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If you find this information useful and want to thank me, why not buy one of my low-cost "eBooks" that you can download direct to your computer? My books can be read on-screen or printed out on paper. They are full of colour photos and illustrations. http://www.The-Cool-Book-Shop.co.uk
Echostar ordered to disable PVR Satellite TV provider EchoStar has been ordered to disable DVR functionality in their set-top boxes and pay Tivo $103 million for allegedly infringing on the company's digital video recorder patent. More. Setanta could kill football clubs "If a solution is not reached then clubs and players will be in serious trouble. For the smaller clubs this could be a disaster." More. June 23, 2009 Setanta goes into administration. BBC changes the way that you see its home page outside the UK. More. BBC iPlayer is still unavailable to "national" viewers unless you pay for a service that masks your IP address. (Note: we can't recommend this service but we did test it in Thailand a few weeks ago!) During my daily walk I see many bodged aerial jobs. Here's another cowboy installation. You can see that the bracket is too small to spread the load across the bricks and the force of the wind has twisted the aerial free. The owner's solution is to sell the house! As some of you may have noticed, the SatCure mirror sites and forum disappeared for a day from noon on June 23rd. The cause was a young "hacker" who found an insecure script, which allowed him to place a piece of code on the server in California housing those sites. The code was able to replace many index files with the hacker's own "signature" file. No doubt his young mind found this very amusing. Unfortunately, it cost many businesses like ours much time and money to correct. Not so funny. And he won't be laughing if the FBI trace him. Response from "customer" to a free reply I spent some time on:- _______________________________________________________________ 1) I did state the model number, on youjr web form. (Actually he gave the serial number, which wasn't much help.) 2) You did not ask for a fault history. (Specifically requested on the form.) 3) You did not ask about a DECT phone. (We request FULL information about all equipment.) 4) You are very rude. Actually, my reply was merely a statement of facts, intended to elicit the missing information or to help him find the cause of his problem. I didn't question his parentage, his waist measurement or his I.Q. However, my wife says I'm rude so it must be true. You have lost a customer and will no longer get reccommendations from me. (I have bought kit from you in the past. Never again.) This is an example of a person who "reads between the lines" and finds an "attitude" which he doesn't like (which isn't actually there). I do try to restrict my answers to simple statements of fact and some people find it difficult to relate to this - apparently perceiving that I must be being cheeky, rude, arrogant or whatever, when I'm simply stating facts. If they speak to me by telephone, they discover that, actually, I DON'T have any such attitude. I'm a warm, friendly person who is simply trying to handle multiple enquiries quickly and efficiently. The moral of this is that, if you need help, it's a good idea to include ALL relevant facts; otherwise I'll point out the ones you missed and, if you think like this guy, you'll get all upset and flustered and never buy from me again - until you need another kit. Cartoon © Ken Pyne. (Reproduced with permission.) Before you have a pop at me, please read this page:- http://www.satcure.co.uk/useful/tech_help.htm Sat dish installation - and you whinged about readers not writing in! installing a satellite dish is much easier than most folk think, or than most Sat mags would have you believe. Okay; you do need a compass (essential) and the ability to read it (!) and you need a simple and cheap sat meter - http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/satmeter.htm. Armed with these, however, it's not a job of monolithic proportions to erect a sat dish with an octo lnb. I know, because I've done it, using just £150's worth of stuff from Satcure. Although sat mags drone on interminably about the precise positioning of the dish, in fact what is needed is that you get the elevation correct: http://www.satsig.net/maps/satellite-tv-dish-pointing-uk-ireland.htm and the approximate azimuth. It doesn't need to be absolutely accurate, because there's a fairly (albeit surprisingly) wide margin of error. Okay - by 'fairly wide' I mean about one degree, but that's pretty wide given the distance the satellite is from you. The thing is, all the info you need is on Satcure's astonishingly informative site. Use it, and save yourselves about £300 in installation fees. Ian MacKenzie Thanks, Ian. I really appreciate it when people take a few minutes to write! My reason for the letter is to perhaps spark a debate as to why manufacturers do not list signal strength requirements in the tech specs. I realise that a cheaper box will probably need a stronger signal, but if the spec was listed, at least I could make an informed choice. As a final 'aside' I now know (from your website) that many of the digital channels will change frequency on Sandy 'change over' day and will all be in band A again and may have been receivable on my old band A aerial had I known and waited until D day! Again, the aerial fitters did not volunteer that information and it is not widely known. How many people are paying for new aerials that they may not have needed come the switch over? Mike Smith Thanks, Mike. I suspect the answer to your last