InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

LearnthetradesecretsaboutsatelliteTelevision
Lotsofmoneysavingideasandinformation!

Seeourwebsiteat:
http://www.brittanysatellites.com(UKSkyDigibox,accessoriesand
muchmore)

Writtenandcompiled
by
MarkFreeman

PublishedbyBrittanySatellites
http://www.brittanysatellites.com
MarkFreemanApril2006

Nopartofthispublicationmaybecopiedbyanymeans,storedinaretrievalsystem
ortransmittedinanyformwithoutthepriorconsentofthecopyrightholder.
InplainEnglish:Ifyouvedownloadthiscopy,itsyourstoprintandkeepforyour
ownuse.Dontputacopyonanywebsiteorgivetoanyoneelse.Thatsillegal.

Thanksareduespecificallyto:
SeanTaylorofBrittanySatellites,UK.forhishelpincompilingthis guide

Copyright
Ittakesyearstogathertheinformationforabookletlikethis
andweekstotypeit,checkandrecheckit.
Imaginehowlongitneededjusttotakethephotographs,
Retouchthem,resizeandcropthem,compressthemandpo
sitionthemonthepagesforourcustomersbenefit.
Ittakestwominutestostealaguidelikethis.
Afewsadpeoplestealitforkicks
Afewthinktheycansellit(onEbay)

Pleaserememberthis guideisdesignedforourcustomeruse
only.

pleasereportanybreachto:info@brittanysatellites.com
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

InstallingDigitalSatelliteTV

Introduction

MostbooksaboutsatelliteTVareaimedatthosepeoplewho
wanttofitamotorisedsystem.Suchbooksareoftenfullof
mathematicalequationsandtechnicalexplanationswhicheven
thetimeservedinstallerneitherusesnorunderstands.

ThisleafletisaMATHSFREEZONE.Ipromise
youthatthereislessmathsinthisvolume
thanyouwouldneedtocountoutyourbeer
money!
Youwillfindsimpleexplanationsofevery
thingyouneedtoknow.Infactyouwill
probablyunderstandsatelliteTVinstallation
betterthanmostinstallersbythetimeyouve
readthis!
Acompletedescriptionofhowtoinstalla
satellitesystemisincluded.

Inaddition,youwillfindtradesecretsexposed:
Shortcutsandbestmethodsthattimeserved
installersknowfromexperience.

Reluctantcustomers?
Mostpeoplereadthisleafletreluctantly,withoutunderstanding
whytheirquestionscannotbeansweredinasimpletwominute
reply.

Byreadingalltheinformationyouwillgainanunderstandingthat
willhelpyoutocarryoutyourownsuccessfulinstallation.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Installityourself

Ifyouintendtoinstallthesystemyourself,buyaDIYkitfrom
ourstore,eitheraskyDIYpackage,orasystemyouhave
builtupyourself.

ShoppingList
Asatellitereceiverwithfeaturesthatmeetyourpresent(and
possiblyfuture)requirements.
Adish.Thismaybeanyoneofthetypeslistedpreviously.De
cidewhereitisgoingtobefixedandbywhatmeans.Buyan
LNBtosuitfittingsdovarysomakesurethattheLNBfitsin
theboomarmclamp.
(Adishcanusuallybesprayedwithcaraerosolpainttomatchits
surroundings.Thepaintshouldbemattnotreflectiveotherwisethe
dishcanreflectthesunsheatontotheLNBanddamageit.Applythe
thinnestpossiblelayeranddontdoituntilthesystemisupand

Ifyouareusingawallmountbracket,ignorereferencesto"pole"etc.
Poleconversionbracketsforthedish(ifrequired).
Pole(ifrequired).
Patiomount>
Combinationwall/groundmount.
T+Kbrackets(youneedtoknowthestandofflength
required.Ifthepolemuststickabovetheeavesofthe
roof
thenyouneedtomeasurethewidthoftheeaves).
Uboltstoclamppoletobrackets.
Cable(H109UK)or(17VATcFrance).

Fconnectors.
IECtypeTVplugsandfemaleadaptorbarrel.
Selfamalgamatingtapeor
boot.
Bolts,10mmdiameter.
Fconnectorwallsocket.
Cableties.
6mmCableclipsfornailingcabletowall(3foreverymetre
ofcable).
Youwillneed4inchesofSelfAmalgamatingTapetosealthecable
connectiontotheLNBandmakeitwaterprooforarubber"boot"and
siliconegrease.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Youwillalsoneedtools:
Knifeandwirecuttersforstrippingcable.
10mmcarbidetippeddrill,100mm.
10mmcarbidetippeddrill,380mm.
Electrichammerdrill.
Spiritlevel,Screwdrivers,hammer.
SatelliteCompass,SatelliteFinder/Meter
Protractor,ruler,stringwithweighttiedtoend.
Ladder.

IfnotSKY,thinkaboutthespecificationsofthereceiver:Will,
say,1000channelsbeenough?(Dontforgetallthoseradio
channels!)
Ifyouwanttoreceiveanalogueforeignchannels,willyouwant
aseparate(cheap)analoguereceiverorsomethinglikean
Echostarwhichcombinesbothanalogueanddigitalreceiverin
onebox?
Whataboutthestereosoundcapability?Areyougoingtobe
abletoconnectthesatellitereceiverintoyourexistingHiFi
auxiliarysocket?
Whatsortofconnectingleadwillyouneed?Howwillyou
incorporateyourvideorecorderintothesystem?
WillyouhavetouseanRFleadorwillyourTV/Videoaccept
aSCARTconnectiontogivebetterqualitypictures?
IstheConditionalAccessModule(CAM)suitableforthe
channelsyouwanttowatchorwillyouneedanadditional
CAMorcard?WhataboutaSmartCard?Isitlegallyavailable
inyourcountry?
WhatLNB
doyouneed?WhatnoisefigureLNBcanyouafford?(Alower
noisefigureisalwaysbetterbut,unlessyouarescanningthe
skiesforveryweaksignals,youcouldsettleforamoreafford
ableonewithoutlosingpicturequalityonthestrongersignal
channels).InsteadofstrugglingtoaffordalownoiseLNB,can
yousimplyusethenextlargerdishsize?

(wecansupplyaffordable0.3dBLNBsseestore).
http://www.brittanysatellites.com
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Getitinstalledprofessionally

Ifyoudonotwanttoattempttheinstallationthenyoumight
finditeasiertobuytheequipmentdirectlyfromthestore.You
canthenarrangeforustodotheinstallation,eitheratthe
pointonsale,oratalaterdate,shouldyoufinddifficultywith
theDIYkits.
Youwillneedtobeflexibleinwhenyouwillallowthe
installationtobedone.Givingusanentiredayinwhichtoturn
upisreasonable.Bearinmindthatonlytheveryfirstappoint
mentinthedaycanbeguaranteed.9amisusuallyideal.Af
ternoonappointmentscandriftbyseveralhoursifanearlier
jobhitsasnag.
Domakeitcleartotheinstallerexactlywhereyouexpecthim
toputthedish,thesatellitereceiverandtherouteofthecable
beforehebeginspreferablybeforehesetsoutfromhomeso
hecancollectanyextrabrackets,cable,poleorotherfixings
ontheway.
Ourinstallercantchangethepositionofthesatelliteinthe
sky!Makesureyouknowwhichwaythedishwillbepointing.
TheresnowayadishcanbefittedtoaNorthfacingwall
unlessitsonapolewhichallowsthedishtofaceSouthover
theroof.Thedishmusthaveaclearviewofthesatellite.Any
obstruction(evenleavesonatree)canreducethepictureto
zilch.However,thedishdoesnothavetogoonthefront
ofyourhouse.Thereisalmostalwayssomewaytoavoidthis.

Itsagoodideatotellyourneighboursaboutyourintentions
nottobragbuttoinformthemincasethereisanynoiseand
incasetheyobjecttothesightofadish.Neighbourscanmake
lifeverydifficultiftheyinvolvethelocalPlanningOfficer!Make
friendswiththem.

Also,iftheneighbourwantsasatellitesystem,himself,you
mightwellnegotiateareducedcostwithus,sinceourinstaller
willsavefuelandtimebydoingtwojobsatthesamelocation.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

InstallationMethodsforSatelliteTVSystems

Thesimplestinstallationcan
beperformedwheretherearwall
ofthepropertyfacessouth.The
dishcanbemounteddirectlytothe
wallbymeansofthebracket
suppliedbythedishmanufacturer.

