Help!! I can't find hotbird!

[markyd23]

Just a thought, when you say you are on Astra 19degrees are you sure, could you be on Hotbird at 13degrees?

It must be frustrating for you as getting those two birds is so easy. Over a nudge and up a nats and there it is and 16*E sits in between them.

Definitely on astra1 according to the receiver. All the sats are pre-programmed and when we select astra1 and show strength / quality etc. The astra1 channels are from 1 to roughly 200. As you scroll down the EPG it changes to hotbird (with no signal) and through others such as sirius, hispasat etc. Starting to wonder if there are some settings on the silvercrest lidl receiver which are wrong for picking up hotbird or is their a suitable monoblock that would be compatible with this system?

 

[Jeff_19341]

Have you checked a channel that you receive with Lyngsat or Flysat or KingofSat or TrackSat to be 100% sure that you are on Astra 19degrees

Cannot comment on your receiver as I am a Technomate user.

 

[markyd23]

Have you checked a channel that you receive with Lyngsat or Flysat or KingofSat or TrackSat to be 100% sure that you are on Astra 19degrees

Cannot comment on your receiver as I am a Technomate user.

hmm you've thrown doubt into my mind, come to think of it can you get Al Jazeera on 19east? sure you could only get it on hotbird - it's on at present apparently on Astra1b at 19.2e........ off to check......

 

[Jeff_19341]

Al Jazeera 13*east is on 12111V, 27500, 3/4.

Al Jazeera 19*east is on 11568V, 22000, 5/6

Which one of those two are you receiving?

 

[markyd23]

Al Jazeera 13*east is on 12111V, 27500, 3/4.

Al Jazeera 19*east is on 11568V, 22000, 5/6

Which one of those two are you receiving?

It is 22000 so at least it confirms it is 19*east, oh well, tomorrow's another day - not really looking forward to this anymore, really can't understand why I can't get it. Thanks again.

 

[gameboy]

tomorrow's another day - not really looking forward to this anymore

Most of us have been there... It will work and yes an analogue receiver will help as they don't take a few seconds to lock the signal like the digital kit.

Bet it's something simple.

Double check the settings on the receiver.

As you say you can't be far away. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy and just dream about the satisfaction when you get it right - AND YOU WILL GET IT RIGHT!

Keep us posted...

 

[markyd23]

Most of us have been there... It will work and yes an analogue receiver will help as they don't take a few seconds to lock the signal like the digital kit.

Bet it's something simple.

Double check the settings on the receiver.

As you say you can't be far away. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy and just dream about the satisfaction when you get it right - AND YOU WILL GET IT RIGHT!

Keep us posted...

Thanks gameboy, will take a deep breath a go for it once again tomorrow - and hopefully won't dream about hundreds & thousands of singed birds fluttering over the field - mocking me! Cheers all.

 

[Analoguesat]

Connect your analogue receiver, and find 16E RTM 1 on 10972V. Then retune for BBC World 11113V on 13E.

 

[Jeff_19341]

@ markyd23

Just checked, in daylight, the amount of movement of the dish between 19*E and 13*E. No change, just over 8cm and about 1cm up. I then clamped a spare LNB to the side (East when the dish was pointed at 19*E) of the fixed LNB. Swapped the cables over. Hotbird there, strong signal. Could you try that?
I suppose that running a mains cable out to your dish and taking the receiver and TV out to it is out of the question?
I know that it must be very frustrating for you but cannot think of anything else to help you out.

 

[spiney]

80 cm dish - south Scotland - should get Hotbird no problem. But, if you're using the Comag SL65 (recent Lidl offer), it has 1 or 2 'quirks', which might explain the problem!

When changing to a new satellite, even though the signal is present, the receiver will often not recognise it, and will say "no signal present", although it really is! The easiest solution is to breifly depower receiver, then switch it back on (maybe a software error, to be corrected next version?).

