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Thread: Your Satellite Tv Hobby -When & how did it start?

  1. #21
    V.I.P williamtell's Avatar
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    silent gold motor 36v still working here like a dream 17 years on

  2. #22
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    Another nostalgia trip!

    I was in Bristol in the late 80's when I sort of heard about sat TV and, I think, I knew of a few people with C-band systems of that era - and then I discovered What Sat and began to get more interested.

    Did not do anything more, except taking a What Sat subscription because I was quite interested until 1991 when I decided it was time to do something about it! Finally decided to "do it properly" and went to a Turkish-run sat shop in N.London and - having previously decided what I probably wanted - bought their demo NEC 5000 receiver/3000 80cm steerable dish that was set up and working (dish was on a ground-mount outside the front door!), so I knew that if I got the pole vertical then I had a fighting chance of the whole thing working!

    Took it home and installed it, with a Lo***t of trouble on the flat top of the bedroom bay roof at the front of the house (18 ft from the ground!) and with the cables running through a "Hampton Court" maze of roof and ceiling sections to the ground floor at the rear of the building - and finally got it all working! IIRC, worked from about 30W to 30E or thereabouts.

    Then added a 2nd LNB (not al ALL easy with the very unique LNB on the NEC dish!) and some sort of Sky Analogue decoder, + card, and that worked too.

    A few years later moved the dish to the rear part of the back garden, but this time on a 10 ft high scaffold pole anchored in concrete - got that aligned and working and finally got signals from about 53E to 40-odd West! It's still there, but I wonder if it still works as it is about 15-18 yrs since I actually used it, but latterly with a Technomate TM-3600DAPCI which also had 36V steerable dish capability (still in the cupboard - but can't be bothered to get that working again)?

    In the meantime I had set up a Raven Gemini 90 on a ground mount elsewhere in the rear garden - and put 4 LNB's on that for about 28E to 13E. Then moved that to the far end of the garden, along with a 60cm twin LNB dish for Sky (went digital as soon as that came out!).

    Also, in the early days, played around with various D2MAC decoders (Filmnet, Churchill, etc.) and cards (still have a Phoenix USB programmer, which might still be useable), and collected a number of dishes from various places (local recycling site got me several including a Silent Gold 99 and 1m dish, and the 90cm that was on my neighbour's front wall) for little or no money for the time when I could get around to installing/using them, i.e. when I retired, which has now happened!

    Now, finally, I'm now getting around to doing something with all those old dishes by setting up the Gemini again (separate thread) and mounting 2 of the 90cms dishes on further poles/fence posts at the back of the garden - and then, hopefully, replacing the NEC 3000 dish with the Silent Gold 99/1m dish. Rx will initially be an Icecrypt 3250, with a Superjack V-box (a firesale buy from ***-******* for less than £20 about 10yrs ago!) to drive the 24V NEC dish via the Diseqc from the Icecrypt, but when (if?)I get the whole system working then may get a Linux-based RX, and all that can go with that!

    OTOH, things are a bit delayed because I am now in the process of replacing a number of raised planting beds which are immediately below the dishes, ready for the Spring planting (I really need some decent tomatoes and veg this Summer!).

    Saga "complete" - for the moment!
    Last edited by jallen01; 24-02-2016 at 10:33 PM.

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  4. #23
    Senior Member McrRed's Avatar
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    Love this thread!

    I found a diagram for Marcus Kuhn's season interface and went to ******s to get the bits. Bit soldering and a dish out of Loot and a big long r232 wire to the pc and we had sky tv. It was magical.
    Later all that went to pieces with rip off merchants stepping in and him getting p****ed off but someone mentioned d2mac and I discovered the joys of multisat via a couple of 18" actuators and a dodgy d2mac box i've still got in the shed.
    When it all shifted from analogue I couldn't keep up so I had a break for 10 years or so while we were on cable but when tat got too expensive I came back to find the world had moved on to enigma receivers - but everything was still the same!

    I know IPTv is taking over but there's something wonderful about getting your pictures from outer space

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  6. #24
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    My first system was a Skyscan K1 with 36 mhz bandwidth on video, not the more common 27 mhz.
    It used a 1.2m offset dish bought from a co in Cambridge and self installed.This was 6 months before the Astra sat at 19 deg was launched.
    In those days Premier was scrambled on 27.5 deg as was Filmnet on 13 deg.
    The early days were more fun for me.Then came the D mac that Maggie said the UK wanted and d2mac for the rest of europe.
    Fantastic memories of changing dishes and over the years making feeds for depolorisers to get the best possible signal for the Scandinavian channels
    Endless hours of fun.