Inthecaseofahousewhosefrontwallfacessouth,itis
generallypreferabletomountthedishonasidewallwhereit
islessobvious.Astandoffbracket,ifneeded,incursadditional
expense.

Wherethedishcannotbe
mountedonthesideorwhere
thesatelliteisobscuredbytrees
orbrickworkthenitisnecessary
tomountitonapole,usinga
strongstandoffbracketwith
adequatesupportstoprevent
movementinwind.Theadditional
workandhardwarecanincrease
theinstallationcostconsiderablyandtheoverallappearance
maynotbeasneatbutitisoftenbetterthanhavingitonthe
frontofthehousetoannoyyour
neighbours,towncounciland
asaninvitationtoevery
prospectiveburglarwhopasses
by.TheSky"minidish"canoften
befixedtothechimneyor
clampedtoaridgetile(not
recommended)ortoapole
whichextendsthroughtheroof
tiles.Inthelattercase,makeabsolutelycertain
thatnorainwatercangetin!It'snotreallydesignedfor
mountingonthesideofahouseat90degreeswithoutextra
brackets.Alsoconsidertheroofoverhang!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

MoreComplexInstallations

Normallyonlyonereceivercanbefedbythe
LNB.However,aspecial(andmoreexpensive)
TwinoutputLNBmaybeusedtofeedtwo
receiversviatwocoaxialcables.AQuad
output
LNBcanfeeduptofourreceivers.AnOcto8
outputLNBcanfeeduptoeightreceivers.
Thisarrangementisneededtoallowdifferent
satellitechannelstobewatchedinseparate
rooms.

TheTwinoutputLNBmaybeusedtofeedtworeceiversinthe
samehouse.
ATwinLNBwithjustoneshared
dishmaybeusedtoenabletwo
householdstowatchsatelliteTV
channelsprovidedthatthetwo
receiversarefullyisolated.The
reasonisthat,ifonereceiver
becomeslivethentheother
mayalsobecomeliveatupto
450volts,ifhousesareondifferentphases.Acompromise
mightbetogroundthedishandLNBbymeansofacopper
cabletoanearthrodbutseekprofessionaladviceassafetyis
involved.

Othersatellites

Ifyouwishtoseeprogramsfromanothersatellite,aswellas
SkyDigitalfromAstra,thenitwillbenecessarytofittwoLNBs
toyourdish.OneLNBcollectsthesignalfromAstraandthe
othercollectsthesignalfrom,say,Eutelsat.Becausethedish
cannotpointdirectlyatbothsatellitesatonce,itisusually
necessarytofitaslightlylargerdishtocompensatefortheoff
thebeamsignal.Withthisarrangementyoucanwatchallthe
Skydigitalchannelsplusmostofthechannelsfromoneofthe
Eutelsatsatellites(dependentuponwhichoneyourdishis
aimedat).AQuadoutputLNBmustbeusedifyouhavetwo
"SkyPlus"units.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

InstallingitYourself
Firstly,pleasedonotdothejobbyyourselfaskafriendat
leasttosteadytheladder.
Ifyouhaveareallyaccurate
compassthentheAstrasatellite
cluster(forSkyDigital)is
locatedat28.2Eastofdue
SouthontheGreenwich
meridianline.IfyouareEastof
thatline,thesatellitewill
appeartobefurtherWest,and
viceversa.Thelineofsightto
thesatellitepositionisatan
angleof20to26abovethe
horizontalinmostoftheUK.
Youcanuseaprotractor,plumb
lineandastraightedgepointer
tolocatethispositionnot,Ihastentoadd,toalignthedish
buttomakesurethatthereisnoobstruction.Thisangle
increasesasyougosouth.Forinstance,insouthernSpainitis
nearer40.Thedishmusthaveaclearlineofsighttothe
satellite.Thereisnoneedtomakethischeckifyouaresure
thatnothingwillobstructthedishbut,eventreessome
distanceawaycancauseaproblem.

FindingTrueNorthwithyourcompass
Acompassisahandyinstrumentforsettingtheapproximate
azimuthofyourdish(forexample28degreeseastofsouth).
However,acompassshows"magneticnorth"not"truenorth".
Graduatedindegreesfrom0360,thecompasswhichwesell
isahandyinstrumentforsettingtheapproximateazimuthof
yourdish(forexample28degreeseastofsouth).However,a
compassshows"magneticnorth"not"truenorth".

Also,thesatellitepositionisovertheequator..So

Pleasevisitoursite..

http://www.brittanysatellites.com/skydish.php

Thispagewillgiveyouthecorrectsettingsforthedish
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Findyourlatitudeandlongitudeusingthiswebpage(clickon
themaptillyouseeyournearesttownandreadtheposition
belowthemap.Followtheremainderoftheinstructions,and
printouttheresults.

NormalCompass
Thebestwaytocalibrateyourcompassistowait
foraclearnightskyanddothis:Youneedtolo
catePolaris,theNorthStar*,soyoucanuseitasa
bearingof0.Itspositionvariesbylessthanade
greefromtrueNorth.Itisnecessarytousea
plumbbob(aweightattachedtoastring)atarm's
lengthoronastick(orfishingrod)andpositionyourselfto
alignPolariswithareferenceobjectorputamarkonafence
atleast20meters(70feet)away.Usetheplumbbobinthe
leastwindyconditionsaspossible.

OK,youhavepositionedyourselfsothatthechosenobjectis
exactly.northofyou.Don'tmove.Placethecompassona
horizontalsurfaceawayfromanymetalthatcouldbemagnet
ised(e.g.dish)orelectricalwiring.Usethecompasstocheck
thebearingoftheobjectrelativetothecompasspointerwhich
pointsatmagneticnorth.Thenumberofdegreesdifferenceis
the"magneticvariation".Notewhetherit'sclockwiseor
counterclockwisefrommagneticnorthindicatedbythecom
pass.Placethecompassnearthedishpositiononahorizontal
surfaceawayfromanysteel(e.g.dish)orelectricalwiring.
Notethepositionofduesouth.Addorsubtractthemagnetic
variationasnecessary.(Example:iftrueNorthis5degrees
clockwisefrommagneticnorth,truesouthis5degreesclock
wisefrom"S").Thenadjustthebearingaccordingtohowfar
youareEastorWestoftheGreenwichmeridianlinethrough
London.(IntheUKyoucanignorethis).fromthebackendof
thecompassneedle.Placealongrodorlineonthegroundin
thisdirectionbelowthedishposition.YourdishLNBarmcan
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

nowbepointedthisway.Nowgocounterclockwise(east)
fromthislinebythenumberofdegreesthatthedesiredsatel
liteisEastofSouth.For28degreesEofS,thiswouldbe(in
ourexample)285degreescounterclockwiseapproximate
elevation(verticalangle)ofthedishandusethesignalmeter
forfinaladjustments.

SatelliteCompass.

Alignmentofyoursatellitedishismade
thatmucheasierifyouhaveanideaof
thedirectionofthesatelliteyouwishto
receive.

Thisdevicewillsaveyoutimeinlocat
ingthedirectionyourdishshouldbe
pointing.

AvailablefromourStore

http://www.brittanysatellites.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=94

Sincethesatelliteis36,000kilometresawayyoudonotgain
anythingbymountingthedishveryhightoreceivesignals.

Thedishwillworkontheground,providedthereisnoobstruc
tion.Theonlyreasonformountingitoffthegroundistogeta
clearviewofthesatellite(ifwallsorhedgesareintheway)
andtokeepitoutofthereachofthieves,drunks,vandals,
animalsand,especially,smallchildren!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Thesimplestwaytoinstalladishsystemisasfollows:

Takeamainsextensionleadwithatleasttwosocketsatthe
end.Forsafety,plugitintoaRCB(ResidualCurrentBreaker)
toprotectyoufromelectricshock.Thisismostimportant
whenyouareworkingoutside.Ifyoudonthaveoneplease
buyoneorborrowone.Takeaportabletelevisionoutside.
ConnecttheDigiboxtothetelevisionwithaScartlead.Press
the[services]buttontogetanonscreenmenu.
Notethattheonscreenmenu"timesout"afterafewminutes.
PlugboththeTVandthereceiverintotheextensionleadsock
etsandturnthemON.
Note:TousetheRFoutputoftheDigiboxyoumustselectan
unusedchannelonthetelevision.YoushouldknowtheUHF
numberofthischannel!OntheDigiboxremotecontrol,press
[services][4][0][1][select][4]togetthe"RFoutputs"
menuonscreenstillusingtheScartconnection.Keythetwo
digitUHFchannelnumberthenmovetheonscreencursor
downandstorethechange.NowyoucanusetheRFout
connectionfromtheDigiboxtotheTV.Bydefault,theRFout
channelofanewDigiboxissetto68.IfyourTVhasnoScart
facilitythenyouwillhavetotuneyourTVsettoUHFchannel
68.

