| Hi Folks! Once again I have FAR too much to tell you so I can't leave it till the end of the month. I know some of you prefer not to receive this fortnightly but it can't be helped. Some information needs to be told NOW. if I wait till August it will be out of date and far too much to read in one go. We have a LOT more products to offer. You'll find "magic eyes" galore on page 3 and various other items added such as "rubber boots" for waterproofing LNB connections easily. There's a new wall mount bracket for dishes and maybe aerials. LOFT BOXES for piping TV around your house. Extras for Sky Plus. The "SmartScart" switcher and the Metronic videosender similar to the one reviewed on page 61 of What Satellite.." magazine (August 2004 edition) BUT ours is the 4-Scart input version - hence the price. Please peruse our on-line catalogue to see what's there. (The download catalogue is lagging behind - I'll update it shortly). | Hot Tip Some people struggle to find what they want on our catalogue index page. Here's a tip if you are really having trouble. Firstly, if you looked at our catalogue in the recent past you may have "cached" it on your computer so you are still seeing the old version. Click "refresh" when your browser is looking at the catalogue index page. http://www.satcure.net/accs/ There's an overwhelming number of descriptions on the catalogue index page but it's easy to find any word you want. On a Windows PC using Internet Explorer press ctrl F and type your word (eg. scart) into the Find window that pops up, then hit Enter. The word will be found on the screen and highlighted. On an Apple Mac it's the same but you press Apple F (or cmd F on some keyboards). |
Tidbits * Special offer of Sky Remotes in today's email message to you. * Also see other price reductions at: http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/offers.htm
http://www.satcure.net/accs/offers.htm * Panasonic have ceased production of Sky Digiboxes. * Thomson are producing a low-cost Sky Digibox DSI-4212. Available very soon at about £120 + vat. It's possible that this will be used in conjunction with Sky's £150 "FreeSat" offer towards the end of this year. * Raven are producing a new minidish LNB. It looks identical to the Thomson LNB as used on the Triax minidish. You'll find it in our catalogue. (We may phase out the Skyware LNB in favour of the Raven). * ESR meter kits - apologies We order these from Australia and they normally spend 3 weeks in Customs before reaching us. But the order placed on April 27th still hasn't arrived. To those of you still waiting, all I can do is apologise. We've emailed, faxed, phoned and pleaded with the supplier to use UPS but they refuse. I'm tempted to tell them to get lost but we are the only UK importer and we sell a LOT of these things (when we can get them). Stop Press! 25 just arrived. Some will be sent out today and the rest next week. :-) * Scart switch boxes - apologies Similar situation. We order in regular supplies but we get let down and simply have to wait. 25 came in today (July 13) so I'm hopeful that those of you still waiting should receive them by Monday at the latest. | *DAT Aerials get bent We are no longer supplying the yellow DAT45 aerial because it comes in a polythene bag and gets damaged when the warehouse despatch it. In fact I've seen aerials damaged on arrived AT the warehouse. Instead, we will supply the black DAT45 which comes complete with a "Margin Raising Device" - a balun and booster all in one. This comes in a cardboard box and should be less prone to damage. The DAT75 is a worse problem. --->
It's huge and again comes in a polythene bag. I've pleaded with the warehouse lads to wrap it carefully in bubble-wrap and cardboard but it's as tall as I am so packing it isn't easy. | 
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* Freeview, Free To View, Free To Air, FreeSat What's it all about? Let's clear the confusion. Read about it at: http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/freeview.htm (More about Freeview below)
Phone calls and BT A lot of people are apparently getting HUGE phone bills from BT who allegedly refuse to provide an itemised bill! Part of the problem seems to be computer "viruses" that make your modem dial a premium rate number. (This can't happen unless you have a PC with "Windows" and a standard modem connected; an ADSL modem can't dial out). It can also happen if someone has put a phone prefix "123" into your Sky Digibox, which will cause it to dial the speaking clock repeatedly! I can't offer help with the BT billing problem retrospectively but one thing I urge you to do immediately is to sign up with first:telecom or a similar phone service provider. My (typical) call charge bill from them was £8.77 last month (plus the standard line charges invoiced separately from BT). Admittedly we don't use the phone much since getting ADSL but I still think your charges would be significantly lower. They post me an itemised bill each month so I can see the date, time, number, destination, duration and charge for every single call. Typical charge is 3p. Highest was £3.71 to a mobile phone - oops. Once you've signed up, by dialling (for example) 1640 before the number, you automatically route your calls through their system instead of BT's. Adding 1640 is a trivial matter for computers. For telephones you may be able to program the "Mercury" button or similar, or simply prefix every number in the memory with 1640. You can also buy a number inserter or simply tell your family they MUST dial 1640 first (otherwise it goes through BT as normal). You'll continue to be billed by BT for providing the line (and anything else such as Caller Display, Callminder, 09 calls blocked, ACR etc.) But actual calls will be billed by the service provider. You