| Wishing you all a belated Happy New Year. I've been busy throughout Christmas and January but I've forced myself to make time to write you this update! Sky Digibox for non-Sky I am not a Sky subscriber and have no interest in receiving Sky broadcasts, however I occasionally use a digibox to access non Skybroadcasts from 13 and 19 deg East. But the latest Sky digital software does not allow access to "other channels", selected and stored in my digibox's 50 channel memory. As soon as "other channels" are selected, the machine prompts for viewing card to be inserted. (Previous software versions on older digiboxes continue to work fine, so I assume that Sky has deliberately introduced this prohibit for a reason). I already have a cheap free to air receiver, but the fact is there are a many impoverished foreign students in Brighton (not me), to whom £80 or so isn't cheap. For them a £25 used digibox is a good way of receiving broadcasts from their homeland. Anyway, I solved the problem via the digibox set up menu, going fully through the "New Installation" procedure with a dish aimed at 28deg East, but with no viewing card inserted. Doing this has enabled two machines loaded with the latest software to access "other channels" from other satellites in the normal way. I thought that this experience might help someone else with a similar problem. Lawrence P. SmartEye SatCure is now distributing the BlueDelta range of products. The first is the new "SmartEye and "SmartBlaster". The SmartEye works exactly like an ordinary tvLINK type remote extender and lets you control a Sky Digibox from a remote location. However, it has several advantages over the older designs. The "eye" is smaller, the transmission frequency is accurately controlled and the signal is stronger. If you present "eye" is unreliable, try this one. In addition, when "SmartEye" is used with "SmartBlaster", you can control ALL of the equipment* in the room. The "SmartBlaster" floods the room with a high intensity infra-red signal whenever you aim your remote control at the "SmartEye". Please note that the "SmartBlaster" is designed to work with the "SmartEye". It will often work with other remote extender eyes (about 50% of the time) but we can't guarantee it because the output can vary from batch to batch. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page3.htm#smarteye *Not IRDE cable boxes SmartScartPlus The BlueDelta SmartScartPlus works much better than the older SmartScart. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page4.htm#smartscart Milestone System For the discerning customer with plenty of money, this new system lets you send composite video and stereo audio down CAT5E (Ethernet four-twisted-pair) cable which is a fraction thinner than CT100 coaxial cable and much more flexible. Composite video is what we are calling "Scart quality". It's not RGB but it's a lot better than the modulated RF signal. The CAT5E cable will carry the signal up to a mile! This is definitely for you if you live in a large house or want to set up a system for an exhibition or hall. Milestone also lets you connect a "MileEye" and "MileBlaster" so that you can control ALL your equipment* from the remote room(s). *Not IRDE cable boxes Note that Milestone lets you select the output from ONE piece of equipment and can send it to up to EIGHT remote locations at the same time. (It does not multiplex the signals and transmit more than one programme at a time). http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page4.htm#milestone There's also an S-Video adaptor available for those displays that don't have a Scart input. Pace Javelin Minibox We have just SIX of these in stock right now. This Sky Digibox is much sought after by owners of caravans and motorhomes because it's tiny and runs off a 12 volt supply. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page9.htm Latin American Channels OLISAT has started the transmission of its bouquet of six channels to satisfy the needs of the Latin American communities scattered throughout Europe, Noth Africa and Middle Est, allowing viewers to see their favourite programs broadcast from the most popular television stations from their country of origin. South American Governments and their television stations, both national and private, have a particular interest in reaching their emigrants in Europe, North Africa and Middle Est, in order to inform them of what is happening in their countries. OLISAT has, therefore, decided to group the best South American television stations into a Bouquet of stations and begin transmission on HOT BIRD. The authorized channels are the following: - TV Chile Television National de Chile ( Chile )
- TV Colombia ( Colombia )
- Venevision Continental (Venezuela)
- Red Panamericana ( Peru )
- Telefé ( Argentina )
- Ecuavisa ( Ecuador )
Viewing cards should be available some time in February. Watch this space. (top) Portable dish Those of you who like to travel might be interested in a new offering from Maxview. This 54cm dish comes with its own tripod stand and the whole lot folds up (including the LNB arm) to take up as little space as possible. For those with more money and further to travel, there's the 80 x 66cm Semitronic dish that mounts on the roof of a motorhome or caravan and provides usable Astra2D signals as far away as the south of France. http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page17.htm#omnisat
Happy Customers
Regarding Customer receipt (Keep-me): 68743 My order SA30809051451 was intact and on time. I recieved your eMail to check everything was OK and could not believe your after sales service. Thank you for caring. S C Clarke
This is not a complaint, but a THANK YOU! I was looking everywhere for the procedure that forced my box to look for the new software upgrade. Thanks to your website, I found it, and for FREE!! (<-- My favourite price) I have now bookmarked your page and will come here first for any other technical detail I need and will recommend you to others. Thanks, Dave
Regarding Customer receipt (Keep-me): 295844au Parts received in great time, many thanks. Thanks for all your assistance. David
Dear Martin, Thank you very much indeed for the "Installing a Sky Minidish" Video DVD which I got this morning - what a service! Anyhow, I have watched the DVD and just a couple of points if you don't mind please. <snipped lengthy description about house location and proximity of buildings> So I thought that if I put it high up on the gable-end it would stand a better chance of getting a picture, than down low on the front. What do you advise? I think the movie covered this by giving the tree as an example. If you can look at an angle of twenty degrees above the horizontal, from the dish position, and see clear sky then the dish will be able to see the satellite. This might help: http://www.satcure.co.uk/movies/dish.mov Finally, you said that I should be able to go to a website to get the bearings of Plymouth with the satellites, what one is it. See http://www.multimap.com Type in your postcode and look underneath the map at MAP INFORMATION. You'll see your Latitude and Longitude displayed there. Make a note of them. http://www.smw.se has a PC programme "SMWLink" that calculates dish elevation etc. for your location. This is a handy site: http://www.flysat.com/satlist.php (top) From Sky Digi Online ( http://www.media247.co.uk ): (top)
eBook Updates None this month - All eBooks have been moved to a more reliable secure server which requires a username and password. If you can't access it, please contact Me with your original Order number and ask for the new download information, stating exactly which eBook(s) you purchased and the EBK number(s).
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"Installing a Sky Minidish" tutorial on DVD. Click 
