January 8, 2009
The number of new FTA and ecnrypted satellite channels continues to increase, so today was time to organise the Techwatch Satellite Forums to cover this in greater depth.
We've now reorganised the New Channels section to feature the most popular satellites covered:
5E - Sirius 4 / Thor2
7E - Eutelsat W3A
9E - Eurobird 9
13E - Hotbird 6, 7A, 8
16E - Eutelsat W2
19E ...
FTA: New Satellite TV Channels
by Brian Turner
December 22, 2008
In a typically dumb music mega-corp move, Warner are threatening to pull its music videos from YouTube - on the grounds that the advertising revenue received is "staggering low".
What Warner don't seem to realise in their mixed-up marketing world view, is that YouTube has become the new way for consumers to find music recommendations they can buy on.
When I was at college, other people influenced me with their ...
Dumb Warner slams YouTube deal
by Brian Turner
November 14, 2008
UPDATE: The original piece has been withdrawn due to inaccuracies being reported.
The main contention of the piece was that while Apple products are stylish, sometimes this seems to be at the expense of usability.
Some of these concerns may be valid, but the tone they were presented was one of anger and frustration, which does not suit a review on a syndicated news site.
The core problem was that ...
Apple iMac
by Brian Turner
November 7, 2008
Christmas is almost upon us (in shopping terms at least) but I've made a point of buying earlier this year, to avoid the mad rush nearer to Christmas Eve. The problem with shopping for Christmas presents for kids is that: 1. Sheer volume of toys available can be overwhelming 2. Too many toys aren't focused on stimulating imagination and creativity 3. Three words: "cheap plastic junk"; also: "not made to last". 4. Toys made to ...
Xmas Gifts for Kids
by Brian TurnerChristmas is almost upon us (in shopping terms at least) but I've made a point of buying earlier this year, to avoid the mad rush nearer to Christmas Eve. The problem with shopping for Christmas presents for kids is that: 1. Sheer volume of toys available can be overwhelming 2. Too many toys aren't focused on stimulating imagination and creativity 3. Three words: "cheap plastic junk"; also: "not made to last". 4. Toys made to ...
September 9, 2008
According to the BBC, a mum is locked in a copyright battle with Universal Music - after she posted a clip to YouTube of her toddler dancing to a Prince song.
Universal forced the clip off the site claiming copyright infringement.
Stephanie Lenz is now fighting the issue through the California courts, claiming "fair use". And the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is helping her.
Apparently, the core issue isn't so ...
Universal fights YouTube over toddler Prince dance
by Brian Turner
June 18, 2008
The BBC Trust are in place to make sure that the BBC is run in accordance to the rules laid down, but recently there have been some strong words about how news from around the country is not being shown on the main news programmes.
This leaves the regions feeling left out and should not really happen.
But now, in what would seem to be an addition to this, ...
BBC News saga continues
by David Allen
June 6, 2008
Working online is great - it allowed me to more or less choose where to live in the UK - just so long as I was somewhere with broadband.
I only need a normal broadband solution - no need for bonded ADSL or other high end broadband requirements.
The trouble is, while I'm well-connected at home with my wireless network, as soon as I travel I'm lost.
Sure, there ...
The Rise of the Mobile Internet
by Brian Turner
May 21, 2008
Did you know that instead of throwing away your old mobile phone, you can instead get it recycled - and get paid for doing so?
Mobile phones are incredibly intricate devices, and it's not just the electronics and screen that keeps them valuable - it's issues such as camera and video functionality as well.
Unlike a lot of other electrical products, though, ...
Used mobile phones can be sold for cash
by Brian Turner
March 18, 2008
So I've been working like a slave recently - huge workload - mostly over. I'd been given Medieval Total War as a Christmas present and finally started playing it yesterday - but it kept crashing. Every five minutes, if not, sooner.
I did a pretty extensive Google Search and noticed lots of people talking about drivers, changing folder properties, screen resolutions, batch files, etc.
I'm on a new ...
