All posts by Les Nicol
Below are all of Les Nicol's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Vic - Yes that is OK. Your LNB that's the item on the end of the dish boom arm will all most certainly be a quad (4port) output type with 2 of the ports being currently used for your SKY plus receiver leaving two ports unused. This will allow connection of one additional twin tuner recordable receiver or two single tuner receivers. In the unlikely event of you having a twin LNB at the moment then you would have to upgrade this item.
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Mazbar - K.B. Aerials Sheffield. - seems in some cases there's no ryme nor reason for some planning decisions. I recently installed a motorised dish to the rear of a row of double storey cottages in a conservation village. - 80cm Orbital dish on 4metre stand. - I complied with planning requirements that the installation should not be seen above the roof line viewed from the front of the property and adjoining properties either side. (there's a rise of some thirty feet from the rear door of the property to the installation.) - Looking along from the front of the property again the whole street both sides was festooned with aerials and dishes of all shapes and sizes some to chimney stacks and others bolted to external walls - nothing uniform and a number of very recent installations.. So much for conservation and crazy decision making that applies.
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Mike - I doubt that either of these receivers will have a recording capability. It's a matter of personal choice here on the two receivers offered. Personally I would accept the installation and the latter of the two receivers. This would get your initial installation in to your home and then you could think about perhaps an SD receiver for the bedroom and perhaps upgrading the lounge receiver later to something more of your choosing and moving the metronic to the other bedroom. Some wiring upgrading and perhaps a switch of the LNB on the dish but that wouldn't be overlay expensive to do.
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Mike - You could ask the installation fitter to put in a 4 port Quad LNB at the outset. This would avoid any further outlay at a later stage where you simply have to have cable runs made to the bedrooms.
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Ian - The nearest you will get to what you are after is likely to be the Echostar "Freesat" recorder but this doesn't have an on board RF modulator. alternatively you will need to look much wider at Free to Air - FTA receivers eg: AZ Box - Dreambox - VU receivers etc rather than "Freesat" branded boxes.
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Ian - In general Linux based receivers are much more adaptable in your stipulated requirements than others.
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Kev - I think you will have to check this out locally as reception around Torrevieja seems to vary dependent on your exact locus - your dish size - and your receiver and whether your satellite signal is being beamed from Astra 2A or 2D. 2D transmissions are primarily focused on the UK and in general a larger dish is required in Spain.
There are ex pat riggers working in your area and they may be able to offer you a more accurate assessment of what's required.
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Ken - It's possible the dish isn't sited in the best position. A dish can be sited at ground level - Sky fitters in particular seem to have a preference to establish dishes at a point well out of the reach of subscribers !
I have a motorised dish on a ground stand and there are several large trees anywhere between 300 to 1200 yards from where the dish is set up and at the 300 yard point the main A75 trunk Euro Route from Ireland to Europe - the constant HGV traffic using it not to mention buildings.
My dish is configured correctly by myself and I have no difficulty in reception in the complete range of receivable satellites from from around 40+ plus degrees East to 40+degrees West. - accepting that my dish is 88cms in size,
In fairness to SKY fitters they are not given the extra time to achieve the best possible location where there are site issues
Finally a personal and more critical appraisal- some receivers aside - the hardware used is the cheapest of the cheap.
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Jon Shannow - You may be able to compare direction with other dishes nearby- not the most accurate method of checking. Really the only way to get some accuracy is by connecting a receiver to the dish and seeing what reception your getting or by having a local rigger who would be able to assess this visually or by connecting a Pro-Meter to the input cabling to your property.
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Sunday 3 July 2011 3:10PM
Michael - The E.U. Solicitor General earlier offered legal opinion on this matter presenting her views to th E.U.Judges to give a final ruling on. I believe this is likely to be decided at the latest by November this year. It was the opinion of the Solicitor General that there should be no restrictions throughout Member States. The case as presented by the Southampton Publican in choosing to seek to take and pay for access to an alternative satellite TV service from another EU provider other than SKY was in her view a legitimate one.
Apparently in the past the E.U. Judges have sought to ratify on such recommendations. However like other examples in the E.U. decision making process, it seems that it doesn't take much for less apparent financial incentives to influence decision making and perhaps "News International" will provide a sweetner that will be difficult for even the most principled of the legal fraternity to refuse !!!