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News - Halloween Edition!We now accept Paypal For a limited trial period, we are accepting Paypal as a means of payment. Those of you who, for whatever reason, have a stash of cash just waiting to be lost when Paypal closes your account (see PaypalSucks.com) might like to give it to us instead! You can not use this method to order eBooks from SatCure because it will not automatically give you the download details. However, you can order eBooks via the Cool Book Shop site using Paypal. Freeview viewers in London and other major metropolitan areas could get high-definition TV next year under spectrum juggling plans being considered by regulators. More... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/22/london_high_def/ Tidbit The cat had been following my wife around and getting under her feet for no apparent reason so, when she went up to the bedroom, she shouted to him "OK see how fast you can run upstairs you little b*gger!" My son (21), already upstairs and recognising the affectionate term that she normally reserves for me, retorted: "Aw, Mum, don't give Dad a heart attack just yet. I need him to fix my car first!" Monthly whinge It never ceases to amaze me what some people do to save a little time. We just lost an insignificant order because a "customer" thinks it's quicker (and cheaper!) to drive to his "local" Maplin shop than to pay our "extortionate" 1st class post & packing fee of £2.50. Turns out he lives 20 miles from town so the return trip is going to cost him slightly more than a gallon of fuel (£9) plus a parking ticket (£1) plus at least an hour of his time. This is fair enough if he's making a complete shopping trip and taking in a show or a movie. But it seems that he's just going to buy a few 'F' connectors which he needs "right now". As they say in Greece "seegar seegar" (slow down). ITV on Sky Just in case you were wondering - do not adjust your set - ITV SD pictures via satellite really are poor quality. The only answer is Freesat HD. Sky for Christmas? Thinking of ordering a Sky installation in time for Christmas? You may already be too late. Rumour has it that Sky is now booking installations for January, earliest. You may have to try an independent installer.
Bonfire Night is almost upon us! Add an LED torch to your order. (A head torch leaves both hands free to light fireworks.)
http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/torches.htm
Thomson Sky HDWe continue to update the information on the Thomson HD power supply page so, if you bought a PSU or kit (or if you are thinking about it) please click on the link and RELOAD the page if you looked at it previously: http://www.satcure.net/tech/thom_psu.htm The Pace and Samsung SkyHD Digiboxes have been available for several weeks and are showing their own problems, not least of which are "lip-sync" anomalies on the Pace and strange mechanical noises from the Samsung, plus a questionable energy-saving feature which makes LNB input 2 appear dead. In fact some Sky customers got so annoyed with their "new improved" HD boxes that they reverted to Thomson! Most customers who have replaced or repaired their Thomson PSU have been delighted with the new picture quality and reliability. However, some have had problems just hours or weeks after completing the upgrade. So far, none of the problems have been traceable to the PSU itself. Some are caused by a faulty Hard Drive and some by corrupted firmware (corrupted by the original faulty power supply). Other causes are unknown at this stage. If you do have a problem, please try downloading the firmware (backup button procedure), and a Planner Update, then, if that fails, reformatting the Hard Drive or replacing it. Otherwise, please arrange to send your box to Digifix for investigation. Sky+HD firmware Rollout Some Sky staff got an email on 29-10-08 saying that they were getting the latest beta firmware downloaded to their HD box. Operating system version: 1.32B09 It's not the final version, which may not be released for some weeks. Freeview ProblemsMy neighbours had just bought an LCD wall-mounting analogue/Freeview TV for the bedroom. They called me over to ask if they needed a viewing card because the Freeview sound and picture were "breaking up" once a second and the sales blurb said "pay once only". It was especially bad on ITV. I explained that Freeview is truly free and the one-off payment was for the TV itself. We carried the TV into my house and connected it to my aerial system. It worked perfectly, so that eliminated the possibility that the TV was faulty. We carried it back and looked in the loft. There was a 4-way distribution amp with an aerial connection going in. I disconnected it then made up an extension lead with WF100 and connected the TV directly to the aerial lead in the loft. The results were no better. So I wired up a Vision V10-040 log-periodic aerial and connected it to the TV in the bedroom. As soon as I pointed it in the general direction of Winter Hill transmitter (35 miles away) through the window, the TV produced a good, stable picture and sound on ITV. It was dark so I couldn't see what aerial was above the roof so we gave up for the night. The following morning I looked and saw two "contract" aerials stuck on a short gooseneck pole. They were touching each other and almost touching the roof. Most likely the 30 year old coaxial cable had seen better days, too! So we mounted the V10-040 temporarily in the loft and connected it to the distribution amplifier. My neighbours commented that, for the first time ever, they now had non-grainy analogue pictures in the lounge. Even CH5 was watchable where previously it couldn't be seen at all. All Freeview channels were perfect. New ProductsThe new Humax FOXSAT-HDR PVR for BBC/ITV Freesat is scheduled to be available in mid November. As high demand is likely, you can place a provisional order with us right now to get in the queue. We will notify you when stock is available and let you know the exact price but we will NOT charge your card until you confirm your acceptance. We expect the price to be £259.95 + carriage + VAT. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page14.htm#humax Multiswitches Unfortunately, the Vision Multiswitches that originally supported the use of a quad-output LNB are no longer available. This means that you have to use a Quattro LNB. As usual, our suppliers conveniently forgot to inform us and sent us a batch of "improved" multiswitches which we sold to customers in good faith. (We apologise unreservedly for the problems this caused but it wasn't our fault.) Security camera systems with 4 cameras and choice of Hard drive size providing weeks of recording time, TV connection, USB connection, movement detection, etc. Amazing system. See Electronic kits and gadgets. Start a new hobby! Ideal Christmas Presents. Questions- a selection from this month's emails Re: SkyHD repairs Martin, You are brilliant. I want to thank you and Keith McLean in Stevenage for fixing my blocking Sky HD box. I delivered it to him at 9.30AM on Tuesday this week. He had repaired it with new capacitors and called me to collect by 11.30AM. It now works wonderfully. You just don't expect service like this these days! Couldn't be happier and would recommend him to others. Regards, Lou - Hertfordshire. http://www.satcure.co.uk/psu_fix.htm
Plugged this into my V51-103 amplifier (powered directly by plug) (in loft) and the amp indicates a short circuit (green led goes red). Is this correct / safe ? I have checked the cable and it is OK (joined to another aerial and no red indicator). Thanks Brian Hi, Brian. Nearly all aerials present a short-circuit at DC (zero Hz) so you must not connect power directly to them. We do not offer the V51-103 because it is a MATV amplifier with a massive 34dB gain and not suitable (usually) for home use. Its built-in power supply is designed to power a separate "head amplifier". If you need to combine UHF, FM and DAB, you should use our V20-312 amplifier in combination with a suitable triplex decombiner, such as our V24-310. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page11c.htm#dab I am planning a Freeview distribution system in my new extension and plan to install a new Televes DAT45 Digital Tv Aerial on the roof with a Dynamic Margin Rising Device. I am planning to order from you the Global F280 16 way UHF distribution amplifier which will be installed in the loft close to the aerial (to feed each room) - can you confirm if this amplifier is suitable and if it will power the MRD? (I have used this aerial with MRD before in an adjacent building with a single outlet and know it works ok here) Many thanks Richard Hi, Richard. No it won't power the MRD because it's a signal distribution amplifier designed to power "magic eye" remote extenders, so its power is fed to the outputs and not to its input. You would need to fit the power supply for the MRD in the loft, possibly followed by a suitable attenuator (to prevent overload* of the signal distribution amplifier). *Until "switch-off", the analogue signal level is far higher than the Freeview signal. I want the Freesat to get the HD channels but I also want to continue (occasionally) watching some channels on Sky which are not yet on Freesat. Please advise what devices you sell that would allow me to do this. I dont wish to run another cable from the Sky dish to the TV. Thanks. Umer N. Not possible unfortunately. Each tuner must have a separate connection from the LNB. Otherwise it's as sensible as two people trying to play tennis with only one tennis racket! See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/split_feed.htm Hi There, I wish to make a purchase, but I want to make sure that what I buy will do exactly what I want it to do. put simply, I want a converter that will take the RF output from the SEGA master or mega drive games console, and convert it into composite, so that I can plug it into a switch box to select television viewing, my satellite system is not related in the issue please advise what component I need to purchase to achieve this and if you stock it. Many thanks for your assistance. Robbie T. Hi, Robbie. Unfortunately, such a conversion would result in a very poor quality picture so nobody makes a device to do it. I am looking for 10 Metre Satellite Lead Coaxial CableF-Type Connectors to connect my SKY+ Box to the second room, are you selling the above item. I prefer the brown colour. Thank you. Regards, Davoodi