How to stop Medieval Total War from crashing
by Brian Turner
March 11, 2008
I'm currently looking to improve on how I use the phone in my home office - at present, it's just a normal corded telephone and isn't suited to an environment where I sometimes need to be elsewhere in the house.
I'm looking at a couple of options - for example, setting up a system of cordless phones around the home seems ...
DECT cordless phone or VoIP?
by Brian Turner
January 22, 2008
UK companies are increasingly turning to private bonded broadband services to cope with new media, as disillusionment with existing ISP's continues.
While BT has stated that it aims to implement faster broadband solutions, customer satisfaction surveys have found businesses are rarely entirely satisfied with the product levels and service options offered.
This is all the more an issue as triple play services come into ...
Bonded broadband demand increases
by Brian Turner
January 14, 2008
In an ongoing battle, reminiscent of the vhs, Vs betamax, confrontation, in the seventies. In an all out war, for control of the DVD format, Blu-ray seems, for the moment at least, to be pulling ahead of rival, HD-DVD. In a recent announcement, Warner Brothers stated, that as from May, its movie releases would be, only on in the Blu-ray format, in addition to regular DVD format. Last year, Paramount Pictures announced ...
Can either side win the Blu-ray, HD-DVD, format war?
by Alan HartenIn an ongoing battle, reminiscent of the vhs, Vs betamax, confrontation, in the seventies. In an all out war, for control of the DVD format, Blu-ray seems, for the moment at least, to be pulling ahead of rival, HD-DVD. In a recent announcement, Warner Brothers stated, that as from May, its movie releases would be, only on in the Blu-ray format, in addition to regular DVD format. Last year, Paramount Pictures announced ...
September 10, 2007
Free To View and Free To Air Satellite TV channels available from the Sky Digital platform at 28.2E can be found at our sister site FTASat.co.uk - dedicated solely to providing that information.
All data has recently been updated, and we will try our best to keep it that way. We hope you find this information useful.
Don't forget you can ask for help ...
Free To Air Satellite TV
by Brian TurnerFree To View and Free To Air Satellite TV channels available from the Sky Digital platform at 28.2E can be found at our sister site FTASat.co.uk - dedicated solely to providing that information.
All data has recently been updated, and we will try our best to keep it that way. We hope you find this information useful.
Don't forget you can ask for help ...
August 15, 2007
Arianespace's Ariane 5 scored its 19th consecutive mission success today, carrying the dual-satellite payload of SPACEWAYTM 3 and BSAT-3a into accurate geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport, the heavyweight Ariane 5 ECA deployed SPACEWAY 3 first, releasing this 6,075 kg. spacecraft at approximately 27 minutes into the flight. It was followed about seven minutes later by the 1,980-kg. BSAT-3a. The mission was another on-time Ariane ...
Ariane 5 delivers SPACEWAY 3 & BSAT-3a successfully
by Brian TurnerArianespace's Ariane 5 scored its 19th consecutive mission success today, carrying the dual-satellite payload of SPACEWAYTM 3 and BSAT-3a into accurate geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport, the heavyweight Ariane 5 ECA deployed SPACEWAY 3 first, releasing this 6,075 kg. spacecraft at approximately 27 minutes into the flight. It was followed about seven minutes later by the 1,980-kg. BSAT-3a. The mission was another on-time Ariane ...
July 12, 2007
At the Satellite Help Forum, we specialise in the support of both the Dreambox and Skystar hardware. We have many members who are proficient in the use of these pieces of kit, and are willing to help others get to the same level.
Drop in and say hello. No questions are too basic.
Meanwhile the rest of the site continues ...
Dreambox Forum / Skystar Forum
by BGonaSTICKAt the Satellite Help Forum, we specialise in the support of both the Dreambox and Skystar hardware. We have many members who are proficient in the use of these pieces of kit, and are willing to help others get to the same level.
Drop in and say hello. No questions are too basic.
Meanwhile the rest of the site continues ...
