Info needed on motorised satellite dishes....

londonman81

I've heard a bit about motorised satellite dishes before and kind of have an idea about their uses. The websites are quite deep and I'm just a beginner..so can someone please clear up the following....

1)Can I get all Sky channels without a subscription by using a motorised satellite dish??

2) What else should I expect to receive apart from UK/European channels? - I've heard about 'feeds' which TV stations use to transfer pics to their offices - can I tap into these??

3)Can I view satellite channels/feeds from anywhere in the world and all satellites?

4) How much does a motorised dish cost?

5) Does a motorised dish receive BOTH digital and analogue stations from abroad??

6) What are the different types of dish and which ones allow coverage of most channels?

7) Do I need to buy a special 'box' as well as the dish?

8) Is it easy enough to install one myself?

9) Where should I buy one from?

Answers to these questions would halp clear up most of my queries.

If anyone has extra input/points to make besides there I'd much appreciate it!

Thanks

P.S My main reason for wanting a motorised dish is to be able to watch cricket matches from around the world which are otherwise not available through Sky. And also I'd like to play around and find obscure feeds/channels for fun (almost anorak territory).

Hellion

I've heard a bit about motorised satellite dishes before and kind of have an idea about their uses. The websites are quite deep and I'm just a beginner..so can someone please clear up the following....

1)Can I get all Sky channels without a subscription by using a motorised satellite dish??

2) What else should I expect to receive apart from UK/European channels? - I've heard about 'feeds' which TV stations use to transfer pics to their offices - can I tap into these??

3)Can I view satellite channels/feeds from anywhere in the world and all satellites?

4) How much does a motorised dish cost?

5) Does a motorised dish receive BOTH digital and analogue stations from abroad??

6) What are the different types of dish and which ones allow coverage of most channels?

7) Do I need to buy a special 'box' as well as the dish?

8) Is it easy enough to install one myself?

9) Where should I buy one from?

Answers to these questions would halp clear up most of my queries.

If anyone has extra input/points to make besides there I'd much appreciate it!

Thanks

P.S My main reason for wanting a motorised dish is to be able to watch cricket matches from around the world which are otherwise not available through Sky. And also I'd like to play around and find obscure feeds/channels for fun (almost anorak territory).

First of all see my previous post on this subject

http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Doyouknow;action=display;num=1102963728

1) No you can not get free sky channels on a motorised system

2) Yes ther are a number of feeds you can tap into and get things like news coverage, sport, etc

3) What satellites you can view from will depend on your location and your dish setup, ie larger dish will enable you to receive satellites from further away etc.

4) A motorised setup would prob cost around £400 for a decent system with 1M motorised dish, digital receiver and card.

5) Its not the dish that dictates wether you receive analogue or digital, its the receiver. Digital is the norm these days, not much left on analogue.

6) Dishes come in all varieties , They are mainly categorised by their diameter, ie, 60cm, 80cm, 90 cm, 1M,,, and so on

7) All you will need is the dish, Lnb, Receiver and CAM (conditional access module - this decodes the channels)

8) They are not that difficult to install but if you have never attempted it before it may be better to get someone to install it for you.

9) Take a look here http://www.hisat.com/twp/index.asp

londonman81

First of all see my previous post on this subject

http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Doyouknow;action=display;num=1102963728

1) No you can not get free sky channels on a motorised system

2) Yes ther are a number of feeds you can tap into and get things like news coverage, sport, etc

3) What satellites you can view from will depend on your location and your dish setup, ie larger dish will enable you to receive satellites from further away etc.

4) A motorised setup would prob cost around £400 for a decent system with 1M  motorised dish, digital receiver and card.

5) Its not the dish that dictates wether you receive analogue or digital, its the receiver. Digital is the norm these days, not much left on analogue.

6) Dishes come in all varieties , They are mainly categorised by their diameter, ie, 60cm, 80cm, 90 cm, 1M,,, and so on

7) All you will need is the dish, Lnb, Receiver and CAM (conditional access module - this decodes the channels)

8) They are not that difficult to install but if you have never attempted it before it may be better to get someone to install it for you.

9) Take a look here http://www.hisat.com/twp/index.asp

Thanks ofr the reply - I'm trying to figure out what all the various terminology/jargon associated with satellites is.

Do you have a motorised system yourself?? I'd like some advice on which of the all in one packages from that link would be most suitable....is it easy to pick up channels from asia with a basic setup for example?

Thanks for the help!

londonman81

Also - what is the difference between CI, 2CI and FTA. I know that FTA is the free-to-air channels.

But what about the others???
Cheers again!

Hellion

I had a motorised system a few years ago before all the digital stuff came in. I am usinmg a DVB-S card for my PC at the mo to get channels from Hotbird 13east,  have just ordered a Motor for my setup so I will be able to move around to other sats. Should be motorised again by the weekend

CI = Common interface (slot the same as those used for PCMCIA cards)

CA = Conditional access

Embedded cam = Built into receiver

Depends on how much you want to spend on a system. Couldnt really recomend any system as I have only just re-entered the sat scene and not up on what the best systems are right now.