far I can "see" with motorised dish mounting issue) and see how life goes on and I can always add a motor later?
4. Has anyone had a DM500 NOT work with disecq or advice on this?
5. Anyone got any other suggestion I have missed due to forum exhaustion?!
Admins, I realise that some stuff here should be in crypto and some in motorised dish, and some in Dream 500... but its all part of the same big problem see... and I need help as a whole hence I posted as one. Feel free to slap my wrist and make me try to split it if I have to (brain will not cope with that tonight).
Any/All (constructive) suggestion or help welcomed!
OB
PS thanks for reading anyone that has!
Benn lurking for some time and reading up on what's what, what changes, what stays and what to avoid. I will rant on... and summerise for ease of reply in a bid to cover my requirements and request for help in detail.
I am looking to install a Sat TV system for mainly: Extra Channels, possibility of TV in Czech for the girlfriend, better motorsport coverage (Le Man 24hr, DTM on German channels etc), possible PVR to complement single tuner Humax 8000 freeview I have, all the other beinifts.
Immediatly decided I needed a DreamBox (7020) as it runs Linux! My main PC is 100% Linux, my 24x7 file/web/mail server in the garage runs Linux, my PDA runs Linux, my wireless access point runs Linux, my toaster runs linux... ok well not the toaster, but the rest is true and I am addicted the flexibility and customistation/integration options it offers.
Sanity option was consided, this is something I have started doign the last 6 months to save money, considering what I really needed and if I was just buying the best thing around (which it seems I was...) and decided Technomate 1500CI+ was most sensible option. 1. It was 1/3rd the price. 2. it was possible the misses can operate it... which can not always be said for the rest of the house when I go with the most technically valid solution!
SO, this lead me to looking at channels and realising Czech link is on Eurobird at 28.5E.. and the biggest "bang for bird" seems to be Astra 19E and Hotbird 13E .... which means I needed a motor. This seemed a bit OTT, but Disecq takes the pain complexity away provided you can cope with the simple geometry and DIY crossbreading required which seemed within my limits. There are even some good technomate 1500/dish/motor bundels going... and I thought I had it sorted provided I can let go of the Dream...
BUT Seach of the forum reveals there is UPC on 1B/C/Etc, and also that Czechlink is moving to Astra 3A/1D at 23.5E!
AND THEN the same search (thanks to "student" for asking so many questions... and the forum for answering them!) it turns out all the Czech TV stuff is Cryptoworks encrypted as UPC do not want you to watch it outside the Czech republic. Now I am not really for piracy of content... just buy DVD's etc rather than dload movies for example... but as you can watch it inside the Czech republic I am not adversed to a bit of, ahem, non-standard viewing technique. But it seems from the forum Cyptoworks is (mostly) secure still and to use the slim chance available currently you need CAM/cards etc which is all a bit messy (having read up fully on "patched" recievers and softcams).
IN Addition to all that jazz above I also checked out potential sites, our house faces pretty much south west, so the wall most eligable for a dish... faces next door (we are detached and their is a 2m gap). I reckon I can get 30 degrees each side of South if mounted towards the front (but still on the side of) the house which should be ok as I can only really get a 80-85CM dish up without it looking damn ugly or fouling the wall on full swing 30 degrees or so west, and I think from reading I need a bigger dish to swing way out to the sides. There is always the option for getting the evil kenieval suit out and up the ladder to the house eves to clear next doors roof... but I am holding back on that one as I don't fancy being 6-7M off the deck trying to find due south (compass in teeth perhaps?!) If I go this way I need to read up on offset more as its possible the 2M might give me clearence I need for top of roofline as they are about 4 brick courses lower than us... not really wanting to invest that amount of maths at this stage!
So the lack of Cryptoworks "options" other than a legit card (which is possible, but the misses is not that bothered), and hassle with getting a full arc on a motorised dish without risking life and limb to mount it turned me off motorised a little. Although as someone with a minor fasination for radio comms (and a discone on the shed) it still appeals ;)
ON TOP of all that research (hope someone is still reading this!) I found the Dream DM500... which is only about £40 more than the technomate yet will give me a PVR (I can NFS/CIFS mount my fileserver). This seemed perfect as its the same as its bigger, twice the price, brother but lacks the internal HD and the USB connector. As I already have a linux server it is easy to give it more space via the network for PVR storage, swapfile, images etc so I don't think I need USB or internal disk anyway.
BUT AGAIN I found an issue, the Dream DM 500, which by the way says on their website " DiSEqC - Rotor Control", has "issues" driving Diceqc motors as the PSU brick is external and only 12v, as most motors want 14-18v it means issues (possibly) or more current (definetly) but if the manufacturer says it works why not? Most on the DM500 forum have this combo DM500/diseqc working, although austrailian dream site says it invalidates warrenty (nothing in the marketting brochure when used as described invalidates warrenty in my opinion, or UK law as far as I can tell!) but I imagine a lot of aussies are using really big dishes hence more current hence their dream boxes are popping some PSU circuits.
Few, anyone still awake?
You can't say I have'nt
first!Although I am now a bit frazzeled :-googly
Hence I need help with:
1. Shall I plan for Cryptoworks eventually being "adjusted" so I can get Czech TV from Astra 3A and go motorised?
2. If it does, err, bend to allow viewing, do people think Dream DM500 with no CI slot would limit my options?
3. Shall I just give up and stick up a fixed dish with twin LNB for Astra 19E and Hotird? (thus also curing my not sure how far I can "see" with motorised dish mounting issue) and see how life goes on and I can always add a motor later?
4. Has anyone had a DM500 NOT work with disecq or advice on this?
5. Anyone got any other suggestion I have missed due to forum exhaustion?!
Admins, I realise that some stuff here should be in crypto and some in motorised dish, and some in Dream 500... but its all part of the same big problem see... and I need help as a whole hence I posted as one. Feel free to slap my wrist and make me try to split it if I have to (brain will not cope with that tonight).
Any/All (constructive) suggestion or help welcomed!
OB
PS thanks for reading anyone that has!
