Humax And Twin LNB

[Mr C]

Hi all.
Having been out of satellite game for many years now , ( having a nice motorised system, etc ) , I'm a tad rusty. Reason for going back to satellite , Cable put prices up to much.

Having recently purchased a Humax Foxsat Freesat +, with 500Gb HD , twin LNB.

My thinking was I wanted to watch one channel while recording another. But , when recording , some ( a lot ) , of channels are greyed out , unable to view.
The other thinking , was to watch via Local Network , the Hummy channels.

Going into the ' secret ', menu and enabling LNB 2 , and a channel re-scan, which , considering how many were before on just one LNB , there were a great deal more.

Playing around , I got no where. So I left with a factory default re-set , and just have the channels what I had before.
I understand that there is Custom FW. Is this file a FW for all boxes or specific ?

I am sorry for a new post like it is , but after reading here on for a while , I'm now pulling strands out of what I have left on my head.

Much appreciated for any help

 

[Black Hole]

My thinking was I wanted to watch one channel while recording another. But , when recording , some ( a lot ) , of channels are greyed out , unable to view.

There are two frequency bands and two polarisations. The receiver can only choose one of each at a time per LNB* (four combinations), so there is always going to be gaps in coverage unless you have a receiver with four inputs and cables to a quad LNB. However, that said, with two cables to a twin LNB you should be able to record one and watch anything else unrestricted. It sounds more like you were recording two (requiring both LNBs) and trying to watch a third, or perhaps one channel isn't working (at the Foxsat, the LNB, or the cable in between).

* There are wide-band LNBs so they only have to choose between polarisations, but the receiver has to be compatible with them.

I understand that there is Custom FW. Is this file a FW for all boxes or specific ?

The Foxsat CF is specific to the Foxsat, and you will find all you need by browsing the FOXSAT-HDR Customised Firmware section of the forum. However, the CF will have no bearing on this.

I am sorry for a new post like it is

Why? What else are forums for?

I should point out that I'm not a satellite TV user, so my knowledge is general rather than specific, and if the above is not sufficient to point you in the right direction I shall have to defer to somebody more knowledgable.

 

[Mr C]

@Black Hole

Many thanks for the reply and help.

 

[MikeSh]

There are wide-band LNBs so they only have to choose between polarisations, but the receiver has to be compatible with them.

They don't really choose if there are two cables. All of V comes down one and all of H is on the other. Our new Freesat box can do four simultaneous recordings and there is no obvious reason, bar cost of tuners and disc limitations, that it couldn't be built to do more.
(The wideband system seems to have been a Sky development that has trickled down to the cheap seats. Our LNB is actually a SkyQ device.)

 

[Rodders53]

[Off Topic] AFAIK only the $ky Q and freesat 4k boxes use the wideband LNB. Other multituner devices tend to use dSCR single-cable options (that Q and freesat 4k can also use) to 'instruct' the head-end to send the wanted Transponder down that single cable. Even the Foxsat-HDR has an early SCR mode for communal systems. [/Off Topic]

I suspect on the hidden menu you did a non-freesat tune? That finds all the (unwatchable encrypted Sky channels as well as all the free to air ones (usually numbered from 5001 up.

If you are only recording one and have a lot of greyed out channels you may be in 'single cable' mode. OR have a faulty cable or LNB out?

Do another Default Settings aka Factory reset on the Foxsat-HDR... it should then detect that you have "2 cables same" (same means same satellite, so don't choose 'different') when doing the first time installation and inputting the postcode.
NB Cables from LNB must be in the two outermost F-sockets to be usable. Not one in the centre F-socket.

Do study and consider installing the Custom Firmware (and nowsters patch) - it's awfully good.

 

[Black Hole]

[Yes, OK, so this is off-topic!]

They don't really choose if there are two cables. All of V comes down one and all of H is on the other.

