Feedback please! longish read get comfy :D

[JakeSnake24]

Hey all

im looking into building a Sat setup as its a hobby id like to get into. Ive been reading around this section all day trying to learn the basic's and wot equipment im going to need.
Im a firm believer of "you get wot you pay for" so im not looking to buy the cheapest setup on the market. I also dont have the knowledge (yet) to get the best out of the high spec gear either lol!
so i guess im looking for a setup that will be user friendly for starting off, but! also be a solid performer wen i get into the intermediate stage of things

Ive seen a number of ppl recommend "southern sat&aerial" website so that is wer ive been looking at all the equipment and that is wer im reffering to.

I understand that to be versatile on picking up different satellites im going to need a large/motorised dish, and that the biggest your allowed without planning permission is a 100cm dish. So wot ive added to the shortlist is the "100cm Motorised Dish Pack" My questions:

1. theres already a sky mini dish on my house. do i need to take this down b4 i put the 100cm up, or are you allowed 2 dishs?

2. is ther any extras i need to buy thats not included in the dish pack to get the dish up safe/solid on the side of the house?

3. me being completly new, would it be wrong for me to try and install the Dish myself, or could i do it if i learned the dish install stickys well.

4. does any1 know who the manufacturer of the dish is this dish pack?


Receiver: Technomate TM-6800 HD

1. Will this receiver be easy enough for me to start off with but also have the spec to handle things i might get into a year or so down the line? if you know wot i mean

2. PVR ready means that you need to attach an external HDD b4 you can record?


3. Also can you tell me how fast new receivers/equipment come out in the sat scene in comparison to for eg PC hardware wer ther is a new more powerful Video card out every other month lol

Id like to hear recomendations from you if you think the equipment ive mentioned isnt wot im looking for.

looking forward to replys Thanks!

[Robbo]

Hi, and welcome to Techwatch.

I don't know what the dish rules are where you are, but here in England, one dish upto 60cm is permitted and another up to 1m.

If fitting a motorised dish, to get a firm fixing and to make setup as easy as possible, get a pair of galvanised T&K brackets and a length of scafffold pole.Often the brackets that come with the highly competive satellite kit market are not much cop for a good motorised dish installation.

Who knows, whether you could do it yourself, if you have reasonable DIY skills, follow the guides, and ask if you get stuck, then yes, it is a possibility.


The TM6800 HD is out of date already, and has been superceded by the TM6800 super HD. But unlike computers, it doesn't make a great deal of difference reallly. I'm still using the TM6800HD without problem. New receivers are coming out all the time, the older models are sold at a lower price, but are still perfectly usable in most cases.



Whether the system is what you are looking for depends on what you are loking for. For a 1m motorised system, for FTA channels and subscription services with a card, it would be fine. If you want to know the dish make, ask.

[JakeSnake24]

Hey robbo!

Am i right in saying that i could get FTA/HD channels by just buying a cheap freesat receiver and hooking it up to the sky mini dish already on my house?

I guess wot i really want to no is, how much more good channels are out ther? (that ppl actually watch) that only a better dish and receiver can access. i dont want to build a setup just to get alot of foreign shopping and cooking channels lol

Im not looking for you to say "well u can get skysports and all the movies for free" because i no thats not possible.

Wots the favourite things you can do with your setup that a cheap freesat receiver and sky mini dish cant, if you no wot i mean.

thanks again

[CSB]

Hi JS,

just a quick thought for you.

Depending on you location (unobstructed view to the south). Your dish setup will be good for many years to come, just like your TV arial. The receiviers wil change more often like all tech.

My suggestion would be a 1m motorised to start with, giving you options in the future to upgrade LNB's or change to fixed Monoblok (which has multi LNB's and dosen't require the dish to move.

As for receivers for beginers, well I'm just starting out myself.

hope this is of some help csb

[JakeSnake24]

thanks cbs!


ive just had look at the dreambox 600. would this be a nono for me to begin with or would i be able to do the basics easily b4 i get into more advanced stuff.

ive never used linux b4, but im a fast learner and im sure once i get started ill be ok.

[CSB]

Hi JS,

this is my first venture into moterised sat's so I am learning the ropes slowly. I bought my firsy LAN server box "Protek6300IP" 2 weeks ago and for the money are amazing. Most people will agree they open the most packages at the moment, BUT you will need an allways-on internet connection (when watching).

csb

[Curious123]

Originally Posted by JakeSnake24

thanks cbs!


ive just had look at the dreambox 600. would this be a nono for me to begin with or would i be able to do the basics easily b4 i get into more advanced stuff.

ive never used linux b4, but im a fast learner and im sure once i get started ill be ok.

The dm500 is a cheap and cheerful box whereas the dm600 is a PVR box and costs a little more than dm500. You can no longer buy a genuine as the DMM stopped making them a few years ago but you can still buy a clone from China. As fas operating the dm500 and a dm600 there is no real difference though my personal choice would be to get a chinese dm600 which works as well as my genuine dm600.