1) Yes, the dish is accessible.
2) I have gone through your web site list and entered the settings I need, scanned for the channels and now I trimming out the ones I don't need. I've ended up with a load of channels in the 5000s range, so I need to get used to the new channel numbers. The KingOfSat database is amazing and I've bookmarked it.
3) What will happen when the new satellite is ready (about the middle of June, I gathered)?
4) I am in your debt.
1 The channel numbers are added starting at 5000 consecutively in the order they are scanned in. The lcn's (Logical Channel Numbers) come from the epg and aren't part of the broadcast. That's why the self same broadcast on a Sky box can have a totally different lcn because it's a different epg. Because they aren't part of the broadcast you can freely renumber them (within the 5000 range to whatever you want).
3 That's a good question. The Astra satellites don't have the current frequency used for the Freesat home transponder. A well known poster from Humax in the early days of Freesat (BobCat) says that freesat was designed to automatically scan for the new freesat transponder when it doesn't find one. We will have to wait and see if he is correct
4 I will send the bill
You are going to need some help with this.
Bring up the home transponder frequency in manual tune.
Mark the current adjustments for direction and elevation so that if you get in a muddle you can start again.
Access the dish and slacken the nut and bolt that secures the direction in which the dish points (Azimuth). Important make adjustments in tiny tiny steps, the satellites are 22000mls above the equator at longitude 28.2/28.5E a very small adjustments shifts the aiming point a long way. nudge the dish a tiny amount to the East, wait a few seconds for the tuner to respond and check the signal strength and especially quality. Continue till you find the point where the adjustment produces a reduction in quality, nudge it back to the optimum point and carefully lock of the adjustment. Gently flex the dish left and right a tiny amount and confirm the signal is worse.
Now lets tackle the elevation (assuming you now have a usable signal from EB1), flex the dish up slightly, wait for the tuner to respond if the signal gets better the dish elevation needs raising slightly, Flex the dish down a tiny amount if the signal gets better he disg needs slightly lowering. Slacken the elevation nut and bolt and optimise the elevation in the same way as the azimuth
The next step is to adjust the lnb skew (the twist of the lnb from vertical). A compromise is needed here, the Astra satellites use a non standard setting for skew and EB1 is standard. You need to find a reasonable mid position. This adjustment isn't that critical but if the skew is out on the wrong side of the 28.2 setting it will make it very hard for the lnb to distinguish horizontal polarisation and vertical polarisation channels on EB1. You may have noticed EB1 has a vertical channel with a very similar frequency to the home transponder. Mark the current twist, slacken the lnb collar clamp and twist the lnb in small steps till the home transponder has the optimal quality. If the lnb can be moved back and forwards you can repeat to find the optimal focus point. Tighten the lnb collar clamp.
While you are up there turn off the Humax, disconnect the f connectors and check for water ingress and corrosion. Water in the cables can knock out specific frequencies and if it tracks down the cables into the box can turn it into a door stop.
You can get the exact figures for your location by going to
www.dishpointer.com, enter your postcode and select 28.2 followed by 28.5. You get a Google Earth display you can zoom into and drag the pointer to the exact location of the dish. Note the different skew for the two points.
Good luck, it sounds difficult but after doing it a few times it's not as difficult as you might think.