Hi Dr Davoodi, Simply follow this link http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page8.htm#WC100cut Your choice of brown cable is there. You also get the choice of having the length you require and "F" connectors fitted if required. Or you might prefer WF100 instead. Hi there I currently have a sky + box & this extends to a second TV via magic eye. The picture on the second TV is rubbish. I am about to upgrade to a Sky HD+ box & would like to extend this to two TV's around the house. I intend to replace the existing cable/magic eye. I have purchased your e-book which has proved invaluable, however all the options/different models are a bit confusing. I am interested in placing an order with yourselves for this project but would be grateful if you could provide advice & pricing on a suitable/good quality solution: My ideal requirements are:
I guess it would be a bonus if could I extend Video/DVD/Blu ray round the house so would be interested in this option as well but extending Sky is my priority. I would prefer to pay more for good quality kit than cheaper stuff. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thanks in advance Regards John B
Hi John, Thanks for your email; glad to hear you enjoyed our Piping E-Book ! Although creating you a custom list for your installation is a service we can offer, I'm afraid in a "free 2-minute reply" I can't give you an in-depth summary. There are all sort of factors I would need to know to quote efficiently. Location of TV points, layout of house etc. Any unusual characteristics like 4th set in a granny flat next door! We can take requests like this up, but on a consultation basis. We have spent a lot of time creating numerous E-books and many web-pages to help you make the informed decisions yourself. However, please follow this link if you are interested in the consultation side of our business: http://www.satcure.co.uk/consult.htm Best Wishes Mark Equipment made by: Thomson Model number on label or rear panel: DSI 8210CS After you recently repaired my Parents SKY+ PSU. I have fitted it and the Device is working great. My problem is Magic Eyes. I have replaced my old Pace Sky box with the new working Sky+ but can not get any of the Magic Eyes to work. I have carried out the following tests:- I have restarted the Sky+ box as described on the sky web site. I have taken a magic eye to the sat box itself and plugged it directly in the back and it worked. (proves the sat box is ok) I have short cutted my aerial amplifer (SLX 8B) by coupling output from Sat box to Tv but still it did not work. I have tested the voltage from the Sat Box 8.5v and at the outpout socket where the magic eye is 8.5v so no loss of voltage. II also get 8.5v from my outputs from the SLK 8B). I then found this discussion web http://www.avforums.com/forums/sky-sky/141225-sky-link-sensor-magic-eye-sky-problem.html which linked me to your page http://www.satcure.com/tech/tvlink.htm, but it looks as though you have had a few problems with this page. I currently have three TV's around the house utilising Magic Eye's that until the introduction of the Sky+ were working fine. I tested all these with the Sky+ remote and not any of the old remotes. Can you help? Regards Adrian Hi Adrian.
The problem with our TVLink page was that numerous sites were linking straight to it and it's really only for our customers! So we changed it; the page is now here : http://www.satcure.com/tech/tvlink2.htm please take a look through this page as it has lots of information of the correct things to check. You'll find links to ALL our Technical Information here: Best Wishes Mark Equipment made by: Thomson Model number on label or rear panel: SKY HD What I want to know (plus any other relevant information): I have had my HD box over a year now and it doesn't come out of standby. I have already tried the following: I have switched the satelite connections Held the backup button then reconnected power. no joy. (It does do the software download, but then goes back into standby) held the left and right buttons then reconnected the power, waited over 2 mins, the blue light doesn't come on. I have now tried disconnecting the hard drive, powered up still the same, but then I left the hard drive disconnected, held the left and right buttons and the blue light DOES come on, I then pressed select, left for 5 minutes then tried to power on, but nothing! I reckon that the Hard drive is knackered, but can someone confirm? Also, this may be a chance to upgrade the Hard Drive, and suggestions for models/sizes etc? Thanks for your help. Lee.
