Help, everything but Freesat!

[tealandsilver]

Hi, looking for some advice. Unpacked my new quad lnb, stuck it on my old 90cm dish (last used 10 years ago) installed new cable down to my sparkly new Humax foxsat box, switched on and scanned for Freesat. No channels,
Then went for a manual scan and lots of channels found,

Sat back, flicked through and found most channels to be in German (some Austrian) although good old CNN and Eurosport were also present. Excellent picture quality on all channels. I thought that my dish had been left aligned to Astra as I used to have a sky subscription 10 years ago and also used to receive Eutelsat (I think?) via an offset arm with lnb.

Any ideas to which satellite I'm on and how to align to 28.2E to pick up Freesat? Also are my old 10-14year old lnb's any use? I've also got an old skybox, what will I be able to receive with this?

Apologies for the many questions!!

 

[PaulR]

You are currently pointing at Astra 1 which at 19E You need to point the dish at Astra 2 which is at 28E.

You need to move the dish towards the East a little and then down just a touch. You might be able to use the Digibox as a signal meter to help the alignment. When you've connected the digibox to the downlead cable (and TV of course!). Press Services - 4 - 6 to get the signal test screen. When you find Atra 2 the dignal will start to register and you will hear the accompanying music suddenly come in.

You can then finetune the alignment by trying to get the best pssible signal quality bar. Ignore the signal strength bar as this is useless.

The Digibox will pick up the FTA channels for you.

 

[tealandsilver]

Thanks Paul for the advice. I'm off to get my ladder again!

regards,

David

 

[PaulR]

Just had a thought. The $ly box which you have won't be a Digibox if the service you subscribed to 10 years ago was analogue.

This will make it more difficult to align now of course. Mark the satellite dish mounting point and pole so you can return to Astra 1 if need be. Perhaps there is someone nearby you could borrow a Digibox off?

Sorry about that bit of duff advice. The rest is ok though.

 

[tealandsilver]

Just had a thought. The $ly box which you have won't be a Digibox if the service you subscribed to 10 years ago was analogue.

This will make it more difficult to align now of course. Mark the satellite dish mounting point and pole so you can return to Astra 1 if need be. Perhaps there is someone nearby you could borrow a Digibox off?

Sorry about that bit of duff advice. The rest is ok though.

Paul, the $ly box I've got came from a friend who has just installed $ly+. My intention is to set up the dish using my new Humax freesat box and then have a play with the $ly box. I also have a labgear signal meter which I'm using. I marked the dish whilst on Astra 1 prior to moving it and moved it further East and down a tad, the signal meter was indicating so went and did a manual search........still not Astra 2, all the channels were in Dutch (uncertain which satellite). So back onto the roof and further adjustments made but darkness stopped my voyage of discovery, and of course today it's been snowing! Will resume alignment hopefully Thursday.

thanks for getting back to me,

David

 

[PaulR]

Sounds like you may have turned the dish the wrong way and have found 13E.

Unless you were already on 13E and have only found 19E along the way.

Any idea specifically which channels you had before and have found now?

 

[Robbo]

More like 23.5E, if it was Dutch. In fact, almost certain.

_http://www.flysat.com/tv-nl.php

 

[tealandsilver]

Channels before moving included TV Polonia, CNN, Eurosport, MDR, RTL (various including RTL Austria) probably approaching 100 channels, nearly all German. When I moved the dish eastwards (only a couple of cm) I picked up NOORD and OOST amongst about a dozen others, all appeared to be Dutch. I then moved the dish slightly further eastwards but then darkness fell so stopped without picking up any channels. Thanks for the insight, fascinating hobby. I could see me going motorised!!!

 

[PaulR]

Well it does sound like you were on 19E first of all. I can't see Noord or Oost by name on 23.5E but there are a few Dutch channels there but there is one called Regional in the list I am looking at so perhaps it is that.

I overlooked 23.5E at first as I hadn't seen that you are using a 90cm dish. A normal analogue dish would have been a bit on the small side for reception of 23.5E. Incidentally a 90cm dish has a narrower beamwidth so it's a bit more difficult to centre in to a satellite than a small dish.

Still, perserverance will win the day.

 

[johnruddock]

Also be sure and reduce the declination a little.

 

[Analoguesat]

Noord and Oost are the Dutch regional channels on 23.5E

So move the lnb the same distance you already have and down a fraction and you will be on 28E

The Astra 1E channels are an easy catch even on a tiddly zone 1 sky dish

 

[tealandsilver]

Thanks guys for all the help and advice. Have now managed to successfully align my dish to 28.2E and tuned in all the freesat channels and all the others. Had the usual issue with postcodes but found when properly aligned those disappeared. Amazing number of satellites out there, has rekindled my interest in comms (I'm a non practising radio amateur). After the new year I think I'll invest in a motorised set up and start playing!!

 

[guest]

Amazing number of satellites out there, has rekindled my interest in comms (I'm a non practising radio amateur). After the new year I think I'll invest in a motorised set up and start playing!!

Splendid idea. You won't regret it

PS: Also non-practising - Licensed since 1974 but it all got a bit "black box", so I switched to Satellite instead. Guess what? It's a bit "black box"

 

[PaulR]

Licensed since 1974

There are a surprising number of past and curent radio amateurs in the satellite hobby ;)