Newbie Some Advice Needed Please

[sephton19661]

Hi Everyone

My Name is Martin and i am seriously thinking about setting up a motorised satellite setup.

I have been reading the forums and got some idea on what i want or think i want.

I was a Sly subscriber paying a small fortune now what i want is something to replace sly looked into freeview and freesat and they dont appeal to me.

A friend told me about recievers that can recieve channels from abroad i quite like the idea of this.

i Know that i wont get the same service as sly im not looking for the same just something a bit different.

What kind of TV i do watch varies I do like my movies i also like mini series and general TV i also watch sport including football but thats just a bonus.
Also childrens channels would be nice.

I have seen alot of talk about a Technomate TM-6800 Reciever would this be a good one to start with as i like the idea of hd aswell.

After that i am pretty stuck will i need a 80cm dish minimum what kind of and how many LNB's would i need are there any packages that supply everything i need for the dish.

Not to fussed about recording at the minute.

I have also heard about cams/cards and what is a good one to get extra channels and how do these work.

I live in the northeast england 12 miles north of Newcastle i do have a south facing wall dish can move east to west also up and down no probs i think that is right.
would i need a sat finder also basically need everything any advice or recomendations would be great.

Sorry about being a total newb but my heads done in looking for the answers i dont want to fork out only to buy the wrong thing.

Budget i have is 300 - 400

Many thanks in advance

Martin

[sephton19661]

Anyone

[Analoguesat]

Well for starters you need to think about EXACTLY what you want to watch. Most English language stuff is secure scrambled these days, and whilst there are thousands of free channels in the skies above Europe there isnt much English language stuff transmitted in the clear, and certainly nothing which could be considered general entertainment stuff.

A subscription to a pay tv package which has a reasonable amount of English in it is going to be several hundred pounds a year, and if you want the best Premiership coverage its going to be a thousand quid a year if you have to use a uk based reseller.

[Rick]

FTA wise there are the MBC channels on 26e, which show a good selection of films, no noew releases though. There is also plenty of football and sport FTA around the arc, EPL is premium though and there is little free broadcast, though you can get lucky with the odd Feed. There is little English general entertainment without subscription also. Though if you speak another language thats differant.

Generally aan 80cm dish is adequate for most things, though weak signals like 26e will benefit with a larger dish, like a 1m. If your going for motorised you only need 1 lnb. Talk to Ian at Southern Satellite and he should be able to set you up.

The technomates are good recievers, If your feeling really brave you could look at Linux recievers. If you look up Gamma Card and Diablo2 you will find plenty of info.

Your far better using the reciever as a meter than buying a cheap satfinder especially for a motorised.

Don't forget about the basics, T&K brackets, 2" steel mast or scaffold tube, shield anchors, cable etc.

[sephton19661]

Well that reply sounds like your trying to put me off.
I have been looking around this forum and have seen this reply before.
It does not really answer any of the questions i have asked.

I have seen one of these boxes in action and the FTA stuff on the technomate 6800 does appeal to me since i first posted on this forum i have done all my homework and found out some great info along the way.

All i wanted is some feedback on the products i intend to buy.

I have decided to go for the Technomate TM6800 with a 1m motorised dish
With just a FTA setup

I have heard of cardsharing cams and cards these do not appeal to me at this present time and will not be pursuing along that route for the forseeable future.
All i want is a system with more flexability than the norm freeview and freesat systems.
Is the products i am getting good for a beginner just starting out or is there something i am missing.
Once i have a bit more experiance i may even go down the linux route but i feel that is far to advance for me at this stage.
Also what make dish is good motor lnb etcetc

Hope this helps

[southernsatellite]

You could look at getting a Protek box, just google protek channels see here for what is open Onlinelist

[Analoguesat]

Im not trying to put anyone off - the satellite hobby is a great one and has given me hundreds of happy hours tinkering with my dishes and receivers.

However I do believe in giving some basic facts - there have been too many folks bought stuff then found it couldnt do what was hoped of it.

The TM's are perfectly capable receivers and a 1m dish will give you most of the satellites available in the UK.

[Rick]

I'm not trying to put you off at all, just being realistic about what you will recieve. If you have found an intrest is some of the FTA channels then great.

As I said, the Technomates are good recievers, and a 1m dish will pick up plenty,

Orbital, Triax, Farraco, Gibertini, ASC Signals are all good dishes with varying levels and prices. Dark Motors, Technomate and Motek to name a few are good motors.

You don't want feedback on stuff you intend to buy when you have already bought it. And if you want feedback on what you have bought it might be an idea to tell us what that is. Make of dish and motor?

You asked about Cams and Cards, I simpily gave you the names to search for to learn about them ??

edit - beaten by AS again

[sephton19661]

Thanks for the info guys some great info here for me to consider.

I have not purchased anything as yet as Rick said i dont want to buy anything and find out ive bought the wrong gear.

Just about to look at the recomendations from southernsatellite about protek
As them guys was on my shortlist to purchase from anyway so thanks for the input.

Many thanks

[Analoguesat]

Be aware that as the protek is basically connected to a pay server there are a few things to consider

- Its possible for the server to get busted. At best you lose your service. At worst your ip address is in the logs and the security goons start asking awkward questions.

- Dont bank on 24/7 access - if you need that buy a subscription.

- You wont get any sympathy or help whatsoever on most forums if the server goes down!