|
| ||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
|
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
Apple iPad The Apple iPad has been announced and will cost around £560 for the model with a 64GB solid state drive. I'm sorely tempted but the UK tax office is screwing me for more cash than I have in my bank right now, so the iPad will have to wait! More... http://www.apple.com/ipad/ "TT on 4" has moved For some time expats in fringe areas have been able to watch CH4 Free To Air. Now that transmission has ceased and the only way to watch CH4 is with a Sky Digibox and viewing card (which can be a £20 "FreesatFromSky" card). Here's how to get it:- Press [services] on your Sky remote, scroll down to "System set up", press [select] then scroll down to "Add channels". Change the frequency number to 12480 polarisation V symbol rate 27.5 fec 2/3 then scroll down to "Find channels" and press [select]. Wait till list appears and then scroll down to channel 4 and press yellow button to store the channel, then same again for 4+1, then press [select] to complete. Then when you want to watch the programme you always have to go to the [services] button and scroll down to other channels (or press 7) and click on the required channel. ITV is still available for expats on a different frequency (it hasn't changed). Sky+ is dead Sky allegedly have pulled all remaining Sky+ Digiboxes from distributors' warehouses. A few retailers have new ones left in stock and the second-hand market will continue to supply them for some time to come. But Sky is concentrating its efforts on HD boxes, with standard Digiboxes available only as multiroom "bedroom" equipment. My friends continually send me "virus warnings" - most of which are incorrect and all of which are irrelevant, since all my computers are Apple Macs. (Friends, please STOP sending me this crap!) Recently, I had to resurrect an old email address in order to log in to a support site for a product that I bought several years ago. Within minutes I was receiving emails offering various bodily enhancements and, today, I received an email entitled: "MySpace Password Reset Confirmation! Order NR.7566". Since I don't have a "MySpace" account, I knew this was a scam. Sure enough, a Google search pulled up many pages about it, including this one: http://www.enigmasoftware.com/fake-facebook-and-myspace-account-update-emails-contain-malware/ Just out of interest, I tried to unzip the attached file but it merely resulted in an error message. Anyway, this isn't really a whinge but if YOU are fed up with stuff like this, you should firstly dump your email address and use a different one. Secondly, to ensure almost total immunity to viruses,* you should switch to a Linux or Apple operating system. Use Windows only for those tasks that can't be done any other way. (Not many, I suspect.) *There aren't any Mac viruses but there's a couple of "trojans" out there. These normally take the form of a popup announcing: "you need a CODEC in order to watch this naughty movie; download it now." If you are stupid enough to believe this, to download it, to enter your admin password and install it, then you deserve all you get. Whatever O.S. you use, all you really need is a little vigilance and common sense. FEEDBACK FOR STEVE MIDDLETON - PSU Repairer I've been very impressed with the service of Steve Middleton in Prestwood, Bucks. Fast & friendly, plus also replied to my emails quite quickly. Definitely recommended. Matt Dodd Product review -- Panasonic DMR-BS850 PVR/BD/DVD/HDFS I live Med-side (Mallorca) and love it (even though we're 'enjoying' the coldest winter here for 15 years!). I'm a Sea Tel marine stabilised self-tracking dish installer and an avid reader of your Newsletters. This is my first contribution. My system: The 'BS850 promises much &endash; and delivers! freesat (un-capitalised) performance is on a par with the Pace Sky+ digibox, reception-wise, with only the weakest of Astra 2A North beam channels (ITV3 & 4, etc.) pixellating during the late evening; this could be cured by changing out my 1.65m offset dish for a 2.5m, but I'm not keen on spending about ¤3k more, for now at least! BBC HD is disappointing &endash; perhaps Top Gear, Defying Gravity and The Thick Of It aren't good test progs; I suppose I should really record more nature stuff &endash; but at least it is free and included within the BBC licence fee for which I pay for my UK address!! Menu navigation is intuitive, if slow; perhaps forthcoming firmware upgrades will help speed things up. VieraCast Internet navigation (YouTube & Google Picasso Albums) is also slow to access but, once the required stream or album is found, it speeds up to a decent pace with no buffering delays (we have a <3Mb/sec maximum downlink capability). If only the facility was there to access my own network files! I don't have any BDs in my library yet, but DVDs are delivered to the screen in excellent quality, with DTS audio sensationally translated &endash; the Eagles Final Tour, Part 1, in Melbourne launching a sufficient assault on the terrace doors to get the neighbours a-knocking; I can't wait for that to be available on BluRay! CD playback is also