Background:
Friends in Milan Italy have Foxsat-HD set up and working fine with a DISEqC SWITCHED satellite feed from
- main dish pointed at the Freesat satellite cluster
- 2nd dish pointed at the other Astra (for French etc)
(The 2nd dish has an additional offset LNB feeding a Sky Italy HD box from Hotbird just fine too)

ie everything has been working fine for 6 months plus toggling between Freesat and non-freesat use for live Foxsat-HD viewing.

QUESTION:
If friend wanted to replace the HD with a HDR, can they still get their then 3rd feed DISEqC SWITCHED into the 2 coax feeds to the HDR so that they can still watch their 'non-freesat' channels from the 2nd dish live.

I am assuming that the Humax doesnt record non-freesat stuff ? (I know the main dish will need a Dual-LNB & coaxes to feed the HDR from the disk pointed at Freesat cluster).

Thanks for any help/advice/experience.

MKD

Here's your answer

http://foxsat.wikispaces.com/Setting+up+DiSEqC

Mikembe

And yes it can record non-freesat but there is no timer starts (Pressing record a 2nd time lets you specify a duration)

Thanks for the rapid responses guyz!

So from that response a new HDR has the same ability to specify a DISEqC switch as existing HD = perfect as already stated have that working just fine on existing HD.

So thinking of implications of your answers:

1) So TIMER RECORDINGS are for Freesat only but can press RECORD live while viewing non-Freesat to record that (for a duration as described above).

2) Do timer recordings carry on as normal when one live switches to Non-Freesat (with auto DISEcQ switching of the feed) and perhaps box saying tuning prevented by recordings if the two tuners are already busy recording Freesat ?

3) The DISEqC switch would only be on ONE feed, should that be on No1 or No2 feed ?

4) Does the box need to be deliberately put back in Freesat after one has non-Freesat'd or does it gracefully handle that switching back as necessary ? Indeed if one is watching non-Freesat and a timer needs to kick in to record a Freesat does it de-tune the non-Freesat and say something like 'channel unavailable as tuner busy' (in the way my 9150T Freeview box does if both tuners are busy on Freeview multiplexes that my currently live Freeview channel isn't on).

Thanks again for any assistance (am out visiting the friends in Milan at the moment and trying to resolve their plan of action with their existing HD and potential HDR boxes).

MKD

1 Correct

2 Switching back to freesat will stop non freesat recordings.

3 According to the manual tuner 1 input is diseqc capable

4 Freesat recordings take precedence provided the due recording is further away in time than the 15 min pre record check time when you go into non-freesat mode then a freesat recording will warn you, stop any non freesat recording and switch back to freesat to make the recording. On experiments I carried out going to sby from non-freesat mode then a freesat recording will switch the box back to make the recording. I have seen posts though that sometimes this does not work.

I have also seen postings that using a diseqc switch impacts on the twin tuner freesat performance. I don't have the facilities to try this.

Works a treat for me! Nearly said I was a happy camper, but that could have been mis-interpreted

The HDR has two tuners so ideally needs two DiSeqC switches.

The main problems are that the HDR will not execute Freesat recordings when in Non Freesat mode, and if you scan a transponder in Non Freeat mode you will loose the Freesat recording schedule and favourite channels settings.

You can not schedule non Freesat recordings, but you can record the current programmes from two different satellites,

Thanks machare but NOW you are all leaving me a bit more confused than when I started (and having got time/net access to do more searching) I think the situation is this:

1. The Humax Foxsat-HDR does support the use of ONE DISEqC switch on Input #1

2. The HDR set up for that works as for the HD model as does switching from FS to/fro nonFS via menu.

3. If nonFS scanning takes place then the current FS recording list is lost (though NOT recordings made) - ie definitely best to set up a nonFS feed at the time of commissioning the HDR.

4. NonFS programmes can be recorded only MANUALLY by pressing record while watching (& using remote to set length of time to record).

5. FS timed recordings will NOT start while in nonFS mode and no warning appears, though IF swapped back to FS while a FS programme was due to record then that tailend part of the FS recording is likely to be made.

6. If FS recordings are due to start within 15mins then you are warned when trying to switch to nonFS mode

7. If HDR is left in nonFS mode when set to standby then the HDR may be unreliable in making FS recordings later. (The HD model doesnt reawaken 100% functional from nonFS either!)

8. Humax may or may not improve this interraction of FS/nonFS in the future, and more likely not as not regarded as a high priority.



MKD

1 & 2. The HDR has two tuners. Ideally you should connect both. The setup is no doubt similar to the HD model, but is not the same as there are two tuners and you can specify how they are used. My "Connection Type" is set to "Two cable(Same)" which lets me drive two DiSeqC switches seamlessly.

If configured as above and tuner two was connected straight to an LNB for Asta 2, I would expect the Freesat mode to work OK.

3 & 4. Agree

5. I am not sure if it will start a recording halfway through.

6. I have not seen this myself.

7. To make a Freesat recording I would leave the STB in standby Freesat mode.

8. I would certainly hope that they do, but am doubtful that they will. I think that part of the poor nonFS mode is due to the Freesat specifications.

One advantage of the HDR is that it will eventually get iPlayer support, but probebly that will not work in Italy.

Problem 3 is fixed in the shortly to be available V04 firmware

http://www.hummy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6334

5 Provided you enter non-freesat mode at least 16 mins before a freesat recording is due to start then a warning is given, the STB switches back to freesat and makes the recording. If less than 16 mins then the recording will only start if and when the box is manually switched back to freesat mode

6 In the testing I did for the above there was no warning