Recommended digibox?

[Exmanc]

My apologies for asking a question that has most likely been asked before, but here goes.
I live in S Sweden, have had one of the first sky digiboxes (Pace) which is now 9-10 yrs old.
I have been recommended to update my receiver, and have been looking at Pace DS 430 N on ebay costing about £50-55.
According to my brother in the uk the latest Pace receivers have model no. 440.
My question is 2-fold. What do the experts on the forum recommend and is the installation easy ie just use same cable/scart etc now on my old Pace.
Dont really need a sky + because I have a dvd with hard disc which has basically same functions.

 

[Robbo]

The Sky+ box has a twin tuner, enabling you to watch one channel whilst recording another (digitally), all from a few button presses whist looking at the EPG. So it has a more functionality than a simple analogue HDD/DVD recorder. It would also need an extra cable run and at least a twin LNB.

 

[lloydio]

The best reciever for out of footprint reception is the "pace 2600c1".

 

[Corrigapp]

The best reciever for out of footprint reception is the "pace 2600c1".

I beg to differ. I've just bought a Humax Foxsat-HD (Freesat receiver) and have been running it in parallel with a Pace 2600 and the Humax definitely has the edge. On several occasions, it has produced a picture (if a bit shaky) when the Pace's screen has been blank (no signal banner), and on the weaker of two LNB ports too.

This has also been reported by others.

 

[Exmanc]

I beg to differ. I've just bought a Humax Foxsat-HD (Freesat receiver) and have been running it in parallel with a Pace 2600 and the Humax definitely has the edge. On several occasions, it has produced a picture (if a bit shaky) when the Pace's screen has been blank (no signal banner), and on the weaker of two LNB ports too.

This has also been reported by others.

Corrigap, dont live so far from you (Malmö), can I ask you where you bought your Pace 2600 and what size dish you have?
I have a sky card through a UK address and at present a Pace 2200(?). I would prefer a Pace because there possibly will be no problems with remote as I understand it is the same as I have now.

 

[dxsat]

Best bet would be a Pace 2600 CI or less good the identical (on the outside ) 430n.
Make sure any 2600 you buy has the latest software.
Pace 440 and 445 have really poor tuners for out of footprint use.

 

[Corrigapp]

Corrigap, dont live so far from you (Malmö), can I ask you where you bought your Pace 2600 and what size dish you have?
I have a sky card through a UK address and at present a Pace 2200(?). I would prefer a Pace because there possibly will be no problems with remote as I understand it is the same as I have now.

Hi Exmanc, bought my 2600 on eBay a few years ago, second-hand. Can't remember what I paid for it, but it was over the odds due to the 2600's reputation for being a good edge-of-footprint digibox.

I have a Channel Master 1.8m dish with a CM feedhorn and an Invacom QDF-031 C120 LNB (quad output and flanged). I now have the Foxsat running beside my 2600 so I'm able to make direct comparisons re. reception.

Why were you recommended to update your digibox, is it starting to fail?

 

[Exmanc]

Hi Exmanc, bought my 2600 on eBay a few years ago, second-hand. Can't remember what I paid for it, but it was over the odds due to the 2600's reputation for being a good edge-of-footprint digibox.

I have a Channel Master 1.8m dish with a CM feedhorn and an Invacom QDF-031 C120 LNB (quad output and flanged). I now have the Foxsat running beside my 2600 so I'm able to make direct comparisons re. reception.

Why were you recommended to update your digibox, is it starting to fail?

My dish is smaller than yours, not sure that my wife would allow a 1.8 m dish in the garden as I was informed it's too big to put on roof. I started losing channels and certain channels such as sky 1 is pixelated and takes about 15-30 mins to get a proper picture. see my thread disappearing channels from about 6 days ago.
I think it was "Snap" who wrote that it was the receiver's fault.
Are you from the uk? Is it poss to ring you or would you like to keep your anonimity?