NotuningisnecessaryifyousimplyusetheScartconnection.
NowturnofftheDigiboxandunplugthetwounitsfromthe
mains.TakesixmetresofsatellitecableandfitanF
connectortoeachend.

Todothis,followtheinstructionsonthenextpage.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Howtofit'F'Connectorstocoaxialcable

Takeaknifeandholdit
againsttheplasticsleeving
ofthecablewhileyou
bendthecableoveryour
indexfinger,holdingit
withthumbandmiddle
finger.Movetheknife
gentlybackandforthuntil
theplasticbeginstosplit.
Turnthecableand
continuethesplituntil
youcanremoveabout
25mmofplasticsleeve
fromtheend.Becareful
nottocutthebraided
copperwiresinside!Pull
offtheplasticcover.
Separatethebraided
copperwires.
Cutofftheexposedmetal
foilshield.Cutoffthe
whiteplasticinsulationto
exposetheinnerwirecore,
leavingabout3mmof
whiteplasticinsulation.
Thisreducestheriskofthe
copperstrandstouching
theinnerwirecore,which
mustneverhappen!
Pushthecopperstrands
backovertheoutersheath.
Nowhere'sthetradesecret!
coatthestrandswithsilicone
greaseorvaseline.
(Siliconegreaseisbetterfor
outdooruseasit'swater
proof).
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Screwan'F'connector
overitasfarasitwillgo.
Makesurethattheinner
wirecorecannottouch
thebraidedcopperwires.
Cutofftheexposedcopper
strands.
Usesharpcutterstocut
theinnerwirecoreto
leaveabout3mm
exposed.Makethiscutat
a45degreeangleto
makeapoint.Thismakes
iteasiertopushthewire
intoaconnectorwithout
riskofdamageorbending
thewire.Becareful
nottocutyourselfon
thissharppoint!
Tofinishoffanindoor
connector,youcanfita
smallpieceofheatshrink
tubeorsomeself
amalgamatingtapetocover
thecopperstrands.
Thiswillprotectyourfingerswhenyouarehandingtheconnector.

Apushon'F'plugadaptor.

Arightangle'F'adaptor.

Outdoor'F'connectorsMUSTbesealedtokeepwater
out,otherwiseitwillrunthroughthecable,damaging
theinsideoftheLNBandthesatellitereceiver.Water
runsVERYquicklythroughcoaxialcableby"capillary
action".BesuretouseSelfAmalgamatingTapeora
rubberboot.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Makesurethatthecopperbraidcannottouchthecentrewire
tocauseashortcircuit.Assembletheminidish.Foranyother
typeofdish,assembleitandfittheLNBsoitsbodyhangs
downward.MakesurethattheDigiboxisunpluggedfromthe
mains!ScrewthecableFconnectortotheLNBandtheother
endtotheDigiboxtunerinput.IftheDigiboxisa"SkyPlus"
modelthathastwoinputs,useinputAor1.
PlugtheDigiboxandTVintothemainsturnthemonand
pressthe[services]buttontogetthemenuscreen.Press[4]
[6]toseethesignal

Forthetestalignment,youcanmountthe
dishinitsfinalpositionandworkonaladder
but,togiveyoupracticeandconfidence,itis
oftenbettertodothisfirst:
Pickupthedishassemblyandrestitgently
onitsloweredge.Swivelittopointinthe
direction

Nowyoumustbepatientandtiltitslowlybackandforthwhile
rotatingitleftorrightuntilyouseeanindicationonthesignal
menu.Makesurethatthetransmissionisfromthesatellite
thatyouwant.Digitalreceiverscantakeaminuteormoreto
"searchthedatastreamforchannellistingssogiveittime.
TheSkyDigiboxwillusuallyrecognisethesignalfromAstraat
28.2Eastofduesouthwithinabout5seconds.Youwillneed
asignalstrengthofabout50%andasignal"quality"ofat
least30%beforetheDigiboxreportsa"lock"condition.Once
you'veachievedthispoint,youcansupportthedishwith
bricksorrocks,ensuringthatyoudon'talteritsalignment.
Pressing[tvguide]ontheremotecontrolshouldgivethe
message"searchingforlistings".Thiswilltakeafewmore
seconds.Youshouldthenbeabletoselectaprogrammeand
seeapicture.Ifyouareunabletoalignthedishthiswaythen
pleasedon'tstruggleanylongerbutusethemeterinstead.

Onceyouhavethecorrectalignment,makeanoteofthe
precisecompassbearingofthedisharmand/orputapieceof
stringorapoleonthegroundtomarkthedirection.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

SignalandQualityreadings
Thesevaryalotevenbetweenidenticalmodelssodontput
muchfaithinthem.Higherisbetterbut50%foreachis
usuallyquiteOK.

PressSkythenservices
then4then6togetto
thismenuscreen.
Signalqualityisa
calculationthatthe
Digiboxmakes,based
onBitErrorRatio(BER)
orthenumberoferrors
thatitdetectsinthe
datastream.
Thisiswhatyouare
aimingfor.

Anyreadingsof50%ormoreshouldgiveyouaperfectly
watchablesignal.IfthelockindicatordoesNOTsayOKthen
youareprobablylookingatasignalfromthewrongsatellite!
Idjustliketomentionthatyoushouldbeseeingthemenu
screenonyourTVsetatthisstage.Ifyouarenotthenyou
haveprobablynotconnectedtheSkyDigiboxtoyourTV
correctly.Letsjustlookatthatagain.

1.YoudoNOTneedaconnectionfromyourterrestrialaerial
yet.Itwillonlyservetoconfuseyou!
2.YouDOneedaScartconnectionfromyourDigiboxtoyour
TV.MakesureitspluggedintotheDigiboxTVScartsocket.
IfyouplugitintoyourVCRsocketthenyouwillnotseeany
menus.
3.IftheTVsethasnoScartorphonoinputsockets,youwill
havetoconnecttheDigiboxRFOutsockettotheTVaerial
inputsocketthentunetheTVuntilyoucanseethismenu
screen.
Note:Thismenutimesoutaftertwominutes.Youmayhave
topressthatbuttonsequenceagain!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

SLXDigital/Analoguemeter

Thebeautyofthismeteristhatithasa
switchfor22kHzsignalwhichtellsyour
"universal"(twoband)LNBtoswitchto
"highband"whichiswheremostDigital
transmissionsare.
TheSLXSatelliteFinderisasuperbalignmentmeterpoweredfromyoursatellite
receiversonopowerpackorbatteriesareneeded.Theunithasanonboardstrength
meterandanaudiblealignmenttonetoaidinstallationofyourdish.

TechnicalInformation:

Backlitmeterscale
Backstandforfreestandingoperation
Audiblesignalstrength
Adjustablelevelcontrol
Adjustablesensitivityadjustment
Frequencyrange:9502250Mhz
Poweredbyreceiver
Suitableforanalogueanddigitalreception (Availablefromourstore)

Ifyoupointthedishat,say,Astraat19.2'EastofSouth(Sky
analogue),thetransmissionstrengthsforbothhighandlow
bandareverysimilar.
However,ifyoupointthedishatAstra28.2'E(SkyDigital)the
signalonhighband(22kHz"on")isverystrongbutonlow
band(22kHz"off")itisveryweak.Soit'seasytotellthatyou
havealignedyourdishon28.2'Easthisistheonlysatellitein
thevicinitywhichgivesalmostnosignalwhenyouswitchthe
22kHzoff.Soyoumovethedisharoundtheapproximateposi
tionfor28.2'Euntilyougetastrongsignalwith22kHz"on".
Nowswitchthe22kHz"off"andthesignalshoulddisappear.
signalstrengthbetweenhighandlowbandsmaydisappear.