excellent and titles retrieved (provided an Internet connection is present) from the Gracenote CD database. I have a somewhat discerning ear when it comes to musicality and quality, despite being a tinnitus sufferer; I do like to hear a 'good sound'. The freesat tuning is an absolute doddle, and recording is simple, the EPG also being superbly intuitive with instant options to record a single programme or the entire series within the multiple-choice list. HD listings are shown within the BBC's EPG when one opts to record a BBC program or series, giving the option to choose to record in HD. HD titles can be copied onto a DVD (or BD) only once, thus preventing multiple-copy piracy. An excellent idea, to my mind. And I'm one DVD watcher who refuses to buy anything from the Lookie-lookie men's inventory of pirated crap, DVDs, CDs, sunglasses, hats, etc., etc.; being the funding for child labour, people- & drug-trafficking et al! Why spoil your viewing with sub-standard quality anyway? All-in-all, this is a stunning piece of home theatre kit, albeit at a price (circa £1000). I was lucky enough to obtain my 'BS850 on eBay for £650 delivered, which is a similar retail price that I would have had to pay for a 'BS750 &endash; a near-identical machine but with half the HDD capacity. Good luck adapting to island-living! Kind regards, Steve Edwards Those people who contribute to this newsletter can have a sneaky look at my on-line "blog", if they ask me very nicely! 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. (Make it interesting.) I promise not to make fun of your spelling or grammar. (I'll correct it.) None this month. Any suggestions? New House? How many of you have bought a new car, only to discover that the radio isn't wired up to the aerial and no manual was supplied? Did you pull out the dashboard and start threading wires through, blindly, or did you take it back to the seller to sort out under warranty? OK, how many of you have bought a house, only to find that the socket marked "TV" wasn't connected to the aerial and the socket marked "SAT" wasn't connected to anything? Or maybe there was a cable but it didn't appear to go anywhere? Or maybe it was all wired up with ordinary "low loss" aerial cable? Perhaps there was no TV aerial installed and no advice regarding what was required? Did you phone the seller and tell him to sort it out, or did you start crawling around in the loft? How much did you pay for this incomplete house kit? This is a scam! The penny-pinching building companies will cut any corner to maximise their profits while making it look as if they've provided useful "extras". Don't let them get away with it. Here's a word of advice: before you buy your house, tell the solicitor to add to the contract: "All sockets must be wired with suitable cable and tested with the relevant equipment connected. A complete wiring diagram shall be provided to show the route of all cables." This isn't too much to ask for something that seldom costs less than £100,000. It might be a good idea to stipulate something similar for gas and water pipes. Send me your horror stories (and success stories, if any). - 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. If you DO have a question, PLEASE read the web site information and eBooks first. I get the same questions day after day because people can't be bothered to look.) I currently have two cables running directly from my quad-output LNB to an already functioning Sky+ system in a my sons' playroom. For reasons that elude me, the previous owners of our house didn't have a TV socket in this room. But it'll be trivial to run two cables to the loft (feed - for terrestrial TV, FM and/or DAB - and the return), and certainly easier than redirecting the satellite downleads into the loft. I also won't have the complication of then requiring an Expander for my second LNB signal. I understand that there are other amplifiers that can distribute television signals, but I do want FM and DAB too, and to 4-5 rooms. The all-in-one loftbox solution does seem best value for money, and of course I could utilise the satellite feed at a later day. Thanks in advance for any response! The answer is "yes, but what's the point?" It's like asking "will a bus run without passengers?" If you don't need to combine the TV and LNB feeds, you probably don't need a Loft Box. Use a distribution amplifier instead. But it's up to you. If you need to combine TV and Radio aerial signals AND you need some amplification near the aerial, then a Loft Box might be useful. It will work just fine without the LNB feed and you might want to connect it later. As for the lack of TV socket in the "play room", I can probably explain that. When our sons were growing up, we allowed them to watch specific TV programmes and banned others. In particular, we banned violent cartoons and computer games.