Lidl Satellite offer

[Tony Ross]

Thanks....

 

One thing I do notice on the one with my Maplin set is that the LNB can be moved backwards and forwards in the clamp by (maybe) 1 cm.

 

It seemed to me that must affect whether it's in the true focal point of the dish, but when I tried moving it, it seemed to make little difference.

 

can that affect things, please, and if so, any advice ?

 

I noticed the same thing although it would appear that these little dishes have quite a wide focal point. I could not detect any discernable difference regardless of LNB position. This is also borne out by the fact that provided you focus the dish on the weakest signal (Film4, movies4men, etc), the boat can rock about but unless there are extereme movements, the picture will remain constant.

 

Tony

[Biggles]

Hi Alan,

 

I think this could be a red herring. In the early days of analogue satellite transmissions, you would rotate the LNB in its holder in order to further tweak the signal. This is now largely academic with digital, so i'd suggest just leaving the LNB vertically in it's clamp and concentrate on getting the dish properly aligned. Once you've got the dish sorted, you could look at swivelling the LNB but the difference will probably be marginal.

 

Tony

 

 

I know Sky is different, but the basics are the same. Their LNB's are always set at a bit of an angle, and if you have multiroom the LNB is enev more noticeably rotated.

 

I will start with it straight..

 

On a slightly different note. Would the Lidl dish pick up Sky in the UK? The reason I ask is the dish is more portable and I have a multiroom sky receiver at home that is on contract that I could take to the NB as required.

[nb Innisfree]

There are some degrees marked but not as far as 13 and no numbers to indicate their value.

 

Is there some black art to all this?

 

Sorry I didn't come back to you.

 

The derees marked on my LNB clamp are spaced 2.5mm apart which indicates 5 degrees. In my instructions it calls this adjustment 'polarisation' which is listed as from -10.83deg for Elgin in the Grampians, to -17deg for Truro in Cornwall. As it didn't state which way to rotate for a minus setting I asked the bloke running the satellite TV stall at Crick, he told me what I said in my earlier post. Difficult to tell if it made any significant difference.

[Tony Ross]

I know Sky is different, but the basics are the same. Their LNB's are always set at a bit of an angle, and if you have multiroom the LNB is enev more noticeably rotated.

 

I will start with it straight..

 

On a slightly different note. Would the Lidl dish pick up Sky in the UK? The reason I ask is the dish is more portable and I have a multiroom sky receiver at home that is on contract that I could take to the NB as required.

 

The dish will pick up Sky, assuming you have it pointed at the right satellite but the receiver does not have the ability to decode any of their encrypted channels. Obviously, it will pick up the Sky free to air channels (Sky News etc) You could try your Sky box but before you do, check to make sure that he voltage sent to the LNB by the Sky receiver is the same as that on the Mapli/Lidl/Aldi. Someone on here may be able to give a definitive answer on this.

 

regards,

 

Tony

[NB Phoenix]

If the Lidl system is the same as the Maplin one, the elevation scale is on the pivot point below the dish. There are two wing nuts to lock the vertical tilt of the dish the scale is stamped near one of these. On the one I have it is hard to see as it has not been stamped very well, but I can just make out the numbers. I find the system I have easy to set up; I start with the rotation using an old WWII army compass, move away from the boat and take a bearing. 147° for Astra 28. 158° for Astra 19 and 165° for Hotbird. Then go onto the elevation for fine adjustment, I find that around 27° is OK for all three, because the dish has a wide focus the directions don’t have to be that exact. I have never turned the LNB in it’s bracket just left it vertical.

[GeoffS]

A friend went to the Luton store and was told they weren't available until Thursday.

 

I have the version from Maplins and would say to anyone who is struggling, keep at it. I was ready to send mine back after a week of trying unsuccessfully.

 

But once you get it the first time it really is easy.

