FIlling In the Gaps... Optus C1 to D2 Changeover??

[Astrotoy7]

Firstly, a huge congrats on an excellent forum! I am glad to be amongst avid DIYers. I am an old hand at PVR/MCE with DVBT but very green with DVBS...

Ive been devouring info on what Im going to need to achieve the one and simple aim of getting setanta Australia via my own kit and one of their cards >> I REFUSE to pay $500 to one of their subby mugs to fiddle for 30 mins on something I want to be able to do myself

I have an in situ foxtel dish, it was active until 6 months ago, got booted because of 'repeat syndrome' and lack of football(soccer) >>thus the desire to get setanta. All wall plugs, cabling is still in situ.

Digging around on setanta Oz site and lyngsat, I eventually determined that they used to be on B3 but are now on Both seem to be located at 152E.

I also determined that Optus C1(what foxtel was using) is at 156E and like D2 is also on Ku band.

>>I am hoping this means that all I need to do is point my existing Dish from its current C1 position to D2. ie. I wont have to buy a new dish like setanta's site says. I think its really sneaky they are saying that if this is the case!

can anyone confirm this please?

Also, I have also determined from the lyngsat listing and setanta's Oz site that they use irdeto2 but no nds/videoguard encryption. In addition setanta Oz sell their own subscription cards so Im assuming all that is needed now is an irdeto2 receiver.

am I on the right track ??

I know many are using something like the strong srt 4653, but I want to record a bit and am looking at getting a homecast s8000CI PVR which Ive sourced here in melb from a couple of places.... (I was initially thinking about integrating into my existing media center rig , but decided against it *for the moment* As a compulsive timnkerer, im likely to revisit it later )

so, assuming my above assumptions are correct, me getting setanta in time for the euro 2008 finals requires:

1. setanta subscription card
2. reposition my foxtel disc to get D2(from its current c1 position)
3. Receiver to stick the card into (in my case the homecast gadget)

I have some follow on questions, but want to see what the answers to the above are. I like to ask slightly more detailed questions,as it helps me understand, and pass the knowledge on once I have a grasp on it(to help other DIYers)

any response is greatly appreciated!!

astro

[Saintaholic]

To my knowledge, you are correct with everything. The dish only needs to be slightly tapped. Consider leaving it where it is and 'taping' another LNB next to it for D2. Getting a Disquc switch and having 2 sats without a motor. This will at least give you setanta on D2 and the FTA's on C1.
I dont use a PVR so I cant help there, but a Strong 4658x or and Decoder with Irdeto should work well. Consider the ability of a 'Cam' input. You may regret later not having one. Wont cost anymore initially if you choose the correct decoder.

[fromaron]

Wellcome to the forum, Astrotoy.
If you have considerable experience with PVR/MCE I assume you will get more fun by adding a DVB-S card to your HTPC and try different applications. You can find a lot of information about different setups and tricks, unless you want to have a dedicated satellite decoder of course.

[bulbous]

Isn't it great to see a newbie read up before asking questions - well done and good luck ! .

[Astrotoy7]

thanks for the replies chaps

@Bulbous > Theres no point in anyone asking questions blindly, you'll no doubt end up with more questions!!

@fromaron >> with the advent of getting sat TV in the MCE interface is far less of an ordeal. UK users are even getting encrypted services like SKY to work with the dragon CAM mods

I no doubt think I could pull it off too(eventually), but right at this moment, and with budget and especially time constraints I have, just having some time to watch a bit of extra soccer on setanta is all I can manage! Im sure I'll revisit it all as I accumulate extra knowledge, we're all natural tinkerers are we not?

With regards to the homecast >> It has two CI slots which should keep me covered >eg. I may pop a selectv card in there later >> but will need to sort out getting it to intelsat and keep D2... but thats for later

but atm, I just want setanta and the Euro finals !! As the S8100 has recently come out, the S8000 is much cheaper, and suits my purposes just as well. Ive already sourced 2 suppliers right here in Melb.

anwyay, the main bit I needed to know was if my dish was OK, and that seems to be the case! Those sneaky buggers at setanta shouldnt be saying such rubbish to people and making em fork out $500 for a new dish.

Ive read threads here and elsewhere and seen some good vids on youtube about using a signal tester to 'find your bird'. Ive also found my house on dishpointer.com so think I'll manage to get D2 without too much fuss.. I, not going to try that before I get my box/card though.

For testing purposes, I'll leave it pointing at C1 and make sure my box is working first...I understand there a couple of FTA channels on C1(eg.NIT and Al Jazeera English). When In confident with that, then I'll give it a little tap to get the 4degree shift I need to get D2!!

After a good couple of days reading and sleeping on it, this stuff is making the nice logical sense it should (Thats the good thing about tech!)

With all that plugged in, D2 located correctly, and the card in, Im hoping all that is required is for the receiver to do a scan and generate all the relevant channels and epg itself....much easier than doing it in DVB-T in MCE !!

thanks for your patience

astro

[Farmsky]

Good work Astrotoy7.

You're on the right track. The big pitfall newbies most fall into, in their haste, is moving the dish b4 they learn how to drive their stb.

Remember that 4 deg .... are equatorial degrees. It translates into a bit more az/el degrees down here in oz depending on your location.

This picture of the Clarke belt from Sydney should put u in the picture



PS Presuming a fox 65cm dish, you simply won't fit another lnb to receive 152 and 156 as the lnb's are too close (they physically cannot be mounted close enough together as the feed horns clash) for reception.



OK though on a 90cm up.

PPS Your stb is your best fine tuning instrument. Practice on C1 after you get pictures before moving.

[Astrotoy7]

cheers farmsky!!