June 6, 2007
Lots of hype, but not so much that anyone outside of geek-world has heard about it.
Much, anyway.
Sling Media have done a few high-profile deals with mobile phone operators I believe, and there is the possibility to stream video media to your smartphone or Windows Mobile Pocket PC, but this brief review comes as a result of a few tests I performed on an old IBM ...
Slingbox Review
by BGonaSTICKLots of hype, but not so much that anyone outside of geek-world has heard about it.
Much, anyway.
Sling Media have done a few high-profile deals with mobile phone operators I believe, and there is the possibility to stream video media to your smartphone or Windows Mobile Pocket PC, but this brief review comes as a result of a few tests I performed on an old IBM ...
May 19, 2007
Is your O/S and office software legal?
According to figures published by Microsoft, 35% of the software in the world is thought to be counterfeit or otherwise illegal. After years of unofficially tolerating piracy as a means of securing market share, Microsoft is now going on the offensive to make sure copies of its software are legit.
The software giant says it's gunning for people ...
Micro$oft gets tough on pirates
by BGonaSTICKIs your O/S and office software legal?
According to figures published by Microsoft, 35% of the software in the world is thought to be counterfeit or otherwise illegal. After years of unofficially tolerating piracy as a means of securing market share, Microsoft is now going on the offensive to make sure copies of its software are legit.
The software giant says it's gunning for people ...
April 25, 2007
On the potentially historic day when astronomers announced what could be one of the greatest and most meaningful discoveries in the near-universe (and the day that sadly saw the loss of 1966 hero Alan Ball :( ) Yahoo have to poke fun at it by linking it to a story about 'Little Green Men'. Shame on them.
European astronomers have detected what they say is ...
Is everything just a joke to the media?
by BGonaSTICKOn the potentially historic day when astronomers announced what could be one of the greatest and most meaningful discoveries in the near-universe (and the day that sadly saw the loss of 1966 hero Alan Ball :( ) Yahoo have to poke fun at it by linking it to a story about 'Little Green Men'. Shame on them.
European astronomers have detected what they say is ...
March 23, 2007
Well, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I suppose!
But, to quote a cheesy line from 'Oliver' - who ...
Pipex up for sale?
by BGonaSTICKWell, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I suppose!
But, to quote a cheesy line from 'Oliver' - who ...
March 22, 2007
Here are our Five Top Tips for fine-tuning a DiSEqC motorised setup. This mini-guide assumes that you have already set up your mounting brackets/mast, motor, dish, LNB etc. and have managed to tune in a least a few satellites. Your setup is far from ideal though, right? Poor signal strength and quality? Missing some satellites? Read on… First - Make sure you have read and re-read the Satellite Help guide to DiSEqC motor installation so that you not only follow the procedures required for first-iteration setup, but understand the theory behind what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes your brain has to seemingly work in four dimensions to calculate which tweak has to be made to your dish/motor to improve things! Second - Mark everything before you start with a permanent marker. This way, the worst that will happen is you end up back where you started. Based on this premise, most anything you do should improve your arc-tracking! Third - Only adjust one thing at a time. This is important, otherwise you will never know which adjustment had which effect. You are probably dealing with a multitude of minor errors, so you need simple solutions. The only exception to this is a combination of elevation and declination. If the OVERALL elevation of the dish is already optimal for a given satellite, then increasing one will mean increasing the other to stay exactly on-satellite. Don’t forget that an increase in declination is a downward tilt at the dish scale. Fourth - Forget USALS. Use DiSEqC 1.2, because it gives you total azimuth control of the dish positioning. Once your dish tracking is near-perfect you can go back to USALS if you so choose, but once you have finished this process you may find that USALS will just not cut it any more. Fifth - This is what the first four tips have been building up to. Draw a map. Yes, a map. Draw a map of the theoretical arc, and roughly mark onto the line all the satellites you think you should be able to receive. Now, start with your dish in the middle of the arc and peak the first satellites’ signal using just the motor via the receiver menus. Record the actual azimuth setting that gives you the peak reading (you should be using 'GOTO x.x' format commands). Now flex the dish face up and down gently whilst checking the signal quality/strength on the receiver/meter. Note on your sketch whether the signal improves if you tilt the dish face slightly up or slightly down. Mark where the actual satellite appears to be on your diagram. Repeat this whole procedure (i.e. drive motor to peak signal, flex dish and then record results) for as many satellites as you can stomach. Now, using this information, and the actual azimuth figures you also recorded, compare the results to the arc-tuning diagram here: Satellite Arc Tuning The more readings you take, the clearer the picture will be. Be scientific about it, and you should be able to identify one or more of the erroneous conditions indicated on the chart. Finally, don't be afraid to move slightly away from the indicated settings on your motor mount and dish scale. The stamped scale on some brackets can be well over a degree out, whilst some dish scales seem to make no sense at all. It's also possible to have the mount slightly twisted on the pole, even if you have tightened the four nuts on the two U bolts equally. Remember - the alignment you have at the end of the theoretical phase is only a starting point for real-world fine tuning. Patience will get you there in the end – good luck!