question is "too many people". It's made worse by the fact that a lot of cowboy installers haven't a clue what they are doing. Many think that a "wideband" aerial is the solution to everything. In your case I recommend you wait and see. If you have problems with the increased signal strength and shift of frequencies after switchover, first try an attenuator before opting for a new aerial. The lack of useful specification for many receivers is definitely not helpful. To begin with I was going to test various Freeview receivers with a variable attenuator. However, the available models seem to change on a weekly basis so it proved non-viable. No sooner have I put one model on the web site than it's superseded by another model! The Sony box was expensive in its day and now you know why. But undiscerning "Joe Public" opted for "stack 'em high an' sell 'em cheap" models, so Sony pulled out of the market. Honestly, we are our own worst enemies. Do you read magazines? Interested in electronics? Try EPE - The #1 magazine for electronics technology and computer projects. The magazine is packed with news, theory, projects and general features of interest to everyone involved in electronics from students and trainees to teachers, trainers and engineers. Much of the content covers a wide variety of projects to build, many of which are microcontoller based, but the magazine also carries regular pages covering Techno Talk, Practically Speaking, Interface, Circuit Surgery, PIC n Mix, Net Work etc. Advertisements for a wide range of electronics components, kits and equipment are also featured plus an extensive range of books and CDROMs covering all aspects of electronics theory and construction, all available by mail order via the magazine. There is also an Online edition of the magazine which allows readers to download the magazine each month for a very low price - see www.epemag.com. Click on the "Subscription" link to subscribe. (You can get 12 downloadable PDF issues for just $18.99 per year. That's only £11.70 at current exchange rates. Just 98p per issue!) You will also probably want to buy back issues, which are available either for download singly, or on a CD ROM. The 5 year CD-ROMs contain 60 back issues from the EPE Online website. The CD contains all 60 issues from January 2003 to December 2007. The Ultimate archive for only $59.99! (That's £36.87 - just 61p each!) Stewart Kearn Wimborne Publishing P.s. you can download a free magazine sample copy HERE. P.p.s from Martin: If your eyes are like mine, you'll love the PDF versions. I can view them on my nice bright TFT monitor screen and magnify them so they are easy to read! If you have anything of interest to contribute, please contact me with details. What have you installed? What problems have you had? have you been ripped off? Tell us all about it. I'll be your "agony aunt!" Use this to check to see if your dish will have a clear line of sight to the required satellite. Find the exact compass bearing and elevation of the satellite. Set the angle of the ruler and face the compass bearing. Look up the edge of ruler. You could tape a drinking straw to it to make it easier to use. Do you ever baulk at the price of silicone sealer? We are offering a 10ml syringe of white, black or brown for those small jobs (such as sealing a cable-entry hole). We are also offering 10ml of silicone grease, which has a multitude of uses. And a 10ml syringe of heatsink compound, suitable for use on CPU heatsinks. Yes, I'm am a Slingbox fan, but there's a double meaning here! Last year I bought a Sling Box "Classic" which has a built-in Freeview tuner and transmits the selected program via your "LAN" or via the Internet, on demand. You can also connect an A/V input (such as your Sky Digibox, although this is strictly against Sky's Terms of Use). It remained on my top shelf for 9 months and various friends around the world tested it and said it worked fine - with the picture quality limited only by my own ADSL upload capability of 350 kb/s. Then one day it failed to work and, although I could access the setup menu, it wouldn't let me complete the setup process. Now, despite my degree, I am something of a numpty when it comes to setting equipment up. I even used to get my children to set the VCR timer! Consequently, I contacted Sling Technical Support who took the trouble to reply but then lost my "ticket" and failed to reply further when it looked as if the Sling Box was actually faulty. So I did what any self-respecting engineer would do under the circumstances. (No, I didn't jump on it in frustration!) I ordered a replacement, which arrived two days later. It was simple to set up and worked perfectly. So I placed the faulty one, with the NEW packing and accessories, in the OLD box with correct serial number and informed the seller that I was returning it under warranty for repair or refund. The company acquiesced and off it went. (I'm awaiting the outcome but I'm ready to "name and shame". Watch this space!) Meanwhile, I decided that the new Sling Box was running way too hot so I removed the cover, bashed a few holes in it and fitted a fan. The DC input from the "plug-top" power supply provided 6 volts - perfect for our own miniature fan, which is held by 4 self-tapping screws, directly above the hot CPU. I soldered two wires to the 6v power socket and plugged the fan onto them. Easy! Later: the faulty Slingbox was returned to me with the brief note "reflashed with latest firmware". It had worked for 9 months with the old firmware so what had gone wrong? Had the firmware got corrupted somehow? I'll probably never know. - a selection from this month's emails (If you are a