should also get your phone service provider to bar premium rate calls from your number. Unfortunately, this will prevent you from voting for your favourite Pop Idol, Big Brother candidate etc. but - hey - get a life! ;-) If you want more information about first:telecom ring 0845 2151640 Or try customerservice@firsttele.com http://www.firsttele.com Oh, and (some?) calls to other first:telecom customers are free! Obviously I don't benefit from telling you about this but I'd be very interested to have feedback if you decide to sign up (it's free). I've used them for several years and had no problems whatsoever. Rogue dialers use premium rate numbers Read the interesting article here: http://www.networkitweek.co.uk/news/1156293 (If it's busy, please try later. If it's no longer accessible, let me know). Diplexer solves tree problem Thanks for your mail - yes, I received the Diplexer quickly & all was well. You may not be very interested, but my problem was with Freeview reception. I live in a rural area in Kent with many trees around & according to all the Freeview postcode data I should not be able to receive terrestrial digital TV. However, I think (after a long time) I have proved them wrong. Whilst I managed to get good reception during last winter with a single 'Dat45' aerial, as soon as the trees came into leaf this spring, the pictures (particularly channel 68) began breaking up. I then realised that for some reason I got a better quality signal (though less powerful) from Heathfield on channel 34, but could not receive BBC4 from that transmitter (channel 47) as it is a lot weaker. I then decided to try my old TV aerial, and using your diplexer, am now 'mixing' channel 34 with the BBC4 signal from Dover on channel 58. So far this appears to be working perfectly.I also have a masthead amplifier. I am still a little bewildered as to why the BBC signal quality from Dover on channel 68 is so unstable, even though the signal strength remains high (68%), and yet the BBC4 signal (channel 58) appears to be stable, though weaker.Could the tree interference be more marked at the higher wavebands? Yours with interest, Peter Yes, it's not uncommon for leaves to affect some frequencies and not others. This can also vary according to the amount of moisture present. It will be better in winter when the leaves are gone, if your diagnosis is correct. The coaxial cable also attenuates higher frequencies more than lower and spot frequencies can be affected if the cable is old, damaged, joined or unsuitable. I congratulate you on your success. Most people haven't a clue what to do with a diplexer but you obviously do. :-) (top)
Dish Bits I am restoring a 1.8 m. prime focus satellite dish. Do you have available to buy an lnb "bracket" (in this case better described as plate & collar) which MIGHT be suitable. The only necessity is that it is designed to accept only 3 pole supports. I accept that if you have, and I order, and it then does not do the job - that is my problem ! It would be a bonus if you also had adjustable support rods (3) with any type of attachment design. The present contracted length is 85. Many thanks, Alan Unfortunately, even if you told us the make and model of your dish, it's unlikely that we could help. The bits you need are part of the dish assembly and manufacturers seldom supply them separately. I suggest you make dimensioned drawings of what you need and get a local company to make them. This should be cheaper than a new 1.8m dish.
Analogue Manuals I have a large number of documents relating to analogue satellite receivers up to about 1998. User manuals and service manuals for old stuff like Maspro, Uniden, Manhattan, Echostar etc. Also the U-View service information set (two volumes that originally cost around £60 each). Some of the manuals are so old (Like Zeta) that they must be "collectors items" by now! Anyway, please look at the list. I'd prefer to sell these as a job lot (buyer collects). Individual manuals may be sold for £5 + postage (no VAT). (Some manuals will be more than £5). Update. Nobody ordered any so I trashed them all. (top)
Sky in America We have recently moved to the United States and brought our plasma, digi box, card and dish hoping we could watch bskyb over here if we set the satellite dish up in the right position. Is this possible we have been warned by sky that this would be illegal but they donit say it's not possible. We don't really want to watch American television and would love to be able to watch sky as seen in the United Kingdom. We have a PC and a DSL link if that's any help. philip That was rather sly of them. Unfortunately, since the satellites are permanently below your horizon, your dish will need to be positioned as high as possible. My maths isn't good but I reckon about 50 miles up might put you in with a chance. Also, since the satellites aren't beaming in your direction, the signal will be extremely weak. The dish, therefore, will need to be at least 100 metres in diameter. In fact it's NOT illegal (just a minor breach of contract) but it IS (for all practical purposes) quite impossible, even if you are on the East coast - the part that's going to be swamped by the tsunami when that big chunk falls off the Canary Isles. (top)
Freeview Reception Can you receive Freeview terrestrial (UK residents only) and what to do if you can't. We've set up a system that will email you details automatically. It works in conjunction with the excellent DTV web site but gives you far more information. Click here: http://www.satcure.co.uk/freeview.htm Freeview cards on Ebay Be very careful if you buy a card from Ebay. True FTV cards originally bought for £23.50 have the phone number 08700 500 744 on the back. Ask the seller what number is on his card. Many cards are old (or very old) Sky cards which have a different phone number. It is illegal to sell these as they are the property of Sky Subscription Services Ltd. (The same is printed on FTV cards but, as they were paid for originally, I doubt that BskyB would have any say in the matter). Even if the Sky card works as a FTV card for the moment, it could be switched off at any time. (top)