* When our eldest was in his teens, we relented, and he bought some violent computer games. Within weeks, we received a letter from his school to inform us that he was bullying other children. We got rid of the computer games and explained to him why. Our sons have grown up to be nicely-adjusted young adults. We allowed them freedom on most things. They could have their hair cut and dyed as they wished. They could choose their own clothes. We were flexible on bed-times and many other things that were not life-threatening or moral-threatening. But some of the stuff on TV, while superficially innocuous, turns out to be highly influential. We protected them against that. It's much easier to do that if you can see what they are watching. Every year I receive messages from customers, asking how they can "block" certain channels in their child's bedroom. Technically, it's virtually impossible. So the simple answer is to remove the satellite/aerial feed from the bedroom altogether. *One day my eldest asked if he could watch "The Simpsons". I replied "yes, of course". The youngest started to pipe up "but, dad, it's a carto.." but was quickly hushed by his brother. (Shh, he thinks Homer is real!) However, the Simpsons, despite containing some violence and questionable behaviour, always makes a moral point and is worth watching. The signal strength and quality shows as >80% on both tuners in the diagnostics page. However, if i am recording a program and try to watch a different channel i find the channel choice (presumably through the other tuner) is very restricted. This was something i would have expected if i had tried to split the cable or 'loop through' to the second tuner input, but thought i should have full channel capability from the second tuner with the way i have ot set up. Can anyone suggest what the problem is? Kevin I thought this was a faulty LNB but Graham Thomson put me right:- To get the Foxsat-HDR to recognise that a 2nd cable has been fitted you need to do a factory reset and watch for the "two cables found" message. Make a note of your recording reservation list - you will need to re-instate it. It's a common problem, the hdr sets up itself as a single cable device on setup if only 1 cable is detected and assumes that tuner 1 out is looped to tuner 2 in to give limited 2 channel recording and third channel viewing. Adding a second cable doesn't change this - the HDR still thinks tuner 2 in is fed from tuner 1 - so you either need a factory reset (the simplest way) or to change the connection type in the secret set up menu. Go to Menu/Setup and press right to enter the menu. Press in succession RED GREEN YELLOW BLUE GREEN YELLOW BLUE. In the menu the Antenna Setting should be: Fixed Antenna and Connection type: Two cables (same). Graham thomson For about a week I've been trying to use the "Check your Sky Statement" option under Customer Service in Interactive and it won't connect. This is on a Thomson HD box running the new EPG. (I keep hitting the Sky Box Office limit of 8 movies a month at current prices and want to check where I am this month. Before anyone asks, I've been told by CS Tech that there is a £35.00 maximum limit on the current generation of viewing cards, which is a memory issue on viewed films stored until the CallBack reports that month's bookings. They say this will be substantially upped for creditworthy individuals when the new viewing cards are issued as they have a much higher data capacity. Until then I have to initiate a callback, trigger a manual payment, which clears the backlog with an over-the-air payment cleared instruction within 24 hours, then I can watch more films.) Anyway, back on topic - whenever I try to dial-up, after about 10 seconds the line light goes off and I get the error message: "Sorry, the on-line connection has been interrupted. Please check that your set-top-box is connected to a telephone line. BT users please check that call waiting is disabled before trying again." So it feels like it's dialling the number and either getting a busy, fast busy, no answer, or line dead response as the line drop is not immediate. The number is 0808 902 201. The line is fine, and the box's modem is fine, as callbacks are successful, and so is access to any other dial-up service I try from interactive menu (e.g. DirectGov). Here's the kicker... It will not dial from my home line in 01384 but will dial from my office phone in 020 so I'm going to report this to BT and see what they do about it - as it's a PSTN number routing issue. Update I just got off the phone with BT Faults. They spoofed a call to that 0808 number from my 01384 home number, and from my 020 office number. From my home number it didn't work; from my office number it did. (BTW, when I say doesn't work / won't dial - I mean that I get the exchange-generated message after dialling the number: "The number you have dialled has not been recognised; please check and try again." I don't mean that it physically doesn't dial.) It works from my mobile too but they couldn't spoof a call from that one as it's not a service that BT control and can make pretend calls from for diagnostics. This has now been escalated to the Number Translation Service (NTS) team within BT as I mentioned I'm not the only one seeing this. Update to follow as I hear more from BT. Update Just had a call from BT. They have fixed the number translation issue that affected a certain exchange group in the West Midlands, and I confirm this is now working for me. (I lifted this from digitalspy