Hi Lee, It could be either the Hard Drive or Power Supply unit. Take a look at our help pages here http://satcure.net/accs/page12.htm#psukit and http://www.satcure.net/tech/thom_psu.htm This will help you with your request, as well as linking to pages specifically catering to increasing your Hard Drive size. Best Wishes Mark Equipment made by: Amstrad Sky Model number on label or rear panel: DRX 280 Hi, A couple of months ago we had a powercut, since then the sky+ box will not turn on, having taken the box apart I had noticed that on the psu board, the viper 53 had burnt out. Having checked the rest of the board everything seems ok. I had re-placed the chip, but no results, the soldering wasn't perfect. Would it just be a case of ordering a new power supply unit if that is the problem? Thanks James
I'm not sure what you are asking. If the PSU is faulty then it will need to be repaired or replaced. Replacing the chip won't help unless you also replace the faulty part(s) which caused it to fail. It is essential to fit the capacitors in RELKIT44 before replacing the chip, otherwise more damage may be done. At this point I think your safest option is to replace the PSU. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page12.htm#amspares Best Wishes, Martin Happy Customers
Re Sky zone2 mini dish You asked for feedback on minidish 2, you supplied one recently, I installed it temporarily mainly to find out if freeview is a viable proposition. It was aligned using a compass and the protractor scale on the dish an excellent picture was obtained without any difficulty, I wiil take more care with the permanent installation - promise! Very pleased with the product. E. M. S. Thanks, EMS. We are still seeking feedback on our zone 2 minidish and our log-periodic aerials. If you bought one, here's your chance to earn a tenner for a couple of paragraphs and a photo! My loft aerial, as far as I know, is not wideband and was fitted in 2001 to serve analogue signal only at that time. The coaxial cable goes from the aerial into a loft distribution unit (Fringe 3 outlet 8dB gain) to serve 3 TVs. Two of these TV's are fine, their built in Freeview tuners both allowing 90 channels to be found when running the scans, Multiplex A channels being OK. However, my problem is with the 3rd TV which also has an integrated Freeview tuner. The aerial runs first into a Humax PVR, then out and back to the TV. When running the TV's station scan it finds only 48 channels and it appears that the Multiplex A, including Channel 5, are not found. When the same scan is run on the Humax PVR, this finds approx. 70 channels with Channel 5 varying between OK and minor blockiness. As far as I know, I reside in a strong signal area confirmed by the fact that two of my TV's can tune to 90 stations OK. My query is, do you think I can improve the signal to my 3rd TV with use of a superior booster box than my current Fringe item? If so, which one would you advise. Hoping you can help, many thanks. Barrie J.
Hi, Barrie. From the information you've provided, we can safely deduce that your aerial is OK and your amplifier is OK. Therefore, we can narrow down the cause of your problem to:- 1. A faulty wall socket: check the connections. If in doubt, replace it with a fully-screened type. 2. A faulty fly-lead from the wall socket: replace it with double-screened cable direct from socket to TV. 3. Interference from equipment. Switch off everything not in use. 4. A faulty drop cable (or far too long). Try running a temporary length of double-screened cable direct from the amplifier, down the stairs, to the TV set. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/tvplugs.htm Let me know how you get on! :-) Best Wishes, Martin
Hi Martin Just a quick update, I have replaced both flyleads (from wall socket to PVR and from PVR to TV) with your WF100's. Both my PVR and TV's integrated digital tuner now find 90 channels each when scanned. The multiplex A ones are now fine including my problematical Channel 5. Any picture blockiness has gone and there is good signal strength. Such a simple cure, many thanks for you help with this. Also the efficiency with which my order was handled, it arrived in the post today. Best regards and thanks once again. Barrie PS The old flyleads have been consigned to the bin - best place for them. Barrie Jenner
Good, well done and thanks for the feedback, Barrie! Best Wishes, Martin Martin Thanks for you piece last month about the Yale telephone security device for your Mum, just what my dear old Mum needed, and we're all delighted with it, particularly as there is no subscription. I'd have never discovered it without your suggestion, and even then I could get nowhere with a Google search, and only found it with Yahoo. Very easy to set up and we tested it in reality this week when Mum accidentally pushed the button. A very reassuring thing to have available at very low cost. Thanks again for that and for a super newsletter every month. Neil Latest SatCure eBooks October 4, 2008 The Freeview Bible (minor additions).
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