Lidl - Digital Satellite System @ 79.99

[r0nn13]

Is this a good deal?

And how easy is it to install your own satellite and point in the right direction and angle?

[broken link removed]

• 80cm steel antenna
• Coated mast bracket
• High performance twin LNB 0.6 dB
• Tuner rate: 2-35 MS/s
• MPEG-2 & DVD compatible
• 4500 storage channels
• Pre-programmable up to 7 days in advance (EPG)
• Games included
• Master PIN, child lock
• Sleep & multi-functional timers
• Radio receiver
• Teletext
• €79.49 + €0.50 Producer Recycling Fund

 

[ClubMan]

Should be doable if you do a bit of reading up first (don't depend on the manual included though). Check out the boards.ie satellite forum and links contained therein for more info. Picked up one of these systems myself the other day and hope to play with it soon. The LNB is actually tagged (sticker on the unit itself) as 0.3dB in spite of being advertised as 0.6dB (the former is better if true). I think it's a good deal. The dish is a little light compared to alternatives but for the whole package the price is not bad and you can always plug and play other bits later if you choose.

 

[joanmul]

We got it and it worked out alright after Mr Mul spent hours and hours and hours at it. Getting the stations in is the tricky part. We can't got the Irish stations in so we have them on the ears - not as good as they could be. I don't know if they can be got in at all on the dish but we couldn't get them anyway. We have a good few stations that we don't bother with but we have the golf channel which we would watch a fair bit. You need buckets of patience and someone else to help. We have the dish up above the balcony of the house and we had a television in the room beside the balcony for the tuning in bit. We were told that the main thing is to have the dish facing south and move it fractionally when tuning in.

 

[pat127]

We got it and it worked out alright after Mr Mul spent hours and hours and hours at it. Getting the stations in is the tricky part. We can't got the Irish stations in so we have them on the ears - not as good as they could be. I don't know if they can be got in at all on the dish but we couldn't get them anyway. We have a good few stations that we don't bother with but we have the golf channel which we would watch a fair bit. You need buckets of patience and someone else to help. We have the dish up above the balcony of the house and we had a television in the room beside the balcony for the tuning in bit. We were told that the main thing is to have the dish facing south and move it fractionally when tuning in.

It can be done in 20 minutes or so if you try to work out the angle in advance using a compass or even a protractor- I used a couple of lengths of old skirting boards attached at one end for sighting along. The dish should be approx vertical to begin with and then tweaked when the sat is found. It's handy to have a method like this in case you ever have to move the dish. I shifted mine shortly after I first installed it.

You can't get the Irish stations on FreeSat. Instead of the rabbit's ears, a small UHF antenna can be bought (€30-40) which will give a far superior signal.

 

[ClubMan]

It can be done in 20 minutes or so if you try to work out the angle in advance using a compass or even a protractor- I used a couple of lengths of old skirting boards attached at one end for sighting along. The dish should be approx vertical to begin with and then tweaked when the sat is found. It's handy to have a method like this in case you ever have to move the dish. I shifted mine shortly after I first installed it.

And there are loads of useful Irish and general resources online explaining how best to approach aiming the dish - basically you need clear line of sight to the relevant satellite(s), get the right elevation (vertical angle), azimuth (horizontal angle) and LNB skew - all of which need to be correct for proper reception. Check out the boards.ie Satellite TV forum for more info and links.

You can't get the Irish stations on FreeSat. Instead of the rabbit's ears, a small UHF antenna can be bought (€30-40) which will give a far superior signal.

Is it not the case that some people will need UHF and VHF reception (via a single combo aerial or two separate ones?) though? I'm not 100% clear on this and can't find good authoritative info on it. Anybody got any good links on Irish terrestrial TV reception, antennas etc. (and not about digital trials etc.)?

 

[pat127]

And there are loads of useful Irish and general resources online explaining how best to approach aiming the dish - basically you need clear line of sight to the relevant satellite(s), get the right elevation (vertical angle), azimuth (horizontal angle) and LNB skew - all of which need to be correct for proper reception. Check out the boards.ie Satellite TV forum for more info and links.
Is it not the case that some people will need UHF and VHF reception (via a single combo aerial or two separate ones?) though? I'm not 100% clear on this and can't find good authoritative info on it. Anybody got any good links on Irish terrestrial TV reception, antennas etc. (and not about digital trials etc.)?

TnaG and TV3 are on UHF only, while RTE1 and RTE2 are on both but VHF is now only supported on some of the transmitters.

 

[hopalong]

is it better to mount on a wall of house or chimney stack,and what are the chances of the wind blowing it down?

 

[Pee]

is it better to mount on a wall of house or chimney stack,and what are the chances of the wind blowing it down?

The brackets aren't as strong as the larger sky dish and can move a bit in the wind so may need re-alignment, easier to be done if mounted on the wall.

 

[pjq]

is it better to mount on a wall of house or chimney stack,and what are the chances of the wind blowing it down?

The reception quality is the same whether its on the chimney or on the ground , you have to be able to face the dish into the sun at +/-11:00 . As a practical matter place it so that you can comfortably and safely stand on a ladder as you adjust the dish and look at a TV to get the best reception.
pjq