Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The frequencies through the LNB's are the same, what you might find is that there's a buffer that handles switching the H/V so that multiple people can use the same dishes without having the selection changed on you by someone else.

I'd suggest you check out which company (the building caretaker should know) does the sat/sky installs for them and ask. But yes it "should" work

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I suppose the switching voltages are the same on the freesat boxes, as you can use a sky dish and lnb no problem. I understand your reason for not being 100% sure it will work.

I will let you know the outcome if she goes ahead with free sat.

Thanks again for the help.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I own one of these recievers and I'm not overly impressed with the perfomance. 63% for quality is about right, you can always improve this by upgrading the LNB. I would take care when repositioning because when I allingned the dish to the Astra 1 group (they contain the German and Spanish channels) whilst downloading the channels the reciever froze. After contacting the Ross customer support who apparently knew about the issue but don't seem to be making any attempt to rectify it, the only cure was to do a factory restore and reallign with the Astra 2 satellites. The other annoying point is that it turns itself off after 3 hours if the reciever doesn't get any input from the remote control. Good luck.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

thanx for the info, kymmy and mikey. its not a bad system for the money. might investigate the dual lnb route. did notice though,tonight on itv, a movie, the illusionist. characters in moving scenes seem to be a bit jerky. i like looking at luxe hd channel sometimes it seems to show quite a bit of promise in the pic, at only 42% quality. i mean some of the scenes can be quite impressive! cheers.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Remember dual LNB (either a monobloc or two LNBs on an adaptor and a diseqc switch) will only work if the reciever has diseqc switching..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I bought a HD sat kit from B&Q the other day and could not get it to work. Then on here I see there's been a few people in this thread having problems with the same things. So here's my ten penny worth. Tried setting up without a sat finder, using the settings from dishpointer.com and a compass - waste of time! Did notice that I got a "tingle" from the aerial though and thought that was odd. Also noticed that the receiver box had a misaligned or badly fixed panel so took it back to B&Q who changed everything except the wall brackets. Tried to set up again, this time with a borrowed satellite finder. Got power up to 99% but 0 on quality. Called in a knowledgeable neighbour who first discovered that the aerial provided had not had the ends put on properly. (had still been getting a "tingle") He set up the dish with the finder and still no joy. However on touching the switch on the receiver box you got a "tingle" again. (Why is that?) Eventually realised the switch on the box was dicky as it worked when you gave it a sharp tap (sometimes) In the end we connected the neighbours receiver box to our set up and got a perfect picture. So back to B&Q again for the third box - wish I had bought one somewhere else now!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Yippee - third time lucky! Plugged in the new box and it all worked OK. The good folks at B&Q said they'd not had any others back. Hmmmmm. :rolleyes:

B&Q Satellite - And hiya to kymmy
 

kymmy,
I am in the process of buying a HD box(b&Q) 20% discount as my beloved works there, anyway love the advice that has been given to others on the forum, but do you think that it is good buy? ( i know that you cannot say the obvious? but some points will do, and will this pick up the German Channels as these televise our premier teame (backdoor method)
Thanks
Trev4521

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Yes they do televise the premier games but they are still encrypted so backdoor method not work unless you have a card...

This sat will do for any of the sats within range of the UK using a 80cm dish. So yes you can pick up Intelsat, Eutelsat, hotbird, Astra 1 & 2..etc.. The one you're looking at also does HD so it's an added bonus with more and more HD channels arriving in every country.. BUT it is cheap and hence won;t have as many feautures as some recievers, but in the end it does what it says on the box and if you get it set up correctly will perform just as well as £200 recievers just without the bells and whistles

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

thanks for that info, what is the difference between the Freesat & Freeview as my LCD/DVD/Tv has got freeview inbuilt, will these channels be lost when hooking up to a another satellite dish,(i already have one not used) waht was supplied by Sky years ago, will have to take that one down or can i re-use it with the Ross receiver?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Freeview uses a traditional rooftop aerial and relies on traditional terrestrial broadcast signals, except the channels carried on those signals are encoded in a digital rather than in an analogue fashion. Freeview is what you will be left with after 'digital switchover' is complete in your area. Almost all TVs now sold in the UK have a Freeview tuner alongside the old-fashioned analogue tuner.

Freesat is the BBC and ITV's solution to the problem that Freeview digital terrestrial TV will never reach 100% of UK households (in fact it will never reach as many households as the analogue service it is replacing). It broadcasts via satellite and requires a satellite dish. An old Sky dish will do just fine. Very few TVs have a Freesat tuner built in, and so will require a DVB-S set-top box. If you use a Freesat-branded set-top box, you get the Freesat EPG (electronic programme guide) and additional services such as the BBC iPlayer (on some set-top boxes, but not all of them at present). If you use a non-Freesat, free-to-air satellite set-top-box, such as the Ross equipment sold by B&Q, then you will have access to the same channels as Freesat but not the bells and whistles. The Ross box should work just fine with your old Sky dish.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Thank you for that information.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

hey guys, just bought a ross hd satalit kit from b&q gonna fit it together 2morro but was wunderin if i can play films from a usb stick and if so what format do i have to use, e.g .avi .mp4 etc?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