Fine-tuning a motorised dish
by AnaloguesatHere are our Five Top Tips for fine-tuning a DiSEqC motorised setup. This mini-guide assumes that you have already set up your mounting brackets/mast, motor, dish, LNB etc. and have managed to tune in a least a few satellites. Your setup is far from ideal though, right? Poor signal strength and quality? Missing some satellites? Read on… First - Make sure you have read and re-read the Satellite Help guide to DiSEqC motor installation so that you not only follow the procedures required for first-iteration setup, but understand the theory behind what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes your brain has to seemingly work in four dimensions to calculate which tweak has to be made to your dish/motor to improve things! Second - Mark everything before you start with a permanent marker. This way, the worst that will happen is you end up back where you started. Based on this premise, most anything you do should improve your arc-tracking! Third - Only adjust one thing at a time. This is important, otherwise you will never know which adjustment had which effect. You are probably dealing with a multitude of minor errors, so you need simple solutions. The only exception to this is a combination of elevation and declination. If the OVERALL elevation of the dish is already optimal for a given satellite, then increasing one will mean increasing the other to stay exactly on-satellite. Don’t forget that an increase in declination is a downward tilt at the dish scale. Fourth - Forget USALS. Use DiSEqC 1.2, because it gives you total azimuth control of the dish positioning. Once your dish tracking is near-perfect you can go back to USALS if you so choose, but once you have finished this process you may find that USALS will just not cut it any more. Fifth - This is what the first four tips have been building up to. Draw a map. Yes, a map. Draw a map of the theoretical arc, and roughly mark onto the line all the satellites you think you should be able to receive. Now, start with your dish in the middle of the arc and peak the first satellites’ signal using just the motor via the receiver menus. Record the actual azimuth setting that gives you the peak reading (you should be using 'GOTO x.x' format commands). Now flex the dish face up and down gently whilst checking the signal quality/strength on the receiver/meter. Note on your sketch whether the signal improves if you tilt the dish face slightly up or slightly down. Mark where the actual satellite appears to be on your diagram. Repeat this whole procedure (i.e. drive motor to peak signal, flex dish and then record results) for as many satellites as you can stomach. Now, using this information, and the actual azimuth figures you also recorded, compare the results to the arc-tuning diagram here: Satellite Arc Tuning The more readings you take, the clearer the picture will be. Be scientific about it, and you should be able to identify one or more of the erroneous conditions indicated on the chart. Finally, don't be afraid to move slightly away from the indicated settings on your motor mount and dish scale. The stamped scale on some brackets can be well over a degree out, whilst some dish scales seem to make no sense at all. It's also possible to have the mount slightly twisted on the pole, even if you have tightened the four nuts on the two U bolts equally. Remember - the alignment you have at the end of the theoretical phase is only a starting point for real-world fine tuning. Patience will get you there in the end – good luck!
