My spare satellite box seems to be on its way out and I am considering buying a Freesat box to replace it. Does anybody know when you come set it up if it has an inbuilt signal/quality bar so you can find the signal. As at the minute I use my Skybox to find the signal through the options menu rather that buying a sat finder. Or I just might buy a better aerial that the one fitted to my van, as my tv has built in freeview and go for that option instead.
Freesat Box
- Thread starter Barry_374248747
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Taking you literally that you mean "Freesat" T as opposed to Sky's free to view service then my Humax Freesat recorder does have the signal/quality bars page. I therefore assume the Humax non recording version will also feature this.
If you mean the "free to view" transmissions you get from the same Sky group of satellite's Astra 28E then even my cheapo Comag generic decoder also features a signal/quality screen page.
If you mean the "free to view" transmissions you get from the same Sky group of satellite's Astra 28E then even my cheapo Comag generic decoder also features a signal/quality screen page.
JTQ,
My apologies yes I mean the "Freesat"TM. Thanks for the info on the signal/quality bars stuff.
My apologies yes I mean the "Freesat"TM. Thanks for the info on the signal/quality bars stuff.
I really do think a satfinder is worthwhile investment anyway.
You do not need to be able to see the TV, it is much easier to find and lock a satellite and they can be picked up for
You do not need to be able to see the TV, it is much easier to find and lock a satellite and they can be picked up for
I totally agree with the view that a satellite finder is well worth having for the stated reason that you can find satellites without the TV.
Two important points worth stating are:
The finder [ budget types]cant discriminate which satellite it has found, so move fro a tad too far east moving south and the one it finds is the one you need.
Buy an attenuator to put in the line from the finder to the LNB, this will cut out all the clutter that otherwise makes the finder hypersensitive and near US. Cheap attenuator from Screwfix 6 or 10dB will do nicely for a couple of
Two important points worth stating are:
The finder [ budget types]cant discriminate which satellite it has found, so move fro a tad too far east moving south and the one it finds is the one you need.
Buy an attenuator to put in the line from the finder to the LNB, this will cut out all the clutter that otherwise makes the finder hypersensitive and near US. Cheap attenuator from Screwfix 6 or 10dB will do nicely for a couple of
got a fortec one from maplins it has signal bars and tone to set with,works fine.Cant really see difference between the regular decoder and freesat box both get loads of channels,have started deleting the rubbish to cut out clutter.Also gets radio OK
Thanks for all the advice will probably invest in a sat finder if they are that cheap.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
As Deli-Dave said, I can't see the difference between the regular decoder (available all over Europe for around
with the freesat box with the freesat logo , you can get HD channels as they become available ,of course you will have to have a HD ready tv , the standard cheaper recievers are free to air
Hi Joby
I understand they receive HD channels (not bothered about these in the caravan) but do Freesat boxes do anything else that the standard cheap free to air ones don't do??
Keith
I understand they receive HD channels (not bothered about these in the caravan) but do Freesat boxes do anything else that the standard cheap free to air ones don't do??
Keith
the free to air ,gets you all the free to air channels from the astra 2 satellite ,some get bbc1 HD ,i personally have the free to air which is fine ,iam not worried about HD ,
no they dont ,apart from HDHi Joby
I understand they receive HD channels (not bothered about these in the caravan) but do Freesat boxes do anything else that the standard cheap free to air ones don't do??
Keith
i bought one of the humax boxes from argos to replace my maplins receiver, nothing was wrong with the maplins one but with all the hype i thought the freesat would have been better.
after setting the freesat up in the van to try it i found that as others have pointed out i had no benefit over the maplins unit at all other than the possibility of hd, since im not that bothered about hd in the van i decided to save the money and returned the freesat box to argos as unsuitable within the 7 day returns period.
if my maplins cheapo box fails then i will buy freesat hd but untill that happens im staying with what i have.
after setting the freesat up in the van to try it i found that as others have pointed out i had no benefit over the maplins unit at all other than the possibility of hd, since im not that bothered about hd in the van i decided to save the money and returned the freesat box to argos as unsuitable within the 7 day returns period.
if my maplins cheapo box fails then i will buy freesat hd but untill that happens im staying with what i have.
The freesat box probably has an auto update which the free to air boxes don't have. Also the EPEG (programme guide) tends to be pretty basic on the cheapo boxes if they work at all.
Sky boxes have both of course.
But is it worth paying the extra when it's only used in a caravan?
Sky boxes have both of course.
But is it worth paying the extra when it's only used in a caravan?
All,
Thanks for all the advice, have bought one over the weekend got it initially working in the van but then it went off. Got home plugged it into the sky cable and it is not locking on to its signal am a bit bemused. Any body got any idea's apart from the box being knackered.
Thanks for all the advice, have bought one over the weekend got it initially working in the van but then it went off. Got home plugged it into the sky cable and it is not locking on to its signal am a bit bemused. Any body got any idea's apart from the box being knackered.
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