new subscriber I'm afraid that you might find some of my replies a little blunt to the point of being rude. That's just the way I am after answering customers' questions for the last fourteen years. Please don't take offence. Sometimes I'm a little tired, ratty or impatient and it shows! Generally, if you ask for a free reply, you'll get what you pay for.) Hi, I need a free sat system with a loft booster splitter for at least 8 rooms plus to include input from free a view arial. some of out tv's have free view built in and some with freesat built in so I need both if pos. Regards Steve B. -- Hi, Steve. I'm not quite clear what you want but I think that's because you don't actually know. What I would suggest is a 60cm dish fitted with a Quattro LNB to feed a 16-output multiswitch. Choose a 5 x multiswitch (this means it has an aerial input). The aerial signal will be combined with the LNB satellite signal and fed down each cable. Two cables to each room gives you the opportunity to feed two tuners (as required by any satellite receiver that records onto a Hard Disk Drive). The wall plates need to be "decombiner" or "diplex" types that separate the aerial and LNB signals. That's all I have time for so I recommend you read all the information on our web site and draw a wiring diagram for your home. You'll then be in a position either to decide what you need to buy or to ask more specific questions for your personal requirements. Equipment made by: Thomson Model number on label or rear panel: RS 232 What I want to know (plus any other relevant information): Hi. Great to come across your excellent site. I live in France and receive Freeview from the UK via a satellite dish. My digibox is a Thomson RS 232. No, RS232 is a serial connection port. The model number is on the label underneath along with the word "Thomson" and the serial number. I want to run a second TV from this box but want to have the option to choose different channels on this set. Am I right in thinking that with your 'magic eye' I can achieve this and simply have to plug in to the RF outlet at the back of the box and connect to the second TV via an ordinary coaxial cable? We stock various types of "magic eye". See "Remote Extenders":- http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/extenders.htm Note that the Digibox RF output is NOT compatible with a French TV set unless it is a "multistandard" set and can be switched to "PAL-i". If it can't then you would need the added complication of an RF modulator. If that is the case, would you please tell me what equipment and accessories I would need No, it's a personal choice so please read the information provided. There's a useful review here: http://www.satcure.co.uk/reviews/review116.htm#03 and let me know the cost of posting this to France? The shopping cart will calculate an estimated cost at no obligation. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/postage.htm#nonuk I have terrestial & FM aerials coming into my loft as well as proposed CCTV - I have Sky down in the lounge I would like to combine all 4 in the loft & then supply 3 rooms in the house. Am I to understand I need to pass CCTV through modulator first to produce RF channel? Hi, Alun. If your camera is not already producing a modulated RF signal then a modulator would be a good start. Where you go from there would depend on your exact requirements. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/lofthelp.htm I have :- I live on an end terrace house with apex? roof. (roof has front and back sloping sides) but wall at side is flat all way to top, no overhang. I wish to have 2 wall mounts ( for stability) 1 at the bottom and one above and maybe guide wires to 2 wall brackets (on same wall as pole, either side of the pole to hold a pole about 10 ft above the roof line. This is so I will get line of sight for satellites above my neighbouring houses. Any suggestions for mounts for pole, guide brackets, steel? guide rope/wire with tensioner, and the pole? Terry H. Hi, Terry. I am not a structural engineer (my degree is in Electronic Engineering) so I'm not qualified to give specific mechanical advice. However, we do offer various wall brackets and it seems to me that a "T + K" bracket combination might do the job. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page2a.htm#t+k By "guide wires" I assume you mean "guy wires". We don't sell these specifically but we sell an aerial double-lashing kit that contains multi-strand steel cables with 'J' hook tensioners. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page11d.htm#chimney (Scroll down to it.) As your dish exceeds 90cm diameter, and as you plan to have it above the roof line, you will need to apply for planning permission. In my (limited) experience, it helps to make up one or more pictures of the dish mounted as you intend, using "Photoshop" or similar, so that the planning department officer can get an idea of the visual impact. Be sure to make a personal visit to discuss it. You may be required to prove that the wall is structurally sound and that the general appearance and motor noise will not offend any neighbours. You may also need to consider house insurance and general liability because standard cover might not pay for damage caused by a dish breaking loose in a storm. Sorry I can't be more specific but I hope my notes give you an idea of what to consider. What's the best LNB (best build quality, most features, best signal reception, ...) for the following purpose that you have?: I want something that can receive two satellites, has four outputs and -- if possible -- doesn't require any additional gear like a multiswitch (although, signal