Old Sky boxes.

J

JimS

Member
My Satellite Setup
Labgear HDSR300
Windows 7
My Location
Cheltenham
Morning,
My daughter is moving house and has given me two old Sky Boxes. :) One is a Amstrad DRX550 the other a Thomson Sky+ with 80gb hdd. Last year I was helped on this forum to set up a Labgear HDSR300 that I had bought from Screwfix, that system is working fine thanks to your help.
My question is will either of these Sky boxes run from the Labgear set up. :confused:The boxes have both got Sky cards in them, but no power leads(at the moment) I don't want them for Sky but just to pick up the FTA channels. I just thought these boxes may be better than the Labgear box.
Jim :D
 
If the dish is aligned onto 28E then you can do a straight swap of the boxes. With no cards the regional BBC/ITV allocations will be wrong (BBC London & ITV Central West)

The biggest advantage is the full 7 day epg.

Thoimpson boxes are often faulty / failing as the capacitors in the power supply area are known to be poor quality. Pop the top off and see if the capacitors are bulging in the area where the power supply cable enters.
 
In addition to what AS said, you might find the box more user friendly as Sky boxes update when channels move transponders or settings, or new channels are added or deleted, whereas with your Labgear you have to do a retune. Also with a white Sky card (with no sub) you also get Pick TV and Viva.

Personally I would go for a recording Freesat Box.
 
Thanks for the replies.Up and running with the Amstrad box. The Thomson does not work, the remote is received but the power light on the right is always red. So does not switch on, you can hear the HDD working but that's it.The picture & menu's are 100% better than the Labgear.
Jim.
 
JimS said:
Thanks for the replies.Up and running with the Amstrad box. The Thomson does not work, the remote is received but the power light on the right is always red. So does not switch on, you can hear the HDD working but that's it.The picture & menu's are 100% better than the Labgear.
Jim.
Click to expand...

Leave the Tommy plugged in for ten minutes then hit the sky button on the remote a few times

I had a Samsung box exactly the same, you can hear the fan and HDD kick in but the remote does nothing for a few minutes untill the box catches up then it starts to work (appart from flashing the red light on the front to say the remote is working that is lol)
 
That did it Smoggy, thank you. As my daughter did not send over the power leads and I have not got any I pinched the one from my printer.I just got it going as you said and was having a play when my granddaughter came in and wanted to use the printer for homework!. So I'll leave it until I get the right leads.But at least I know it works thanks to you.
Jim
 
None of the single channel feeds from 28 East will be available to the S ky boxes as they have their restrictions to the symbols rates and FECs.
A couple at around 11160 - 11170 MHz but in the main they are off another satellite in the high band.

_http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/EUTELSAT-28A-coverage.html
 
Back
Top