How did you get on with it?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

still not had chance get it up yet but found out i got to convert video files to .ts mpeg2 b4 it will play from a usb memory stick

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi,
I have purchased a Ross Satellite baox from B&Q today, (batteries 2xaaa NOT included) and hooked it up to my Sky Sat Dish (not been used for years) and switched the box on Hey presto everything came up no configuring. i have not noticed what channels are not installed yet!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

hello everyone!
sorry to drag up an old thread but i got one of these kits sunday, dish was built and fixed on the day but the father in law had to get off with his ladders so had no time to position correctly. had him round for an hour tonight, i was on the roof and with the aid of a signal meter i got 66% on the quality, so tightened every thing up, got back into the house and the only channels i can get are german! i assume i'm on the wrong satellite, but so as i know which way to start moving could some one let me know if im close and which way to start moving???

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

You're probably on 19.2E you need to go about 2 (maybe three) sats to the left and maybe extremely slightly down (curvature of the earth)

Lyngsat.com should help you with identifying the sat you have via the freq/vid

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

thanks, i'll be trying later

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

:nworthy:a very minor adjustment and 5 mins later it works a treat, thanks very much for the help

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I think you'll now testify as to how close the sats are together and how easy it is to get the wrong sat.. Honestly could you have done it without a signal meter?

:tu: glad you;re now happy :D

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

without a meter, no chance, lucky my dad had one included in the kit he bought

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi we just bought a ross hd system, and were quite anxious to get it setup quickly as the conservatory is going up Monday so we wont' be able to get easy access to the dish. I contacted them about foreign channels as I was also interested in the Greek channels. They responded and told me that the Greek channels are on 38E where as most Enlglish channels are located at 29E. They suggested 3 ways this could be achieved,1) two dishes and LNBs (one for each satellite) plus a DiSEqC switch (to automatically select between LNBs)

2) one dish with two LNBs (one for each satellite) and a Mono-Bloc mounting system (allowing for accurate placement of LNBs to receive two different beams) plus a DiSEqC switch (as above)

3) a single dish and LNB plus a DiSEqC dish motor (to allow the receiver to turn the dish to face the required satellite
Must say it seems to be getting a little complicated, or is it easy enough and economical enough to get one of the motors?
I did do a search on the motors but see them as DISEQC 1.2 or 2 (have e-mailed them back requesting which one would work).

I guess what I'm asking is will we really be able to put it up ourselves? We did by a signal finder as well. Also will we really get all the channels?
We live in Bournemouth so I have to try and source a motor from somewhere nearby. Appreciate any and all info.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

You need a dual mounting unit that will allow two seperate LNB's on the same dish (just that 10degree's is quite an odd split to use a dual LNB) This then can very easily be controlled via a simple diseqc switch.

One thing though that would worry me is the footprint of the sat at 38E. If the footprint is concentrating on SE europe then you might need a very large dish to get even a reasonable signal here in the UK. Will see if I can find the footprint for the sat in question

---------- Post added at 14:48 ---------- Previous post was at 14:43 ----------

Looking at the sat maps you should be fine with a 60cm dish

http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/hellas2.html

The sat in question is HellasSat2 at 39E, looking at the listing though half of the channels are encrypted

http://www.lyngsat.com/hellas2.html

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Thanks for that, like I said true novice here so any and all info is greatly appreciated. (Including translating lingo, such as footprint?). By saying most of the channels are encrypted, does that mean I won't be able to see them?
Thought it best to get a motor so that we can manipulate the dish from inside, now wondering if it's worth it? I presume the LNB is the item that faces the dish? Looks like a microphone? LOL, I did say you are dealing with a total novice.. Although my husband is better at things like calculations and degrees etc., but both of us don't know anything about sats and signals.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The footprint is the area on the surface of the planet where the satellite aims its broadcasts. Some example footprint diagrams are to be found on the first link Kymmy provided above.

The closer to the edge of the footprint you are, the larger your dish needs to be in order to collect an adequate signal. However judging by the footprint diagram for Hellas2 your standard Sky or Freesat dish should be adequate.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Sowwy, I do tend to be a bit techie with stuff like this :D

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Took a look at lynsat-maps as you linked. How can you tell if something is encrypted?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The encryption status of channels on Hellas2 is on Kymmy's second link:

http://www.lyngsat.com/hellas2.html

---------- Post added at 15:25 ---------- Previous post was at 15:22 ----------

Just as well you have a virtual brother to translate for you. ;)

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2010/08/40.jpg

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

LOL thanks Chris, appreciate your and Kimmy's help. I did take a look at the lings site. I can see the table with the name frequency,etc. but as I'm not familiar with the jargon I'm not sure what tells you whether something is encrypted. Ie; I don't know what the letters A mean etc. Appreciate your patience..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

If it's got an https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2011/12/39.gif in the SYSTEM ENCRYPTION column then it's not encrypted

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

how do u get scrabble channal off

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

You don't like the Scrabble channel? It sounds riveting, hours and hours a day watching people playing Scrabble, awesome!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I prefer the Sudoku channel myself :rolleyes:

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

no its ppl play scrabble the channal will not pay anything

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

If you want a channel/s that are scrambled then you will have to pay the vendor for access, as this forum will not condone or allow the discussion of obtaining services in any other way.:)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I still don't get the association with Scrabble but hey :rolleyes:

Discussion of obtaining services without payment (illegally) is not allowed here, please refrain.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I believe he may be foreign I bet his IP would also confirm it.;)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi.