 

Keep the dish vertical. Start to move slowly from the East towards the South rather than vice versa so you hit the UK satelittes first. Use the compass well away from the boat if you have no idea where to start. Swivel the tv so you can see the signal bars and slowly move around until you get them green, or use the annoying buzzer. Once you have a flash of green tighten the nuts and then slowly move left and right to get best reception. Finally move vertical to get any final adjustment. Start with BBC1 and then check with ITV as they are broadcast from different satelittes in the same cluster so you need to be sure all are being received.

 

Once you have the knack this can really only be a matter of less than a minute.

 

I did try my Sky Box from home and it worked fine although as I only have the free Sky channels at home now there was no advantage.

[Tony Ross]

A friend went to the Luton store and was told they weren't available until Thursday.

 

I just spoke to Lidl customer services to find out if this offer was being rolled out on different days. Apparently not, there was a distribution issue yesterday but all stores have now received their allocation and unless you are exceptionally lucky, they've sold out.

 

As someone else pointed out, had they asked another £10, i don't think many people would have batted an eyelid and they could have made a real killing!

 

Tony

[Mac Man]

A friend went to the Luton store and was told they weren't available until Thursday.

 

I have the version from Maplins and would say to anyone who is struggling, keep at it. I was ready to send mine back after a week of trying unsuccessfully.

 

But once you get it the first time it really is easy.

 

Keep the dish vertical. Start to move slowly from the East towards the South rather than vice versa so you hit the UK satelittes first. Use the compass well away from the boat if you have no idea where to start. Swivel the tv so you can see the signal bars and slowly move around until you get them green, or use the annoying buzzer. Once you have a flash of green tighten the nuts and then slowly move left and right to get best reception. Finally move vertical to get any final adjustment. Start with BBC1 and then check with ITV as they are broadcast from different satelittes in the same cluster so you need to be sure all are being received.

 

Once you have the knack this can really only be a matter of less than a minute.

 

I did try my Sky Box from home and it worked fine although as I only have the free Sky channels at home now there was no advantage.

 

I agree with your instruction regarding moving from east to south I did exactly this this afternoon when trying mine out in the garden. Doing it from south to east I kept tuning into Astra at 19 degrees by mistake.

The whole system works fine and cracking good value for the money.

 

Mac Man

[Biggles]

By Jove I have got it too

 

Great picture and loads of features. Might be time for a new interest and another forum to join lol

[twocvbloke]

The dish will pick up Sky, assuming you have it pointed at the right satellite but the receiver does not have the ability to decode any of their encrypted channels. Obviously, it will pick up the Sky free to air channels (Sky News etc) You could try your Sky box but before you do, check to make sure that he voltage sent to the LNB by the Sky receiver is the same as that on the Mapli/Lidl/Aldi. Someone on here may be able to give a definitive answer on this.

 

regards,

 

Tony

 

Having done it myself in the past, I can guarantee that the dish picks up sky (well, it' picks up signal from Astra2 28.2e where sky rent their transponder space), all that is needed is a sky box and a valid subscription card...

 

However, Multiroom is a pain in the back end. sky insist that you keep all of your boxes connected to the same phoneline at all times, otherwise they will charge full subscription on the "stray" box, leaving you paying twice for something you've already paid for. They're gits, I know...

 

There's probably some gadget that allows you to connect to a sky box then to a mobile phone or something, then that connects to your phoneline at home somehow, but as is the case, those sort of gadgets for sky boxes are pretty expensive, even if they exist...

 

Oh, and no, the 9v battery on the modem cable trick doesn't work for Multiroom, that's only for PPV...

[Biggles]

However, Multiroom is a pain in the back end. sky insist that you keep all of your boxes connected to the same phoneline at all times, otherwise they will charge full subscription on the "stray" box, leaving you paying twice for something you've already paid for. They're gits, I know...

 

No neither of my Sky receivers are plugged in and we on on just fine. Obviouly we cant get ant PPV or box office, but I figure I pay Sky enough already.

 

I think the contract requires it plugged into a phone line for the first 12 months.