Hotbird should be fairly easy to find. Astra1, Astra2, Hotbird, are the "big 3" satellites, with the strongest signals! Of these, as you say, Astra1 has strongest signal (easy!), Astra2 is to left and slightly weaker, Hotbird is about half that distance to right of Astra1, and a bit weaker still than Astra2.

How are you locating the satellites? If using an inline "audio beeper", then even if the receiver is misbehaving, the beeper should still indicate you've found Hotbird, then try switching receiver off and back on again (at back switch, so it reboots!).

If using the receiver built in beeper, then this might not work (from above problem!). In which case, try as follows. Locate Astra1, make sure a channel is received, and check it's Astra1 by pressing remote "info" button. Then, select Hotbird instead, and French TV5 channel (either one!) from Hotbird default channel list. Receiver will say "no signal" (obviously!). Now, switch it off and back on (reboot), and slowly move the dish to right - adjusting elevation also - and when you get to Hotbird the receiver should now "recognise" it.

I hope so, cos this worked for me, anyway good luck!

 

[markyd23]

80 cm dish - south Scotland - should get Hotbird no problem. But, if you're using the Comag SL65 (recent Lidl offer), it has 1 or 2 'quirks', which might explain the problem!

When changing to a new satellite, even though the signal is present, the receiver will often not recognise it, and will say "no signal present", although it really is! The easiest solution is to breifly depower receiver, then switch it back on (maybe a software error, to be corrected next version?).

Hotbird should be fairly easy to find. Astra1, Astra2, Hotbird, are the "big 3" satellites, with the strongest signals! Of these, as you say, Astra1 has strongest signal (easy!), Astra2 is to left and slightly weaker, Hotbird is about half that distance to right of Astra1, and a bit weaker still than Astra2.

How are you locating the satellites? If using an inline "audio beeper", then even if the receiver is misbehaving, the beeper should still indicate you've found Hotbird, then try switching receiver off and back on again (at back switch, so it reboots!).

If using the receiver built in beeper, then this might not work (from above problem!). In which case, try as follows. Locate Astra1, make sure a channel is received, and check it's Astra1 by pressing remote "info" button. Then, select Hotbird instead, and French TV5 channel (either one!) from Hotbird default channel list. Receiver will say "no signal" (obviously!). Now, switch it off and back on (reboot), and slowly move the dish to right - adjusting elevation also - and when you get to Hotbird the receiver should now "recognise" it.

I hope so, cos this worked for me, anyway good luck!

Thanks, finally some (limited) success. Did as you advised and after a short while got some signal reading, with a very tiny bit of quality. This kept going off and on though. Astra1 has 95% strength and 60% quality. I have one in line amplifier on the 80m or so cable run (might be more like 100m). Maybe hotbird might need more amplifiers? Not sure if I'm best using the lidl lnb or the goldstar one I have on at present. Anyway, many thanks for your efforts and will try again in the morning. Am off to the pub now for some r&r - had a bad car day too with a hefty repair bill imminent....................

 

[markyd23]

Thanks, finally some (limited) success. Did as you advised and after a short while got some signal reading, with a very tiny bit of quality. This kept going off and on though. Astra1 has 95% strength and 60% quality. I have one in line amplifier on the 80m or so cable run (might be more like 100m). Maybe hotbird might need more amplifiers? Not sure if I'm best using the lidl lnb or the goldstar one I have on at present. Anyway, many thanks for your efforts and will try again in the morning. Am off to the pub now for some r&r - had a bad car day too with a hefty repair bill imminent....................