Bought the standard (non-HD) Ross kit form B&Q. I guess I must have been very lucky - at least with the dish alignment. Here's my experience:

Had to return faulty decoder straight off.

Supplied wall mount was no good because dish needed to be almost at right-angles to wall but mount arm gave insufficient clearance for this. Had to buy a mast bracket and I managed to get hold of a suitable length of mast. I set the dish alignment for 28.2 E and then fitted the mast/dish to the wall bracket and gave the dish enough clearance above the gutter for it to be able to not be obstructed by the fairly shallow roof pitch.

This was all done with just a chair on the porch roof outside a bedroom window. I had the decoder connected to a tv in the bedroom. I had enough length of mast below the wall mount and so placed the chair under the mast, having tightened the mount/mast clamps so I could still just turn the mast slightly.

For initial aim, I had checked out the Dishpointer site, which overlays a bearing on a map for your location and requirements. There were a couple of other dishes around as well. Anyway, first picked up all the German channels. So, having read that I was close, I marked the mast vertically with the clamps, and was just a couple of mins before I was there - pretty good quality across a spread of channels so I marked that position as well, tightened everything up and re-checked signal.

As the dish was above gutter height (and obviously difficult to reach) I left it at that an ran the cable to the downstairs tv, checked setup/quality, and everything's fine. Been using the system for a couple of days with no issues and perfectly good quality.

So, yes, I would have liked to have had a meter. I would have liked a compass. But, however unlikely/lucky, I have what I want - access to the usual UK channels. We live in a VERY naff area for terrestrial reception. Wife is now really happy and I am just a bit pleased too.

Sorry for the length of post. Oh, legth of post yes, I did cut the excess mast below the wall bracket :)


Good luck to anyone else thinking of the DIY route. I was very lucky (?) it seems.

Thanks.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

So, looking through this thread I should go down to B&Q next wednesday and get one of these?

I live NW area, have a 42" LG HD ready Freeview set and was thinking of getting the Freeview HD set top box but you say that is limited to four HD channels and can't fit any more. Freesat would be good and has a good EPG but costs more (you'll gather from the wednesday bit I'm stretching a pension).

How do you find out what's on without a EPG, the net?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

AFAIK, many non-Freesat receivers will show you 'now and next' ... although I don't know if the B&Q kit does. But if you want a full 7-day EPG you need a Sky box or a Freesat box.

You can see complete schedule information for free at many websites, for example radiotimes.com.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I use www.tvguide.co.uk, you can change the listing from Sky to freeview, freesat..etc..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Yes, the Ross does show now & next prog.

If you are tempted to buy a kit then have a good look at what is involved first to get an idea if you are likely to face any problems for your particular location and building.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the supplied wall-mounting arm did not allow enough dish/wall clearance in our case. The dish is 60cm wide and the centre of the vertical section of the mount arm has only about 27cm stand off from wall. Our dish is pointed at the Astra 2A/B/D group of satellites at 28.2 deg E. Our house is aligned with 49 deg E.

As you probably have read elsewhere, this dish assembly is marked (a bit crudely, though) to set degrees of elevation and the LNB is also marked. Regarding LNB fitting: I initially assumed that a negative (anti-clockwise rotation) was when looking at the dish. On further reading (and before final fitting) I read that it was when viewed from behind dish.

Also, after everything was set up - and with good results, I was looking at the Ross website, where it says in the FAQ: "The instruction to polarise the LNB is a hold-over from a previous version, the current LNB design does not require polarisation, and in fact the reception will not be affected in any way by rotating (polarising) the LNB in it’s clamp". Oh well :)

VERY useful (where possible), to have a tv and the receiver set up in a room where you can operate the remote-control from outside while adjusting dish alignment.

Definitely check out Dishpointer site.

This is another great link for dish orientation:
http://www.satlex.us/en/azel_calc-pa...ountry_code=uk

You can have a look at the installation manual at the Ross site beforehand as well.

Obviously it is ideal to have a satellite finder (Maplins, Argos etc.), or, at least, a compass. I had neither (nor even a ladder) :)


Good luck.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Great info guys. The place where I'm thinking of putting the dish had a Sky dish before we bought but the wall runs along 7 deg east so I may well have to make up some spacers to get the alignment, good point. It's on the first floor with a flat roof below so easy enough to get to and adjust. I have a ship's compass in a box so with a straight edge on the disk, the compass and the current magnetic declination I should get somewhere near. I'm doing all the reading at the moment and looking forward the wednesday:)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Well blow me down. Bought one this a.m., assembled it, lined it up to 143+3 deg for local magnetic variation http://www.magnetic-declination.com/ , Switched on the box to start alignment, it said loading for a few mins then.....lit up in BBC HD! Brilliant! Signal 99% 45%. Bit of wiggling got that up to 99% 57%. Turned off three hour standby. Well made up with this! Thankx for the advice chaps.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Great stuff! Knew you would be ok though, as you obviously sounded to be up to the job :)

Cool.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Just bought the SD model from B & Q, with the purpose of watching italian tv via hotbird 6. DOne some research, used the satellite finder etc but nothing! I seem to be getting 50% - 55% signal strength on loads of satellites (even when I do not move the postion of the dish), at one point got 60% + on hotbird, but in the main nothing on the quality - once i got about 12%

I did buy a satellite finder too but did not realise until I opended it that a needed to connect to the receiver via a jumper lead - which i do not have currently so this did not even flicker.