Bearinmindthatacompassisforapproximatedishsetting,
usingtheearth'smagneticfieldasaguidetothelocationof
thatlittlemetalboxfloatingTWENTYFOURTHOUSANDMILES
AWAYinspace.Butthere'sasatellitepositionedapproximately
everythreedegreesalongthecircleabovetheequatorsome
givingstrongsignalsintheUK,someweak.Soanerrorofa
coupleofdegreesEastorWestwillgetyouthewrongsatellite.
Also,thecompassbearingisonlycorrectifyouarestanding
ontheGreenwichmeridianline.IfyouareEastofitthenthe
satellitewillappeartobefurtherWest,andviceversa.The
Metershowstheactualsignalfromthatlittlesatellitesoyou
candothefinalalignmentwithultimateaccuracy.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

IMPORTANT:Themeterwillreducethesignaltothereceiver
quitedrastically!Thismaybehelpfulinaligningwithan
analoguereceiver(adjustforminimumsparklies)butadigital
receivermaygiveNOpicturewiththemeterinline,even
thoughthesignalbarmaybelonger!
YouMUSTNOTleavethemeterinlineifyouwanttroublefree
viewing.Somemoreexpensivemeterinstructionsstatethat
themetercanbeleftinlinebut,inpractice,themeterwill
oftencontinuetogiveanaudibletoneandwillinevitably
degradethesignaljustcomparethe"quality"readingwith
themeterconnectedanddisconnected.
SkewAdjustment

Youprobablyknow,fromlookingatvariousTVaerials,that
signalscanbepolarisedtominimiseinterferencebetween
differentstations.Theaerialcanbemountedwithitsrods
eitherverticalorhorizontaltomatchtheaerialatthe
transmittingstation.Ahorizontalaerialreceivesvertically
polarisedsignalsonlyveryweakly,andviceversa.Theresult
isthatneighbouringareascanusethesameorsimilarchannel
frequenciesprovidedthattheyuseoppositepolarisations.
Asimilarideaisusedforsatellitetransmissions.Every
alternatetransmissionfrequencyisofoppositepolarisation.
Thisallowstwiceasmanychannelstobebroadcastwith
minimalinterferencefromeachother.

Forthistoworkproperly,theLNBmustbealignedexactly
withthesatellite.Ifthesatelliteisduesouththenvertical
reallyisverticalandtheLNBcanbefixedwithitscable
hangingdirectlydownwards.
However,thesatellitesareonanarcaswe
lookatthemfromEarthconsequently,the
LNBhastobetwistedslightlytocompen
sateineffect,itsliketiltingyourhead
slightlytoonesidetoreadsomethingthatis
notquitehorizontal.
Ifyougetthiswrongthensignalsof
onepolarisationcaninterferewith
signalsoftheotherpolarisation,
withtheresultthatsomeprogrammes
maybemissingorbreakingup,even SkyMinidish
thoughthemeasuredsignalstrengthishigh. LNBhasskew
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

So,ifLNBskew,orrotationalposition,issoimportant,howdo
youadjustit?
Ontheskyminidish,thereisaslotandalockingscrewthatal
lowsafewdegreesofadjustment.Theactualpositiondepends
onwhereyouarelocatedandhowaccurateyourdish
installationis(i.e.isitvertical).Aprofessionalinstallerwill
haveeitheradigitalsatellitemeterwhichtellshimwhenthe
skewsettingiscorrect,oraspectrumanalyseronwhichhe
canseeifsignalsoftheoppositepolarisationarecreeping
through.
TheD.I.Y.installerwillhavetoguess.AminidishwithaCam
bridgeIndustriesLNBliketheoneinthepicturewillhavethe
LNBsetatalmostthecorrectangleintheUKwhenthelocking
screwiscentral,atpositionnumber3.Withothertypesofdish,
theLNBneedstobepositionedsothat,whenyouarelooking
atthefrontfaceofthedish,theLNBcableisangledslightlyto

Focalarea

Heresaninterestingpoint.LNBsare
designedtomatchaspecificshapeofdish.
Inthephotograph,theLNBontheleftis
optimisedtoseeanovalshapeddish,
whereastheoneontherightisdesigned
toseeacirculardish.WecutthecoversofftheseLNBs
which,outwardly,lookedidentical.Becarefulwhatyoubuy!
AnLNBwithamountingspigotisforanovaldish.

Focalposition

TheSkyminidishismatchedtoits AlpsLNBhas
LNBsothefocalpositionisalways roomforfocal
correctandneedsnoadjustment. adjustment
(TheinternalaerialsoftheLNBare
preciselyfixedatthefocalpointofthedish).
Withothertypesofdish,thefocalposition
mayneedadjustment(ifthisispossible).LNBssuchasthe
ALPStypehaveasmooth40mmneckwhichallowssomefor
ward/backwardmovementtosetthefocalpositionaccurately.
Again,thisiseasywithaprofessionalmeter.WithaD.I.Y.me
teryousimplyhavetotrytogetthehighestsignalreading
andhopethatthisiscorrect.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Bearinmindthattheindividualtranspondersignalsvaryin
strength,dependentontheprogrammecontent,sotheoverall
signaltendstogoupanddown.Skewsettingalsoaffectsthe
signalreadingbuthighestisntnecessarilybestsousethe
qualityindicationontheDigiboxmenuscreenforfinal
adjustment.

WeatherproofingLNBs

Thisrubberbootslipsoverthecable
beforeyoufittheFconnector.Whenthe
FconnectorisscrewedtotheLNB,you
canslidethebootupthecabletocoverthe
connection.Itwillkeepoutrainmoreeffectivelyifyouput
somesiliconegreaseorpetroleumjellyinsideit.Buttheresa
alternative:
Selfamalgamatingtapebonds
withitselfwhenstretchedbut
itdoesntsticktoanything
else.Ithasaprotective
plasticbackingthatmustbe
peeledoff(apigofajobif
anyoneknowsthesecret
method,pleaseletmeknow!)
Touseitproperly,stretchitto
twiceitsnormallengththen
binditwith50%overlapand
itformsapermanentsealing

Continuingtheinstallation:Nowyouhavetheconfidence
thatthesystemworksandyoucanapplyyourselftothejobof
installingthedishinitspermanentposition.Takecarefulnote
ofthedishorientation.Comparethedirectioninwhichthe
boomarmispointingwithacompassifyouhaveone.Ifyou
arestandingbelowthewallwherethedishistobemounted,
markthedirectionbylyingapoleontheground.
Thiswillhelpyoutoalignthedishwhenyouareuptheladder.
Beforetouchinganyconnections,unplugtheTVandsatellite
receiverfromthemainsatthewallsocket!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Mostdishescomewithawallmountingbracketandcanbe
swivelledEastWestandupdowninelevation.Some
bracketsallowalmost180ofswivelsothatthedishcanbe
setatrightanglestothewall,ifnecessary.Youmustcheckout
thisrequirementwhenyoubuythedish.Alternatively,youcan
buyadishwhichcanbefittedontoapole(usually2"/50mm
diameter)whichwillallowyoutopointitinanydirection.The
polecanbeplantedinaholewhichisthenfilledwithconcrete.
ItcanalsobefittedtoaPatioMountwhichconsistsofa
shorttubeweldedtothecentreofasteelplatewhichhas
fixingholes.
Thepatiomountcanbeboltedtoaconcretebaseonthe
groundoronaflatroof.Theconcretebasemustbeclamped
downtoresistthehighestpossiblewindloading.
ThepolecanbefittedtoawallbymeansofaTshaped
bracketandaKshapedbracket(calledaTandKinthe
trade).Howeveryoufixthedish,itisoftheutmostimportance
thatyoumakesurethepoleisVERTICAL.Useaspiritlevel
and/oraplumblinebutdomakesurethatitisvertical.Witha
fixeddish,youwillnotgetthebestreceptionunlessthedishis
mountedinaverticalplane.

Theboltswhichareusedtoholdthebrackettothebrickwork
useanexpandingplugandgoundervarioustradenames,
accordingtothemanufacturer.Spit,MungoandRawlbolt
arealltradenamesofboltmanufacturers.Mostin
stallersuseasteelboltwithaplasticplug.
AsteelplugisNOTrecommendedbecauseitcan
splitthebrick.
Themostcommonsizerequiresa10mmdiameter
holetobedrilledfortheplug.Youwillneeda
hammeractionelectricdrillwitha10mmcarbide
tipdrillbit.Iftheelectricdrillisnotbattery
operatedthen,forsafetysake,plugitintothe
extensionleadwiththeRCBmentionedearlier.
Donotdrilldirectlythroughtheholesinthe
bracket!Thereisagreatdangerthatthedrillbit
willsnagandyouwillhavealargebracket
swingingroundontheendofyourdrillnojoke
ifyouareupaladder!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Instead,makeapapertemplateasshownbelow.
Besuretoincludealinetoindicatethevertical.
Youcanthenpositionthetemplateagainstthe
wallanduseaspiritleveltoalignitagainstthe
verticalline.Holdthetemplateinplacewith
BluTackorsimilar.

