satellite cable for freesat

coffeehound

cerebus said:

Ayr_Rage said:

@sanova76 setting up a dish and checking the LNB is not a DIY job.

Is the old cable still attached to the LNB on the dish?

If not the connectors on the LNB may be corroded and no longer usable.

I suggest you employ a satellite engineer to set it up.

It can easily be done DIY

If the dish hasn't moved and the LNB is still there then you just need to lash in a cable (pf100 or similiar) terminating using F connectors which are dead easy to terminate 

Select a channel and see what happens!

If nothing check signal strength and if nothing check the angle of the dish (35 degrees if I remember correctly , Google it just in case) and slowly rotate the dish left to right until you get signal , once you hit the strongest signal , tighten the dish up and route the cable

This is easier using a signal meter but can slowly done using your telly 

You only need to call out for help from an engineer if you cannot get a signal or if you feel out of your depth but I would certainly lash in a cable even if you do feel out of your depth 

Think I would sooner replace the LNB if no signal before starting to move the dish around.  They are quite cheap and easy to replace.  

Edit - weirdly a signal detector can still show a signal even when the LNB has failed, so it's best to diagnose by whether the set-top box can detect channels and show a picture or not

Alderbank

cerebus said:

You will also need to "tune" I.e. move the dish to align with the satellite,  you can either use a tester or move the telly so you can see it whilst aligning the dish 

Sky and Freesat both use the same satellites (Astra 28.2 E) so if the dish was aligned for Sky it will be in the right place for Freeview.
However as @Ayr_Rage says the LNB Sky uses for Sky Q is not compatible with Freesat so would need to be swapped.
I have done this a few times for friends and neighbours who have left Sky, it's not too difficult.

Unlike aerials, satellite dishes do not have to be installed high up. For health & safety reasons Sky engineers locate them as low as possible where the dish can 'see' the satellite. Nowadays this is usually no more than first floor window height and is often at ground level.

I found the hardest part of the job is making sure the cable connection to the LNB is fully waterproof.

timjim

The Sky Q lnb IS compatible with the current Freesat 4k boxes

Alderbank

timjim said:

The Sky Q lnb IS compatible with the current Freesat 4k boxes

Thanks, that's useful. It's a few years since I did this and the boxes were just HD back then.

cerebus

Alderbank said:

cerebus said:

You will also need to "tune" I.e. move the dish to align with the satellite,  you can either use a tester or move the telly so you can see it whilst aligning the dish 

Sky and Freesat both use the same satellites (Astra 28.2 E) so if the dish was aligned for Sky it will be in the right place for Freeview.
However as @Ayr_Rage says the LNB Sky uses for Sky Q is not compatible with Freesat so would need to be swapped.
I have done this a few times for friends and neighbours who have left Sky, it's not too difficult.

Unlike aerials, satellite dishes do not have to be installed high up. For health & safety reasons Sky engineers locate them as low as possible where the dish can 'see' the satellite. Nowadays this is usually no more than first floor window height and is often at ground level.

I found the hardest part of the job is making sure the cable connection to the LNB is fully waterproof.

You are assuming the dish hasn't moved in the time it has been disconnected and was set up correctly in the first place!

PHK

cerebus said:

J_B said:

cerebus said:

Ayr_Rage said:

@sanova76 setting up a dish and checking the LNB is not a DIY job.

Is the old cable still attached to the LNB on the dish?

If not the connectors on the LNB may be corroded and no longer usable.

I suggest you employ a satellite engineer to set it up.

It can easily be done DIY

If the dish hasn't moved and the LNB is still there then you just need to lash in a cable (pf100 or similiar) terminating using F connectors which are dead easy to terminate 

Select a channel and see what happens!

If nothing check signal strength and if nothing check the angle of the dish (35 degrees if I remember correctly , Google it just in case) and slowly rotate the dish left to right until you get signal , once you hit the strongest signal , tighten the dish up and route the cable

This is easier using a signal meter but can slowly done using your telly 

You only need to call out for help from an engineer if you cannot get a signal or if you feel out of your depth but I would certainly lash in a cable even if you do feel out of your depth 

Our dish is at the top of our chimney stack - the sat guy used a triple extending ladder to reach it.