I will definitely have a play on C1 first before I get my setanta card and grab a ladder and start hunting for D2. I have in fact been reading the manual for the CI/PVR I intend on getting for the last hour..

I have a few other small queries, if anyone could oblige me?

I found my house and got some dish setup numbers from dishpointer > the two are indeed quite close so armed with sat finder I dont imagine it will be impossible!



Q. >>
Is it that LNB skew', which is where the "4 degree difference" is ? And the other adjustments are to correct the dish position accordingly.

I need to have a closer look at the fox dish and see what bits need to be adjusted to actually allow me to move it! I actually dont even have a decent ladder and will need to borrow one from a neighbour

Another cloudy area for me are the numbers that lyngsat list for particular channels.... here are those for setanta Oz on D2


Q. >>
Are these figures something I have to plug into my box for a manual setup? Alternatively, if I have my card in and dish on D2 correctly, will an autoscan find it ??

A final query, which my reading hasnt supplied me an answer with, does a subscription provider(in this case setanta)also provide the 'common interface module' the smart card sits in?? All my manual for my CI/PVR is 'the interface module and smartcard depend on the service provider ??

thank you very much in advance for any replies

astro

[Farmsky]

Once u get your stb all will be clear.

The relevant numbers are:

1. Your lnb lo 11700 or 11300 probably if it's not a 'universal'. Should be on the label.

2. The relevant settings for the Globecast package (Setanta) are listed here:



So it's

TP freq: 12706
Frequency (TP): 12706.5 Mhz
Symbol Rate (SR): 22.500 Ms/s
FEC: 3 /4
Polarisation: V (Vertical)

The 4 deg is the sat separation at it's equatorial orbit ie 156-152 = 4. Not very relevant really.

The real figures are the az and el at your location. In this case the big movement is in azimuth ie 17.6-11.3 = 6.3 degrees to the west (or to the left from behind the dish). Elevation is 1 degree lower. ie very little.

Use this handy patented 'poleometer' to roughly measure the move in azimuth or use a school protractor.



Mark both the 'az' and 'el' on the dish and pole with a permanent marker b4 u move anything so that you can re-find C1 (reference).

Don't trust 'dishpointers' skew calculation. Optus satellites are set to an odd inclined skew. However it will be very similar to Optus C1. You'll need to rotate the skew of the lnb a tad clockwise (looking into the dish) to peak reception (sig level/quality) for D2.

Have you confirmed from Sentanta that you can get a Setanta Irdeto2 smartcard ie you are not in an Austar area.

Note from the Setana website if all conditions are met:

If you have a dish receiving a signal from Optus B3 (ie Optus D2) and a suitable decoder box and you only need an encryption card, the cost is only $30.

[Astrotoy7]

cheers farmsky! That post right there has crystallized what Ive been cramming into my head regarding positioning!

Thank you very much for those numbers too I will definitely get a handle on 'driving my stb' on C1 before I even start to do the slight adjustments to pluck D2 out

I have checked Austar's site and it says my area is not serviceable I will double check with setanta this week

Im still wondering about that module though>> Im just not sure if subscriptions services include them, or the smartcard only??

cheers
astro

[hoe]

Astrotoy7,

are you aware that setanta is on austar, and can be viewed with a 'whitey' and an irdeto stb without moving your dish ?

[Astrotoy7]

Astrotoy7,

are you aware that setanta is on austar, and can be viewed with a 'whitey' and an irdeto stb without moving your dish ?

yes, I am aware setanta was on austar on c1(and foxtel).....but according to austar I am in a non serviceable area for them! Im not sure if this means I could still get onto them with a whitey/or not! Still, setantas monthly $15/m smartcard fee isnt too steep IMO!!

as for whiteys...I refer you to your sig!

astro

[Frank Drebin]

i think this should be made a sticky for the beginners - lots of valuable info in here.

[Astrotoy7]

Id like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.

I think/hope Im all set now..

@Fromaron >> you were right! Friends and strangers alike have made me realise that as someone who builds mce rigs, incorporating dvbs functionality would be cheaper and less limited, especially from a storage perspective... I have 4TB of dedicated storage for that thing.

As setanta is only one channel, I plan on using progDVB to manage DVBS and feed its output folder as watched folder in mce video library.

There is a proggie Im investigating called dvblogic which incorporates dvs into mce, but Im not sure if its happy to do so when you already have dvbt setup in mce...I think not though

Also, scuttlebut has been for a while now that MS is finally getting around to enabling mixed dvb/s in mce in a Q3? vista update. If other proggies can do it, so should they!

I got a great deal on the floppyDTV pci/pcie/fwire dvbs/s2 card. The ultimate dvbs-CI card, with mce functionality out the box. Costs $400 off their site, I got a near new one ebay for less than half.

I also managed to get an original irdeto 2.06 (new!) for 12Euros($25), which I was most pleased with, considering no oz suppliers were willing to give me an original 2.06 new for anywhere near that!

Now I just need the setanta smart card and a ladder!!

A special thanks to those that helped with the positioning stuff, esp farmsky and to marcus at melbourne satellites. I didnt end up buying anything from them but they dropped $100 of a listed price of teh homecast s8000 PVR to match a competitor. That and some great advice too recommended!

I also think I will get a strong receiver simply for emergencies if my compy conks out for whatever reason right during the euro finals! It never has but I like to be prepared

Now to get it all together and have a go

One Final Question (for the moment):
I noticed D2 has listed as one of the channels "Optus" as a DVB channel. Whats does this include?? It would be nice if they had all the FTA Oz channels in there, I would even setting up the dvbs entirely in mce if that were the case. Can anyone fill me in on that??

cheers
astro