because I thought it was very interesting. The original discussion is here.) I moved my wireless router so it now sits quite closely behind my TV, this was so I could run ethernet cables to the PS3 and Humax Freesat HD box I now seem to be getting some blocky picture break-up on the TV, Freeview digital channels on a Sony LCD TV do you think the router is causing the interference, or could it be something else? I've checked the aerial connections, although these haven't been disturbed. (Just watched the footy on ESPN - no picture or sound break-up. Turned the router on, problems start. Turned it off, picture ok again.) All electronic equipment radiates interference. Some things are worse than others. A router is specifically designed to radiate a signal and, if this signal mixes with another signal in a cable, the sum and the difference of the two frequencies are produced as new interfering signals (plus many others). The interaction can be very complex and difficult to calculate. A cure, as stated above, is to keep equipment apart. Radiated signal strength decreases according as the square of the distance, so even a small additional separation can decrease the interference quite a lot. However, "prevention is better than cure", so you should ensure that all cable and sockets are adequately screened. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/tvplugs.htm (I lifted this from digitalspy because I thought it was very interesting. The original discussion is here.) This is most noticeable when one of my children play with one of their toys which has electric motor in it. Such as a dancing, singing teddy. When near the cabinate in which my TUTV box is placed the picture stutters and freezes. As the distance increases the affects reduce but we have noticed this problem even when one of the toys has been upstairs in a bedroom well away from the box. As there is other equipment in my cabinate and I have recently changed the DVD player and moved things around, I intend to try and find out if there is a potential problem there. My box has been running fine and stable for ages now and the latest upgrade has made it even better. But I did get a lockup last night when deleting a program whilst recording 2 other programs. The reason I am posting this is because if you are having problems with your box such as stuttering then it may be worth moving or removing the power from any other equipment which is near the TUTV box to see if it helps. The motors in children's toys are cheap and cheerful and use brush motors that arc and generate interference that can be picked up miles away. Freeview, in particular, is extremely sensitive to impulse interference and there's not a lot you can do about it apart from avoiding the use of anything that has a crappy motor. (If your neighbour is a model railway enthusiast, you are really stuffed!) Anyway, to minimise susceptibility to such problems, you must: 1. Mount your aerial above the roof, as far from any interference as possible. 2. Use double-screened cable for the aerial drop-lead and for ALL interconnections (so-called "fly-leads"). 3. Ensure that any wall plates are screened. 4. Amplify the signal close to the aerial and fit an attenuator at the the Freeview aerial input. This ensures that the signal carried by cables is as strong as possible and less likely to be affected by interference. (I lifted this from digitalspy because I thought it was very interesting. The original discussion is here.) We have got 2 Satellite dishes, they are directed to different Satelites and do both have a single LNB. Since the Television has only one input connection I would like to know whether there is a device which would allow to receive both signals in the television without interference. Would the "Global PS1 LNB Standby Power Switch" work?? Probably not. What can you recommend?? A DiSEqC LNB switch, if your integrated digital Satelite receiver supports it. This would be the ideal - and realistically the only - solution. Otherwise, maybe a manually-operated "A-B" LNB switch or, if you have the means to control it (e.g. a switching voltage from your integrated digital Satelite receiver) our Sadoun "S-SM21V 0-12 volt L.N.B. switch". http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page1b.htm#switch Of course the convenient use of such a non-DiSEqC switch presupposes that your integrated digital Satelite receiver is able to cope with signals from different satellites without requiring a full "search and tune" each time you flip the switch. If you have to retune each time then it won't be convenient! We were away for several days over the New Year. On attempting to start the box after our return, I experienced the dreaded YLD, and no amount of repowering (with and without aerial connected) would revive it. Since the YLD was accompanied by a 1-second ticking, as described in this forum, I thought that I was facing a replacement of all the capacitors on the PSU, as others have had to do. I even contacted SatCure about it. However, after eventually leaving the machine alone for an hour or two, I was finally able to get it to get it to come on, with patchy success and several crashes. At last, though, it