I have a sky dish and have positioned this one just below it. However, do not even get much when mimicking the sky positioning, trying to find astra. Have I got a dud? or should i continue to be patient and try and align the satellite.

I also read on this forum that the ross satellite might not pick up hotbird. Can any confirm this, do I need a bigger dish?

I need help as my italian father in law is coming to stay at the weekend for at least a week and if he has no tv i will get plenty of ear ache!! and I am too tight to pay a professional!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

It should be perfectly capable of picking up 13e (where hotbird6,8 and 9 reside)

Grab a lead from someone like maplins/ebay and use the sat finder as without it you'll need a lot of luck. If you do find Astra2 then hotbird should be about 3 strong signals to the left and you may have to drop the dish down very, very slightly due to not having a polar mount.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I set the elevation as stated for a place near me on the alignment chart and used a compass plus mangetic variation to line up and it lit up straight away! Note though that the dish and LNB arm are metal so you don't want the compass near them. Use a straight piece of wood across the face of the dish and align at 90 degrees from where you are aiming at if you follow me so you can get the compass in free air away from the dish. For the rest I'll leave it to the experts. Don't fancy your deadline for putting it up this week! Hope the weather gives you a break to get it done:)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Here's me helping everyone else and I've still not put up my new mount (DiseqC motor) on my 1.2m dish that I've been promising myself since spring to do :rolleyes:

Just not had the time..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

thanks for the replies. Still no joy I am afraid. I have used dish pointer and compass and know that I am there or there abouts. But my sat finder does not flicker or change pitch; when piped up to the receiver, I get signal strength of 54% ish but no quality - but this is the same for every satellite. This canno be right can it? I would of thought that if I am pointing at east, all west sats would have no strength. SO have I got a faulty system or is it the case that no matter where I point it, on all channels there will be 50% ish strength.

I have managed to get occasional flickers on the receiver to 90+% signal and quality but it lasts for less that a few seconds, and often I have not moved the dish. I am aware that the margins are small but I am struggling to believe that the signal can be so fickle.

Is it worth me perservering or giving up and paying someone who knows what they are doing. My father in law visit draws closer!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi there,

Don't have any technical knowledge but here goes:

As I understand it, the signal strength is a measure of the link established between the LNB and the receiver. Hence your signal strength regardless of positioning. Obviously the technically aware here will correct me if needed.

The quality reading (adequate LNB/receiver link assumed), is the 'real' satellite signal strength/quality indicator. I would have thought though that your signal strength reading is low? Maybe it is within limits - perhaps others could pitch in with their technical knowledge.

Are you happy with the condition of the cable and it's connections?

No, the signal is not so fickle. Your second paragraph might suggest something dodgy from LNB to receiver.

Bit strange that you get no reults from the finder. Are you happy with the connections and mode of operation of the sat finder?

As experiments, what about hooking up the receiver or sat finder to the existing dish, and see what results you might get?

Really, the need for pin-point accuracy (Initially, at least) is not such a big deal. As long as you are confident that you have the correct starting alingnment data and have managed to apply those settings pretty closely, (bearing in mind line-of-sight and need for fixed part of dish bracket to be upright so as not to impact dish elevation), then you should get something without a substantial amount of time or fuss. When you do get a lock on whatever, it can be handy to mark that position against the mount for reference.


Hope you get sorted.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Thanks again for the help. managed to get hotbird - signal strength is 60%. SO enough to have quite a few channel but only got Rai 1 and 3, no 2 or 4. Is it worth trying to get more than 60% or calling it a day and going with what I have. My worry is that I will interfere and no get it back to 60%

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Where abouts are you? I only ask as the further north you go the weaker the signal will be..

If you got hotbird with RAI it's probably the sat at 13e, you need to go a few strong signals to the right of them and very, very slightly up.. Once you get the astra2 sats then you need to use minute movements to get the strongest possible signal (including rotating the LNB)

It takes a lot of time/patience and probably best if you can see a TV whilst you move the dish (not the first time I've moved a TV outside whilst I do the fine tuning :D

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi im new to this forum, i purchased the ross satalite system from b&Q, it says should take a couple of hours to assemble & set up. 3 weekends ive been trying without a signal in site, this is with a satalite finder & compass making all the right noises & signs. my caravan is on the east coast scarboro should this make any differance, its doing my head in.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Location should be fine.. You just gotta remember that it's not as easy as just pointing towards a strong signal in roughtly the right direction like a TV antenna.. Best thing to do is to find a strong signal and then tune in the tuner to see which sat group you're on (compare the channel listings with www.lyngsat.com ) If it's you're below 28E then you need to move the dish left and if it's above then too the right..