 

I am gonna try my multiroom box on the Lidl dish later. I'll report back.

[twocvbloke]

No neither of my Sky receivers are plugged in and we on on just fine. Obviouly we cant get ant PPV or box office, but I figure I pay Sky enough already.

 

I think the contract requires it plugged into a phone line for the first 12 months.

 

I am gonna try my multiroom box on the Lidl dish later. I'll report back.

 

The contract for a standard installation (1 box, 1 room) is 12 months, but 99% of people unplug their boxes anyway and save a bit of money on the phone bill (090 numbers, which the sky box dials, are not cheap!!!), but Multiroom, regardless of having it for 1 month or 20, they insist in the contract that both boxes must be connected to the same line, otherwise they automatically assume you've reneged on the contract and moved the box elsewhere, meaning it's not multiroom anymore and instead multihouse (well, 2 separate houses), so they charge the customer the full fee on the 2nd box...

 

Being in the satellite hobby myself, I know of a few through the Satellites forum who ave tried getting MR for the 2nd box to take to Spain or whatever, only to find they get charged the full sub on the discounted box...

 

Sky are gits, that's why I left them and went back to cable, (less crap on the EPG to sift through, NTL/Virgin boes have Picture-in-Picture on their channel guide, far fewer signal problems such as "rain fade" due to their compromise between aesthetics and signal gain with the dishes etc.), though that said, NTL weren't innocent in their services when I subscribed to them!!!

[WotEver]

Sky are gits, that's why I left them and went back to cable

 

I know there are lots of optical fibers run along the towpath but getting Virgin on a narrowboat is still a mightly clever trick.

 

How do you stop the cable getting caught in the prop?

 

T

[twocvbloke]

I know there are lots of optical fibers run along the towpath but getting Virgin on a narrowboat is still a mightly clever trick.

 

How do you stop the cable getting caught in the prop?

 

T

 

Don't move the boat...

[alan_fincher]

I know there are lots of optical fibers run along the towpath but getting Virgin on a narrowboat is still a mightly clever trick.

 

How do you stop the cable getting caught in the prop?

 

T

You need two very carefully positioned stakes to cut into the cables at exactly the right point, then simply wire on to there.

[Biggles]

OK

 

I have plugged in the 2nd box and it is working perfectly.

 

Twocvbloke. I hear what you are saying and can see the business sense in that, but I can assure you neither of my box's have been plugged in for over a year and we still only get the one bill.

 

How would Sky know where its being used i.e. multiroom / house without the phone connection? What would happen for example if you had the phone cut off or discontinued?

 

Anyway conclusion experiment is a success Guess the multiroom box will be going down the NB and the magic eye and other box will come out again. We never watch the other sky on a different channel anyway, not even sure how we (my wife) got talked into it.

 

I will report back if I do get a bill separately though.

[WotEver]

You need two very carefully positioned stakes to cut into the cables at exactly the right point, then simply wire on to there.

 

Got it

[Canopus36]

Arrived at store 7.55pm. First through the doors. Not one on the shelf. Manager rang around the nearest three stores, they were also out. Manager said I could ring customer services and they would hunt one down for me. However, he did say that in his experience the set was low quality and that he has had loads returned as faulty in the past. But as he agreed at sub £30 it is worth a punt!

 

My wife did get a free bouquet of flowers when we left as they were out of their best before date so at least we didn't leave empty handed!

 

By the way has anyone tried Lidl's tinned roasted almonds they are ace.

 

Happy discount shopping, if you are selective you can get some real bargains.

Cant get one for love nor money here in the East Mids. Phoned Lidl and they say they have none anywhere near me but will get more in 3 or 6 months time.

[boots]

Does anyone else see this?....

 

I can get 80%+ signal strength, but no matter what I do the signal quality is only ever 11~14%

 

Unfortunately I don't have another satellite system to compare against

 

does it look like I have a duff unit?

[alan_fincher]

Does anyone else see this?....