returned to full working condition, though it had failed to record a couple of programmes in our absence. It was very cold in the cupboard where the machine lives (heating turned off and sub-zero outdoors), so I am wondering if that is what caused the malfunction. I am quite surprised if so, because as far as I know, it stays quite warm even in standby. Amazingly quick upgrade of PSU by SatCure/Digifix. Posted to them at noon on Monday, received it back today (Wednesday) at 9am! All seems well so far; I haven't managed to make the box crash yet. I'll report the ultimate verdict in a few days, but on the strength of evidence so far, I'd thoroughly recommend this course of action to anyone experiencing similar problems. The effect you describe is typical. Failed capacitors become worse if their temperature drops a little. Warming them up will "restore" them somewhat and the symptoms may disappear for a while. (In the workshop I have often used a hair dryer to prove this point.)* However, if you do nothing, they will eventually fail big time - usually when it's least convenient. Note that partial failure of the PSU can cause corruption of data on the Hard Drive or even (in rare cases) destruction of the Hard Drive. It can also do other damage to the electronics. This is why I recommend that you change the capacitors, regardless, when (if) they reach "a certain age" (typically 2-3 years). Consider replacing the HDD as well, because the typical life is 3-5 years. * I should add that it's best to keep them as cool as possible so they don't fail in the first place! Unfortunately, most of the capacitors (expecially CapXon type) are doomed to fail anyway because they are poorly chosen or faulty when made. But you can prolong their life by keeping them really cool. (I lifted this from digitalspy because I thought it was very interesting. The original discussion is here.) Thanx toby No, you could buy 20m + 2m plus two threaded couplers. Is this suitable for receiving Hotbird & Astra in Central Glasgow (G1) - Dual LNB version? If not, do you have another -unobtrusive alternative for block of flats? Kind regards Mike Unfortunately, even if you told me which Astra satellite, I could not give you a better answer than "it depends". It depends on how much "rain fade" you are prepared to tolerate and on which channels you want to watch, since some transponders are weaker than others. Try a standard 50cm "zone 1" Sky minidish. If that works then the Selfsat might be OK. If the minidish is not satisfactory, then the Selfsat certainly won't be any better. All dishes we have to offer are on our web site. There are ways to disguise or camouflage a dish. I live in Cyprus Could you please tell me what is the most lossless satellite cable I should use in cyprus(fringe area signal) - for a run of 30 metres(cost not an issue). I have a 3.1 metre dish with an Invacom quad but seem to be getting signal loss at times(lnb has been checked and reset) WF125 cable and an Invacom quad-output LNB. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/cable.htm Dependent on whereabouts you are, you'll need between a 2.4m (Coral Bay) and 3.8m dish. Secondly, which sky HD box do you find is best for fringe areas such as cyprus as I need to purchase one when in UK. Unfortunately, we have had no feedback on that. I recommend asking expats on Cyprus or ask Norman Banks (installer):- http://www.normsat.com 1X ACTPSU043R - ACTPSU043R REBUILT THOMSON SKY+ HD PSU (EXCHANGE) Yes, no problem. Please send it to Michael. See http://www.digifixltd.co.uk Please ask Michael to include the shakeproof washer and heat-resistant card. He will invoice us for the repair. (Do mention this in your accompanying letter and quote your original order number. Hi there, many thanks for your reply, I have contacted Michael and arranged to send him the PSU card, although he informs me to keep my washer and heat resistant card as he does not supply those - I do not have either the shakeproof washer or the heat resistant card as I assume my PSU was redone before these were included? Is it possible for you to send me these items? No problem - we will pop them in the post for you. Hi there, I think I've sorted my problem! When I took the box apart to remove the PSU I noticed the white multiwire power connector had some evidence of "chip creep" and had worked its way out slightly - I replaced the wire properly and looks like everything is ok again! Many thanks for your help, I have also taken the precaution of swapping out my HDD for a model that uses less power and generates less heat (noticed with COPY+ that there were a few CRC errors on the old 1tb Samsung spinpoint drive Ive had in there for the last 18 months), also I have used the heat resistant card. Many thanks again for all your help, cheers! Malcolm P. We have a friend who wants to know if it's possible to install Word 2003 and Word 2007 on a Windows PC without them interfering with each other? (I suppose I should have asked him which version of Windows - I will if necessary.) No it's not. If 2003 is installed, then 2007 will override 2003, uninstalling it in the process, and once 2007 is on, 2003 can't be reinstalled. They have 2 options. Either