One thing to check is that the pole you mount the dish on is perfectly upright, just grab a small spirit level and check at multiple positions

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Kymmy, I am in Northampton. I will try you advice to see if I can get a stronger signal.

Dougie - I feel your pain. Had similar problems. In end I just found any satellite and once I had something worked from there . Good luck with it

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi, Just registered. Don't know whether this is the right thread for this query but here goes anyway.
SITUATION:
I have SKY + HD in my lounge supplied from a SKY dish. In my kitchen I have an old CRT TV which until recently was supplied with a signal from a separate dish utilising a standard SKY box with a viewing card that I paid a one-off fee for (SKY Freesat?). I have now lost that signal for reasons unknown (maybe dish has become misaligned or SKY box has gone duff!). Kitchen TV is now operating on a "DIGILOGIC" digital box using an Portable indoor arial. I am getting reasonably good FREEVIEW.
QUERY:
I am thinking of upgrading my main TV in the lounge and moving the existing LCD HD ready one into the kitchen to replace the CRT. Can I utilise the existing SKY dish supplying the lounge TV to also supply signals to the kitchen TV assuming that I am also going to buy a FREESAT+HD box for the kitchen. Is it likely that the SKY dish LNB is a quad as it is already supplying 2 signals to my SKY+HD box in the lounge? Are there any difficulties that I might encounter? Would the B&Q Ross FREESAT+HD receiver be any good or should I purchase a more quality one as suggested in previous replies.
I would be grateful for any guidance. Cheers

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

If you just want freesat then go for a proper freesat box (it'll run perfectly fine off the quad LNB without having to do anything else apart from the new cable..)

You could get a sky multiroom package (but a box off ebay or get another from sky..

The ross system will give a good picture if you want to go that route and will probably be cheaper than a freesat box, the downside would be the lack of 7 day EPG..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

If Sky installed your +HD service, I would not assume they installed a quad-LNB to feed it, because only a dual-LNB is required in order to make a single Sky+HD box work.

Get a close look at the dish - borrow binos if you have to. If it is a quad-LNB you should be able to see two unused terminals on it. If there are no unused terminals, you will need to buy a replacement. They're not difficult to install though; I replaced our mono with a quad a few weeks ago.

While I recognise that many people in this thread are perfectly happy with their Ross/B&Q box, I would never have one because it doesn't have an EPG. To me, a decent, 7-day EPG is by far the best thing about digital TV. For that, you need either a Sky or branded Freesat box.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Kymmy, Chris. Thank you both for the replies. Will check current LNB at first opportunity. Your advice on 7 day EPG much appreciated. Will go down that route. Didn't want to pay extra subscription for multi room from SKy as would also have to pay for extra SKY HD package for 2nd TV as well and wouldn't probably use it. Infact I'm considering cancelling my SKY HD subscription for the main TV anyway but I am uncertain whether I would still be able to receive the free HD channels or still receive SKY's HD style EPG. Can either of you help answer that query please?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The EPG will still work, but it gets very annoying having to surf through all the channels in it that you can't watch.

BBC-HD and ITV1-HD are broadcast in the clear and should still work. As for the rest - almost certainly not.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Also with cheaper recievers (which tend to have less memory) the EPG tends to be only a day or two..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

We have a Ross Freesat Box from B & Q and are trying to get an external 1TB HDD to record to. The box can see the drive but reports it as full (format is FAT32). The box does not format it when told to. Has anyone else managed to get an external drive working that can send us some tips on how to get this to work or are we wasting our time attempting this??

TIA

Terry

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I've installed the dish but can't receive any channels, the dish is pointing in the same direction as my Sky dish.
The manual says to make sure the signal strength and signal quality are above 50% but I don't see the meters in the system setup menu.

I connected the box to my sky dish and it found all the channels OK so the box is working I'm wondering if the LN is duff but don't now how to test it.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Roughly pointing the dish will not work, it needs to be exact down to the millimeter.. that's where a sat meter comes in handy

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The that bothers me is that the manual says there should be a signal quality & signal strength meter in the setup menus but I can't see them does that mean my box is not working properly?

Also there is an update function in the menus but how do I get the update files to the box it only has a RS232 port NO USB or Ehernet ports?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I have now checked my LNB and there are 2 spare terminals. I now intend to buy some cable to run to my kitchen TV. The Sky cable at present is marked CB63R Digital Sat CBL UK BSkyB twin 63-001A I have looked on line for extra cable as I need about 18 metres but am getting confused by jargon. What on earth is "Shotgun" cable? Non of the jargon busting websites mention it! Is it really just a matter of running the extra cable and connecting into a freesat box? I have been on a couple of advice websites where there is talk of amplifiers, splitters and all sorts of other stuff. Although I am pretty technical (I was a marine engineer in the Royal Navy) some of the jargon does confuse!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

RG6 or pf-100 will do.. You should be able to get 20m lengths on ebay complete with the F plugs

(and that comes from an ex-RAF Weapons Tech :p: (nearly got articifer in the RN but the RAF came through with an offer first)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Further to Biggles' comment above, ;) as you're going to be running cable from outdoors to indoors, whatever you buy, if it comes bundled with f-plugs, make sure they're not moulded in place already. You need screw-on f-plugs that you will fit yourself once your cable is run and cut to length.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Thanks Kymmy, but you haven't really answered all my question (don't forget you are dealing with a thick ex-matelot here - not a bright and intelligent crab!). What is "shotgun" cable? Is running extra cable and connecting into the back of a freesat box all I have to do?

