My Humax Forum » Freesat HD » HDR 1000, 1010, 1100S

Transitioning from a Freeview to a FreeSat set-up

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    countryman

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    As will become apparent I know absolutely nothing about satellite reception. I may be moving to a period property that does not have a TV aerial but it does have a Sky dish. At the current house we have several Freeview devices (including my wife's favourite TiVo).

    So… will the latest Humax FreeSat products work with a Sky dish or do I need to buy extra kit and/or re-align the dish?

    Even if that does work, how do I feed all the other devices ? Or do I chuck them away ? Currently, the misses tunes to the TiVo input and watches whatever she is interested in and/or records stuff. I am guessing that if she wants her own machine (she does!) then we'll need a second FreeSat box?

    If so, does one daisy-chain the feed from the ssh?

    As I said, I really am struggling when it comes to understanding how satellite stuff works.

    TIA

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 17:06:50 #1 |
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    Pollensa1946

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    Why not just get an aerial installed? Might be less expensive.
    Freesat boxes will work with Sky dishes, although you might require minor re-alignment to the transponder that transmits the Freesat EPG. No, you cannot daisy-chain satellite feeds. You need a feed from the dish for each box, twin feed for a recorder if you are to fully utilise the capability. This might require you to install a new LNB on the dish for multiple feeds. If the existing LNB is a twin feed it will service only one recorder or two non-recorder boxes.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 17:34:38 #2 |
  3. grahamlthompson

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    Pollensa1946 - 21 minutes ago  » 
    Why not just get an aerial installed? Might be less expensive.
    Freesat boxes will work with Sky dishes, although you might require minor re-alignment to the transponder that transmits the Freesat EPG. No, you cannot daisy-chain satellite feeds. You need a feed from the dish for each box, twin feed for a recorder if you are to fully utilise the capability. This might require you to install a new LNB on the dish for multiple feeds. If the existing LNB is a twin feed it will service only one recorder or two non-recorder boxes.

    If the previous user had Sky+ it is virtually certain to have 4 or 8 outputs as there are no twin output lnb's for Sky dishes. No re-alignment will be required as the Freesat home transponder is now on a Astra 28.2E UK spot beam, and in any case this satellite has sky channels on it anyway. Basically the OP should be able to connect the two coax cables to a 1100S or similar and it should just work. If only a single cable it will still work using both tuners though this will of course reduce the choice of 2nd and 3rd channels usable (a little less than 50% of second channels will work while recording one).

    To the OP look carefully at the little box on the end of the arm on the dish (technically the lnb), how many cables come out of it. If 4 the likelyhood is that you have two pairs of cables (one pair may be in the main bedroom). If 4 you can run twi totally independent freesat+ boxes or any generic free to air satellite boxes.

    Satellite wall outlets will normally have screwed type connections (f connections).

    What does any wallplate in the lounge look like ? If you can post a photo it will help. You may be able to watch the main box in the bedroom without additional cabling.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 18:03:00 #3 |
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    Pollensa1946

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    grahamlthompson - 1 hour ago  » ...
    If the previous user had Sky+ it is virtually certain to have 4 or 8 outputs as there are no twin output lnb's for Sky dishes....

    That's strange cos 90% of the dishes I see around my neighbourhood have a twin LNB. Must be cos they were installed some years ago

    grahamlthompson - 1 hour ago  » ...If only a single cable it will still work using both tuners though this will of course reduce the choice of 2nd and 3rd channels usable (a little less than 50% of second channels will work while recording one)...

    Yes, as I said, to have full capability you need two feeds to a recorder.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 19:57:31 #4 |
  5. grahamlthompson

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    Pollensa1946 - 15 minutes ago  » 

    grahamlthompson - 1 hour ago  » ...
    If the previous user had Sky+ it is virtually certain to have 4 or 8 outputs as there are no twin output lnb's for Sky dishes....

    That's strange cos 90% of the dishes I see around my neighbourhood have a twin LNB. Must be cos they were installed some years ago

    grahamlthompson - 1 hour ago  » ...If only a single cable it will still work using both tuners though this will of course reduce the choice of 2nd and 3rd channels usable (a little less than 50% of second channels will work while recording one)...

    Yes, as I said, to have full capability you need two feeds to a recorder.

    They might have only two outputs wired, twin output lnb's for sky dishes have not been available for a very long time (probably 10 yrs+). They certainly were not available in 2008. The cost of a quad compared to a twin was minute and they were dropped as being uneconomic. Try and find one

    Interested to see a photo of more than one

    Basically a Sky dish with a twin lnb is likely to be as rare as hens teeth.

    Basically most likely restricted to MK1 dishes and will not fit MK2 and higher dishes without a bodge and impossible to source anyway.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 20:18:26 #5 |
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    Pollensa1946

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    grahamlthompson - 4 minutes ago  » ...twin output lnb's for sky dishes have not been available for a very long time (probably 10 yrs+). They certainly were not available in 2008. The cost of a quad compared to a twin was minute and they were dropped as being uneconomic. Try and find one

    I'm looking at one right now on my neighbours dish

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 20:24:29 #6 |
  7. grahamlthompson

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    Pollensa1946 - 3 minutes ago  » 

    grahamlthompson - 4 minutes ago  » ...twin output lnb's for sky dishes have not been available for a very long time (probably 10 yrs+). They certainly were not available in 2008. The cost of a quad compared to a twin was minute and they were dropped as being uneconomic. Try and find one

    I'm looking at one right now on my neighbours dish

    Show me a photo. What shape is the dish ? Is it wider than high (Sky Dish) or or slightly higher than wide ? The latter look circular from the offset lnb viewpoint and you can get twin lnbs. All the dishes ever fitted by Sky are elliptical in the horizontal plane and require a non circular feedhorn shape.

    Give me a link to a Sky dish lnb with only two outputs.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 20:28:43 #7 |
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    Pollensa1946

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    Graham... The certainty with which you advance your ideas is quite impressive, if a little worrying at times. I guess the existence of these lnb's is either a testimony to their superb quality and longevity, or, perish the thought, you might be wrong. I'll settle for the former. Cheers.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 20:36:59 #8 |
  9. grahamlthompson

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    Pollensa1946 - 17 minutes ago  » 
    Graham... The certainty with which you advance your ideas is quite impressive, if a little worrying at times. I guess the existence of these lnb's is either a testimony to their superb quality and longevity, or, perish the thought, you might be wrong. I'll settle for the former. Cheers.

    Basically it's a demonstration of the fact that you quoted a supposed fact that 90% of the Sky dishes around you have twin lnb's. Basically you are not prepared to offer any sort of evidence as to this so called fact. I have not seen a twin Sky twin lnb for years.

    Frankly I do not believe you. Around here the the percentage is zero, how do you explain that, other than you are basically trying to justify your your inaccurate post by failing to acknowledge you are simply not prepared to accept your post was inaccurate on at least two key points.

    One of which I note you failed to even comment on (Why would you need to re-align a dish to receive a satellite that no longer transmits the freesat epg ?).

    If you post misleading information, why do you think it's acceptable to not provide some sort of evidence as to it's accuracy.

    Even Satcure no longer lists twin Sky Dish lnb's in it's list of obsolete lnb's.

    http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/LNBpics.htm

    I guess the last one used was the single band analogue service from 19.2E.

    | Wed 24 Aug 2016 21:12:21 #9 |
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    countryman

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    Many thanks, chaps, for the replies. It's given me enough information to start researching.

    | Mon 29 Aug 2016 7:21:04 #10 |

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