have 2003 on and download the patch to Allow it to view .docx files which are the new format ( but cannot create them ) OR install 2007 and save all files as the old format (.doc) you can set 2007 to do this automatically all the time but I'd have to install it to see how. It's just somewhere in the save as options, (I no longer use Windows Except for webcam on Skype). Hope this helps. Collin The essence of my question is: do both feeds into a Sky+ box need to be de-combined (that is, have the terrestrial TV and FM signals stripped out by a diplexer or similar) where both feeds come from a distribution system? Possibly not. Try it and see. I can't think of any way that it would damage anything. If it doesn't work properly then try a triplexer decombiner. The only consideration is that you'll be feeding aerial signals into your Sky+ tuner, but it should be designed to ignore those. I used the form on 11/1/2010 in an attempt to contact Jon Davies (PSU Repairer. I received the automatically generated standard confirmation reply from email_robot@satcure.com within minutes. I have not however received a reply from Jon himself and do not know whether he still offers this service or not. Just letting you know in case someone else attempts to contact him. Many thanks. I will try to contact him and, if I fail, I'll remove him from the list. (I contacted him and he replied within a few hours. He stated that the only enquiries he ignores are those asking him to fit a "copycat" kit. It may be that your ISP or your computer is blocking or trashing Jon's replies. Try using a yahoo.co.uk email address instead.) barry You appear to have bought, from elsewhere, a product that we sell. Therefore we recommend that you contact the company that sold you the SPC4. However, the wiring diagram is freely available: http://www.satcure.co.uk/pdfs/spc4.pdf Everything MUST be wired exactly as shown - including the two (minimum) tvLINKs. Model number on label or rear panel: DRX280 My cooling fan on my digi box seems to be on its last legs, I have removed it and cleaned it etc but it still is extremely noisy. Can you recommend a fan from your website that can replace. I wasn't sure that the standard fan listed in your catologue would fit. Regards Paul. Unfortunately we can no longer obtain Amstrad spares since Sky bought that company. However, you may find that the fan has a label that you can peel back to expose the bearing. If so, put a drop of oil on it. If it's the plastic blades making the noise, you may be able to file or sand down the offending blade(s). If you are unable to do this, you might be able to get a (used) fan from: I plan to receive from satellites at 28, 19 and 13 deg E of S. Your 80 cm dish seems ideal with two brackets and 3 LNBs. However this far north, 57.7 deg N and 5.5 deg W, I think, I wonder if a 100 cm dish would be advisable. I will be grateful if you can advise before I finalise an order from you, Thanks, Hugh M. You are probably right that 80cm is too small. However, you'll have to do some research to determine whether 1m will be adequate. See:- http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/dishes.htm I know that underscanning is a facility available on colour monitors, and on VGA to PAL converters, and also on some DVD players, so believe my quest for such a device is not an impossible one. Nicholas Unfortunately, I've never come across the term "underscan". I've noticed that my monitor has an "overscan" option (but I don't really know what it does!) So I guess this question falls outside my field of expertise and might get a better response in a public forum that deals with video. Maybe http://www.videohelp.com or http://www.jhepple.com/support/ Mr. A N. We had an order from a Mr. T. N. on January 25th for 2 rubber boots and a bunch of other stuff. I assume that wasn't you, in which case the answer is "no". See http://www.satcure.co.uk/orders.htm#confirmation My problem is that the humax box has no RF out and so my multi-room from the original sky plus box is not working. That's why we offer the complete kit. :-) http://www.satcure.com/accs/page3.htm#freesat Kind regards, Demetrios B. You can probably get one from Michael:- But on no account change the tuner without first upgrading the Power supply Unit:- http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/thom_psu.htm Roland W. Yes, our "Special F" plug should be a good fit. (If it isn't there's nothing else we can offer.) http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page7.htm#fconn THANK YOU Thanks for your prompt processing of my order, the first part of which arrived today, around 24hrs after placing it - well done! However, I wanted to tell you about the benefit I got from one of the items on the order. I had been experiencing weak signal and interferece from my freeview aerial setup. After perusing your website at length, I was pretty sure I was going to have to renew all the co-ax (about 8 years old, and medium quality), and replace all outlets with screened ones. Before that though, I decided to look at the obvious 'weak links'. I purchased WF100RE1.5M RED 1.5 METRE and WF100BLTV2M BLACK 2 METRE leads from you, made up with TV