Astra 2F: Central & East Europe Discussion

[denis1501]

No! Please tell me more. Are you on Freesat?

Yes, I have Freesat and Channel 5 HD opens with my Freesat card.

 

[Lazarus]

Denis, that's Freesat from Sky .................. not the same thing as the cardless Freesat system.

The latter cannot decrypt Five HD.

So it depends upon what the OP meant by Freesat!


Edit: His Profile says Humax Foxsat, so it's not a BSkyB jobbie.

 

[Luniman]

Denis, that's Freesat from Sky .................. not the same thing as the cardless Freesat system.

The latter cannot decrypt Five HD.

So it depends upon what the OP meant by Freesat!


Edit: His Profile says Humax Foxsat, so it's not a BSkyB jobbie.

Thanks guys for the support once again! As Tivu says, I am on BBC/ITV Freesat, not Sky. However, prior to Freesat starting, I had a Sky box with the £20 card to give me the basics. I was amazed, as I dug it out from the hayloft today, and it works! However, Ch5HD (171) is blocked, a screen message advising to call Sky to activate it. The thing is, I have 2 boxes, and 2 cards, and I'm not sure which is the SkyFreesat card I have tried them both but no joy. Any advice as to how to overcome these obsticals would be greatfully received. I know HD wasn't about then so it may be that it is not included in that "package" Anyway, any advise would be welcome.
Cheers!

 

[Lazarus]

The Freesat from Sky Cards are not locked to any Box (Even though the initial activation required you to quote the details of the Box is was activated in: Thereafter, its a free agent)

But these Cards go to sleep if not used for a while (As you've found): If one or both are White Card (The Blue House ones are extinct!), then put one of them (Doesn't matter if it is an expired Subs Card or a FSFS Card: They do the same job) in a BSkyB box and leave it (Standby is fine) for up to three days.

Unless it has been switched off completely, it should pick up a refresh signal and come back to life.

Not sure about the HD aspect, though. Someone will know.

 

[timo_w2s]

Obviously you need an Sky HD box to view C5 HD but I believe it should work once the card wakes up. We've never had any HD subscriptions on our Sky accounts and C5 HD always worked (back when there was a signal in Finland before Astra 1N!).

 

[Luniman]

Obviously you need an Sky HD box to view C5 HD but I believe it should work once the card wakes up. We've never had any HD subscriptions on our Sky accounts and C5 HD always worked (back when there was a signal in Finland before Astra 1N!).

The Freesat from Sky Cards are not locked to any Box (Even though the initial activation required you to quote the details of the Box is was activated in: Thereafter, its a free agent)

But these Cards go to sleep if not used for a while (As you've found): If one or both are White Card (The Blue House ones are extinct!), then put one of them (Doesn't matter if it is an expired Subs Card or a FSFS Card: They do the same job) in a BSkyB box and leave it (Standby is fine) for up to three days.

Unless it has been switched off completely, it should pick up a refresh signal and come back to life.

Not sure about the HD aspect, though. Someone will know.

Ahhhh! Both are blue cards, but I can get some channels, is it worth leaving the box on to see if they will come out of hibernation?

 

[Analoguesat]

Blue cards do nothing except regionalise the boxes nowadays.

Even so 5HD will disappear onto the UK beam at some point - Its carried on 1N which will be shifted over to its planned home at 19E at some point after 2E or 2G launches.

 

[rolfw]

Actually, a blue card with yellow house card which has been removed from a Sky+ box on the card upgrade, will, in most cases, facilitate recording on a Sky+ or HD+ box. So not completely useless, unless of course that is disabled in software updates yet to come.

 

[archive10]

Actually, a blue card with yellow house card which has been removed from a Sky+ box on the card upgrade, will, in most cases, facilitate recording on a Sky+ or HD+ box. So not completely useless, unless of course that is disabled in software updates yet to come.

I know it's a bit off-thread, but I have exactly that: blue-card-with-yellow-house removed from Sky+ and Sky+ HD boxes on change to freeesat-from-sky, and they do work fine enabling the PVR part of the box. Not sure about the hibernation bit - these cards have been in deep storage first two years without a signal, then a brief use followed by a year-and-a-half without signal. They both work fine - not sure if there's a "kill" lurking in a carousell somewhere...

I also have the new white cards - but I don't use them... what's the point?

 

[Analoguesat]

If the cards missed the pvr kill signal they should keep on working.

 

[archive10]

If the cards missed the pvr kill signal they should keep on working.

yes, that was my original understanding (and the reason for keeping them in storage for a while) - and it seems it's the case. Not sure about this "hibernation" that Tivu talks about - but I read this as applying to the white cards.

anyway, it's because I happen to have the box already. should I buy a new one, I'd go for a freesat thingy.

 

[Analoguesat]

Hibernation is easy to explain.

Sky dont use kill signals at the end of a subscription term - they use "stay alive" refresh signals

All subscription cards for years have deactivated if they miss their activation signals every 4-6 weeks or so.

("Stay alive" ensures cards cant be taken out of the box prior to cancellation to avoid the kill signal). However a card that hibernates can be reactivated by sticking it in a suitable receiver for a few hours or days so it gets its refresh signals.

 

[Luniman]

I know it's a bit off-thread, but I have exactly that: blue-card-with-yellow-house removed from Sky+ and Sky+ HD boxes on change to freeesat-from-sky, and they do work fine enabling the PVR part of the box. Not sure about the hibernation bit - these cards have been in deep storage first two years without a signal, then a brief use followed by a year-and-a-half without signal. They both work fine - not sure if there's a "kill" lurking in a carousell somewhere...

I also have the new white cards - but I don't use them... what's the point?

Hi st1,

You ask whats the point? My reason is that I have someone keen to see Cbb on Ch5, but I cant get it here in Tuscany, but Denis1501 gave me the heads up that he could get it, all be it on Sky, so hence this off topic chase. Thanks for your input, I will keep experimenting and report back any success.

 

[skomedal]

Think Ch5 is part of filmon ( free ) site, UK live tv section, y not stream it?

Regards

 

[Luniman]

Think Ch5 is part of filmon ( free ) site, UK live tv section, y not stream it?

Regards

Thanks skomedal, the reason I I havn't gone that way is because I am a complete numpty with computers, but that was brilliant, and it works like a dream. Well done! How long do you think it will last, it may be the way forward after 2E.

 

[skomedal]

How long do you think it will last, it may be the way forward after 2E.

Pleased you got it sorted

Who knows in this game.

I have various streaming backups if I cannot get a signal from 2E.

Regards

 

[solly]

the signal 12304h back to me in tel aviv Israel 4.5m

 

[Alistair_]

The science of the extreme fringe reception is absolutely fascinating - we have already found there is a deep null on the 2F uk beam around Barcelona which was completely unexpected.

Should you be unlucky enough that one of those nulls coincide with your location off 2E no domestic size dish would be suitable for the BBC

Is it "science" though? I don't really get it, I've read reports of 120/150cm dishes working in Madrid, 90cm dishes in Costa Blanca, 1.8mt as far as Menorca, then I read there are absolutely no reports on anything working around Barcelona and Zaragoza, I look at a map and I'm flabbergasted, is it science? Is there anything that will help me understand how these voids/nulls will work around where I live?

 

[Analoguesat]

Well most scientific breakthroughs come from a process of deduction & investigatuon so you could argue our methods were scientific to some degree.

At the end of the day reception in extreme fringe areas can vary wildly over a few km so find some reports that are close to you and use that as a general base to start from.

 

[Luxlizard]

In Bologna,it.,150 cm .Chan 5 is perfectly watcheable at Noon..And it's still raining..