PC setup for FTA channels (and BBC HD) with motorised dish

[roaryyyj]

Hello
Ok basicly this is what i want to do
I want to have a dish in my garden (not mounted on my house), that i wanna connected to a pci card in my computer (probaly the Technotrend S2-3200 HDTV-S2 due to it being able to receive HD signals), so then i can watch all the channels on my computer.
i will probaly use a motorised dish with 1 LNB, so then (if im right) i can get signals from most of the satelites (for all the good channels).
However i have a few questions due to me being a bit of a noob at this sort of stuff

1) If i have a motorised dish controlled from the pci card with DiSEqC motor thing, will this be able to pick up most of the good satelits in the east of england (im not using hardware cam/encryption thing, just software cam and then with a smartcard reader for legal viewing)?

2) Would this sort of system be able to pick up BBC HD (this is one of the main reasons i want it, without having to shed out a fortune to sky)?

3) Also, upon reading other stuff, it seems like astra and hotbird satelites are the only good ones, if these are the only ones ill be using is there any point getting a motorised dish and instead jsut getting two lnbs? And, theres like 4 astra satelites, how does that work? do you have to position it to each one?

This is the dish on ebay i saw, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOTORISED-95CM...QQcmdZViewItem
Would this be sufficient for the job?

Any comments would be really appreciated

Thanks!

[davemurgatroyd2]

There are more than one position for the Astra satellites depending on whichchannels you are looking for - see here
http://www.lyngsat.com/europe.html

Click on the 19.2, 28.2 etc to see the lists of channels on each satellite.

If you were using multiple lnbs you would need one for each satellite position.

BBC HD is on 28.2.

If you are setting this up and installing yourself I suggest reading a book or two on installation first - particularly a motorised dish. I would suggest you also enquire on another forum here http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/f...splay.php?f=11

[roaryyyj]

Ah i see
So if i did have say a motorised setup instead of a multiple lnb setup, is there a limit on how far a motor could move round? Or could it mvoe from say a satellite at 13E to 28E?

[akenall1966]

I have read but it may be wrong that PCI cards cannot deliver sufficient current to drive motors. If true you could damge the card.

I am embarking on a similar task but going the multi-lnb and a disesc switch.

[Chris Muriel]

Originally Posted by roaryyyj

Ah i see
So if i did have say a motorised setup instead of a multiple lnb setup, is there a limit on how far a motor could move round? Or could it mvoe from say a satellite at 13E to 28E?

Yes , it should do anything between 45 degrees East to 45 West - but note comment above regarding possible power or drive requirements from a PC card.

Chris Muriel, Boston, USA (normally Manchester)

[nigelbb]

There are boxes that you can get that will send the required signal & power to a motorised dish to shift it to another satellite position that you can use in conjunction with your PC to avoid burning out the card. A motorised dish is a lot of fun for the enthusiast & I had one myself for some years. However a multi-LNB setup is simpler & cheaper with the added advantage of switching instantly from one satellite position to another without having to wait for the dish to move.