Advice Needed DiSEqC switching, Eutalsat (French) + Astra (UK)

[Michael Grant]

I have a house in the South of France. I want to set up a pair of satellite antennas, one to capture the French free-to-air channels on Fransat Eutalsat 5W and a second dish to capture the UK free-to-air/Freesat channels.

I was thinking of purchasing a 1000S from Freesat and then, I understand there is a hidden menu to get into the DiSEqC menu. I would like to know if a setup like this is possible or even makes sense:


2X DiSEqC switches
2X Twin heads

Is it possible to configure the Humax 1000S to record one channel and play another in this configuration?

If this setup is impossible, would it work to just connect input 1 to the Astra dish and input 2 to Eutalsat dish? (using single heads) like this:?

 

[Analoguesat]

Hi Michael, welcome to the forum,

The biggest problem you are going to have is the dish size required for the BBC / ITV, as this depends where in southern France you are.

Have a look at the map linked in my signature and see what sort of size is required in your exact town

 

[RimaNTSS]

Michael! If your receiver is twin-tuner than your first option would be preferable, only with that setup you will be able to watch one channel and record another one. On your diagrams you misspelled orbital positions of satellites (where W should be E), but that is not a big problem. As AS have said choose your antennas in right size.
One more advice- chose switches with 4 exits and add 2 more twin LNBs, just to add another 2 satellites to your list, for example 0,8*W and 19,2*E.
And welcome to the forum!

 

[Michael Grant]

Yes, I do know about the dish size, I need at least an 80cm dish. I had an ancient sky box that worked fine with the 80cm dish.

So the 1000S can manage 2 separate satellites on 4 different ports of 2 switches just fine? Super!

If I add 2 more LNBs, do I need 2 more dishes? Or is it possible to use only 2 dishes with some sort of funny angle between the heads? I don't have space for 2 more dishes on the chimney!

And you're saying the 1000S is capable of understading up to 4 satellites on 2 different inputs?

 

[RimaNTSS]

No need for another 2 dishes. On each dish you can put 2-4 LNBs. Co you can have 2 LNBs on one of your dishes and 2 LNBs on another dish.
Could you show web-page of your receiver?

 

[Michael Grant]

I was thinking of this receiver:

HUMAX HDR-1000S

and here is the manufacturer link:

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product.php?gid=135

 

[RimaNTSS]

It does not seem SAT-receiver to me. Is not it IPTV receiver (that one which connects to internet and does not need antenna at all?).
So, I am not sure you are looking to the right receiver to be able to receive 2 separate channels via Sat-dish! Perhaps I am wrong. Why did you decide to get this 1000S if it is not secret information?

 

[Analoguesat]

Its a Freetime box. Freesat satellite with IPTV functionality - the latter part of which will be completely useless without a vpn of some sort as the streams are geolocked to UK ip addresses.

We still havent addresses the dish size - location problem either.

 

[Michael Grant]

I don't care about the IPTV part. It otherwise looks like a good receiver with a hard disk to act as a PVR. I chose it because the freesat site leads me to believe that it's easy and out of the box working with the UK channels. Adding the French channels should be simple as there are only like 4 or 5. It seemed like a good starting place. I'm totally open for suggestions! I will say the only negative point is the Freesat box is not 'out of the box' ready to do what I want without some setup.

Where did you find the FTA info? Is that for the Humax 1000S I couldn't find that. If that's true then this box looks like it will work fine. But the real question is if it really can support that many satellites through 2 separate DiSEqC switches.

I was hoping someone on this forum might have one of these popular boxes and maybe has tried this sort of setup or something remotely similar.

 

[PaulR]

If the 1000S is the same as the earlier HDR then the Diseqc switch can only be operated on the LNB1 input. And only when it's in non-Freesat mode.

 

[RimaNTSS]

Maybe Humax 1000S is popular, but I, personally, have no experience with it, perhaps I am not up-to-date updated in new technology. There is diagram you could use for receiving signals from 4 satellites, with this you will be able to watch one channel and record another one independently. Which receiver to use is completely another story, but that should have 2 internal tuners (twin-tuner receiver). I am not sure 1000S has twin-tuner inside.