quality has priority to everything else); my dish is rather large (> 100 cm), so I don't know if monobloc solutions are an option. You need two LNBs aligned separately for the desired satellites. Also, what is your personal opinion of fibre-optic solutions, as the one from Invacom (http://www.globalinvacom.com/products/fibre.php)? Are the corresponding cables more susceptible to low temperatures, moisture, interferences or other detrimental factors than coaxial cables? We don't stock these yet. They are still basically prototypes and not cheap. Ask again in a few years when they have been installed and exposed to weather for a while. And lastly, is there any way to receive North American satellites / channels? Yes, move to America. Alternatively, watch "The Simpsons", Seinfeld, etc. on Sky One. Do I need a large dish (60cm)with a cable run of 25m, or is a mini dish sufficient for where I live in Kent? Regards Ian N. It depends entirely on what "rain margin" you want to achieve. A minidish is fine in "normal" weather. The larger the dish, the better your "rain margin" - except that a real storm will knock out the signal regardless of dish size. If your dish is out of sight (as mine is) then you might like to go for the largest practical size. (Mine is 80cm, with the bonus that I can add an extra LNB or two to feed another receiver for viewing foreign stations. Handy for language learning. http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/page9.htm I have tried looking on your site but am getting confused. I want to distribute my aerial feed to three rooms. The current aerial is fairly new and there are no problems with the signal. I'm not sure what equipment I will need or if it needs to be amplified or not. Your recommendations would be most appreciated. Regards Mike Hi, Mike. Your existing wideband aerial should be fine for Belmont transmitter but I'd recommend replacing the cable or as much of it as possible. Typical life of coaxial cable outdoors is 5 years. In addition, Freeview really requires double-screened cable for best results. If you split the signal 4 ways (I don't think they make 3 way splitters) then each room will get less than 1/4 of the signal, which won't be enough. So use a 4-output masthead amplifier. You'll find all the information in the technical section of our web site. Dear Sir, I have just received my Humax Foxsat HDR from you and I am not impressed at all! I followed the instructions to connect it up, switched it on, got the setup menu on screen and then ... nothing! The remote control doesn't work! (Yes I put the batteries in.) I think you are the biggest bunch of conmen on the Internet. I bet you dont even bother to reply. Wankers. G.C. Dear G.C. please try pressing the button labelled "PVR" on your remote control. Dear Sir, everything's working now, thanks. Maybe I was a bit hasty / too much wine. That's it for another month, folks! Latest SatCure eBook updates None this month. I'm just lazy I guess. Meet other Satellite TV enthusiasts and put your questions or points of view here Need to buy wholesale stock to sell on eBay or on your web site? Thinking of starting your own business? Click on banner above. All kinds of video tapes transferred to DVD, UK's lowest prices and top quality. Experienced engineer and a personal service. Most tapes just £10 for 2:30 hours or less in quantity. I can't recommend this forum for Expats too highly. It's run and moderated by Kay who puts in a lot of hours to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you are outside the UK or thinking of emigrating then you need to look in here! Don't fancy DIY? Looking for a TV or VCR remote control? Look no further. only £18.80 inclusive from SatCure! Your advert could be here! Contact us for details. Electronic kits and gadgets. Start a new hobby! Ideal Presents. News
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Readers' Contributions
I recently went down the terrestrial 'digital route'. My present aerial wasn't up to the job (understandable given I am in Huntingdon and the Tx is in Sandy) and I could only rceive a few channels and they regularly broke up. I had a wideband aerial fitted high above my roofline and had no problem receiving all the digital channels on my LCD TV. I then looked at various set top boxes for my analogue TV in the bedroom. None of the specs mentioned signal / noise ratio requirements or any other signal needs. I purchased a cheap Digihome box from Argos. It found all the channels, but some were breaking up, especially in the evening. Trawling websites I came across yours which I found very useful and worked out that the channels causing me problems were being transmitted on reduced power. OK, nothing else to do except wait for full power. Then my neighbour lent me a Sony set top box which was surplus to requirements and all channels were watchable with no drop outs. I fitted a Digibox for my sister-in-law (who has an indoor loft aerial in Dunstable) and the reception was terrible. Fitting the Sony box solved all the problems and works without hiccups.
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Slingbox Fan
The box is now barely warm to the touch so it ought to last somewhat longer than the first. If you'd like to carry out this modification yourself, the Sling Box cooling fan kit (£6.95) can be ordered here. (It does not include the solder or tinned copper wire.) 
Questions
My location is: birminham
My location is: France
Can you advise me of the equipment required to carry out the following?
Hi.
My location is: Switzerland
My question is about dish size.
Ref. number: TE92908
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