Which box to get?

[gsmtech]

Nice one mate, didn't realise TM's were relatively new.

If possible, I'll try my best to find a cheap (but not so cheap that it's useless) DM600 as it has a swappable tuner in case I run into problems plus it has a hard drive (optional, but useful for me).

Where's the best place to get one from?

So far I have:

dvbmonkey
linuxsat
satstore
dealextreme

any more or which one of these I should deffo go for?

Really appreciate the assistance here people

You wont get a DM600 from dealextreme, they only sell the 500. Linuxsat is uk based supplier of China clones, quicker delivery and easier for support issues, but expect to pay around 30 - 40 quid more than a China supplier.

Dvbmonkey are dropshippers, they ship directly from China based suppliers, i've heard of customer support issues with them however...

Satstore only sell originals I thnk not clones, and hence are expensive but genuine, if it;s the same satstore...

Try Alibaba Express, all the China based sellers advertise there I believe a 600 clone can be purchased for 81 quid I believe from Yaoxcin who are apparently a relable China based supplier

 

[witchy]

but witch.... cant look past the fact that just because he is happy with his and he has always been doesnt mean that there arent any rotten eggs. there are just too many rotten eggs for my liking though.

Really, when did I say that?

I only asked if you have ever owned a Dreambox.

 

[CrazyFool]

Here's a link for a decent signal meter to allign your dish:
Konig Satellite Finder Signal Meter With Patch Lead BN! on eBay (end time 12-May-10 14:27:25 BST)

IF your looking for an original dm600 they are all priced the same in the uk.

Really, when did I say that?

I only asked if you have ever owned a Dreambox.

i suppose you didn't, and no i do not own a dreambox yet.

 

[DodgyTech]

Cheers CrazyFool - I take it that I have to find the "azimuth" myself using a compass (and a list of each satellite in the sky and their location degree) and then use the meter the pinpoint the exact spot for that satellite once i have the azimuth angle sorted.

 

[CrazyFool]

there is a website (cant remember what it is)
it will tell you exactly where you need to point the dish. it will also tell you the north/south angle and the east/west angle.

there should be a compass on the back of the dish to give yuou north south.
as far as east-west is concerned just point it in the direction the website told you to or just point it in the same direction as your neighbours' dishes and then use the signal meter to fine tune the sat postition.
you can get away with not having to pay for a compass if the installation is a fixed dish.

i suppose you dont need a signal meter either, but you will need someone to shout out the signal stregnth on your dreambox.
lol brings back memories of my dad trying to align the satellite dish when i was little.

PS: lots of useful installation advice in digidude's signature.

 

[charlie senator]

Like Pimped i'm thinking of getting on the sat scene. So what can i expect to pick up with the set up Pimped is thinking about ? I.E will it pick up the freesat channels ?

 

[witchy]

i suppose you didn't, and no i do not own a dreambox yet.

OMG. I just wrote a huge reply then accidentally scrubbed it!

I'll not write it all out again but the basics of it were...

1. You will love your Dreambox.

2. Clone DM500 has had many hardware revisions and todays model is excellent.

3. Avoid clone DM800 for a while, their tuners are sub par.

 

[witchy]

there is a website (cant remember what it is)
it will tell you exactly where you need to point the dish. it will also tell you the north/south angle and the east/west angle.

Heavens-above.com or even Google Earth ?

 

[DoomedEarl]

Cheers Pimped for the original post... I'm in the same boat as you. Sorry to hijack the thread but is there any views on dish type/make or are they all pretty much the same. I was looking at a 80cm motorised setup, maybe upto 4 receivers. Cheers

 

[Shrek]

one dish will do but you will need an lnb with multi output.

SKY/FREESAT QUAD LNB + legacy adaptor on eBay (end time 20-Apr-10 21:30:33 BST)

get this sky lnb.
four outputs with a rating of 0.2db
it also comes with an adaptor to fit onto an old sky minidish from before june 2009 i think. (someone please confirm)
there are some brilliant guides on youtube.

could somebody please also tell me what is wrong with that lnb to make it so damn cheap?

dont get me wrong mate. the dm500s is a decent box.
if i was uber skint i would go for that one (£49 delivered from dealextreme).
but witch.... cant look past the fact that just because he is happy with his and he has always been doesnt mean that there arent any rotten eggs. there are just too many rotten eggs for my liking though.

i myself will be getting one as a cheap backup incase one of my tm's go down or cccam stops reading the white card with a future update etc. as they do have brillinat support but nothing more than that.

It's like i always say, you choose what is right for you, you can get all the facts and opinions but you have to make the final decision.
i'm a bit paranoid really and can see myself forking out for a new box in the future if/when my clone breaks but i'm just like that. best pay a tenner extra and get it right the first time me thinks.

Regards,
CrazyFool.

Some of the old dishes had a thin balun tube, some were thick.
The legacy adaptor in the link looks like the one for the thick balun tube.

