That dreaded rumour again!

[bignick]

Hi Nick / Iceman.
As I am currently back in the UK (Or should I say sweltering UK lol!!!) I am not totally sure of the model number of my Digi box.
I know its a PACE and is Silver and quite small compared to other boxes.
I asked my cleaner to have a look and she said it was a pace DV9 ???
Although I am not totally convinced she has this correct. It may be confused with DVB??? Not sure how good her eyes are (Bless her)
I have attached a picture to see if this will help?.

If the dish or digiboxes needs adjusting will either of you be able to offer your services ?
Looking to be out for a few days in early May 5th or 6th? Is this a possibility?
Thanks in advance.
Henry. (Essex Boy)

Hi Henry

It is either a BskyB2600C1 (the best you can buy) or a DS430N which isn't too bad either. If its a DS430N then simply upgrading to a 2600 will solve your problems - with anglia anyway. It would be cheaper to get one from Ebay whilst in the uk. Or contact me at some point as I have stock.

I'm afraid I'm away from Cyprus for the whole of May :-Nooo :-Nooo :-Nooo . Much as I hate to do so - I have to go to Aldershot for a few weeks, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help with your dish. Maybe next time if Iceman can't sort you out.

Cheers

Nick

 

[Zorba]

Also,how long is your cable run,and is it quality sat cable(I ask because I come across many do it your selfers who mistakenly get cheap uhf cable).
Also are there any phone masts near you?Thes can cause problems on certain 2D frequencies.

 

[Essex Boy in Cyprus]

Hi Zorba / All
The cable run is about 65 mtrs and I am using Satelllite coax.
There is one joint on the route (No choice in this) but its using F Connectors.
The original owner of the dish has a new Pace digi-box and he looses the same channels at the same time as me each day.
Ch4 goes around 5pm along with Sky 3.
ITV channels boom in at night, but early morning they are gone until 9.30 am
I have seen on many other sites that a 4.2 prime focus dish if set-up correctly should pull in these channels 24/7.
Iceman also confirms this on his website.
I guess I am really looking for someone with the relevant skills who can tell me what is needed to resolve this.
The owner of the dish is happy to pay the going rate to get this right.
Can anyone help?
I am happy to ask him to call you direct and arrange a visit? My Keys are available also should access to my apartment be required.
Thanks in advance
Henry (Essex boy)

 

[bignick]

Hi Zorba / All
The cable run is about 65 mtrs and I am using Satelllite coax.
There is one joint on the route (No choice in this) but its using F Connectors.

I would strongly suggest you take the barrel connector out of this join and replace it with an In Line Amplifier. They only cost a few quid and will at a minimum make up for the losses in the connection but may even help with signal gain over that length of cable.

BTW where on the length of the cable is the join?

Well noticed Zorba!! ;)

Cheers

Nick

 

[Essex Boy in Cyprus]

Hi Nick.
The joint is approx 32 mtrs from the LNB. (Roughly central in the total length)
Can you suggest the best in line amplifier to puchase? as there are many products to choose from and all claiming more gain than others.
Also I need to point out that the main owner has only a 25mtr cable run with no joints and he also looses the signal at the same time as I do.

If you can let me know what amplifier is best I will get one and fit when out again in May.
But would still like one of you techy chaps to visit the owner and advise accordingly.
Any takers ? (Kapparis Area, Famagusta)

Kind Regards
Henry (Essex Boy)

 

[Likvid]

Essex Boy
As you might have noticed the 4.2m dish is a multi-panel dish consisting of ten panels...The nut/bolt holes on these panels are not correct out of the box,so if you try to construct the dish using these existing holes the panels do not line up correctly and you end up with huge steps between the panels..
This is the mistake ALL the installers do in the South and they get away with it in strong signal areas but when it comes to areas like Famagusta where the signal is lower the dish starts playing up..
The only way to correct a dish constructed this way is to disassemble it altogether and assemble it the correct way!!!