 

[davemurgtroyd]

I believe you need to check out the Humax HDR further. IRC you cannot record a channel in non freesat mode and watch another channel in freesat mode. It is not an ideal model for recording both from 28E and 5W - it is primarily a freesat PVR with limited ability to view other satellites occasionally. You would be far better off with a PVR such as the Technomate TM5402 ( - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technomate-TM-5402-ready-satellite-receiver/dp/B006LLWXIO) together with an external USB HDD.

 

[PaulR]

I believe you need to check out the Humax HDR further. IRC you cannot record a channel in non freesat mode and watch another channel in freesat mode.

That's true of the standard HDR but with the Raydon firmware installed you can have it all.

https://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/humax-foxsat-hdr-custom-firmware.156930/

Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be the same firware upgrade available for the 1000s.

 

[Michael Grant]

Someone off the list recommends I get a Humax Foxsat HDR.

 

[davemurgtroyd]

That's true of the standard HDR but with the Raydon firmware installed you can have it all.

https://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/humax-foxsat-hdr-custom-firmware.156930/

Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be the same firware upgrade available for the 1000s.

Sorry I meant the 1000 & 1010

 

[Michael Grant]

Ok I now have the Humax Foxsat HDR. Looks very nice.

To get it to receive Fransat on Eutelsat 5° West, it seems that I need some sort of decoder card. This is the card and adaptor here:

http://www.tvcorner.com/product_info.php/products_id/949

Are all of these things standard? It says it is a CI+ card but the documentation for the Foxsat says it supports CI, I don't 100% know if these things are the same or compatible. What are the chances that this card will work in the Foxsat? I cannot find anyone who seems to has purchased this card and uses it with a Foxsat HDR.

 

[archive10]

Ok I now have the Humax Foxsat HDR. Looks very nice.

To get it to receive Fransat on Eutelsat 5° West, it seems that I need some sort of decoder card. This is the card and adaptor here:

http://www.tvcorner.com/product_info.php/products_id/949

Are all of these things standard?

Some of the channels are AFAIR un-encrypted, so you don't *need* a card to watch some of it.
But for the whole pallette you need the card + CAM (conditional access module).
The CI card (CAM) needs to be Fransat compatible. It is due to the version of Viaccess used on the card.
The card is of course Fransat specific.
So you are best off getting the whole thing from one place.
Bought my stuff at Carrefour some years ago. But I don't think they have it anymore.
Probably best option is to check the net for best combo price.

 

[hairybadger]

Ok I now have the Humax Foxsat HDR. Looks very nice.

To get it to receive Fransat on Eutelsat 5° West, it seems that I need some sort of decoder card. This is the card and adaptor here:

http://www.tvcorner.com/product_info.php/products_id/949

Are all of these things standard? It says it is a CI+ card but the documentation for the Foxsat says it supports CI, I don't 100% know if these things are the same or compatible. What are the chances that this card will work in the Foxsat? I cannot find anyone who seems to has purchased this card and uses it with a Foxsat HDR.

As I understand it (having previously looked into this myself) this type of card only works with a specific set of compatible TVs. You can't just sling it in a CI+ receiver and expect it to work.

 

[Michael Grant]

@harrybadger, I suspect you may be correct. I can't find anyone who's actually used this Fransat CI+ card in the Foxsat HDR. I have, however, found at least one person who used that card in a different receiver (not a television), and I have seen other people reporting that this card works in other TVs that are not on their supported list.

My lofty goal was to have one box with all the available/decryptable channels from both satellites. I'd love to hear from someone who's actually got that working.

 

[Analoguesat]

Are all of these things standard? It says it is a CI+ card but the documentation for the Foxsat says it supports CI, I don't 100% know if these things are the same or compatible. What are the chances that this card will work in the Foxsat? I cannot find anyone who seems to has purchased this card and uses it with a Foxsat HDR.

CI+ cams are not compatible with CI slots in receiver. CI+ has extra electronics wizardry to eg stop recording of certain programs according to the broadcasters wishes. You need a receiver with a CI+ slot (not many of them around)