Atemplateisespecially
importantforadishbracketor
wallmountsuchasthisone.
Getahelpertoholditsothat
themaintubeishorizontal(use
aspiritlevel)whileyoumark
theholepositionsonyour
papertemplate.Ifyouare
mountingthebracketsona
brickwall,youmustdrillallof
theholesinbricknotinthe
mortarbetweenthebricks.
Expandingboltswillnotanchor
firmlyinmortar.

Somebrickshaveverticalholes.Ifyoudrillintooneofthese,
theboltmaynotholdandyoumayneedtodrilltheholes
slightlytotheleftorright.

Incoldweather,the
plasticplugbecomes
brittlesoitsagoodidea
todroptheboltsand
plugsintoapanofhot
watertosoftentheplastic.
Pushthe(dryanddustfree)plasticplugintotheholesthat
youhavedrilled.Oilorgreasetheboltthreadstomakethem
easiertotighten.Siliconegreaseisrecommended.Ifyouputa
buttonofsomethinglikeBluTackovertheholeandalsopush
theboltthroughanotherbuttonofBluTacksothatitsits
belowthewasher,itwillhelptokeepwaterout.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Becarefulnottoovertightenthebolts.Andiftheboltgoesin
atanangle,pressinghardagainstthebracketslot,itmay
snapwhenyoutrytotightenit.Thiscanalsohappenifthe
holeisnotdeepenough,ifyouleftbrickdustontheboltorin
theplug,orifyoufailedtousegrease.
We'vehadpeoplecomplainabout"poorqualitybolts"butbolts
snapONLYifyoumakethemistakesexplainedabove.
Itsagoodideatopaintthebracketswithordinaryoutdoor
oilbasedpaint.Itwillprotectthemfromtheweatherand,with
carefulchoiceofcolour,tocamouflagethemagainstthe
brickwork.Ifyouplanahead,youcanpaintthemandgive
themtimetodrybeforeinstalling.

Bythewayifyouhaveneverusedaladderbefore,nowisnot
agoodtimetolearn.Getsomebodywithexperiencetodothis
partofthejobforyou.Itismostimportantthattheladderis
soundandstandingonafirmbasenotsoilabout1maway
fromthewallforevery4mheight.
Usinganelectricdrillwhilestandingonaladderisdangerous.
Dustcanblowintoyoureyes(soweargoggles)anditis
difficulttoholdtheladderandthedrillsimultaneously,sobe
warned.
Ifthedishistobemountedmorethanfourmetresabovethe
groundthenpleasegetourprofessionaltoinstallitforyou.
Theextremedangerofusingtallladdersorofcrawlingup
roofscannotbestressedtoostrongly.

Theladdershouldpreferablyhaveasuitable
antislipbase.Somehavehingedfeetwith
rubberunderneath.Inanycase,theladder
shouldalwaysbeplacedonfirmground.Ifthe
groundissoft,placeitonasolidbasewhich
itselfcannotmove.Preventtheladderfrom
slippingbyhammeringstakesintotheground
orbysecuringwithrope,sandbagsorfixed
blocks.Thesafestanglefortheladderis75
degreestotheground.Thisisachievedby
makingthedistancebetweenthewallandthe
ladderonequarteroftheheightfromground
toroof.Inaddition,theladdershouldextenda
minimumofonemetreabovetheedgeofthe
rooforabovethehighestrungonwhichthe
workerwillstand.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Itshouldrestagainstasolidsurfacenotplasticguttering.
Laddersareavailablewithapairofwheelsnearthetopand
thesecanbeplacedtogivegoodstabilityandresistance
againstsidewaysslippage.
Onceinposition,theladdershouldbefurthersecuredby
drillingthewallandfixingasuitablebracketsothataropeor
beltcanbepassedbetweentheladderrungandbracket.An
expandingbolt,ofthetypeusedtomountasatellitedish,
shouldbesatisfactory(seeredarrowinthesketch).Have
someonefoottheladderwhileyousecureit.Iftheladder
userwillbeworkingatadangerousheightthenheshouldalso
wearasuitableharnesswhichisanchoredtotheladderorwall
bracket.Neverconnectaharnesstoanythingwhichitselfis
insecure!

LadderSafetyTips
Dontworkalone.Itsmuchsafertohavesomeonethereto
helpyoupositiontheladder,handuptools,foottheladder
andtobeavailableincaseyouinjureyourself.
Incaseyoudofall,makesuretherearenotoolsorsharpob
jectsbelow.Thesecandoseriousdamageevenifyousliponly
fromthebottomrung.
Dontallowthepersonfootingtheladdertowanderoffto
bringsomething.Untiltheladderisproperlysecured,youneed
thepersontofoottheladderallthetimeyouareonit.
Donttrytoreachtoofarfromtheladder.Repositionitor
arrangeforscaffoldingtobeerectedinstead.
Evenifyouthinkthejobwilltakeonly5minutes,itsstill
essentialtosecuretheladderproperly.Itmayseemsillyto
spendhalfanhourdoingthisbutitsbetterthanspendingthe
restofyourlifedisabled(ordead).Dontworkwhenthe
weatherisbad.Windandrainarenotconducivetosafety.

FlatRoofs
Makesurethattheroofwillbearyourweightsafely.Take
especialcareneartheedge.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

PitchedRoofsandchimneymounting

Fromthesafetypointofview,thisisdefinitelynotaD.I.Y.
proposition.Astheillustrationshows,thelowerladderneeds
tobefixedsecurelyinpositionandtheroofladderishooked
overtheridgetilesandsecuredtothelowerladderbystrap
pingthestilestogether.

Thesketchshowsthebareminimum.
Ifsectional(extending)laddersare
usedthenadditionalfixingswillbe
required.

Thisinformationisnotexhaustive
andisincludedsimplytowarnyouof
someofthedangersinvolvedinthe
useofladders.Ifindoubt,employ
aprofessionalinstaller.

Oncethebracket(andpole,ifrequired)isfixedinposi
tion,youmustfitthedishassemblytoit.Iftheassemblyis
heavy,youmayhavetoremovetheboomarmandLNBthen
refitthemtothedishwhenitisinpositiononthebracket.If
youareusingaSkyminidish,itcanbeinstalledasacomplete
assemblyasitisquitelight.Connectyoursixmetresatellite
cablebetweentheLNBandreceiveragain.Setupthesatellite
receiverandTVasbefore(makingthemainspower
connectionslastofall).PositiontheTVsothatyoucanseethe
screenwhenyouarenexttothedish.Sometimesitis
convenienttoputtheTVandreceiverinsideabedroom
window.Movethedishandlocatethesatellitesignalasbefore.
Clampthedishlooselyinposition.Toavoid"raindropout"itis
highlyrecommendedthatyouusea"satellitefinder"meterto
finalisethealignment.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Indeed,ifyouhavedifficultywiththemethoddescribed,
youmightneedtousethemeterinordertolocatethesatellite
inthefirstplace.Atthetimeofwriting,almostallofSky
Digital'stransmissionsareonhighbandsoitismucheasierto
locatethesatelliteifyouchooseasatellitefindermeterwhich
incorporatesa22kHzsignalgenerator,whichwillswitchthe
"universal"LNBtohighband.(asmentionedearlier)

Important:themeterisverysensitive.Ifitsconnectingcable
isnotmakingagoodconnectionwiththeLNB,themeterwill
showasignal(interferencepickedupbythecable).Ifthe
dishispointingatthegroundoratawall,themeterwillshow
asignal(moreinterferencefromsatellites,microwavedoor
openersetc.)