Have you talked to Jonsa about this design fault so they correct it?

 

[iceman]

The joint is approx 32 mtrs from the LNB. (Roughly central in the total length)
Can you suggest the best in line amplifier to puchase? as there are many products to choose from and all claiming more gain than others.
Also I need to point out that the main owner has only a 25mtr cable run with no joints and he also looses the signal at the same time as I do.

Henry
Line amps are supposed to compensate for long cable runs.
They cannot amplify what is not there..As you say,the owner of the dish is also suffering from same signal loss with shorter cable run,so the problem is with the dish not the cable or amp..
Once the dish is sorted out,using the correct type of cable (RG11 if necessary) your problems should be over..

Have you talked to Jonsa about this design fault so they correct it?

Yes i have informed Jonsa about this design problem/s of the dish but they seemed very reluctant to do anything about it..
I even sent them few photos at different installation stages pointing out all the faults and showed them the modifications i do to correct the faults..
Guess what...they said they would need to do major modifications to the production machinery and this would be not possible at this stage..
I also requested them to manufacture the panels from Alluminum if possible because they powder coated steel panels tend to rust easily..they said they will look into the possibility and let me know..

 

[Essex Boy in Cyprus]

Hi Iceman.
I will add a amplifier in line as this can only improve the loss on the joint but do understand you can not boost what is not already there.
If I got the owner to call you can an appointment be made ?
I do not trust the installers I used before in Paralimni and feel I just want someone who knows there stuff and can get the system running to the best of its ability. The owner also feels the same.
Can I aslo ask what is the difference between a 0.2 to a 0.3 LNB and so on? is the higher the number the better? or the lower the number?
I am very passionate about getting everything right so if you can help me and my friend this would be fantastic (This offer is open to Nick or any other specialist locally)
As for the amplifier, what's the best option ? any names to look out for.
Kind Regards
Henry (Essex Box) :-worship :-worship :-worship

 

[daisyanne]

Bit of an update: I contacted my developer again today who said that it was not the 1st may SKY would be lost, but it was the 1st March next year!! Even to me this sounds ridiculous that someone would know this information that far in advance when noone else seems to have heard anything.

any comments?

 

[Essex Boy in Cyprus]

Hi.
I think even I can answer this one.
First of all who is your developer ? I know most within Famagusta (South side) and many would not know this information if it walked past them in the street.
This is a scam in the Paralimni area to get you to buy the showtime or Nova / Hotbird package. ?
Did you not say you were installing a 4.2 prime focus dish anyway?
If I am correct this will not effect you too much anyway as the dish is big enough to cope with a reduced beam should ever happen.
I have gone with SKY and I am confident this is just a hoax. I have heard nothing from elsewhere around Europe only this part of Cyprus.
And in anycase you are now guarenteed a year according to your developer / Astronaught friend.
Kind Regards
Henry (Essex Boy)

 

[iceman]

If I got the owner to call you can an appointment be made ?
I do not trust the installers I used before in Paralimni and feel I just want someone who knows there stuff and can get the system running to the best of its ability. The owner also feels the same.
Can I aslo ask what is the difference between a 0.2 to a 0.3 LNB and so on? is the higher the number the better? or the lower the number?

Either get the owner of the dish to call me or send me his phone number by private message...I have 5-6 4.2m installations i have to finish in the next 2-3 weeks,so i am in a bit of a tight schedule at the moment..I'll see what i can do....
As far as the LNB's go, the dB figures quoted by the manufacturers these days are a joke.....the only one for 4.2m dish is the 0.3dB invacom with a matching feedhorn...Most of the installers in the south use adjustable feeds but i prefer to use a fixed one...