---------- Post added at 15:05 ---------- Previous post was at 15:02 ----------

Thanks Chris. Also see my latest reply to Kymmy's offering (typical RAF - never give you the whole story!!)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Don't worry about what 'shotgun' means. I've managed to do precisely the job you're now planning, without knowing.

Get yourself a drum of cable like this (that one comes with a couple of f-connectors as well, which you will need), run your cable, tack it in place, trim to length and fit f-plugs on either end. Then screw one f-plug into a spare terminal on your LNB, and screw the other one onto the 'LNB IN' terminal on the back of your Freesat box. Job done. :)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Shotgun cable I presume is twin cable joined by the outer coating (hence it's like a double barrled shotgun)

If you're being rude though about the RAF I might as well take my advice elsewhere

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

We could be rude about the navy instead if you like? :p:

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Not really, I have total respect for all of the armed forces..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Does anyone know how to update the firm ware in the B&Q Ross satellite kits.
The box I have only has a scart socket and RS232 9 pin socket and the socket for the aerial cable.
I've tried putting my sky dish cable into the Ross box and it found some channels OK so I'm confident the receiver box works. I've now connected the Ross dish LNB to the Sky receiver box as it has an on screen signal strength & quality meter.
I get about 50% signal strength which is the connection between the LNB and the box I think.
I can't get anything on the signal quality meter no matter what I do, I'm almost at the point of chucking the lot in the bin.
I contacted a company that aligns and installs systems but they charge £65 plus any cablingetc that might be required. For a £40 dish system it seems a waste of money to pay the extra £65 when there is no guarantee it will work. The installers could say anything was wrong with the system and try to charge me extra';0(

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

OK, simple answers, if it works fine on the Sky dish then the box is OK.. How are you trying to line up the ross dish (just that it's hard enough to do it with a sat meter and just damn near impossible without one) mainly as half a degree out either way (up/down/left/right) can be the differnce between a picture and no picture.

The RS232 will be the way to update (which model is it??) you might have to get the update program & bin file from Ross but that shouldn't stop it at least being tuneable..

From the sound of it you have a fully working box just a misaligned dish. The way I would though install it if you don't have a meter is to attach it to the sky dish, fully tune it in and save the channels, check on the meter which channel has the strongest signal and leave it on that channel. Then using a grid pattern search put the dish pointing just below where you think it should be (mark the position then slowly move the dish left to right (about 20-30 degrees) pointing roughly in the right direction, no channels so move up the dish by a fraction then go left/right again.. keep doing that untill you get the channel you need.

Not exactly ideal and you need to either have a TV viewable from the dish or a walkie talkie contact with someone viewing the dish (shouting loudly can work as well ;) )

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi Kymmy

Thanks for the reply I appreciate it, I borrowed a Labgear 27866R-UHF/DVBT Signal Meter from my brother, it has connectors for Antenna I/P and a Receiver O/P with a Red power LED & 4 Green LED's for 50, 60, 70 & 80 dB micro v. I'm not if it's the right type to use for a satellite signal as when I connect the sky dish to the Antenna I/P and switch it on ( it has a 9V battery supply) all that happens is the Red power LED lights up. Someone at work told me he thought the set top box needed to be connected to it as well to power up the LNB, so I tried that as well but still no Green LED's for signal strength which is strange as the Sky feed receives channels.

So I've been working blind really, I got the dish settings from satellite finder.com as a starting point and set the dish elevation to 25.5degrees and Azimuth to 144 degrees which looks the same kind of position as the Sky dish. I have then been using the SKY Services & Signal Test settings to try and get a reading. Only thing is the Sky box keeps saying it is not receiving a signal and drops out of the signal test mode.

My Ross box is a DVB-S4100 and also has R10W13-0914 on it, I'll give your way a go tomorrow if the rain has stopped. At the moment to set dish up I have taken a portable TV & set top box into garden on a table so I have just dropped the cable from the dish down and connected it into set top box. Once dish is properly aligned I intend to cable clip it down the wall and through into the house ';0)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Quick reply as I'm busy working.

The DVBT meter isn't correct for sat usage and will NOT give you any usable readings.

If you have access to a sky dish (they point to exactly the same group of sats as freesat uses) very close then you can get the rough settings then try my sweep/raise/sweep/raise/..et.. method as it'll be the ONLY way of doing it without a meter (in fact even with a meter it might be necessary)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi Kymmy

Thanks for the reply I might go up B&Q tomorrow and buy there satellite meter I'll let you know how I get on.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Remember that even with a sat meter you might end up on the wrong sat.. Once you find a sat all you have to do is go left and right (though the dish might need raising a fraction when you get to due south and lowering a fraction (talking about only a max of 5 degrees between 30E and S due to the rounding of the earth) as you track the sats across the sky.) If you find a sat and tune it in use Lyngsat.com to find out which sat it is by matching up a channel/freq, if you're for example on 13E then you need to go about 3-4 strong signals to the left to find 28.2E..

