Astra 19E on Sky Digibox - and why I would want that

[mise]

I am a German living in Britain. I am an enthusiastic radio listener and I am looking for a convenient way to listen to my favourite German and British radio stations. All the stations I need are on Astra 28E (British stations) and Astra 19E (German stations). Sky Gnome, which picks up radio stations from a Sky Digibox, would be an ideal gadget to switch between BBC Radio 4 and Deutschlandfunk everywhere in the house – if a Sky Digibox works properly with both satellites via a single fixed dish with two LNBs. What do you think? Or could you propose alternative setups for satellite radio?

 

[2cvbloke]

sky boxes are too fiddly for other satellites, and they don't support multiple LNBs, so really you'd be better off with a proper receiver and possibly a wireless audio sender/headphones if you want to hear it elsewhere in your house.

 

[mise]

Thanks for the reply. Here goes my idea to use the Digibox for two satellites.

However, what do you mean when you say "sky boxes are too fiddly for other satellites"? As I could get most of the British stations I want on a portable DAB radio, it still would make sense for me to use the Sky Digibox for Astra 19E reception. In that way, I could listen to German and French stations on a Sky Gnome receiver.

Would it work?

 

[rolfw]

You could listen, but not change channel, as the "other channels" are not allocated numbers in the Sky EPG.

 

[mise]

I am not quite sure how the Digibox works. But do I need a number? Will the channels be permanetely stored? With Sky Gnome, I can type in a number to access a radio station (or the sound of a TV station), but it also has 10 bottoms to preset channels. Wouldn't that work?

 

[rolfw]

No it wouldn't, as the channels saved in "Other Channels" are not allocated numbers.

 

[pgh13]

Could you get what you need from Astra 19E through an old analogue receiver? You could pick one up from a car boot sale very cheaply.

 

[mise]

I would, but I am looking for a system which makes listening to radio stations on Astra 19E as easy and flexible as using an FM radio. So I want to listen to a station in the kitchen, change stations, and take the "radio" into the garden later. Sky Gnome does that, it picks up stations from a Digibox and it works like a remote control on a 30 metres radius.
I am not sure, rolfw, if it does matter that stations in the "Other channels" category don't have numbers. If they are stored on the Sky Digibox I can store them on the Sky Gnome - I think, does anyone know?
Another question: I know that the Sky Digibox only picks up channels with a compatible symbol rate. The stations I need are compatible. How about FEC and audio PID, though?

 

[rolfw]

It's easy to test, go to add channels and scan on a transponder where there are radio channels, add a couple of the channels, select one and see if the Gnome can get back to it after you have moved away, I don't think it will.

The FEC has to match as well, but the pid will be found in the search.

 

[spiney]

You can get tiny fm transmitters, that take an audio input, and let you hear it on a standard fm receiver (eg, walkman radio).

see: http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=1371&t_mode=des .

So, this would take a (non-sky) sat receiver audio output, and put it on fm, the snag being there's no remote control channel. Not sure what the range is, though you could always add a longer antenna wire.

I suppose the Gnome will get the audio from any Sky digibox channel, inc other channels, but as Rolf says you can't select these remotely it they're not in epg.

 

[mise]

Thanks everyone for your help, your responses clarified a lot for me. I don't have any equipment yet, so I can't test if Sky Gnome works with Astra 19E. The FEC might prevent that I can receive the stations anyway. I will look into the FM transmitter, broadcasting Deutschlandfunk on FM sounds good as well.