SelfAmalgamatingTape

DiscardthesixmetrecableandfitanF
connectortotheremaininglongcable.
ConnectthistotheLNBanduse
Selfamalgamatingtapetomakethejoint
waterproof.Peelthebackingfromthetape.
Holdtheendofthetapeagainstthecable,
50mmawayfromtheFconnector.Stretchingthetape,wind
itaroundthecablewithanoverlapofhalfthetapewidthuntil
thetapetouchestheLNBbody.Continuestretchingand
windinguntilyougetbacktothestartingpoint.Cutthetape
fromthereelatthispoint.TheFconnectorshouldbe
coveredcompletelybythetapewhichwillhaveweldeditselfto
formatightrubbertube.
(Theonlywaytoremovethetapeistocut
itwithasharpknife).IftheLNB
connectionisnotmadewatertightthen
waterwillgetintothecableandruinit.
Frequently,thewaterrunsdownthecable
andwrecksthesatellitereceiver,too.
LoopthecablebelowtheLNBthenrunit
backalongtheboomarm.Theloophelps
watertorunoffandalsopreventsitfromrunningdownthe
insideofthecableifthesealisdamaged.Thecableshouldbe
heldtotheboomarmwithtapeor,preferably,withcableties.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Fittingthecable
Usecableclipsevery300to400mmtofixthecablealongthe
wall.Donothammerorcompressthecableitselfanddonot
bendittightlyaroundcorners.Anykinkinthecablecanreflect
thesignalpassingthroughit.Sometimesonlyoneortwo
satellitechannelsareaffectedandthecausecanbedifficultto
find.Wherethecablemustenterthebuilding,youneeda
hole.A10mmcarbidetipdrillatleast380mminlengthwillbe
neededtodrillthroughastandardbrickcavitywall.Thehole
shouldslopedownwardslightlyfrominsidetooutsideandthe
cableshouldapproachtheholefrombelow.Thesemeasures
preventwaterfromenteringthewall.Theholeshouldbe
sealedaroundthecablewithamasticsealant.Wherethecable
enterstheroom,itispossibletofitascrewtypesocket
tothewall.Ourinstallerswillnotfitthesebecauseofthe
expenseanddifficultyandthepossibilitythatsignallosswill
occur(sinceitdoesoccurateveryjointinthecable).More
importantthansignallossissignalreflection,whichcancause
majorproblemswithdigitalTV.
Thebest(affordable)satellitecableiscalledH109Thiscable
hascopperbraidscreeningwrappedwithcopperfoil.Ordinary
satellitecablehasaluminiumfoiloncopperbraid.Some
moisturewillalwaysgetthroughtheplasticsheathand,
whenitdoes,thecombinationofaluminiumoncopperwill
corrodeandswell.Thecablewillceasetoperformwell.This
effectdoesnotusuallybecomeevidentforseveralyears.
Copperfoildoes,however,giveslightlybetterscreeningthan
aluminiumand,therefore,lowersignalloss,whichisan
importantconsiderationforalongcablerun.Inaddition,
copperfoilhasexcellentconductivitysoitmustbeusedin
situationswhereagoodsafetyearthconnectionisessential
(suchasdistributionsystemsthroughmorethanoneprop
erty).
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

ProfessionalInstallationTips
Neverdrillaholethroughawindowframe.Itwillcause
a.severerotintheframeb.extraexpensetorecablewhen
youdecidetofitdoubleglazing.

Thisconnectorisspeciallydesigned
tofitthroughawindowopeningso
youcanstillclosethewindow(see
ourstore).

Alwaysdrillthroughthewall,withasharp,10mmmasonry
drill,downwardfromtheinside.Alwayscheckthatthereare
nogaspipes,electricalwiring,centralheatingorwaterpipes
whereyouareabouttodrill.Checkbothsidesofthewalland
makesurethereisnothinginthecavity.Neveruseahammer
actiononthelast25mmofthewallthiswillcausealarge
portionofbrickfacetofalloff.

Alwayssealtheoutsideholearound
thecablewithBluTack,amastic
sealant,orabathroomtypesealant
(whichcanmatchthebrickcolour)
topreventingressofmoisture.
Nevercutthecableclosetothewall
ontheinside.Allowatleasttwome
tresspareyouknowthatyour
spousewillwanttomovetheTVset
acrosstheroomnextweek!
Alwaysuseagoodqualitysatellite
cablesuchasH109F.Cheaper
cablemaydeteriorateoverafew
yearsandTVcablewillbeuseless
fromthestart.

CableclipsgoinquickerandbetterifyouuseasmallLump
Hammerratherthanaclawtypebutmakesureyoudonot
kinkthecablehoweveryoufittheclips.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Dontbetemptedtocarryoutaninstallationifitiswindyorin
wetweather.Botheffectsincreasetheriskofinjury,andwater
insideacablewillensureearlyfailure.Bepatientandwaitfor
acalm,dryday.Dontfitthedishaboveadoorwaybecause
raindripswillsoakyouforeverafterwards.
BeforeyouplugtheTVaerialcableintothesatellitereceiver,
makesurethatnowatercanorhasgotintothecableordrib
bleddowntheoutsideofit.Ihaveseenseveralbrandnewsat
ellitereceiversdestroyedbecausecondensationrandownthe
outsideoftheTVcable.IftheTVcablecomesviathewindow
frame,alwaysloopitlowerthanthesatellitereceiver.
Finally,makesurethatthedishisnotdistortedordentedin
anyway,otherwiseyouwillnevergetsatisfactorypictures.

LayingCablesInsideaRoom

Bewarethedreadedgripperrods!Usuallyitispossibletolie
thesatellitedishcableneatlybeneaththecarpetbetween
thegripperrodandtheskirtingboard.Havingpeeledthe
carpetbackfromtheskirtingboardandexposedthegripper
rod,carefullyliethecableintotheexposedgapbutbecareful
thoselittleupsidedowntacksthroughtherodarevery,
verysharp,somindyourfingersandhaveagoodsupplyof
elastoplasttohand!Havingsurvivedthefirsthazard,dobe
suretofitthecarpetbackinchbyinch.Onnoaccountallow
thecabletolieontopofthenastylittlespikesasthesimple
weightofthecarpetontopofthecablewillcausethespikesto
penetraterightthroughthecable,causingaverynasty
shortcircuitonyoursatellitereceiverandresultinginan
expensiverepairbeforeyouvewatchedevenoneprogramme!

WereintoRubber!
Arubberhammercanbeusedtogetdentsoutofcarrier
deliveredsatellitedishes.Useabouncingballaction,holding
thehammerloosely.Itleavesnomarksorscratchesandcosts
verylittlefromthemarket.Sharpdentscannotberemovedin
thisway.Asthedishshapeiscritical,don'tacceptadamaged
one.Checkitondelivery.
ClickClick
Youcanbuyratchetactionringspannerstospeedupdish
assembly.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

ConnectingyourSatelliteSystemtoTVandVideo
Therearetwomethodsofconnectingyoursatellitesystemup
toyourvideorecorderandtelevisionset.Themostcommonis
bymeansofthoseleadswhichhaveaTVplugoneachend
(oftencalledPatchLeadsorR.F.Leads).Theothermethod
istouseSCARTleads(ThemultipinEuropeanstandardcon
nectionsystemalsocalledEuroconnectorandPeritel)
whichemploythickcableswith21pinplugs.
WhileitistechnicallybettertousetheSCARTmethod,the
endproductwillnotbeagreatdealdifferentasfaras
thepictureisconcernedbutwillbemuchbetter
wherethesoundisrequiredtobeoftopquality,
especiallyinthecaseofstereotransmissions.Most
satellitereceiverhandbooksshowexamplesof
connectionsusingbothR.F.andSCARTleads,but
donotgointodetailaboutthemajorenemy
namelyCrossModulationatermwhichleaves
anastytasteinthemouthofmostinstallers!

CrossModulation(Xmod)canbethoughtofasavirusthat
maybedifficulttocure.Basically,Xmodoccurswherevarious
signalsfromTVstations,satellitereceivers,videorecorders
andspuriousemissionsfromTVsetsgetontopofeachother,
thusweakeningyourpictureandproducinggenerallystrange
formsofpatterning(Herringbone,VenetianBlind,Wavy
LinesandGraininess)onthepicture.
YoumayhaveseenthispreviouslyasForeigninterferenceon
yourTVpictureduringstormysummerweather.
Soherearesomesimpleguidelinestohelpyougetperfect
pictures,ontheassumptionthatthedishisalreadyinstalled
accurately.WeshallconcentrateontheR.F.leadmethodof
connectionsincethisisfarmorelikelytoproduceXmodthan
theSCARTmethod.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

1)Thebasicconnectionlayout

2)Rememberthechain
First,TVaerialintosatellitereceiver.
Second,RFleadfromsatellite(RFout)intovideorecorder
(RFinorTVin).
Third,RFleadfromvideorecorder(RFoutorTVout)tothe
aerialsocketontheTVset.
Basically,allyouneedtodotoachievethisistoremovethe
incomingTVaerialwirefromtherearofthevideorecorderand
plugitintothesatellitereceiversocketmarkedRFinorTVin.
Fitanotherleadbetweenthenowvacantsocketonyourvideo
recorderandtheRFout/TVoutsocketonthesatellitereceiver.
AtthisstageyoushouldcheckthattheTVandvideorecorder
areworkingnormally(thesatellitereceiverwillneedmains
powerbutcanbeleftinstandby).

