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Sky Digital BSkyB, Freesat & Saorsat support forum
Sky & Freesat fringe reception
Combining Sky Digital with a Foreign Channel in the UK
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<blockquote data-quote="spiney" data-source="post: 141429" data-attributes="member: 192438"><p>Hey, that's loadsa questions! Well, anyway, here's some answers (I hope correct, but certainly not complete, and of course other people will add corrections and more stuff ...... ).</p><p></p><p>To your numbered questions ....</p><p></p><p>1) A monobloc (twin horn) lnb, for a single dish, is available for Astra1/Hotbird, using a single 60cm dish (although ideally would be 80cm!), but - as u say - Astra2 and (hotbird/astra1/both) are a bit further apart, so then you require 2 dishes (minidish for Sky Astra2, and 60cm for hotbird/astra1/both).</p><p></p><p>You can also use a larger size single dish, with 3 lnbs, for all 3 satellites (some dishes are specially designed just for this!), but it would be bigger than 60cm!</p><p></p><p>2a) Regardless of whether you use one single large dish, or one largish and one smaller dish, all Ku band lnbs work the same (are electrically identical) for all satellites. But, beware mechanical fixings! The "standard" lnb fixing is a circular ring, but Sky minidishes usually have an incompatible "bracket" instead, so the lnb needs to be a corresponding type. Having said that, Sky minidishes usually come complete with an lnb already fitted, so you don't need to buy one separately.</p><p></p><p>2b) Unfortunately, for all this, I don't see how you can avoid either a large single dish, or 2 smaller dishes instead, a problem in a conservation area! But, you can buy various transparent dishes, and/or a "sat antenna" instead of a minidish, which maybe would be ok? (ask the council!). You can also motorise a single dish, fairly easy with the modern diseqc system, it would work, but could be a bit awkward, as the Sky digibox is designed to "always point" at Astra2, and doesn't "mix well" with other satellite equipment.</p><p></p><p>3) A Sky receiver can only decode Sky's unique proprietry "videoguard" ecryption, and no other types, there's no way you can use it with a Canal CAM and viewing card.</p><p></p><p>(However, there's an "unofficial dodge" which will work "the other way round", using a dreambox sat receiver, and "patched" Dragon CAM with Sky viewing card, so you could use a single sat receiver to get all encrypted channels, Sky, Canal, TPS, etc. However, note, this is unofficial, and Sky can "slightly change" their encryption at any time, then this would suddenly stop working! Also, a non-Sky sat receiver won't get some things - like the BBCi text services - which also use Sky proprietry software).</p><p></p><p>4) If a Sky subscription is not renewed, the Sky viewing card reverts to "Freesat" status, ch/4/5/Sky3 only (since ITV's now suddenly free-to-air!).</p><p></p><p>5) There's various ways of connecting 2 receivers to 1 tv set, depending on the exact facilities each has, it shouldn't be a problem.</p><p></p><p>6) Once you get a Sky subscription - or Freesat - you're obliged to pay for it! Freesat is a one-off payment (maybe by installments), and the minimum subscription is 1 year.</p><p></p><p>However, you can get a Sky digibox cheap - maybe from ebay - it will work without viewing card but not get ch4/ch5/Sky3.</p><p></p><p>Or, in London SE3, although I can't guarantee it, most Freeview receivers should work acceptably well on just a "bit of wire" sticking out of aerial socket, although the picture can sometimes "jump" as people move around the room .....</p><p></p><p>Hope that helps, good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="spiney, post: 141429, member: 192438"] Hey, that's loadsa questions! Well, anyway, here's some answers (I hope correct, but certainly not complete, and of course other people will add corrections and more stuff ...... ). To your numbered questions .... 1) A monobloc (twin horn) lnb, for a single dish, is available for Astra1/Hotbird, using a single 60cm dish (although ideally would be 80cm!), but - as u say - Astra2 and (hotbird/astra1/both) are a bit further apart, so then you require 2 dishes (minidish for Sky Astra2, and 60cm for hotbird/astra1/both). You can also use a larger size single dish, with 3 lnbs, for all 3 satellites (some dishes are specially designed just for this!), but it would be bigger than 60cm! 2a) Regardless of whether you use one single large dish, or one largish and one smaller dish, all Ku band lnbs work the same (are electrically identical) for all satellites. But, beware mechanical fixings! The "standard" lnb fixing is a circular ring, but Sky minidishes usually have an incompatible "bracket" instead, so the lnb needs to be a corresponding type. Having said that, Sky minidishes usually come complete with an lnb already fitted, so you don't need to buy one separately. 2b) Unfortunately, for all this, I don't see how you can avoid either a large single dish, or 2 smaller dishes instead, a problem in a conservation area! But, you can buy various transparent dishes, and/or a "sat antenna" instead of a minidish, which maybe would be ok? (ask the council!). You can also motorise a single dish, fairly easy with the modern diseqc system, it would work, but could be a bit awkward, as the Sky digibox is designed to "always point" at Astra2, and doesn't "mix well" with other satellite equipment. 3) A Sky receiver can only decode Sky's unique proprietry "videoguard" ecryption, and no other types, there's no way you can use it with a Canal CAM and viewing card. (However, there's an "unofficial dodge" which will work "the other way round", using a dreambox sat receiver, and "patched" Dragon CAM with Sky viewing card, so you could use a single sat receiver to get all encrypted channels, Sky, Canal, TPS, etc. However, note, this is unofficial, and Sky can "slightly change" their encryption at any time, then this would suddenly stop working! Also, a non-Sky sat receiver won't get some things - like the BBCi text services - which also use Sky proprietry software). 4) If a Sky subscription is not renewed, the Sky viewing card reverts to "Freesat" status, ch/4/5/Sky3 only (since ITV's now suddenly free-to-air!). 5) There's various ways of connecting 2 receivers to 1 tv set, depending on the exact facilities each has, it shouldn't be a problem. 6) Once you get a Sky subscription - or Freesat - you're obliged to pay for it! Freesat is a one-off payment (maybe by installments), and the minimum subscription is 1 year. However, you can get a Sky digibox cheap - maybe from ebay - it will work without viewing card but not get ch4/ch5/Sky3. Or, in London SE3, although I can't guarantee it, most Freeview receivers should work acceptably well on just a "bit of wire" sticking out of aerial socket, although the picture can sometimes "jump" as people move around the room ..... Hope that helps, good luck! [/QUOTE]
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Sky Digital BSkyB, Freesat & Saorsat support forum
Sky & Freesat fringe reception
Combining Sky Digital with a Foreign Channel in the UK
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