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B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish
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Old 26-08-2010, 19:46   #136
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Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish

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no its ppl play scrabble the channal will not pay anything
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Old 26-08-2010, 19:50   #137
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Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish

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no its ppl play scrabble the channal will not pay anything
I still don't get the association with Scrabble but hey

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Old 26-08-2010, 19:53   #138
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Re: B&Q Satellite - Ross freesat box and dish

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Originally Posted by Graham M View Post
I still don't get the association with Scrabble but hey

Discussion of obtaining services without payment (illegally) is not allowed here, please refrain.
I believe he may be foreign I bet his IP would also confirm it.
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Old 02-09-2010, 19:13   #139
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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.
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Old 03-09-2010, 22:37   #140
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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?
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Old 04-09-2010, 00:12   #141
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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.
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Old 04-09-2010, 09:38   #142
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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..
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Old 04-09-2010, 13:21   #143
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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.
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Old 05-09-2010, 18:44   #144
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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
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Old 08-09-2010, 21:40   #145
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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.
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Old 08-09-2010, 22:42   #146
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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.
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Old 13-09-2010, 22:15   #147
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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!
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Old 14-09-2010, 00:27   #148
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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.
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Old 14-09-2010, 00:37   #149
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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
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Old 14-09-2010, 10:37   #150
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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

Just not had the time..
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