 

[digidude]

Some of the old dishes had a thin balun tube, some were thick.
The legacy adaptor in the link looks like the one for the thick balun tube.

the first dishes, the LNB arms were about 10mmx25mm, and the LNB slotted straight into the arm. then they re-designed the dish, and the lnb arm was 20mmx25mm and has 2 types of lnb, one hat a thicker part to slide into the arm, the other had an adaptor, for about 6 months during this time, triax made a standard lnb collar to use with these adaptors as well, they werent around for long.

all dishes by this time were the larger square lnb arms, and single lnbs all had thinner arms to be backwards compatible for replacing on older dishes, but quad lnbs are now made with thicker attachments

now the design of the arm has changed again, its just a piece of pressed metal, and the lnb adaptor sits over it, the legacy adaptor replaces this, and makes the attachment suitable for a 20x25mm arm, but not for the older one

triax have also brought back out the collar and adaptor for a standard 40mm lnb as well

totally off topic, but its the UKs minidish history lol

time for another joint methinks roud:

 

[CrazyFool]

digi i have a 10 year old sky minidish that i'm planning to quad lnb in the future.
will the legacy adaptor work for me or not?
i always thought it was just the mk1 and the mk2 dishes. and if you have a dish older than july of last year (i think) then you have a mk1 and will need the legacy adaptor.

but thats what i thought anyway.

 

[DodgyTech]

there is a website (cant remember what it is)
it will tell you exactly where you need to point the dish. it will also tell you the north/south angle and the east/west angle.

there should be a compass on the back of the dish to give yuou north south.
as far as east-west is concerned just point it in the direction the website told you to or just point it in the same direction as your neighbours' dishes and then use the signal meter to fine tune the sat postition.
you can get away with not having to pay for a compass if the installation is a fixed dish.

i suppose you dont need a signal meter either, but you will need someone to shout out the signal stregnth on your dreambox.
lol brings back memories of my dad trying to align the satellite dish when i was little.

PS: lots of useful installation advice in digidude's signature.

A compass on the back of the dish!? Time for me to get out my ladder and see

Yeah Your 2nd para is in line with the rough idea that i had of the subject. Thanks

LOL, yeah i can just picture myself now....pnly prob is, the person i'd be shoutin to is myself as I'm sure no1 gonna be bothered to help me out! lol

 

[DodgyTech]

Like Pimped i'm thinking of getting on the sat scene. So what can i expect to pick up with the set up Pimped is thinking about ? I.E will it pick up the freesat channels ?

good question mate, would like to see the possibilities available in response.


I think there's:

freeview
the subscription cards you pay for (ie: to a foreign sub)
cardsharing

 

[DodgyTech]

OMG. I just wrote a huge reply then accidentally scrubbed it!

I'll not write it all out again but the basics of it were...

1. You will love your Dreambox.

2. Clone DM500 has had many hardware revisions and todays model is excellent.

3. Avoid clone DM800 for a while, their tuners are sub par.

I hate when that happens.

Thanks for the info there. It's quite reassuring to know that they've come a long way in terms of physical hardware and software/support

 

[DodgyTech]

Heavens-above.com or even Google Earth ?

How does one use google earth to locate a sat? I saw heavens above, looks good but is there a listing of the sat's that are useful (and what they're useful for perhaps, likea list of fta and premium channels if cardsharing) and what their locations are?

 

[Shrek]

digidude;
It would be quite useful for people thinking of upgrading their lnb to quad / octo if you made your post 31 a sticky.

I could have done with this advice, when I was shopping for an octo lnb for me self.

 

[DodgyTech]

Cheers Pimped for the original post... I'm in the same boat as you. Sorry to hijack the thread but is there any views on dish type/make or are they all pretty much the same. I was looking at a 80cm motorised setup, maybe upto 4 receivers. Cheers

I'm sure the sat scene has seen dozens of these threads since the cable scene has gone tits up (pun intended... roud: )

No need to apologise mate, the more info the better

 

[DodgyTech]

the first dishes, the LNB arms were about 10mmx25mm, and the LNB slotted straight into the arm. then they re-designed the dish, and the lnb arm was 20mmx25mm and has 2 types of lnb, one hat a thicker part to slide into the arm, the other had an adaptor, for about 6 months during this time, triax made a standard lnb collar to use with these adaptors as well, they werent around for long.

all dishes by this time were the larger square lnb arms, and single lnbs all had thinner arms to be backwards compatible for replacing on older dishes, but quad lnbs are now made with thicker attachments

now the design of the arm has changed again, its just a piece of pressed metal, and the lnb adaptor sits over it, the legacy adaptor replaces this, and makes the attachment suitable for a 20x25mm arm, but not for the older one

triax have also brought back out the collar and adaptor for a standard 40mm lnb as well

totally off topic, but its the UKs minidish history lol

time for another joint methinks roud:

I think i need what you're smoking to get my head around this post mate! :Fish:

I'll take a look at my dish and see what I've got and maybe even post up a pic. Would like to have sky in more than one part of the house somewhere down the line, might as well look into it now while im learning

 

[charlie senator]

Yeah its well complicated mate isn't it. I think Google Earth is just to get your GPS position to set your dish up