plugs. The former intended to link wallplate to Toppy PVR, and the latter Toppy to TV. Before substitution, the TV digital tuner read 50% signal. After substituting the red 1.5m lead between wallplate and PVR, the signal went up to 72%, with no interference from central heating, much better picture overall, and the welcome return of DAVE etc, which had been reduced to a silent jumble of pixels before. The second lead gave no further increase, so I still need to look at the rest of the installation, but it's very good now subjectively as it is. I thought you, and possibly other customers, might like to hear a real-world story of just how cost-effective a <£5 upgrade can be! I'm now about to undertake my first FreeSat dish installation using your products, confident that the quality won't let me down. Thanks again, Matthew Davies THANK YOU Received the RELKIT33JS for my Thomson DS8215 Sky+ HD receiver promptly on Tuesday 22nd. Got round to fitting it on Boxing Day morning (26th) ! Guess what - all the channels now work ! Piece of cake - many thanks. Bob Clarke Hi, Just a quick note to thank you for the Thomson SKY HD capacitor repair kit and the detailed and very comprehensive instructions. I replaced all 15 capacitors, rebuilt the machine and was greeted by a green light on my very first try. Many thanks, Galen I just wanted to say thanks for a great product and great service too. I haven't soldered anything since leaving school - over 20 years ago. Using the excellent how-to guides you provided, I've fixed my Sky+ HD box, fitted a 1TB drive upgrade, and saved myself over £200! Nice one. Philip Stott Before Christmas I bought a new Panasonic TV but was having reception difficulties on several channels, although my Humax PVR worked fine. After reading your advice I ordered two new lengths of aerial cable & connectors from you and followed the advice on your website and am pleased to say the new TV is now working fine on all channels, so a big thank you for your website and products. I will be recommending you to others having difficulties. Best wishes, Jenny Smith I have fitted the RELKIT33J today and it seems to have cured my problem of no signal on certain channels. Very happy with the results and proud of my achievment! Thanks for the prompt delivery and efficient service. Now to wire up the cabinet fans. Clive I would like to thank you for your very prompt actions regarding my order. The parts only took 2 days to arrive. The instructions for replacing the capacitors in my sky box were excellent. I now have a fully functioning Sky Hd box!! Again Many thanks. Kind regards Steve. Bought a "magic eye" from B&Q. Couldn't make it work - Tried all day. Found your website, found the "seecret menu", re set RF power to ON, worked a treat. Brilliant Many thanks. Dave Sibert Thomson PSU repair/exchange. Great service , speedy exchange , good instructions and of course it now works. When so many over promise/under deliver , it's been a joy. Best wishes David Neal Hi there, Just wanted to say thanks for both the speedy dispatch of my order, and for the difference it's made to my SkyHD box. I replaced the capacitors today (four of the originals were noticeably bulging, and one more was showing signs of going that way), and once the box had powered up again a quick scan through the channels showed that every one that I knew had gone missing over the last few months was now showing up just fine. You advertised a product, I bought it, it did exactly what it claimed it would do, and you've got one very happy customer as a result - what more needs to be said except thank you again! Regards, Chris Thank you for a great service. The replacement capacitors did the trick and now I have a working Thomson DTI6300. John Hunt Thanks, my psu arrived yesterday, sunday, a little late, but not your fault, xmas post etc, fitted along with new 500gig h/d, all working well, thanks again, Derek. derek chapman Order received 08:30 this morning, fantastic servive. I know it was just a few pence for the items but being virtually huse bound due to disability it's worth paying delivery chatges - beleive me! Once again, 'thank you' for a great service and I will use your company again without hesitation when I require any parts you can supply, I shall also reomend you to anyone and everyone who enquires where to get a good serveice and deal for sat' accessories and elecrical components. Regards, Alan (J) Dear Satcure, Just a quick email to say thanks for all the good info on your site and easy installation instructions with the repair kit. My Thompson HD box has run faultlessly for 5 days since the psu capacitor upgrade. Many thanks, Nigel A BIG "thank you" to all those who took the trouble to write to us! That's it for another month, folks! Have a Prosperous New Year. Latest SatCure eBook updates None. 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! 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
Monthly Whinge
Readers' Contributions
I'm sure these will drop in price. And I wasn't prepared to pay the full retail, but I did bide my time until one cropped up at the 'right price'. I'm delighted with it; 5-star performance with a 4-star value-for-money rating. 