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  8. #25
    Verified Registered User rockero's Avatar
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    I love this section
    I started a lot later than most of you folks I guess
    was in 2000...knew I was moving to spain in 2001 so decided to check stuff out thinking we would no longer get uk tv
    bought 2nd hand 1.2 metre motorised dish and nokia ACU 8152 positioner for 80 quid
    since we came here ive had various different boxes and cams and programmers
    think my favourite was a triple dragon but that's no longer in use now...tried a new fuse in it but its still dead
    using a technomate 5402 mark 2 now
    also just got a hightechbox from goldwafers a couple of weeks ago so playing with that
    ive had this dish set up in 4 different homes now and its still going strong
    cheers to all
    rockero
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  10. #26
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    well I first started with a film net decoder and then went on to a pase satellite resever with various cams and cards and a imeter dish then I went to go on to the echostar satellite resevers and to a 1.2 meter dish with more cams and cards and finaly reading what satellite mag what a great mag I saw an advertisement on the back page sct montray and a 1.2 meter gegorian dish well I had to have one 8 card reader dmac etc like the echostar it was soposto be the best satellite resever going at the time I think it was the nower days I moved on to vu satellite resevers haven't the times changed from the good old days kind regards jag 123

  11. #27
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    I'm just an ignorant nube. I mostly just used old sky boxes for the free channels. No trick to that one.

    I did use a second hand pinnacle pctv sat card so I could record to my hard drive. It fell by the wayside as I upgraded my PC.

    Three days ago I got a new but cut price Icecrypyt 3250 combo tuner with USB PVR.

    The autosetup doesn't work. The blind scan channel list is a nightmare of duplicates and other language channels.

    The EPG is pretty naff. It has seven days but mostly unpopulated. Even the now and next is flaky. Makes recording moot if you can't shedule in advance. I like the time shift though and HD is nice on my HD screen.

    I just plugged it into my sky dish and it gets astra 2 astra 19 and a Eurobird channel. Astra 19 seems best for EPG info though still naff.

    I noticed that it supports USB backups and updates straight from the box. So that's good I guess.

    I've ordered a ralink RT5370N chipset WiFi dongle for a few quid from China. Be a month before I get that I expect.

    I 've read the stickies and the threads that come up in a 3250 search.

    The patched firmware supplied by coldasice was the thing that led me to this site from an interweb search.

    Think I should be able to install it straight from USB as is but need to read more 'cause I don't want to brick my new toy.

    Not sure what the benefit is with my simple sky dish but assume more previously encrypted channels and the EPG can't get any worse. Any improvement there would be a real boon.

    Anyway getting off topic. In short I'm really just starting. The terminology is a bit overwhelming for now. I guess I 'll have to do a USB update and see what happens. Take it from there.

  12. #28
    Security Admin echelon's Avatar
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    if its a fixed sly dish with single or quad lnb it will only get 28.2 east sly and freesat channels , nothing from 19e (astra 1) , not unless you had offset lnb,s on a rack or a motorised system , or youswung the sly dish away from 28e to 19e

    most boxes will only give you now and next on 28e as the sly and freesat epg systems are bespoke, so now and next is the "norm"

  13. #29
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    i had a skyscan receiver and a 1.2m dish this picked up premier north of Manchester i think i remember it was the childrens channel until 3 pm and premier started then and screensport was on the same satellite

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    It's a twin or a quad. I forget, but I have two cables from it. It might be off kilter, I put it up. It gets astra 19.2e /12207 /v/27500. It's on now. Either I don't understand or I got lucky with the misalignment.

    The others are astra2a 28.2e and Eurobird 1 28.5e.

    My techie mate says they are all close and a blind scan will always find them all, whichever you try to scan. I don't really understand but he's usually right.

  15. #31
    Security Admin echelon's Avatar
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    you will only get one , depending where you aim the dish, normally its 28 east that you will get which will be the two you mentioned , astra2a 28.2e and Eurobird 1 28.5e

    if its aimed at 19 east you wont get any from 28 east , or vice versa

    you wont get more than one no matter what you scan for , definitely not 2 or 3 different positions , not without an lnb rack and multiple lnb,s

    see the dish forum and lnb forum here for further info on dishes and lnbs

    a sly dish is pointed at 28 east in order to pickup both astra2a 28.2e and Eurobird 1 28.5e in the one hit

    Quote Originally Posted by anthoney View Post
    it gets astra 19.2e /12207 /v/27500. It's on now. Either I don't understand
    there is no 12207 V 27500 on astra 19e , its on 28 east (sky news etc)

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    As I said I'm ignorant and just reading what is on the screen. That's what it says. As you guys know your stuff I assume the box is misreporting. Is there any possibility that astra has added 19 to the other satellite recently?

    That's prolly a stupid question but asking is part of learning.