 

[Corrigapp]

My dish is smaller than yours, not sure that my wife would allow a 1.8 m dish in the garden as I was informed it's too big to put on roof. I started losing channels and certain channels such as sky 1 is pixelated and takes about 15-30 mins to get a proper picture. see my thread disappearing channels from about 6 days ago.
I think it was "Snap" who wrote that it was the receiver's fault.
Are you from the uk? Is it poss to ring you or would you like to keep your anonimity?

Yes I'm from the UK, London. I'm not bothered about anonymity but I'm out and about a lot at the moment so it's probably better if we communicate via the forum.

Judging by the size of your dish, I'm guessing that the most important thing to you is Sky subscription channels and not BBC and other British 'domestic' channels??

It's highly unlikely that you can pick up any of these UK 'domestic' channels from the infamously weak Astra 2D with your current set-up unless you live in some kind of 'miracle sidelobe'. Here in Lund, in any case, it has to be a minimum of 1.8m for reasonably reliable reception of 2D, 2m would have been better but too expensive.

If none of the channels you want to receive are on the weak Astra 2D bird (the other birds - Astra 2A/B/C - are relatively strong), then what digibox you buy will not be so important.

It seems like there's been an assumption on this thread that you're after a sensitive/selective digibox like the Pace 2600 as you live in Sweden, but all of this really hinges on which channels you want to receive (ie which of the four satellites they're on). I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like fringe reception from Astra 2D is not exactly what you're after??

For what it's worth, I agree with Snap, it does sound like your current box is on its last legs.

 

[Exmanc]

Yes I'm from the UK, London. I'm not bothered about anonymity but I'm out and about a lot at the moment so it's probably better if we communicate via the forum.

Judging by the size of your dish, I'm guessing that the most important thing to you is Sky subscription channels and not BBC and other British 'domestic' channels??

It's highly unlikely that you can pick up any of these UK 'domestic' channels from the infamously weak Astra 2D with your current set-up unless you live in some kind of 'miracle sidelobe'. Here in Lund, in any case, it has to be a minimum of 1.8m for reasonably reliable reception of 2D, 2m would have been better but too expensive.

If none of the channels you want to receive are on the weak Astra 2D bird (the other birds - Astra 2A/B/C - are relatively strong), then what digibox you buy will not be so important.

It seems like there's been an assumption on this thread that you're after a sensitive/selective digibox like the Pace 2600 as you live in Sweden, but all of this really hinges on which channels you want to receive (ie which of the four satellites they're on). I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like fringe reception from Astra 2D is not exactly what you're after??

For what it's worth, I agree with Snap, it does sound like your current box is on its last legs.

Thanks very much for the info, you are quite right that I would need a minimum 1.8m dish to receive BBC and ITV. However I can receive Ch5 and US5 and have just changed the frequency for the Ch4 channels and receive pixelated pictures, so hopefully this would improve with a new digibox.
I would certainly welcome the chance to receive BBC and ITV channels, it's just a problem of practability of placing the larger dish (I live in an "atrium villa" with an enclosed back garden which is rather small).
I have been in contact with Satellitproffs in Malmö for installation advice but apparently all their engineers are fully booked until next year. As I need a solution before then, do you have anyone you can recommend in the area?

 

[Corrigapp]

Thanks very much for the info, you are quite right that I would need a minimum 1.8m dish to receive BBC and ITV. However I can receive Ch5 and US5 and have just changed the frequency for the Ch4 channels and receive pixelated pictures, so hopefully this would improve with a new digibox.
I would certainly welcome the chance to receive BBC and ITV channels, it's just a problem of practability of placing the larger dish (I live in an "atrium villa" with an enclosed back garden which is rather small).
I have been in contact with Satellitproffs in Malmö for installation advice but apparently all their engineers are fully booked until next year. As I need a solution before then, do you have anyone you can recommend in the area?

There are, at present, a handful of 'domestic' channels available to people in fringe areas with small dishes. There are currently 6 ITV1 regions on 12402 V, these are not free to air but can be received with a digibox. I believe there are also 2 variants of channel 4, but I'm not sure where they are. it's probably just a matter of time before this handful of channels ends up on Astra 2D, which would be out of reach of your 85cm dish.