Many thanks to all of you that provided advice at 6.45pm this eve finally, FINALLY got hotbird. Wish I could attach a pic of the setup so you could get a feel for what I've been trying to do! basically the crop field facing south at the back of the wood has a ridge to the right and a large tree on the horizon. I have 2 80cm dishes. The one on the left was fixed for sky, the one on the right on astra 1 and trying to get hotbird. Anyhow, I decided to try one last thing after another hour without success. I moved the right hand dish on to sky - with loads of low open field, and tightened it secure (can't lose that!). Then got the meter on the left hand dish, which for astra 1 was now pointing to the left of the ridge in the field or so I thought! no signal, grrrrrrrr. Over the walkie talkie asked my gf to put it on hotbird for the hell of it and there it was! Surprised you didn't all hear me! the ridge of the field was obviously causing a problem even though it was several 100 metres away. The lesson I've learn't from DIY installing is - if you think you might need to do something -you probably do!
Now to really cheer me up if anyone has any advice on these software update / patches / firmware thingys for silvercrest receivers as I haven't a clue, any opportunity for the footie is gratefully investigated!

Many thanks all once again - a happy hotbird Markyd23!

 

[rolfw]

Well done, that is a great result and hats off to your perseverance. :-Jumbo :-beer

 

[markyd23]

Well done, that is a great result and hats off to your perseverance. :-Jumbo :-beer

Thanks very much Rolfw.

 

[gameboy]

Told you that you'd do it...

Patch for Comag try here

Have fun...

 

[markyd23]

Told you that you'd do it...

Patch for Comag try here

Have fun...

Thanks gameboy, will give it a go.

 

[DippytheDish]

Gameboy is right in that the movement required from Astra 1 to Hotbird is quite small. I am getting these 2 and Eutelsat all off a 85cm dish. You say you already have a dish on Sky at 28.2 and you have already located Astra 1 at 19.2E so you should be able to work out the direction you need to move your dish to get Hotbird at 13E. I suggest connecting up your satellite finder and move your dish easterly very slowly until it bleeps and you get a positive needle reading. Too much movement of the dish and it is easy to go straight past Hotbird. Good luck.

 

[gameboy]

Gameboy is right in that the movement required from Astra 1 to Hotbird is quite small.

Think he's found it but your avatar makes it HARD to read your posts - if you get what I mean ;)

 

[markyd23]

Think he's found it but your avatar makes it HARD to read your posts - if you get what I mean ;)

Right, now I've finally got it on hotbird, could anybody give me advice on the values and reliability of patched receivers, particularly for ART channels. There are loads of patched technomate ones on ebay but do they work? do you have to a lot of work yourself? how often does the software need updating? As an alternative is it best to get a receiver with embedded viaccess? then, presumably you just need to buy the ART 6 month subscription rather than a cam as well? Lets hope Lidl progress to their next satellite offering being with slots etc, cos the silvercrest one seems great.
Sorry, I know there are a lot of questions there but I think I'm in the right place to get the answers as my learning curve gets ever steeper........

Thanks again, Markyd23.

 

[chrislloret]

Right, now I've finally got it on hotbird, could anybody give me advice on the values and reliability of patched receivers, particularly for ART channels. There are loads of patched technomate ones on ebay but do they work? do you have to a lot of work yourself? how often does the software need updating? As an alternative is it best to get a receiver with embedded viaccess? then, presumably you just need to buy the ART 6 month subscription rather than a cam as well? Lets hope Lidl progress to their next satellite offering being with slots etc, cos the silvercrest one seems great.
Sorry, I know there are a lot of questions there but I think I'm in the right place to get the answers as my learning curve gets ever steeper........

Thanks again, Markyd23.

Well,there was the possibillity to view SOME ART channels a while back, but as far as I know thats over. The channels you want however, Sport, where never compromised so you will have to get a sub for ART. You can however get TPS Foot and -Star on Hotbird (french channels) if your reciever gets the patch. They will also show the british football.
An alternative would be to get back out in the woods and turn your dish to 30w Hispasat, with D+ and Cabos Sport TV you will also get most games not shown on Sky. Again, all depends on your reciever and patch.
For Football it quickly pays to get a little Diseq Motor, so you get the feeds......but of course there is always just one more thing....

Good luck
Chris