Sky+ and hotbird

[thomas.l]

Hi i am new to all this, iv just orded sky+, and i take it hotbird is a sat? is there any way my sky+ box can pick these channels up aswell or any other channels from other sats?
Thanks

[Analoguesat]

Not easily no. The UK channels are broadcast off the Astra 2 cluster of satellites at 28E. Hotbird is another cluster further soutwards along the arc at 13E.

Sky boxes dont like operating off the Astra 2 cluster, and dont have the electronic switching built into them to switch between two or more dishes.

If you want to play with the Hotbird channels then buy a cheap second receiver and a second dish.

[DAVEYEFF]

Originally Posted by Analoguesat

Not easily no. The UK channels are broadcast off the Astra 2 cluster of satellites at 28E. Hotbird is another cluster further soutwards along the arc at 13E.

Sky boxes dont like operating off the Astra 2 cluster, and dont have the electronic switching built into them to switch between two or more dishes.

If you want to play with the Hotbird channels then buy a cheap second receiver and a second dish.

pardon me for asking a/s, but how do you know all this, its certainly not from a misspent youth, it puts me in mind of that young kid from die hard 4, who has loads of tech stuff just all in his head. i wish it was me mate.

[kerrywez]

It is called learning and digesting what is being taught and experience, some of us are far from being kids, quite the opposite in fact.

A Sly box is a very basic box, they must be as cheap as chips to make. They have no loop through, very restrictive symbol rates of only 27500 and 22000 and because of that they are just about useless for any other satellite group part from those at 28E. They are so basic that they will not drive a dish and Sly tell you what a great box you are getting from them, what rubbish, but the man on the street has not got the likes of AS to tell them the way things are, so they take it all as gospel. As AS has eluded to, they do not have the ability to send signals to the switches that would be used to allow multi LNB to work on one dish, thus allowing you to view several satellites with one dish.

Season's Greetings Wez

[Robbo]

@DAVYEFF

That is basic knowledge, that almost everyone who has been into the satellite hobby for even a relatively short period would know. Though a/s knows a lot more that that of course.

[Analoguesat]

Originally Posted by DAVEYEFF

pardon me for asking a/s, but how do you know all this, its certainly not from a misspent youth, it puts me in mind of that young kid from die hard 4, who has loads of tech stuff just all in his head. i wish it was me mate.

Mainly from 10 years of being a sat nut really, although my folks had Sky analogue a long time ago, and I always ended up channel hopping into the Gereman channels as they were *far* more interesting thatn the cr&p on uk telly.

Also I've been around the forums long enough to have picked up a hell of a lot of useless information which is all squirrelled away in the nether regions of my memory

To be honest Im far more interested in the technical side of sat tv than in the actual programmes - trying to get new satellites or channels with my mainly second hand, somewhat erratic and thrown together kit and Im fascinated with the transmission technology of the broadcast sats.

[Analoguesat]

Originally Posted by kerrywez

As AS has eluded to, they do not have the ability to send signals to the switches that would be used to allow multi LNB to work on one dish, thus allowing you to view several satellites with one dish.

Interestingly the Sky Italia boxes DO have very basic disecq switching built into them - I found it hidden deep in the menu system one time I had my old Amstrad Italian box powered up!

Makes me wonder if the capability is inbuilt into UK boxes, but software disabled. However I rather doubt we will find out anytime soon - that info is known to very few people and they all work for the software development side of Sky UK.

[kerrywez]

That is very interesting AS, you might just well be right about the UK boxes, but as you say we will not know too soon.

Season's Greetings Wez

[DAVEYEFF]

Originally Posted by kerrywez

It is called learning and digesting what is being taught and experience, some of us are far from being kids, quite the opposite in fact.

A Sly box is a very basic box, they must be as cheap as chips to make. They have no loop through, very restrictive symbol rates of only 27500 and 22000 and because of that they are just about useless for any other satellite group part from those at 28E. They are so basic that they will not drive a dish and Sly tell you what a great box you are getting from them, what rubbish, but the man on the street has not got the likes of AS to tell them the way things are, so they take it all as gospel. As AS has eluded to, they do not have the ability to send signals to the switches that would be used to allow multi LNB to work on one dish, thus allowing you to view several satellites with one dish.

Season's Greetings Wez

thing is though, they,ve got a hell of a lot of people beleiving its a great box, wether its s***e or not. good sales technique that. (even though i hate them) being clued up is the key here, and as your good selves have put it, i thinks its a case of being in the know. selling sand to the arabs comes to mind. cheers