Getting there but a bit of guidance please?

[synonym]

Ok, I'm now 3 days into the black art of sat TV with long hours of research and learning (thanks S'Help) and I'm already having a lot of fun!

The household, having decided on what it wants to watch, requires a motorized 90cm dish - no surprise there then! With that almost sorted I'm presently wading through the quagmire of choosing a receiver and making up my mind on the functionality it should have. On to my questions:

On the dish motor and the Moteck DiSEqC option - there are some pretty strong views on the physical strength and stability in high winds. Some are very pro, others cite problems (possibly outdated based on equipment of yesteryear?). The dish will be on the upstairs gable end of the house - quite exposed so I'd like to make sure the setup is strong enough; I only like to spend once, but not at any cost! Going with a Moteck DiSEqC setup is neat and comparatively cheap. Can I have any first hand experiences of this please?

On the receiver - do I need or even want HiDef? I know it pushes up the price but if HD is becoming more available it would be nice to have, subscribed or otherwise. Are the HDMI output receivers well supported? If so, is one generally recommended above others? How are HD signals identified?

Many more questions to come , I'm sure!! Thanks so far for all your help.

[BGonaSTICK]

Motecks should be fine for 90cm. If it's very windy, maybe an 80cm dish will give you a little more peace of mind. You only need to go larger on the dish if you want some of the more obscure satellites. The alternative of 36V equipment is relatively messy and expensive, though not excessively so.

You can buy two Motecks for the price of a good polar mount and jack, and three or four for the price of a decent 36V H-H motor.

Gable-end installations are tricky, as it's all to easy to have the wind rip the top half-dozen courses of bricks off the top - there's nothing really supporting them from behind or the sides. I've seen this happen first-hand.

Two pairs of T&K brackets and a longer mast will help spread the load.

I'd buy a cheap non-HD receiver for now and trade up in a year or two when there is enough HD material/channels available to make it worth while. There is currently little choice, and it's overpriced.

I think you have to be really into the hobby to want to spend the extra on HD kit right now.

Just my opinion.

[synonym]

Thanks STICK.

The dish doesn't need to be too high up the gable end but I'll also spread the load a bit further to be safe.

Point taken on HD. Will opt for something cheaper for now.

[BGonaSTICK]

You're certainly in for some fun.

The main decision you'll need to make regarding the receiver is whether you want to be able to open pay TV either via a card, CAM or by using software emulation.

You can check the specs for card readers and CAM (CI) slots, but you'll have to ask if you want to know those receivers which are best for emulation.

[synonym]

Originally Posted by BGonaSTICK

You're certainly in for some fun.

The main decision you'll need to make regarding the receiver is whether you want to be able to open pay TV either via a card, CAM or by using software emulation.

You can check the specs for card readers and CAM (CI) slots, but you'll have to ask if you want to know those receivers which are best for emulation.

Definitely. Sliding under the fence of some of that locked up output all sounds great fun to me. I'm certainly up for some of that. So:
a) what do I need to look for in the specs of card readers and CAMs and..
b) which receivers are especially good at emulation?

Thanks once again.

[BGonaSTICK]

Card readers are all the same - they're either present or not. The receivers will either support a given encryption type or not (in firmware).

Likewise CAM slots are all the same. The only CAM to buy at the moment is the Diablo. The T-Rex Supermodule is an older design, is a lot more money, and is not as well supported.

Good patchable receivers include the Technomate 1xxx series and the Vantage receivers. Linux machines are the most powerful and flexible, - the Technomate TM91xx is currently excellent value, whilst the Dreambox 7xxx is the ultimate.

You might also consider a Skystar 2 PCI card for your computer. This is similar to the Linux concept, and very powerful, but only around £40.

[synonym]

That's really useful, thanks.

Why is the TM9100 so cheap all of a sudden? That normally spells the end of a product. But if enough have been sold, and what with its Linux OS, surely support should be good for some time to come?

The Dreambox 7xxx looks like more than I can chew atm. I'm pretty IT literate but I'm unsure if I can spare the time to become familiar with the necessary intricacies, appealing though the thought is.

I think maybe it's a choice between the TM9100 and a Vantage. Sid's really anti Technomate and pro Vantage (I like the sound of the Combo) but both seem to be capable machines and well supported. I'm actually sick to death of reading about them now so I'm taking a couple of days out. In the meantime, someone please tell me what to do ?!!

[wod]

well the vantage can blind scan satellites very fast, patchable, 10k channel memory i would go for that

the technomate 9100 is a good choice if you are a quick learner and want something to play around with

if i was going to get a receiver for the first time, think it would be the vantage plus a diablo cam for ease of use

[synonym]

Thanks for that wod. Just like a breath of fresh air!

I'm suffering from information overload so a simple recalibrating statement like that is just what I needed.

Think I'll order the effin thing in the morning just to put an end to it!

Cheers.

[wod]

just depends on what you want in the receiver something you can plug in, scan some satellites in, program a cam to decode some channels ?

or have a linux receiver that you will need to setup, learn to install cam emulators, transfer key files to the receiver, be able to edit channel lists and totally customise to your hearts content ?