That is definitely NOT a DIY job

If a sat guy can use a triple extending ladder to get to it why can't anybody else use a triple extending ladder to reach it, including someone competent in DIY?

Are you saying only tradesmen can use ladders?

Just cause you don't feel it is not a DIY job doesn't mean someone else doesnt and will happily do what you won't.

Finally I'm not sure how your post helps the OP

You need to remember people aren't as practical nowadays and have no idea how to do even simple jobs. 

J_B

cerebus said:

J_B said:

cerebus said:

Ayr_Rage said:

@sanova76 setting up a dish and checking the LNB is not a DIY job.

Is the old cable still attached to the LNB on the dish?

If not the connectors on the LNB may be corroded and no longer usable.

I suggest you employ a satellite engineer to set it up.

It can easily be done DIY

If the dish hasn't moved and the LNB is still there then you just need to lash in a cable (pf100 or similiar) terminating using F connectors which are dead easy to terminate 

Select a channel and see what happens!

If nothing check signal strength and if nothing check the angle of the dish (35 degrees if I remember correctly , Google it just in case) and slowly rotate the dish left to right until you get signal , once you hit the strongest signal , tighten the dish up and route the cable

This is easier using a signal meter but can slowly done using your telly 

You only need to call out for help from an engineer if you cannot get a signal or if you feel out of your depth but I would certainly lash in a cable even if you do feel out of your depth 

Our dish is at the top of our chimney stack - the sat guy used a triple extending ladder to reach it.

That is definitely NOT a DIY job

If a sat guy can use a triple extending ladder to get to it why can't anybody else use a triple extending ladder to reach it, including someone competent in DIY?

I don't own, or know anyone who owns a triple ladder.

Are you saying only tradesmen can use ladders?

If I did have one, I wouldn't feel comfortable going up that high dealing with something that I'm not familiar with. Prefer to leave it to someone more capable.

Just cause you don't feel it is not a DIY job doesn't mean someone else doesnt and will happily do what you won't.

Finally I'm not sure how your post helps the OP

I'm not normally an 'elf and safety' fan, but in this case I just think of Rod Hull

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/298801.stm

Suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.

prowla

timjim said:

The Sky Q lnb IS compatible with the current Freesat 4k boxes

The OP says they have a Manhatten one, which is the older style.

I can confirm that the Freesat branded 4k one is compatible with the Sky Q wideband LNBs and is a straight swap; I did it last month.

sanova76

Update

All sorted now, old dish still working.   Not sure how much it'll cost to hire an installer, but I'll probably get a smart tv with freeview play if it's broken/no signal.  

cerebus

PHK said:

cerebus said:

J_B said:

cerebus said:

Ayr_Rage said:

@sanova76 setting up a dish and checking the LNB is not a DIY job.

Is the old cable still attached to the LNB on the dish?

If not the connectors on the LNB may be corroded and no longer usable.

I suggest you employ a satellite engineer to set it up.

It can easily be done DIY

If the dish hasn't moved and the LNB is still there then you just need to lash in a cable (pf100 or similiar) terminating using F connectors which are dead easy to terminate 

Select a channel and see what happens!

If nothing check signal strength and if nothing check the angle of the dish (35 degrees if I remember correctly , Google it just in case) and slowly rotate the dish left to right until you get signal , once you hit the strongest signal , tighten the dish up and route the cable

This is easier using a signal meter but can slowly done using your telly 

You only need to call out for help from an engineer if you cannot get a signal or if you feel out of your depth but I would certainly lash in a cable even if you do feel out of your depth 

Our dish is at the top of our chimney stack - the sat guy used a triple extending ladder to reach it.

That is definitely NOT a DIY job

If a sat guy can use a triple extending ladder to get to it why can't anybody else use a triple extending ladder to reach it, including someone competent in DIY?

Are you saying only tradesmen can use ladders?

Just cause you don't feel it is not a DIY job doesn't mean someone else doesnt and will happily do what you won't.

Finally I'm not sure how your post helps the OP

You need to remember people aren't as practical nowadays and have no idea how to do even simple jobs. 

You need to remember that if that were true then this tech forum wouldn't exist , if anything I would say the reverse is true as with the advent of things like YouTube and the massive amount of info and good practical advice out there then it's easier than ever to do "simple" jobs and more people are willing to give them a go

And if what you say where true I would also be out of a job.....