[Justmadeit]

can a sky dish be used just as a normal aerial on a tv to get the 5 terrestrial channels ??

what about using a dish instead of an aerial to get freeview ?

[AlexD]

Originally Posted by Justmadeit

can a sky dish be used just as a normal aerial on a tv to get the 5 terrestrial channels ??

what about using a dish instead of an aerial to get freeview ?

No to both questions.

[JamesE]

This is a thread by a man with 2500 posts. Methinks someone is taking the weewee. Having said that, if there's a bet involved, and you're near enough a transmitter, you might win your bet! It's amazing what can be used as an aerial!

[Justmadeit]

Originally Posted by JamesE

This is a thread by a man with 2500 posts. Methinks someone is taking the weewee. Having said that, if there's a bet involved, and you're near enough a transmitter, you might win your bet! It's amazing what can be used as an aerial!

no, it isnt a wind up. most of my threads/posts are in the general discussion part of digital spy. i was just curious to know whether a sky dish could be used as an aerial

[Radio Informer]

use a BSB Squariel as an aerial!
well sure it won't work that's if anyoner still hasone.

[prking]

Originally Posted by JamesE

This is a thread by a man with 2500 posts. Methinks someone is taking the weewee. Having said that, if there's a bet involved, and you're near enough a transmitter, you might win your bet! It's amazing what can be used as an aerial!

When a young lad, we lived so close to the Mendip transmitter we could pick up the three analogue channels without connecting the aerial.

[Pop Roberts]

You can use whatever you like as an aerial. It doesn't mean that it will function anywhere like as good as a properly designed terrestrial TV aerial, but if you want to use it then go ahead.

[John259]

Unless you live very close to the transmitter it won't receive anything. - John

[5518jake]

I'm plugged into the NTL TV cable with my freeview box. Produces as good a signal as you could imagine. With an aerial I was missing loads of channels.

A dish is another kettle of fish though.

[Mark.]

Originally Posted by 5518jake

I'm plugged into the NTL TV cable with my freeview box. Produces as good a signal as you could imagine. With an aerial I was missing loads of channels.

Right, so you're trying to tell us that you plugged your Freeview box into an NTL socket and it worked...?

Originally Posted by dundee_mark

Right, so you're trying to tell us that you plugged your Freeview box into an NTL socket and it worked...?

I'm confident you are well aware of the 0% chance of success involved in such a test.

[x-p-d]

Freeview, cable and satellite use three completely different video standards, and one digibox compatible with one standard will not be able to use another.

Freeview uses DVB-T - it uses the current RF radio frequencies to tune in multiplexes along the Digital terrestrial TV spectrum.

Satellite uses DVB-S - kind of the same idea, by tuning the RF frequencies from transponders along the Digital satellite spectrum available on multiple satellites. If ou plug a Freeview box into a satellite dish (you'll need a coaxial to F-Type converter first) it wont find anything, because the Freeview box is looking at the wrong frequency spectrum, as well as having the wrong broadcast platform standard.

Cable uses DVB-C which tunes in the RF channels associated with the transponder frequencies, much like DVB-S, but again uses a totally different spectrum and frequency range.

You can, if your television suports CB/HB hyperband tuning, tune into the analogue channels hosted on Cable - this is because NTL/Telewest still allows those few analogue channels for people who still have an analogue cable box. You wont be able to watch any encrypted channels, unless you have an analogue cable decoder box (even though some "premium" channels can appear and disappear randomly).

If you have a Satellite dish that is pointing towards your local transmitter, it may well have enough gain to pull in a freeview multiplex or two, as it would be acting as an aerial, but dont expect to tune any Satellite channels in on your Freeview box, or expect to get all the Freeview multiplexes, as it isn't intended as an aerial, and you'll probably be beter off using an indoor aerial o pick up Freeview channels than a Sky dish.

HTH

[bignoise]

Originally Posted by Justmadeit

can a sky dish be used just as a normal aerial on a tv to get the 5 terrestrial channels ??

what about using a dish instead of an aerial to get freeview ?

You can't use a dish "as a normal aerial" but you can use it as a satellite dish to receive the 5 terrestrial channels, and other free channels, from satellite.

