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Problems with Cahors sat box


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Our local retailer has just installed for us a Cahors box which we were told would record English channels. We can only see the programme that is on and the one following it – so no 7 day TV guide as specified in the manual. Our retailer told us it was the fault of the satellite provider that we could not get the 7 day guide

Previously we had a Sky box but were paying £45 per month for not a lot of features, although we could record on it. The main reason for getting this one was to set up recordings as we did on the Sky box.

I would be grateful for any comments.

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As far as I am aware the only satellites that broadcast UK TV programmes are the two Astra ones. Our house in 31 now has a 1.2m x 1.3m dish and at certain times of the year some channels are lost, such as ITV for our UK region it can be found by selecting another region.

The dish feeds two Humax boxes. However, catchup is not available as it is done over the Internet and unless you have a VPN in the UK it will not work.
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Thank you for your replies. Yes we are in the South of France and we do have a large dish, but we had no problems with our Sky box before - apart from the usual loss of connection which I understand everyone had. I'm wondering if he hasn't set it up right bit it it good to get feedback from the forum before I go back to him.
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My French friend (lived in the UK for many years and preferred UK TV) had a similar problem with a French satellite installation company when she returned to live in France.

They had no knowledge of a UK satellite situation and suggested a similar set up to the one you have.

I suggested she buy a Humax box from the UK and gave her accurate info as to where the sat dish should be pointed .. plus the need for a dual feed lnb and appropriate cabling to support viewing one channel and recording another.

Her guy showed his limited knowledge by the nature of his devis including the fact that he had not heard of a dual feed lnb .. so he need informing.

Eventual result one happy friend and one local trader who has more knowledge than he had before.
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You have had a generic satellite box installed. These only as you have found out do a now and next EPG

If you want UK freesat with a 7 day EPG and recording facility, you will need like others have said a box from the UK. There may be some available second hand in France.

Humax are the current recommended ones, but they are stopping, and a new company (formerly Pace) will be entering the market, but not for a few months.

If you LNB (the thing on the end of the dish arm) has 2 connections you can watch one channel and record another (sometimes a third!).

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But Crabtree catchup is achieved via the Internet not via the satellite. No Internet connection no 7day EPG. As I previously posted, if it is detected that the connection is from a non UK Internet provider then it will not work. One way round it was to have a VPN that was UK based but I understand that these are being 'sussed out'.

As for LNBs they are available with:

Single connection

Two connections

Four connections

Eight connections.

I currently run an LNB with four connections. We have two 'lounges' and both of these have two connections so that one channel can be viewed and another recorded or two channels can be recorded at the same time.
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It's largely been covered,  but the 7 day guide for British TV is a proprietary system - one version is managed by Sky and the other by "freesat" (*),   and if you don't have a Sky box or a "freesat" box then it doesn't appear,  and you just see the now and next information,  which is common to the whole satellite system used in Europe and displays in the absence of anything better.    So a Cahors box won't recognise the British 7 day EPG - it may well do something more comprehensive on French TV of course.

There are some "grey market" boxes - such as the Octagon 4008 or 8008 - which have "modified" software which gets into the "freesat" EPG and displays the whole week,   but the only official way to use it fully is via a Sky box or a "freesat" box.

(*) - "freesat" and its associated boxes should not be confused with generic free-to-air boxes.

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