More channels FTA this morning

[Martin963]

@CBC

Glad it's improved things.  

To be honest to prevent rain fade completely you need a big big margin of comfort,  and unless you're after broadcast standards it's not worth it.   A lot of BBC analogue relays are spec'd to produce "perfect" pictures for 99% of the time,  which when you work it out means that in theory they can be "down" or substandard for 15 mins per day.   If it all happens at once (which in the case of an off air relay it often does,  during summer "lift" conditions),  over a week's period it could be down for a total of twelve hours and STILL be operating to spec if it's fine the rest of the year.   It's just not worth flinging more money at the problem unless millions of viewers are going to lose the signal,   which in the case of a relay won't be the case,   at most tens of thousands!!

I believe the Shetland relay is spec'd to 95% and I'm told that it often does produce sub standard pictures.

Much the same can be applied to satellite,   unless you need the pics for 100% of the time it's not worth the extra investment.    Anyway,   being personally interested in things technical it's boring if they work the whole time!!

80 cms should be fine for almost all but the worst clouds and rain.

With regard to the other debate about cable,   I've never used anything but bog standard sat cable and I've never had any problems,  even on 40 m runs.   I would be really sure to check that the dish is giving its all before relying on a cable upgrade to make the magical difference.   But as we've all advised here before,   connections en-route are very bad news and do need sorting out,   and if all else fails then of course it's worth making sure the cable is top quality and the advice you've already been given is excellent.

 . 

[Tim]

Thanks Ernie - I meant to say in my rather lengthy "lecture" that the tape should be stretched to be effective, so thanks for the clarification.

I have seen it at Maplins when in the UK but I wonder whether if anyone has seen it France? I've never had to look for the stuff myself as a couple of rolls I have in stock have lasted quite a long time, but the day will come when I will need to get some more. The Google translator suggests 'auto fusion' which seems to describe it quite well. Anybody have any better ideas?

 

Regards - Tim

[gosub]

"I have seen it at Maplins when in the UK but I wonder whether if

anyone has seen it France? I've never had to look for the stuff myself

as a couple of rolls I have in stock have lasted quite a long time, but

the day will come when I will need to get some more. The Google

translator suggests 'auto fusion' which seems to describe it quite well. Anybody have any better ideas?"

It does exist in France and it has several uses one is supposed to be a pipe repair tape, I have some around I will try to find out the name of the product.

 

[Martin963]

Why does my Aviatar (if it had a picture which it doesn't) now say "Top 200 posts".   I've only just noticed.

Oh - two minutes later - it doesn't anymore,  I'm back to the pill symbols.

[mogs]

That's great news, unfortunately we had an accident last week with our 2nd sky box, it got water damaged and isn't working.   I've been trying to bid for one on ebay for a week now but keep getting pipped at the post!

If anyone knows anyone who has a box they no longer need or want, please let me know.

[Gyn_Paul]

We lose our sat signal whenever a great big storm system hoves into view (<4 times a year), but since we almost always lose the electricity at the same time, it quickly becomes academic, and I certainly wouldn't bother upgrading the dish size.

I agree with Martin (surprise, surprise). I have a quad LNB at one end of the barn, the first feed goes to a receiver just the other side of the wall (about 4 m) whereas the fourth one goes to the far end of the living room (about 42 m). There is - for all practical purposes - no difference in the performance of either satbox. That's using single runs of the more expensive of the two sat cables offered by Brico Depot. Which is another way of saying bog-standard + 1.

p

[Mike1958]

I have rescanned using my digibox and have picked up E4, E4+1, More 4 and More 4+1 but no Channel 4. Does this channel sometimes show as something else?

[Martin963]

I haven't checked today but ch 4 FTA version goes under the charming title of 8350.

If it's a non sky box then just save the channels and choose 8350 when you want to watch ch 4;  if it's a Sky box with no valid card of any sort then do a scan on 10729 MHz and save the channel labelled 8350.

No need for this if you have a FTV card for a Sky box as you can go on using ch 104

[Baz]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]I don't think you can GET a TV with inbuilt Freesat (yet!).

If you've got the Sky box you may as well stick with that for the moment (assuming we can get it working properly!) as the launch of Freesat doesn't ultimately make any difference to the way a Sky box already functions.  

[/quote]

Panasonic have announced the launch of their new TV's with the Freesat HD and Freeview Incorporated from June. Great news, less boxes to clutter up stands. I suspect other manufacturers will flood the UK market in the next few months.

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/729692/index.html#anker_729692

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/711712/index.html#anker_711715

Baz

[Anton Redman]

Its called auto vulcanising. Normally in the plumbing section as a tape for stopping leaks. Always feel I should use it to stick points on my ears.

[Clair]

[quote user="Baz"]Panasonic have announced the launch of their new TV's with the Freesat HD and Freeview Incorporated from June. Great news, less boxes to clutter up stands. I suspect other manufacturers will flood the UK market in the next few months.

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/729692/index.html#anker_729692

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/711712/index.html#anker_711715[/quote]

Would these Panasonic TVs receive freesat in their French version? (They're sold as TNT-ready in France)

http://www.panasonic.fr/html/fr_FR/731252/index.html

[Martin963]

That link you give Clair suggests that the French one is just a terrestrial digital reveiver (the DVB-T,  not DVB-S).    France will have some HD on TNT multiplex R5 (on UHF) which at present is not operational.

I'm guessing for the rest of this,   but the UK is moving in the opposite direction to France when it comes to free to air TV.   Whilst Freesat is loosening Sky's grip on satellite TV,  Canalsat/+ have seized the opportunity to provide the only hexagon-wide digital distribution of the main channels via satellite,   but carefully bundled up in their own box and access card  (TNT par sat). (*)  I imagine the last thing they want to do at the moment is to commercialise an integrated TV-version of this.....

Which is a great pity as when analogue switch off occurs it will in theory only be possible to pick up the French main channels within the confines of France (you can't (easily) buy a TNT par sat box outside the hexagone).   Whereas the AB3 analogue SECAM main channels spill all over Europe at the moment,  but only until 2011.

Might not suit those oh-so-precious rights holders,   but it means that France's voice becomes ever weaker in the European TV market place,  whilst the Germans (sensibly) have said no to encryption on their main channels,  and the Italians etc also remain FTA.

(*) I should add there's also the BIS version on AB3 but you pay €4.99 pm for channels that are essentially already paid for by the licence fee or advertising.

[suein56]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]... ch 4 FTA version goes under the charming title of 8350.

If it's a non sky box then just save the channels and choose 8350 when you want to watch ch 4; [/quote]

Thank you Martin; you have made my OH very happy. He had spent ages trying to find FTA CH4 without success, but then earlier today I casually said to him that he needed to look for 8350 as per your earlier post - and he found CH4 immediately - he was delighted. [:)]

So many thanks.

Sue

[Martin963]

...  toujours a votre service Madame!

[Mike1958]

Likewise Martin, many thanks. I assume CH5 isnt available yet?

[Tim]

[quote user="Mike1958"]Likewise Martin, many thanks. I assume CH5 isnt available yet?[/quote]

 

No Martin at the moment, but I did write about the Channel 5 situation on page 3 of this thread - hope it makes things clearer.

regards - Tim

[Martin963]

Martin  now back from a party -  hic!

[Tim]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]Martin  now back from a party -  hic!
[/quote]

You're obviously having too good a time over here Martin - someone will be looking to ban it.

Tim

[Martin963]

 Oh someone is,  someone is.   Thanks to the new health rules I for one cannot move to France permanently!!  (pre-existing blood pressure).

Still, I can enjoy it for a few months of the year sans problemes...