Thai TV If you have family members from the Far Eastern country of Thailand, your nearest and dearest will no doubt be missing the television output from their native country. Because of the curvature of the Earth, any broadcast satellites which serve Thailand will be below the eastern horizon here in Europe - so no chance at all of getting any pictures off those satellites. However, all is not lost. Transmitting off the Hotbird satellite constellation operating at 13 degrees east, there is one solitary digital TV channel available in Europe. The "Thai TV Global Network" service is one of more than 40 different languages available off the Hotbirds - and as a bonus it is transmitted Free To Air. This means you won't need to pay any subscriptions once you have installed your satellite equipment. Which has got to be good. In addition, Bangkok Radio 94FM is also transmitted fta off the same cluster of satellites, so your family can keep up with the news and music from one of the capital's radio stations. In July 2004, the frequency currently used by the Thai services is 12207MHz, Horizontal polarization. Transmission parameters are Symbol Rate 27500, FEC 3/4. Now it has to be said that sometimes the picture isn't the best one to be found on satellite transmissions. Sometimes there is distinct herringbone patterning on it, which makes me suspect that the satellite service is a re-broadcast of an analogue terrestrial transmission which occasionally suffers from co-channel interference! However, the picture is normally pretty good. Because of the time differences (Thailand is 7 hours in front of UTC) you can be watching tomorrow's Thai breakfast news when you are ready to go to bed :-) Due to the high powers used by the Hotbird satellites, you will only need a 70 - 80cm dish in the UK, and you can source a suitable dish and universal LNB combination from this page: http://www.satcure.com/accs/page2.htm If you already have a Sky Digital dish you might prefer to trash this, replace it with the larger dish aligned on Hotbird at 13'E, and add a second universal LNB on a bracket to pick up Sky Digital from 28.2'E. If you just want the Thai TV and radio services, then just about any cheap FTA digital receiver will be suitable. Prices have come right down in the last couple of years, basic receivers start from about £100 (plus postage and VAT). Have a look at this page for receivers: http://www.satcure.com/accs/page14.htm or maybe see if there are any bargains on the Satcure special offers page: http://www.satcure.com/accs/offers.htm Ross Lockley You can read the complete, illustrated article by Ross at: http://www.geocities.com/digitalsatuk/thaitv.html
Panasonic faults I'm seeing plenty of reports of Panasonic faults and I'm still not sure if this is a problem with the hot weather or with software. You might like to blast your Digibox with a household fan and let me know. (In case you didn't read the "tidbits", Panasonic production of Sky Digiboxes has ended!) (top)
Happy Customers Many thanks for the mail and the prompt delivery. For the second time out of two you have provided an exemplary service. Dropping back a news letter or two, Martin mentioned the new operating system software and mentioned any new features. I have noticed that there is now an option to have the second output switch to standard 4:3 if the primary output is set to widescreen. I guess you need the combination to notice or value the option! It switches the output, dependent on where it receives the remote signal input, so if you control via the remote eye rather than the box it switches from widescreen to 4:3 on both outputs and vice versa. Keep up the good work. Tim
Panafix2d A quick line to say thanks - the 'box of tricks' I bought from you got my Panasonic '30' digibox working to back the way it should be - no more error messages and flipping back and forth till the channel eventually came on. I've not soldered before so was more than a little concerned about it, but as your note suggested, I 'tinned' the ends of the wires and was amazed at how quickly they bonded to the contacts on the board. I fretted for a while before starting the job but literally finished it in about 30 seconds - I could hardly believe how easy it was. Once again - thanks! Derek.
Regarding Order number: 2845761 Guys, found you on the web after some searching. Bought myself a little TFT panel on the cheap with TV tuner, and digi sender thingy - but couldn't connect it - no scart on the TFT. NOT ONLY DID YOU GIVE ME THE KEENEST PRICE FOR THE CONVERTOR - YOU SENT IT THE SAME BL00DY DAY!! I GOT IT NEXT DAY AND LO AND BEHOLD - HAPPY TV DAYS IN THE KITCHEN. VERY IMPRESSED. VERY HAPPY. VERY MANY THANKS!! Steve (top) Note: Mediabullet has been moving servers but should be back on line soon. From Radio Bullet ( http://radio.mediabullet.co.uk ): From Sky Digi Online ( http://skydigital.mediabullet.co.uk ):
eBook Updates - The Freeview Bible 11/7/04
- The Lazy Man's Guide to making money
- (Added page 60. If you bought this eBook you HAVE to download this udate. Page 60 contains the ULTIMATE concept!)
- Read this page about updates.
The Cool Book Shop web site URL expired while I was on holiday. Apparently I had missed the renewal date. I made the payment and it was rejected. I could probably sort this out but, frankly, I can't be bothered and I think I'll just let it die. You'll find the book shop at http://www.your-book.co.uk/coolbooks instead. | 