3)TuninginthesatellitetoyourTV
SelectanunusedchannelonyourTV(forexample,channel7).
Onnoaccountusethechannelnumberwhichyoualreadyuse
forthevideorecorder(often0or6).
NowmakesuretheTVisswitchedonandthisnewsatellite
channelnumberisselected.Youshouldseeacompletelyblank
screen.
Atthisstage,itisagoodideatopracticetuningyourTV.Refer
toyourTVhandbookandtunethisnewchanneltogetITVor
BBC.
FindouthowtoSTOREthischannel.Testthatithasstoredby
changingchannelthenbackagainisitstillthere?Hasitlost
colour?
Checkthesoundtomakesurethereisnobuzz(finetuneto
clearthisifthereisabuzzandSTOREthenewsetting).
NowthatyouhavepracticedtuningyourTV,findouthowto
tuneyourvideorecorderbyselectingasparechannelonit(for
examplenumber7)
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

asyouwillwanttobeabletorecordthesatelliteprogrammes.
ChangeyourTVsettothenormalvideochannelsothatyou
canseewhatyouaredoingonthescreen.TuneinITVorBBC
onthesparechannelonyourvideorecorderandSTOREit.
HavingmasteredthetuningofbothyourTVsetandyourvideo
recorder,youarereadytobringthesatellitereceiveronline.

4)ReceivingSatellite
Setupatestsignalfromthesatellitereceiver.Thisisusually
donebypressingthe"services"buttononyoursatellite
receiverhandsettogenerateamenupicturetolookfor.Note
thatthemenuscreen"timesout"afterafewminutessoyou
mayneedtopressthebuttonagain,later.
OntheTVsetselectthenewunusedchannelandtunethis
untilyouseethemenupicture.(IfyourTVhasAutomatic
frequencyControlAFCturnthisoffwhileyoutune.)Press
STOREontheTVhandset.Nowswitchoffthesatellitereceiver
andyoushouldhaveatotallyblankscreen.Ifyouhaveany
signofapictureorfuzzyimagesyouhavethemakingsof
Xmoddescribedearlier.Switchthereceiverbackonand
changetheRFOutchanneltoadifferentnumber,thenretune
theTVchanneltogetthesatellitepictureback.Repeatthis
processasmany
timesasnecessary.

5)RecordingSatellite
Tobringthevideorecorderintoplayforsatellitesimplyswitch
tothevideochannelontheTVset.Returntothevideore
corderandtuneinchannel7(orthespareoneyouhavecho
senforsatellite)untilthesatellitepictureappearsontheTV
screen.RemembertoSTOREit.

ANDTHATSTHEJOBDONE!
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Problems
1Buzzonsound=retuneTVsatellitechannelslightly.Be
suretoturnofftheAutomaticFrequencyControl(AFC)while
youdoit.
2Black&whitepicture=retuneTVsatellitechannelas
above.
3Recordsinblack&white=retunevideorecordersatellite
channel
4Buzzonsoundrecording=retunevideorecordersatellite
channel
5Grainyorpoorqualitypictures=badRFleads
6Recordedmoviepicturesfadeinandoutorpicturerolls.You
areprobablytryingtorecorda"macrovision"encodedfilm
channel.
DOUSEGOODQUALITYRFLEADSNOTCHEAPWHITE
ONESFROMTHEMARKETANDKEEPTHEMASSHORTAS
POSSIBLE.

IfyouconnectyoursystembyusingSCARTleadsinsteadofRF
leads,thepicturequalitymaybebetterandyouwillbenefitby
havinghighqualitystereosoundavailable,ifrequired.

Notethat,ifyouwanttorecordasatellitechannelthatis
possiblebutyoucantwatchadifferentsatellitechannelatthe
sametimealthoughyoucanwatchaterrestrialTV
channelwhilerecordingfromsatelliteunlessyouhavea
"SkyPlus"Digiboxinwhichcaseyouwon'tneedthevideo
recorderanyway.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

TheSkyPlusDigibox
Withthisbox,youcanwatchoneprogrammewhileyourecord
another.YoucanNOTwatchtwoprogrammesatthesame
time.
AnexistingSkysubscriberintheUKcanbuyaSkyPlus
Digiboxfor199plusfittingcharge.Inaddition,Skywill
charge10permonthfortheabilitytorecordprogrammes.
(Pricesmaychange).
For12permonthmoreyoucanhaveasecondsmartcardfor
astandardDigibox,whichwillgetthesameprogrammesas
thefirstcard.
SkysayyouMUSTconnecttheSkyPlusDigiboxtoatelephone
line.HoweverweknowitisabletoworkOKwithout.
Toauthorisethecardsisatwostepprocess.Youauthorisethe
cardasusual(bymodemfor99.9%ofusers)youthenhave
toringadifferentvoicenumbertoupgradetoSky+forthe
extra10permonthwithoutthisyoucan'trecordatall.

TheremotecontrolhandsetsforthestandardSkyDigiboxand
fortheSkyPlusDigiboxareNOTinterchangeable*.Thisis
goodbecauseyoucanhavebothboxesinthesameroom
withoutoneremoteinterferingwiththeotherbox.Howeverits
BADbecauseyoursecondremoteinthebedroomwontwork
yourSkyPlusDigiboxdownstairsviatheTVLink,
DigiLinkorPowerMid.Youwillhavetobuyasecond
SkyPlusremotecontrolhandset.

*Butyoucanresetthestandardremotetooperatechannelup/downontheSky
PlusDigibox.Seewebsitepagefordetails.

TheSkyPlusDigiboxhas
twointernaltunersandis
suppliedwithaQuad
outputLNBasillustrated
here.TheLNBcomeswith
akitofadaptorswhich
allowittobefittedtoany
ofthethreemakesof
minidish.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Ithasfouroutputs.TwomustbeconnectedtotheSkyPlus
Digiboxtunerinputsviasuitablecoaxialcable.Theothertwo
canbeconnectedeithertoasecondSkyPlusDigiboxortoone
ortwostandardSkyDigiboxes(orFreeToAir
receiversifthatswhatyouwant).
AswiththestandardminidishLNBs,this
QuadoutputLNBisdesignedtogiveoptimum
Performancewithanovalshapeddish,which
iswiderthanitistall.Theredarrowpointsto
thefeedhornwhichhascamshapedscalar
ringsatitsentrance.Thisfeaturemakesthe
feedhornfocusontheexactshapeofthedish.
ThisLNBwillgivepoorperformanceona
Standarddishand,likewise,aquadoutputLNB
(below)designedforusewithastandarddish
willgivepoorperformanceonaminidish.

HereisastandardQuadoutput
LNB.Noticethecircularscalar
ringsofthefeedhorn.
Skewadjustmentiscarriedout
byslackeningthescrewsinthe
topofthebracketandtwisting
theLNB.
Thisadjustmentisessentialto
aligntheLNBinternalantennae
exactlywiththereceived
polarisedsignalsfromthe
satellite.
Ifitisincorrectthenhorizon
tallyandverticallypolarised
signalswillinterferewith
eachother,resultinginloss
ofqualityblockingor
pixellisationorpicture
freezingandcompleteloss
ofpictureandsoundonsome
channels.Anotherviewofthe
SkyplusQuadoutputLNB,
showingthe
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

positionoftheclampscrewsfor
skewadjustmentandthe
shapeofthebracketwhichfits
tothedisharm.
Bytheway,thesimplestwayto
removetheexistingLNBisto
holdapieceofwoodagainstthe
feedhorncoverandtapitwitha
hammeruntilitpopsoutofthe
disharm.

SkyPluscable
Tomakeinstallationeasier,thecablethatis
normallyusedfortheSkyPlusDigiboxis
Shotgunordoublebarrelcoaxialcabletype
CT63.
Becauseofitsnarrowdiameter,thistwincablecan
bepushedthroughtheusual9mmholethatis
drilledthroughwallsforH109,removingtheneed
fordrillinganadditionalhole.ItneedsspecialF
connectorsstandardoneswillnotprovideatight
fitandmustnotbeused.Standard7mmwall
clipsaretoosmallandwillcrushthecablesothe
correctclipsshouldbeused.