 

[Zorba]

I'm surprised they didn't say 1st of April.Which 2 developers stated this fact? And how come they have the priviliged info when me,nick,iceman,skyman etc weren't told about this? Name and shame.
I get these rumours now and again but always from customers,who know someone who knows someone who works for Sky.There is always a risk that something might go and something else will come but I dont think we would lose everything.But I will not guarantee that.
Astra 2d was meant to be a tight beam so that bbc/itv will not be received out of UK easily,but they are and if they did weaken the footprint people will go out of their way and get a bigger dish.(well maybe not in Cyprus,10 metre dishes are a bummer to load in the truck)

Bit of an update: I contacted my developer again today who said that it was not the 1st may SKY would be lost, but it was the 1st March next year!! Even to me this sounds ridiculous that someone would know this information that far in advance when noone else seems to have heard anything.

any comments?

 

[daisyanne]

The developer is Lane Homes and he says he is waiting for confirmation from the installer (i dont know who but i think he mentioned R&D??) and another company to get back to him. Lane Homes wants confirmation in writing that SKY wont disappear next year - but i cant see the installer being able to say that anyway.

thanks guys

daisyanne

 

[bignick]

The developer is Lane Homes and he says he is waiting for confirmation from the installer (i dont know who but i think he mentioned R&D??) and another company to get back to him. Lane Homes wants confirmation in writing that SKY wont disappear next year - but i cant see the installer being able to say that anyway.

thanks guys

daisyanne

Daisyanne

You are being mislead it is as simple as that. These installers have absolutely no insight into the workings of the ses-astra who operate the satellites and provide the service to sky. Please bear in mind that it isn't just one satellite that provide Sky it's FOUR and the power output of them if pretty finely balanced. If you cut the power so the signal doesn't make it to Cyprus then it follows that the power to the UK will also drop. This would mean that people would no longer have the power margin for bad weather etc and as a result would loose signal frequently (just think how often the weather is bad in the uk) they would then ditch sky and go over to Virgin Media!!!! So I ask you Daisyanne, given this information do YOU think they will drop the power output of these Satellites?

Cheers

Nick

 

[Essex Boy in Cyprus]

Daisyanne.
Tell your developer to do what you ask for.
Big Nick is spot on. The small minidish we have in this country would need to be enlarged throughout the UK should s*y drop the output.
There is a lot of focus on dish sizes in the UK at present so again this is unlikley to happen. If we get a heavy downpour we often loose signal strength already so would SKY run this risk??? Dont think so.
I have two new apartments in Famagusta and I know what the developers are like. Stand your ground and ask them to do what you require, Afterall one would assume your paying for it ?
Kind Regards
Henry (Essex Boy):mad: :mad: O-no O-no

 

[daisyanne]

Hi all, An Update:

1) Developer now has a letter from a SKY installer saying SKY definitely going.
2) Developer been told that the country of Malta and one other (he couldnt remember) has now totally lost SKY.

I cant find any reference anywhere to people in Malta having lost it - I'm sure there would have have been loads of posts all over the place if this were true. Can someone confirm that this is not the case.

Slightly more good news - they are 99% sure they are installing the dish. But all the new homeowners will have to sign a waiver acknowledging that SKY could go at any time.

Surely, even if SKY goes there is no reason not to put up the dish based on rumour cos they could just realign it to pick up something else. Cant see what the problem is really.

Daisyanne

 

[dxsat]

Are you sure you want to buy an apartment from this developer? Everything he has said about Sky shows he can not be trusted to tell the truth.
Everything has either been made up, or in the case of the waiver, just an excuse to charge you for a service but avoid responsibilities.

 

[daisyanne]

I am beginning to wonder that myself, but the dish is part of the deal. We dont have to pay extra for it. I am wondering if they didnt realise the price of installing such a big dish and are trying to get out of it. He did say he would show me the letter from the so-called Installer though.

Daisyanne

 

[iceman]

He did say he would show me the letter from the so-called Installer though.

I would like to know the name of this "installer" if possible :-bash

 

[daisyanne]

Ill try and find out but I think it was something like r&d. I take it that the Malta statement is untrue then?

Daisyanne