New Products
Beware the Scam!
Questions
I have spent a few hours reading up on the different distribution boxes available (on this site and others; this is the best!). I'm toying with purchasing the 8-way Global LoftBox. What I can't determine is whether is is strictly necessary to connect my satellite downlead to the LoftBox. I fully understand that a return UHF feed from the RF-out of the digibox to the LoftBox is required in order to provide a signal to distribute to other rooms. But will the LoftBox work without a LNB connected?
I have a Humax Foxsat twin tuner box and have just fitted a new quad LNB bought from Satcure, with two cables supplying the two inputs on the Humax.
Sorry, the on-line connection has been interrupted.
My G1 box suffers really badly from external electromagnetic interference.
We have got A Panasonic TV with integrated digital Satelite receiver.
DHD4000
I'm looking to run 22m of your WF100 (twin) cable, do I have to buy a 125m reel because you can only cut to a max of 20m?
SELFSAT 48X26 CM ANTENNA, £124 SINGLE, £145 DUAL LNB
Hi Technical
Hi there, I have had no bother with my replacement PSU I received on order no. SAT028674, but now my box is showing signs of PSU failure - the unit switches off at random up to 10 times per day, will not restart unless power cable is left out for half an hour or so - after the "crash" then the power led on the front panel will fluctuate between on and off before disappearing altogether. Please advise on procedure to send the PSU back to be repaired under your 3 year warranty - many thanks!
WORD for WINDOWS
I have two communal feeds which combine TV, radio and satellite.
Hi there Satcure,
I have 2 sky hd boxes in the same room and currently control both via RF2 outlets using a basic A B button switch so either remote will work on whichever box is operative. I wanted to replace this with something better so have a global SPC4 hd combiner the outlet is to a magic eye. I don't need to control tvs in other rooms so I don't use a tv link. I am supposed to be able to program each remote to a specific port on the unit avoiding the need to use a switch. Either remote will work with either box on port 0 but I can't get them to work withe either box on any of the remaining ports 1,2 or 3. I have followed their instructions on how to program a remote for a particular port. Is there something wrong with the HD remote that it won't program and is there e.g a way to deprogram a remote to start from scratch
Equipment made by: Amstrad Sky
I am intending to replace my Sky dish (now resembles a rust bucket!) and to relocate as well.
I wish to buy a device which will accept a scart input from my digibox, underscan it (preferably with a variable control rather than a crude off / on setting), then pass the underscanned signal out via scart to my TV. I've consulted Maplins and cpc.co.uk, and your website (searched for the word "underscan"), and cannot find out whether such a device exists. If it doesn't, I am willing to pay for such a device to be designed and manufactured (willing to pay up to £1000), but have not a clue how to go about finding out if there's anyone out there who will undertake this.
I have just ordered two products from you , and got no code to say order complete and no email, has it gone through ok
I swapped my Sky+ Digibox for a Humax Foxsat PVR.
Would you be able to source for me a tuner module for a Thomson Sky HD box? The card is marked ETON ET866 94V-0. There are two identical cards in the box.
Hi, I have a white sky shotgun cable labeled "cb63r uv digital twin63-001a 07/07 tm053107 03523". Would you be able to point me in the right direction for a suitable f connector and joiner to re-connect a damaged cable. I see you have a few different types and wouldn't want to order the wrong one. Thanks
Happy Customers
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
is an audio enthusiasts' website, run purely for the fun of it. No money involved at all! Take a look. 
The SatCure Satellite Review is written for the customers and subscribers of the following websites:
http://www.satcure.com
http://www.satcure.co.uk
http://www.satcure.net
http://www.your-book.co.uk
http://www.The-Cool-Book-Shop.co.ukcopyright © 2007 SatCure