Upgrading Bush FreesatSD box to HD

T

theARE

Member
My Satellite Setup
FreesatSD Currently
Freeview+
Linux PC
Xbox 360
My Location
Aberystwyth, West Wales
Hi all
I'd like to get some feedback on this - see if I'm missing something.

Current Setup
45cm Sky Minidish
Bush FreesatSD box

I was in the market for a FreesatHD box anyway as we've just had a HD tv given to us by my parents who were replacing theirs.
With the recent news of Formula 1 rights going partially to Sky I now want to expand this "upgrade" to get 19.2E for RTL Television who have F1 fta.

I was relatively happy that what I needed was:

Replace dish with either 60cm motorised dish
Humax Foxsat HD box (DiSeqc capable in non-freesat mode)
DAB digital radio set for 5live + 5live sports extra commentry

But someone on another forum suggested that a static dish with 2 lnb's on a backet might be more straight forward.

The thing is I have seen full kits for the motorised dishes on ebay Item number: 270770762543

But the static dish 2 lnb option has confused me now.

Ideally I'd like to keep the dish as small as possible as to not upset the neighbours

What would you guys recommend?

Thanks


Moderation I have disabled the live link - these are not permitted on this Forum. For eBay we ask that you state the Item number, as I have done for you on this occasion :)
 
60cm might be marginal for getting both 28E and 19E on a single 60cm dish where you are. But then again, with only a 9 degree spread, it might be ok.

However, whether you end up with multi-LNB or a DiSEqC Motor, an 80cm dish would be a wise investment. In terms of visual impact, third-parties will have trouble telling the difference between 60cm and 80cm.

Having seen your Thread on another forum, I think you'll find that some of the folk answering "talk the talk" but have little if any experience of multi-Satellite systems. One Member in particular.

A Motor costs around £40, which is a little more than you'd pay for a second LNB and a suitable bracket, but either method would suffice.

For F1, please also be aware that TF1 on 9E is a likely candidate, so if you want flexibility (We cannot know what will happen to RTL and/or TF1 coverage in the future, you might go for the more flexible motor option.

I use my Foxsat(s) in exactly the way you suggest. and it's a very successful arrangement. They work perfectly well with either multiple LNBs or with Motor Control.
 
I'm actually just south of Aberystwyth 52.280542,-4.178308

I've downloaded DishPointerPro for my android phone and I seem to have clear line of sight for 19.2E
I'll take your advice that an 80cm motorised dish would be better then.

While I dont have a lot of money to spend on the project, I can give it plenty of time.
We primarily use Freeview over the freesat system so we'll happily manage for a few weekends that it might take for me to tinker with it.

Thanks for the help.
 
Not better, as such - just more flexible so you can keep up with likely further changes to F1 coverage.

And you might find multi-Satellite reception to be interesting in other ways, so a Motor would be a good way to explode.





Sorry, "explore".
 
Yes, motorised route would be the best option allowing viewing of other satellites but.. if budget was an issue, a 65cm with offset bracket would get you 19e/28e working without too many problems.
 
Yes, I edited my first reply as I mistakenly was thinking about 28E and 13E !! That certainly might have been a marginal call.
 
can I ask how the offset bracket thing works, and how you align the LNB's
I get the motorized dish solution - that basically finds the satellites itself.
Do the brackets have degrees on them? Are they standardized - i.e. fit any dish? How do you align the actual dish that sort of thing.

2 LNB's require a diseqc switch yes? Does that live inside or outside?

Just trying to learn all I can so that I know what options are available.
I can price different options up then

Thanks
 
Careful theARE, you could end up getting a bit carried away with your new hobby.:-righton
 

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Some brackets are standardised 9ie Made to match a particular dish) and some are not. Not much point in marking them with degrees as alignment and LNB positioning is an art requiring some skill, some luck and a lot of trial and error (First time or three, anyway!)

DiSEqC switches efecitively allow you to merge cable from each LNB into just one connected to the receiver, so are best located close to the dishes (Minimising the amount of cable required for the installation). They are all weatherproof, either by construction and/or by having a little rain hood supplied with the. They cost less than a fiver.
 
ok so a hypothetical ebay shopping list for the 2 LNB solutions might be

Dish + wall mounting, LNB Bracket ,Diseqc switc[TABLE="class: vi-ia-attrGroup, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD]2 LNB 's (or maybe I could re use the one currently on my Sky dish?), plus some coaxial cable

Probably bring all that in around £60 then from having a quick loos around ebay - which is cheaper than the motorized option by about £20, and possibly easier to install.

So what do you do regarding the alignment of the actual dish with the 2 lnb option then? Somewhere in the middle?
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
Personally, I find an H-H Motor system far easier than messing about with multiple LNBs, though I do have both types of system in use.

Sky LNBs have a Feedhorn shape which matches the squat design of Sky Minidishes, so although you can easily adapt them to fit a standard 40mm collar mounting, the results will be sub-optimal.
 
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