The installer of my dish was Silverdata AB, in Kristianstad.
info parabolexperten.com
_www.parabolexperten.com

don't know, however, if these addresses are still working or if they are still trading.

this link may be of some help:
_http://astra2d.proboards31.com/index.cgi?board=Scandinavia

Corrigap

 

[Exmanc]

There are, at present, a handful of 'domestic' channels available to people in fringe areas with small dishes. There are currently 6 ITV1 regions on 12402 V, these are not free to air but can be received with a digibox. I believe there are also 2 variants of channel 4, but I'm not sure where they are. it's probably just a matter of time before this handful of channels ends up on Astra 2D, which would be out of reach of your 85cm dish.

The installer of my dish was Silverdata AB, in Kristianstad.
info parabolexperten.com
_www.parabolexperten.com

don't know, however, if these addresses are still working or if they are still trading.

this link may be of some help:
_http://astra2d.proboards31.com/index.cgi?board=Scandinavia

Corrigap

Once again, thanks, the link however seems to be incorrect.

 

[Corrigapp]

Once again, thanks, the link however seems to be incorrect.

You'll have to copy it (but not the leading underscore /_ /character) into your browser and launch it from there, also the email address has to have an '@' added.

 

[Exmanc]

Having spent a huge part of the last 2 working days investigating my problem, I think I will opt for the easiest solution, which is to buy a Pace 430 N on eBay. If al the channels including Sky move to the Astra 2D then I will get a larger dish, unless there is a solution via broadband at that time.
One question more ,if I may. I have been subscribing to MUTV (stupid,I know) and I now find that they now broadcast on Eurobird 1 28.5E 11370V. Would I need to buy another dish to receive this satellite? or could it be received through my present system (with new digibox)

 

[Corrigapp]

Having spent a huge part of the last 2 working days investigating my problem, I think I will opt for the easiest solution, which is to buy a Pace 430 N on eBay. If al the channels including Sky move to the Astra 2D then I will get a larger dish, unless there is a solution via broadband at that time.
One question more ,if I may. I have been subscribing to MUTV (stupid,I know) and I now find that they now broadcast on Eurobird 1 28.5E 11370V. Would I need to buy another dish to receive this satellite? or could it be received through my present system (with new digibox)

My advice to you would be to try and get hold of a 2600 if possible in case you end up needing a larger dish and a more sensitive/selective tuner.

Re Eurobird 1, try receiving another channel on that transponder. Assuming you mean 11307V, Lyngsat reports that there are seven FTA channels on that transponder, try one of those. You should be ok I would think.

_http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/skyuk.html

 

[Exmanc]

My advice to you would be to try and get hold of a 2600 if possible in case you end up needing a larger dish and a more sensitive/selective tuner.

Re Eurobird 1, try receiving another channel on that transponder. Assuming you mean 11307V, Lyngsat reports that there are seven FTA channels on that transponder, try one of those. You should be ok I would think.

_http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/skyuk.html

You are quite right about the frequency, I had transposed the figure.
I know that I can manually enter the frequency 11307 and Vertical and27500 and the Fec(?) 2/3 on my present digibox, but how do I enter the transponder C4L?
Or will this automatically be found? sorry for my ignorance.

 

[dxsat]

If you want to test whether you can receive MUTV
Services > system setup > 'add channels'

Use the settings in the picture, then press 'find channels'.

if successful your dish is Ok but based on what you've said earlier, you'll need a new receiver pretty soon.

 

[Exmanc]

If you want to test whether you can receive MUTV
Services > system setup > 'add channels'

Use the settings in the picture, then press 'find channels'.

if successful your dish is Ok but based on what you've said earlier, you'll need a new receiver pretty soon.

I have tried the above, but was unsuccessful. Is it a dish problem or a receiver problem? I hopefully will have obtained a Pace 2600 within the next 3 weeks.