Please help me!

I want to buy a satellite freeview box as my current bog standard Thompson breaks up with weather conditions and does not have the HD function.

Am I right in thinking that:

(a) the Humax provides HD broadcasts
(b) it is a one-off payment with no need for monthly packages like Sky TV
(c) you can record TV programmes with it
(d) you can watch one channel while recording another

If all this is correct, where is the cheapest place to get one? They were about £299 when first released, and Comet does them now for about £240, but is there anywhere doing a deal that you know about??

You may need to realign your satellite dish else you will still get these problems with a new set top box.


a yes
b yes
c yes
d yes


have a look here and check out the items down the right hand column.

Could try this site it may help

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...foxsat-hdr-box


Take the extended 5 guarantee, only 25 pounds lot cheaper than Sky contracts.

Just to add item d you can actually watch some channels while recording two and under some circumstances actually record 2 and watch anything (recording two channels sharing a transponder only needs one tuner)

Graham, modesty obviousy prevents you from giving the link to your nifty spreadsheet that defines how to do all that.

Beanie2 if the Thompson (the STB not Graham) is yours to keep you can also use it to watch most SD freesat, regardless of what 2 channels you are recording on a Foxsat HDR, You just need to change the LNB to a quad with 4 outputs. 2 to the HDR, 1 to Thomson &1 spare to cap with rubber boot & or silicone grease.

Loss of signal in rain
Earlier posters rightly suggested that the dish may have moved.
Certainly the cheapest to fix if you can safely reach the dish. You can test if this is the case by gently pulling the dish to East then West then up or down. Do it gently by about 5 mm. The dish should spring back when you release it. You do need someone to watch the TV on the signal strength screen & call out the readings when you have held the pull for say 30 seconds. If any of these pulls improves the signal then the dish does need re-aligning.

If these pulls don't improve things then perhaps a tree in line of sight has grown too much or your LNB is failing.
You are going to change the LNB anyway aren't you?
If you say where you are someone will tell you the sat elevation angle, to check out trees.

David
Last edited by SWIZZ? : 07-11-2009 at 12:12

Have used the recording 3 channels trick more than once. Thumbs up from here

Not modesty, just laziness . The link to the info at hummy.org was no good the site being down. It's now back so here's the link

http://www.hummy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5596

Sometimes I wonder how you guys have enough hours in a day to watch all those recordings.
Mind you I'm going to Spain, shortly, with an undersized dish, so my 320 Gb drive is a bit feeble.
Question
What is the best HD & caddy to date?

Still as long as I can get 201 Parliament I will have my cure for insomnia.

David