Best of luck with it..

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Thanks again Kymmy today got washed out as I had a major PC crash and spent most of the day getting it up and running again.
Your replies are much appreciated I have already scanned in the Ross box using the Sky feed and saved the channels as you suggested so when I reconnect it to Ross dish it should be easier and you have given me the confidence that I can get the system working.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Right, I bought the B&Q kit for £35 this week. Quite good value I thought and a good starter system. First off, thanks to all the people who have already given helpful replies. I've read the whole thread, but still have a few questions, so I hope I'm not asking something that has already been answered. My questions are as follows.

I've connected the digi (receiver) box to my Sky dish and it picks up the satellite/channels. I was going to put up the dish (Ross dish) but have realised that the house next door blocks the angle to the sats (satellites), unless I put the dish right next to the Sky dish.

Does the Sky dish have the same reception as the bigger Ross dish or will I get a weaker signal and I'd get better reception/more channels with theRoss dish. The Sky dish is the standard size meshed one that you see about these days.

If I swap from a single LNB to a dual (or quad) LNB, will I be able to watch, say Sky (using Sky box, non subscription, just freeview) on the downstairs TV and Freesat (using Ross digi box) on the upstairs TV using just one dish for reception.

Where's the best place to buy a dual/quad LNB, (answer to the question of do I get better reception with the bigger dish is important here), my Sky dish is a good 10 years old so that needs to be taken into consideration, as does if I need it for the Ross dish.

Which sats should I expect to receive/download the channels, based on a fixed dish and wanting English speaking broadcasts (I'm UK based in South Warwickshire).

There's a couple of other questions, but they allude me at the moment, As soon as I remember them, I'll post them.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

If you have a functioning Sky dish there is no point installing the Ross dish. It won't give you any more channels, but it will give you a world of pain trying to align it properly if you've not done one before.

Get a quad LNB like this one from Maplin and attach it to the existing Sky dish. Your unsubscribed FreesatFromSky box will be quite happy with it, as will your new Ross box, and you will have two spare terminals left over should you wish to add more boxes or a PVR at a later date.

---------- Post added at 23:22 ---------- Previous post was at 23:18 ----------

As to which channels you can get - basically the same as the official Freesat line up, plus a bit of dross around the fringes, and minus a few like Sky3, Fiver and FiveUS which are still encrypted (your Sky box will continue to receive them in Freesat mode so long as it has a card in it, but the Ross box will not).

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I was up B&Q today and they are selling a quad LNB fairly cheap but I can't remember the exact price I'm sure it was less than £20.

As to available satellites I picked up all of these with Ross box connected to Sky cable:-

Eurobird 9A
Astra 1
Astra 1E/1G/3A
Astra 2A/2B/2D
Astra 2C
Eutelsat W48

I noticed a lot of duplicate channels between the satellites but have not had time to arrange the channels yet.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The sky will have only picked up Astra 2 (where sky is) unless you moved the sky dish, the Hotbird, Astra 1 and eutelsat share some channels but they are in different orbits

Where is the sky dish you're testing it on? If yours at the same house then you could just buy a cheap quad LNB, run both recievers off the same dish and then sell the ross dish/lnb ;)

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Okay, so basically, just the one satellite with this dish (if you want to continue receiving Sky)?

The Sky is mine at home. The current set up was, Sky downstairs being used as freeview (stopped subscribing about a year ago) and upstairs was freeview through an OnDigital box (Nokia Mediamaster 9850T) which I'd had from when OnDigital first started. Now something has happened to the aeriel and the cost of getting someone out to go up on the roof was somewhat more than buying the Freesat system. Also the digi box would have needed replacing when the digital switch over is complete here.

So, it was my intention to do exactly as you have suggested, I just wasn't sure if I could run two different systems from the same dish. I was originally going to fit the Ross dish but upon getting on top of the garage, I realised that I couldn't fit it where I wanted to (no line of sight) and the only place I could realistically fit it was right next to the Sky dish (would be an eyesore).

This looked like a good buy (less than £6 inc. postage), any reason I shouldn't go for thsi replacement LNB?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genuine-SKY-QU...item2c574c7ceb

Lastly, the screw connecters on the cable supplied with the dish are prefitted and it would seem that you would have to drill a much larger hole for the cable than is necessary. What have others done, I'm loathed to mess with a cable and have to refit the connector but it seems silly to drill a larger hole than is necessary.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

That LNB looks like a good deal. I'd jump at it at that price.

Incidentally, Astra 2 isn't a satellite, it's a cluster ... 3 of them at present. Eurobird is at the same location. A properly aligned Sky dish should receive a range of channels from these satellites.

---------- Post added at 10:55 ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 ----------

Buy cable that doesn't have pre-fitted f-plugs ... sorry, I know that's not helpful in your current situation! TBH if you're drilling through brick you're going to need to make the hole bigger than the cable anyway. The extra couple of mm needed to get a fitted f-plug through it isn't going to make a whole lot of difference, as you will need to plug up the hole with a suitable exterior sealant either way.