Same channels, just received via satellite through a satellite box.

[docgk]

The explanation as to why the sat dish will not work reveals how it could be made to.
There are separable things here. First the parabolic dish. This will focus EM waves at the focal point largely irrespective of frequency, so this bit will work at 400-600MHz ( Freeview) or at n GHz (Sat). At the focal point a Sat dish will have a head-end unit which includes an aerial and a down converter. This will absolutely not work for Freeview. If you change the head end unit ( get rid of it altogether) and replace it with a dipole off of an old TV aerial (correct Group or wideband) and wire it up as a normal aerial then the whole thing will work, to a greater of lesser extent, e.g. the gain of a parabolic dish is inversely proportional to the wavelength squared ( for a given size) and so, because Freeview is transmitted on a much lower frequency ( much longer wavelength), the gain will will be vastly reduced and you'd certainly be better off using an ordinary Yagi ( standard TV ant) or alternatively get a really big dish!

[Mark.]

Originally Posted by Sirius

I'm confident you are well aware of the 0% chance of success involved in such a test.

You're right to be confident.

That's the problem with internet forums...short of using the rolling eyes smiley, it's difficult to get across the tone of a post!

[prking]

However, you can buy an aerial which will receive satellite.

[John259]

Originally Posted by prking

However, you can buy an aerial which will receive satellite.

Hang on, it isn't the First of April quite yet!

John

[Spot]

Having seen one or two aerials pointing upwards recently one does wonder whether there are people trying to get satellite TV using them - but I guess the recent high winds are a more likely explanation!

[mikeydb]

Originally Posted by Spot

Having seen one or two aerials pointing upwards recently one does wonder whether there are people trying to get satellite TV using them - but I guess the recent high winds are a more likely explanation!

It's perfectly possible to have an antenna that isn't based on a parabolic reflector to receive satellite signals, however these antennas are more commonly used for non geostationary satellites, lower frequency satellites and satellites using circular polarisation.

[SimonBlackham]

Originally Posted by John259

Hang on, it isn't the First of April quite yet!

John

My understanding is that the'squarial' (a flat diamond aerial from the dim distant past) was a phased arrray of tiny aerials designed specifically for reception of 'D-MAC' signals from the BSB satellite (BSkyB only became that when they took over British Satellite Broadcasting).

[nvingo]

Originally Posted by SimonBlackham

My understanding is that the'squarial' (a flat diamond aerial from the dim distant past) was a phased arrray of tiny aerials designed specifically for reception of 'D-MAC' signals from the BSB satellite (BSkyB only became that when they took over British Satellite Broadcasting).

It was designed to receive broadcasts in the satellite TV range which had circular polarisation, (right-hand, make a fist and point the thumb outwards, when the thumb points at the receiving antenna the fingers describe the signal polarisation).
There were just 5 frequencies allocated to each country and ten available on the receiver.
DMAC or D2MAC were TV broadcast standards which
1. had digital sound, 14 bits so between Nicam and CD quality.
2. separated the video components (luma and chroma) by time (Multiplexed Analogue Components).
As far as dish polarisation goes, a small metal bar between the feedhorn and the LNB is enough to add circular polarisation capability to the system along with vertical and horizontal.
All terrestrial TV broadcasts are vertical or horizontal polarised, generally horizontal from main transmitters and vertical from fill-in relays.

[Boiled Shoes]

If you replace the LNB with a dipole and point the dish at the transmitter it should work.

[StereRowe]

Originally Posted by dundee_mark

Right, so you're trying to tell us that you plugged your Freeview box into an NTL socket and it worked...?

When we moved, nearly 2 years ago, we asked NTL to transfer our analogue service to our new house.

When their installer had left I noticed that is exactly what he had done.

Curious, I did a scan on my STB and got............................................bugger all!

StereRowe

[John259]

Originally Posted by Boiled Shoes

If you replace the LNB with a dipole and point the dish at the transmitter it should work.

Don't encourage them, it'll just add to the confusion!!! - John

[docgk]

What a pity that a phased array of dipoles a la 'squarial ' does not use or need an LNB. Insufficient knowledge spoils the sarcasm really!