Althoughthiscableisdoublescreenedwithcopperbraidon
copperfoil,itisnotasefficientas,say,H109andshouldnot
beusedinlengthsgreaterthan20metres.Norshoulditbe
joinedatanypoint.Astraightrunwithoutdiscontinuities
isessential.
Inbrief,shotguncablecanmakeinstallationeasierbutit
needsspecialfittingsandcannotbeusedforlongruns*.
Jointsandwallplatesarenotrecommended,althoughthey
canbeusedifessential.UsethecorrectspecialFconnectors

*ForLNBuse,keepthecableshort.ButforRFruns(aerialandDigibox
RFoutput)itcanbeaslongas100metreswithoutdegradingthesignal
significantly.Youcanalsosplitthecablesaparttomakeonesinglerun.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Troubleshooting

MissingChannels
Missingchannelscanhavelotsofcauses.Itsbesttolistevery
channelthatismissingandthenaddanoteofthefrequency
(transponder)andpolarisation(HorV)toeachone.These
noteswillallowyoutoseeifthereisacommonfactor.
Maybeallthemissingchannelsareofonepolarisation,
indicatinganLNBfault,areceiverLNBvoltagefaultorabad
cableconnection.
Ortheymayallbelowbandchannels,indicatinganLNB
faultagainorafaultyreceiversendinga22kHzsignal(band
selection)totheLNB.(Sometimespowersupplyinterference
cancausethiseffect).
Ortheymayallbeofthesamefrequency.Thiscouldhave
manycausesincludingafaultyreceiver,faultyLNB,faulty
cableorconnection,faultydishorexternalmicrowave
interference.
YoumaybeinafringereceptionareaofEurope.
Yoursmartcardmaybefaultyacommoncauseofmissing
channels.
BskyBwillwanttodotransmissiontestsbeforeswappingit.
NoLockIndication
IftheDigiboxindicatesagoodsignalbutlowqualityand/orno
lockthenyouhaveprobablyalignedyourdishonthewrong
satellite.Asalways,theeasiestwaytocheckisbyconnecting
aknowngoodDigiboxtoyourdish.Ifthisalsofailstowork,
youhaveaninstallationproblem.
Ifitdoeswork,thenyourownDigiboxisprobablyfaultyor
simplyunsuitableifyouareinafringereceptionarea.Trycon
nectingittoaknowngooddish,nearby.
ForSkyDigitalfromAstra2at28.2Etheparametersare
normally:
Defaulttransponder11.778VandNetworkIDis0002
TransportStreamis07d4(variesaccordingtoyourselectionofdefault
transponder).
ForAstra1at19.2EtheNetworkIDis0001

ForHotbirdat13Etheparametersare:
NetworkID=013eandTransportstream=1450

Soyoucantellwhichsatelliteyourdishisalignedonbylookingatthe
NetworkIDinthemenuscreen.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

SomeDigiboxesdonotworkcorrectlywithcertaintypesof
LNB.ThecauseisuncertainbutchangingtheLNBoftensolves
obscureproblemswherethereceiverworksOKwhen
connectedtoadifferentdishinstallation.
WecantstresstoohighlytheimportanceoftestingyourDigi
boxonaknowngoodinstallationandoftestingyourowndish
installationwithaknownworkingDigibox.Althoughyoumay
thinkthisistediousandrequiresaskingfavoursoffriends,it
willusuallygiveyouvaluablecluestothefaultcauseand,in
doingso,saveyouweeksoffrustrationandexpense.Please
dontexpectustoguessifyouask:ismyreceiverfaulty?

CardProblems
TestthecardinanotherDigibox.Itshouldgenerateanon
screenmessagethatthewrongcardisinserted.Checkthatit
givessomeFTVprogrammesbyselecting,say,CH4through
themenusystem.IfitfailstoworkinanotherDigibox,the
cardisfaultyorhasnotbeenauthorisedyet.
IfitworksOKlikethisinanotherboxthentheDigiboxto
whichthecardispairedmustbefaulty(ormaysimplyneeda
softwaredownload).

UsingtheDigiboxoutsidetheUK

Allthingsconsidered,itsmucheasiersimplytotakeyourown
Digiboxandsmartcardfromhome!
BskyBcannotcondoneit.Theyhavealegaldutytoprotect
thecopyrightoftheprogrammesthattheytransmit.Most
programmesarelicensedforviewinginaspecificcountryor
regionwhich,inthecaseofBskyB,istheUK.

YouwillnotbesoldaSkyviewingcardunlessyouapplyforit
fromaUKaddress.AllviewingcardsareregionaltheUK
postcodedetermineswhichlocalTVregionprogrammesyou
willreceive.AtthetimeofwritingFTV(FreeToViewor
"Freesat")cardsareavailablefromourstore.Thetelephone
connectionwillnotwork(andisnotneeded)becauseituses
aUK0800numberandyoucannotinsertaninternational
diallingprefixunlessyouhaveaspecialdiallerbox.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Theboxrequires230volts/50Hzpowerwhichshouldbefine
forEurope.TheRFoutputusesPALIsystemsoyouwillget
noaudioonaEuropeanTVunlessitsupportsPALIorunless
youuseaScartconnectioninstead.Thisalsomeansthatyou
willgetpicturebutnotsoundifyouextendthesystemusing
theRFconnectiontoaEuropeanTV.Theonlywaytoextendit
wouldbewithanexternalRFmodulatorconnectedviaScart
(orconnectittoavideorecorderviaScartandusethevideo
recorderPALGRFoutput)oruseaPALIcompatibleTVset
(whichmanyPhilipsandGrundigsetsare)..

Ifyouareinafringeareawherereceptionofthe"northbeam"
isbadorimpossible,therearetwowaysoffixingthis.Thesec
ondwayisprobablybetterinplaceslikeTenerife,southern
Spain,Portugal,Greece.
EnterservicesPress"4"twiceyouwillthenbeintheadd
channelmenuChangefrequency11.778Vto12207V(theSky
Newstransponder).
GotoFindchannelsandpressselect
PressyellowbuttontostoreorPress"services"thenpress"4"
then"0"then"1"then"select".
Thesecondlinedownis"defaulttransponder".Changethisto
12.207VSavenewsettings.
Ifitlaterchangesbacktothenormaldefaultof11.778Vthen
yourreceiver*is*gettingareasonablesignalfromthe"north
beam".

Notes:
TheabovenotesapplytoSkycardsandFTVFreeToView
cards(whichlookidenticaldarkbluewithayellowhouse
outline).
YoudoNOTneedasmartcardforthereceivertofunctionnor
mallywiththetotallyFREEchannels.Youcanaccessthese
FreeToAirprogrammesandallmenuswithoutasmartcard.
 InstallingSkyDigitalSatelliteTV

Finalnote
Beforeyoubuyadish,checkwhetheryouneedplanning
permission,listedbuildingconsentorowners/landlords
consent.
Remember,youareresponsiblefortheappropriatesitingof
satellitedishesifyouhaveanydoubt,contacttheplanning
departmentofyourlocalcouncilorseekindependent
professionaladvice.

ChecklistforSelection,Purchase,andInstallation
1.Checkifyouneedthelandlords,orownersconsent.
2.Dontallowadishtobeinstalledwithoutfirstfindingout
whetherornotyouneedplanningpermissionorlistedbuilding
consent.
3.Usereputableandauthorisedsuppliersandinstallers.
4.Selectadishnolargerthantheminimumrequiredforgood
reception.
5.Sitethedishinaninconspicuousplace,preferablywhere
yourneighboursandthepubliccannotseeit.
6.Avoidbreakingtheskylinewiththedishand,whenever
possibledontsiteitinfrontofthehouse.
7.Selectadishthatblendsinwithitschosenbackground.

Respecttheenvironment.
Thecheapestoptionmaynotbethemostenvironmentally
friendly.Dontforgetthatyouareresponsibleforhavingit
installedpoorsitingmayleadthecounciltorequireyouto
resitethedishatyourownexpense.
SatelliteTVtechnologycontinuestoevolve:youshouldbe
awareofthedifferentkindsofsystemsothatyoucanmakean
informedchoice.

Ifyouhaveanyproblemsnotcoveredinthisguide,pleaselet
usknowenq@brittanysatellites.com