Advice Needed Satellite Installation Advice

[KuchKuch]

Hi All,

I’d appreciate some advice on my satellite installation in the UK please.

At the moment, I have one Dish 1 connected to a Sky Q box. I have managed to get Sky to install a 2nd dish (presumably a standard Sky mini-dish) and install a hybrid LNB on Dish 1. I have ordered a Xtrend ET8500, which should be with me in a few days. Onto my questions…

• Is it worth me buying a Unicable LNB and seeing if the Sky engineer will install this on the 2nd dish, so in the future when I upgrade my box to a FBC receiver, I can make full use of this (Not sure, what the chances of the engineer installing this are)?
• Will this setup work with my Xtrend ET8500, if I get this done now?
• Will I need anything else (In addition to the Unicable LNB ) to get a FBC receiver to work to it’s full capability?
• Will installing a hybrid LNB on Dish 1 have negative affect on signal quality?

Thanks

 

[TJExcalibur]

Seems an expensive way of doing things if you are still going for 28.2 east. Why not install a motorised decent sized dish to go with the Xtrend. More satellites and more channels. Forget the unicable until you get an fbc box.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Is there something you are not telling us about your relationship with the sky installer ?

Whereabouts are the two dishes on the property ?

 

[KuchKuch]

Seems an expensive way of doing things if you are still going for 28.2 east. Why not install a motorised decent sized dish to go with the Xtrend. More satellites and more channels. Forget the unicable until you get an fbc box.

With the motorised option, I thought there wouldn't be too many English channels that are FTA (are there any major FTA channels with decent english content outside 28.2?), with content that I'd want to watch. For the encrypted stuff, I didn't think it'll be too easy to get hold of a card and pay for the subscription. Only encrypted content that I'd probably want to watch would be (that I can think of) Premiership Football.

Is there something you are not telling us about your relationship with the sky installer ?

Whereabouts are the two dishes on the property ?

This is the compensation package I agreed with Sky due to the problems I've had since the last installation 6 months ago. Dish 1 is currently on top of my garage (single storey extension) and I'd want Dish 2 to be there as well because the design of the garage has meant that Dish 1 can't be seen when looking around the property.

It sounds to me at the moment, I maybe better of just installing a Quad LNB with my own dish and forgetting about the Sky installation to make full use of the potential 4 tuners in the ET8500.

 

[TJExcalibur]

Four tuners at 28.2 east, nowhere as much choice as a motorised system and there is plenty of FTA.

 

[jeallen01]

@KuchKuch
Although I'm not (at all!) a football fan, I see quite a few posts from William-1 and others informing us about there being FTA matches shown on sats other than at 28E, especially those further East - and so a steerable dish might be a good idea.

OTOH, if you are just still going to get another Sky Dish installed, it would probably be a good idea to try to persuade Sky/the installer to fit a Zone 2 dish because the bigger dish provides noticeably better signals in wet/snowy weather - I live in London, and using first a standard 60cm elliptical and now a Zone 2 dish has virtually eliminated any dropouts even in really heavy rain, which I did get with an earlier Zone 1 dish..

 

[KuchKuch]

My conversations with Sky has suggested that they won't provide anything more then a Zone 1 dish for me in NW London, despite me wanting something bigger (Technomate 80cm Mesh Dish for Freesat). The heavy snow in NW London before Christmas meant I was without Sky till 8PM that day. I'm just hoping on the day if I provide a dish and LNB, the engineer will just install it. TSG have also stated to me that they will only install the dish they provide, whatever that maybe on the day. Worst case scenario, anyone know of anyone else who will install the dish I want in NW London?

I'll have a look at the other threads on the forum and determine whether a 100cm motorised dish is worth my while. Ideally I'd want it hidden away like my current setup. I don't have the ET8500 yet (arriving on Monday), but how easy is it to switch from 28E to something else like 26E?

 

[TJExcalibur]

My conversations with Sky has suggested that they won't provide anything more then a Zone 1 dish for me in NW London, despite me wanting something bigger (Technomate 80cm Mesh Dish for Freesat). The heavy snow in NW London before Christmas meant I was without Sky till 8PM that day. I'm just hoping on the day if I provide a dish and LNB, the engineer will just install it. TSG have also stated to me that they will only install the dish they provide, whatever that maybe on the day. Worst case scenario, anyone know of anyone else who will install the dish I want in NW London?

I'll have a look at the other threads on the forum and determine whether a 100cm motorised dish is worth my while. Ideally I'd want it hidden away like my current setup. I don't have the ET8500 yet (arriving on Monday), but how easy is it to switch from 28E to something else like 26E?

Go to Dishpointer.com and put in your postcode. Then move the marker to where you want to put your dish. Choose which satellites you think you want and it will show you if there are any obstructions id you tick the box.

 

[KuchKuch]

Go to Dishpointer.com and put in your postcode. Then move the marker to where you want to put your dish. Choose which satellites you think you want and it will show you if there are any obstructions id you tick the box.

Did the above and don't have any obstructions.

 

[TJExcalibur]

Did the above and don't have any obstructions.

There you go. All set to have what you want where you want. You can always ask in here if there is a local installer near you. To far away from me to give you any help.

 

[KuchKuch]

There you go. All set to have what you want where you want. You can always ask in here if there is a local installer near you. To far away from me to give you any help.

If anyone knows a installer in North West London that they personally recommend, then please let me know.

 

[Channel Hopper]

How far north ?

 

[Ghostleader]

@KuchKuch
Although I'm not (at all!) a football fan, I see quite a few posts from William-1 and others informing us about there being FTA matches shown on sats other than at 28E, especially those further East - and so a steerable dish might be a good idea.

OTOH, if you are just still going to get another Sky Dish installed, it would probably be a good idea to try to persuade Sky/the installer to fit a Zone 2 dish because the bigger dish provides noticeably better signals in wet/snowy weather - I live in London, and using first a standard 60cm elliptical and now a Zone 2 dish has virtually eliminated any dropouts even in really heavy rain, which I did get with an earlier Zone 1 dish..

Mental, out of pure curiosity was it an older Zone1 dish? as there "bigger" now due to the lower tolerances of the S2 channels at certain FEC's ect.

 

[KuchKuch]

How far north ?

Zone 5

 

[Channel Hopper]

Town ?

 

[KuchKuch]

Town ?

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