  17. #33
    Security Admin echelon's Avatar
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    no , your box can tune into various satellites , providing the dish is pointed correctly

    each satellite position has its own transponders , sometimes they are duplicated in the different locations

    any error is with whoever set the box up (or the dish alignment) , in other words , its user error

    to check what satellite you are seeing , check the channel details for what you are watching

    if its in french or german or similar it could be 19e , but for the most part if its english its on 28 east

    you never said what the channel was that you were watching so impossible to say

  18. #34
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    It was around 1984 and I was driving past an electrical shop in North Wembley when I saw a black and white flickering picture from a TV. Turned out to be a Russian satellite transmission and I was hooked. I started with an Echostar 5500 with a Filmnet decoder with which we could see football games albeit looking as if they were playing in a blizzard. I graduated to an Echostar 7700 and the on to digital with various boxes. People at work used to take the Mick asking if I'd watched any good Bulgarian game shows! I guess that it all grew from my love of radio DXing, the satellite hobby is the modern equivalent.

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  20. #35
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    English so box set up error I presume.

    The update by USB has several modes but I think I'll take my questions to coldasice's firmware thread ad I feel I am ******ing this one.

    Thank you for your help.

  21. #36
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    I started watching satellite in 1990. Where I worked the dish and Amstrad srd400 had just dropped in price to £200. So I got one, set the 60cm mesh dish up on a wooden post so I could move it from satellite to satellite. The engineer at my works then fixed a small kit so I could get 6.50 MHz sound controlled through the TV/SAT button. I received quite a few satellites of varying quality. Later on in 1992 I got a 1 metre motorised dish and this was controlled by a pace positioner. I was now using a Nokia D2Mac receiver and seperate decoder for ****. I had this for a number of years. When I left my parents in 1998 I left the hobby, but returned in 2004 with motorised digital system. All great fun receiving TV and Feeds. Euronet radio amongst others and being a TESUG member. I remember using a computer when returning to the hobby to uses keys to get football. How things changed. Great fun.

  22. #37
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    For me it started in 2002, when Eurosport lost the contract to show Champ Cars. I learnt ABMoteurs (then FTA) were carrying it so got an installer to swap out my minidish for a 60cm dish with Astra 1 LNB on a separate bracket. Until 2004 I was using an A/B switch and the dodgybox to get channels from 19.2E but I got a Skystar 2 second hand from that well known a*uction site for £33 second hand (bargain at the time). The same year I added Hotbird to my setup. Didn't go motorised until 2009 but been amazed at what you can get. Its not as much fun as it was even in the early 2000s maybe but, hands down, its still a fun hobby and beats Murdoch anytime!

  23. #38
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    I have just come across this thread and really enjoyed a trip down nostalgia lane .
    I am not a techie but I have always be inquisitive in communication equipment .
    I guess it all started in my teens , in the 50's , I was given an old radio ( wireless ! ) which had good SW bands ,I rigged up an aerial from my bedroom and I remember picking up broadcasts clearly in N.Ireland from places as far apart as Canada and Ceylon.
    Jump forward to the 60's living in Kent , BBC2 had just started , we moved to ***bria ,no BBC2 there , but I got a signal booster and picked up a strong signal from N.Wales with a large aerial , in good weather .
    Then in the early 90's with a friend we set up a dish and had a box and we had to put codes into a variety of chips which we had to update nearly every day to get a good selection of channels , I think on 13E .
    I retired in 1995 and treated myself to a motorised system . I really enjoyed tracking down news feeds , seeing how they were edited before transmission . One time I picked up a reporter in Scotland ,at the time of Dunblane , who before going on air he talked to his studio link about how he had phoned his wife to make sure his kids were OK !
    When analogue became digital it was more difficult to keep up with new challenges , I have had Technomates , Spiderboxes and currently HiTech HD9000 , and changed my motorised system three times .
    I have to say the information , and help , that you can find on-line , especially here , is what keeps me enjoying this hobby/pastime .

  24. #39
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    Nice reading :-)

    I staretd back in 1989-90 and have been using sat since then
    The first box was an Protek if i remember right, 1.5 cm dish and sharp lnb i think
    i was mostly hntin new satellites from 45 w to 42 e and was amazed to what i did find, all the sat hunting i did manualy and remember that i was mostly outside near the dish then inside
    later and since then i have had much fun with satellite equipments and still enjoy it to this day, even that in old days was more fun, with key hunting, card writing , moscing etc

    Nowdays this are easy and borring :-)

  25. #40
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    My first set up was 1989 and I still have my 1.8 Channel Master going. Of course I have changed actuators a few times in the meantime. Have had several receivers, at least 15 of them. Now I am running a vu solo and vu solo se but am more concentrating on android boxes during these last 3 years. Sat viewing is still superior but good boxes are improving but still need some more time to catch up.

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