 

I can get 80%+ signal strength, but no matter what I do the signal quality is only ever 11~14%

 

Unfortunately I don't have another satellite system to compare against

 

does it look like I have a duff unit?

No,

 

It's highly unlikely it's faulty, and that's standard behaviour if not pointed at a satellite, whether out by miles, or only a small bit.

 

It's 99% likely to be that the alignment is not right - it is a black art - seems impossible until you manage it, after which you'll wonder why you struggled so much.

 

Not really helping, am I ?

[Doug the Tug]

No Boots your kit is OK, keep trying. The high strength value means your dish is talking to the box. You just need to point the dish in the right direction and the strength lines will go green and blue and the 11-14% will go up to 60-70%. Earlier in this thread will tell you just where to point it.

[twocvbloke]

Twocvbloke. I hear what you are saying and can see the business sense in that, but I can assure you neither of my box's have been plugged in for over a year and we still only get the one bill.

 

How would Sky know where its being used i.e. multiroom / house without the phone connection? What would happen for example if you had the phone cut off or discontinued?

 

They usually know because the boxes "report in" to sky over the phoneline, if they get one box calling in and not the other or one is on one number and the other is on a different number, they track that and assume you've brloken the contract terms and bill you accordingly...

 

As for your situation, I guess as neither box has reported in, then they can't say whether or not the boxes have moved, but usually they contact you asking if the boxes are plugged in, but you might have beaten the odds and are one of the lucky few who have managed to get away with it...

 

However, if you have no line or the line is cut off, then sky should be informed (either upon ordering or when you're to be disconnected), so they know the boxes will not be able to ring sky...

 

Does anyone else see this?....

 

I can get 80%+ signal strength, but no matter what I do the signal quality is only ever 11~14%

 

Unfortunately I don't have another satellite system to compare against

 

does it look like I have a duff unit?

 

That's a common problem which is another reason why people return the kits, basically what it means is you're not on a satellite, takes some getting used to, but once you get the alignment sorted, it's easier then making a cup of tea...

[Biggles]

"As for your situation, I guess as neither box has reported in, then they can't say whether or not the boxes have moved, but usually they contact you asking if the boxes are plugged in, but you might have beaten the odds and are one of the lucky few who have managed to get away with it... biggrin.gif"

 

Lets hope so

 

Try this for finding the satellite http://www.dishpointer.com/

 

Getting the direction was reasonably easy. it was the angle pointing to the sky I was getting wrong, and I would suspect might be a common mistake. When I look at mine the the dish it vertical and the LNB support bar is damn near horizontal. It strange but it point level not at the sky.

 

Hope that helps from a fellow novice

[GeoffS]

"Getting the direction was reasonably easy. it was the angle pointing to the sky I was getting wrong, and I would suspect might be a common mistake. When I look at mine the the dish it vertical and the LNB support bar is damn near horizontal. It strange but it point level not at the sky.

 

Hope that helps from a fellow novice

 

The reason your dish is vertical is that the signal comes down onto the centre of the dish at an angle and is then reflected on to the LNB.

 

To see the difference look at how the other types of dish are pointed that have the 'LNB' (not sure if that is the right name for these) in the centre of the dish. They have to be pointed at the satellite.

[twocvbloke]

To see the difference look at how the other types of dish are pointed that have the 'LNB' (not sure if that is the right name for these) in the centre of the dish. They have to be pointed at the satellite.

 

Those are called "Prime focus" dishes, and yes, LNB is the correct term, though usually it's a separate Feedhorn and "C120 Flange" LNB combination unlike the all-in-one units most dishes come with...

 

Though some PF dishes are transmitters too, so what would be the LNB on most dishes I just call the Transceiver assembly, having owned such a unit for a brief period (former satellite broadband kit), they're big beasts...

 

"Normal" dishes are known as "offset" dishes, as the LNB is offset from the centre of the dish to maximise signal gain, as with PF dishes, the LNB and support arms are in the way of the signal which can affect signal quality...