If drilling through wood (which I did), I would rather cut off the f-plugs and re-fit them, and give myself less of a filling job afterwards. If they are screw-on connectors you won't even need to cut them; you may be able to carefully pull them off and if the copper braid underneath is undamaged you won't need to re-trim the cable before re-fitting the plug.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

The auction you specified comes with f-plugs anyway ;)

Simple answer, yes, swap your existing LND with that one (make sure that you note the exact twist of the LNB) and then that will feed not only your sky box but also the Ross box :D

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi folks - just joined to say that B&Q are selling the Ross HD Sat Kit for £50!

Just bought one myself - may be back to tap into your expertise should I hit problems.

Already set up an old Sky satellite using advice in previous posts - it was a doddle - Many thanks!!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi guys, I was wondering will I be able to record to my toshiba hard disc recorder from this setup.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I must say this satellite is one of the worse things I have ever bought. Trying to configure it for starters is a nightmare. Then there is trying to set up a scheduled recording, this is ni on impossible! Oh and then half the time it say's that there is no usb hard drive, well it either keeps moving or playing hide and seek because I haven't moved it.
One thing for sure is that after 2 days of trying to work it out is that tomorrow it will be back in the box and on it's way back to B&Q.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I've said it before in this thread and I'll say it again - if you already have a Sky digital dish on your house, do not under any circumstances buy the Ross box and dish combo from B&Q.

You don't need the dish and what's the point mucking about with the fiddly Ross box, which doesn't even have a proper EPG, when you can get a branded Freesat box with a proper EPG, and even some red-button functionality for under £40?

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi Chris I wish I read that in the first place! Any suggestions on which to buy? I would idealy like one with usb so I could then record onto a stand alone hard drive.

Many Thanks in advance.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

First off, thanks to you and Kymmy for your previous help. I'd just like to say, that I'm more than happy with the Ross/B&Q kit, which for £35 I can't complain. I didn't have high expectations for that amount of money and the fact that I could use my already fitted Sky dish was a bonus. It's done what I needed it to do which was restore TV reception upstairs. I would just point out that it seems that B&Q are now doing the HD version on offer for £50 and I probably would have gone for that if it was that price at the time of my purchase.

I might just stick the Ross dish on the flat roof of the garage and get another sat box so that I can get some of the other sats (ones that the Sky dish won't pick up) to have a look at what's on them. At the end of the day, there isn't much other use for the spare sat dish and I can always link up the extra sat box to the quad LNB (if the Ross dish sats prove a waste of time).

Just to confirm that I ordered the quad LNB I linked in one of my earlier posts and it turned up two days later and was exactly as described. I find it strange that I bought it for about £5 + postage, which seems to be completely different to the market price. It came with the spare plugs, LNB holder adapter (not required) and the LNB holder I used had a spirit level on it.

The only thing left to do is drill the hole in the wall (it's connected up with the cable through an open window at the moment), which I'm still a bit nervous about. Also the cost of a single extra long masonry drill bit is extortionate, £10 - £16 for a 10 - 12mm 300 - 400mm drill bit that I'm going to use once. I think I've found a Draper deal online that is local to me and is open tomorrow, if so, should be £4 tops.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

You can archive via USB on the Humax Foxsat-HDR, which is the most popular Freesat PVR. It costs a bit more than £40 though (About £210 at the moment I believe).

Whether you can do it with any of the cheaper models, I don't know - but http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/ is a good source of info on what's available, it might be worthwhile doing some reading there.

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

I didn't find configuring the receiver that bad. I've not tried a USB HD yet, but have tried a memory stick and that works really well (HD playback quality is excellent).

The only 'problem' I'm having at the moment is that the 'duration' feature of the 'Timer' function doesn't seem to work properly. The receiver switches on and starts to record as expected - but continues on recording after the specified stop time. Any ideas anyone?

Regarding your USB HD - is it powered via the USB lead or does it have a dedicated PSU? Either way there might be a power or HD spin up issue.

Incidentally, I've ordered a couple of external enclosures (from Dealextreme) for the two 2.5" IDE HD's I've got hanging around - so I'll be trying those within the next couple of weeks. They're powered via the USB connection - I'll let you know how I get on!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Padding??? SOme timer systems have a setting that will continue recording for a few minutes after the off time so that you don;t miss the very end if a program is a tiny bit late.. Have you tried leaving it and seeing how long the recording continues for??

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

No I haven't - I only let it run for just over 2 minutes. Perhaps It'll shut off after 3 mins or so?

I'll give it a whirl at the weekend when I get back to the caravan!

Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
 

Hi, first time caller.....

Brought a Ross HD setup a couple of months back for my mother in law. Installed and tuned OK (although I took the indicated azimuth and elevation figures, on the dish mounting, with a pinch of salt!).

This is connected to a Panasonic flat screen 28 inch (not sure of model at the moment) via hdmi.

However rather randomly the TV screen will go blank during viewing. You'll get the TV come up with the indicator that shows its on the hdmi 1 input (letting you know as there is now no input to it).

I've tried both of the two hdmi inputs, same problem, therefore I'm suspecting its the receiver box rather than the TV.

Anyone else heard of this fault?

Cheers

Steve