By "choose" I meant per cable. With two cables there is unrestricted coverage if you have a wideband LNB and a wideband receiver, but a non-wideband LNB and/or non-wideband receiver (I presume that includes Foxsat) you can only have unrestricted coverage with four cables – with two cables the receiver chooses two out of four (H-hi, H-lo, V-hi, V-lo).

But SCR/dSCR changes the game...

For my own education:

Even the Foxsat-HDR has an early SCR mode for communal systems.

New to me, just had a quick read-up about dSCR. I presume this different from a communal switch which just provides H/V hi/lo per cable as per a pseudo LNB, reducing the installation to one cable. Are there LNBs with built-in multiswitches?

I presume the multiswitch remodulates the selected payload onto 1-of-16 fixed IF carriers, so the tuner only has to pick up those 16 carriers. How is the multiswitch commanded (some kind of digital back-channel I presume)?

I also presume a SkyQ or Freesat4K box has "normal" mode for when there is no multiswitch, because a friend had her Sky box changed to SkyQ and so far as I know there was no change at the dish.

This sounds very similar to a DSO solution I dreamt up, where five DVB tuners pick up the original pre-DSO services and modulate them onto their original pre-DSO UHF channels for injection to analogue TVs. I reckon I could have made a killing if I knocked them out for £49.99, for the elderly bracket.

 

[prpr]

This sounds very similar to a DSO solution I dreamt up, where five DVB tuners pick up the original pre-DSO services and modulate them onto their original pre-DSO UHF channels for injection to analogue TVs.

You would only need two tuners, two (or five depending) demuxers, five decoders, five PAL coders and five modulators. Then you have the problem of choosing/configuring the input tuner channels, the service numbers to demux and the output modulator channels. What starts out on the face of it as simple quickly turns rather more complicated.

I could have made a killing if I knocked them out for £49.99

I doubt it for that price.

 

[MikeSh]

I also presume a SkyQ or Freesat4K box has "normal" mode for when there is no multiswitch,

The Freesat 4k auto detects what's coming in (or not*) on the wires and sets up accordingly. So it can handle replacing an older, standard box without needing to change the LNB (Single, quad octo or hybrid). The number of concurrent recordings is limited with the standard type of course.

( * When I first installed ours it went into wideband single cable mode where I assume it would need to choose V/H somehow. Turned out I'd bent one of the F-connector pins (or rather the protruding cable core) so it hadn't gone into the hole.)

 

[Rodders53]

[Yes, OK, so this is off-topic!]

By "choose" I meant per cable. With two cables there is unrestricted coverage if you have a wideband LNB and a wideband receiver, but a non-wideband LNB and/or non-wideband receiver (I presume that includes Foxsat) you can only have unrestricted coverage with four cables – with two cables the receiver chooses two out of four (H-hi, H-lo, V-hi, V-lo).

But SCR/dSCR changes the game...

For my own education:

New to me, just had a quick read-up about dSCR. I presume this different from a communal switch which just provides H/V hi/lo per cable as per a pseudo LNB, reducing the installation to one cable. Are there LNBs with built-in multiswitches?

I presume the multiswitch remodulates the selected payload onto 1-of-16 fixed IF carriers, so the tuner only has to pick up those 16 carriers. How is the multiswitch commanded (some kind of digital back-channel I presume)?

I also presume a SkyQ or Freesat4K box has "normal" mode for when there is no multiswitch, because a friend had her Sky box changed to SkyQ and so far as I know there was no change at the dish.

$ky Q has no legacy mode afaik. Wideband or dSCR only. $ky simply swap the universal/legacy LNB for a wideband one reusing the old cables.
freesat 4k boxes have all 3 LNB type compatibility.

dSCR comes as standalone LNB or in Multiswitch forms using inputs from Quattro or Quad (or even 1 or 2 wideband LNBs for multi-satellite. Most will auto select dSCR and legacy mode from suitable output ports, it seems.
Many modern multi-switch communal systems will have them: as standard or as add-on retrofits for $ky recording boxes on single cables and no need to remove the filtered wall plates in dwellings. Signalling is a 'standard' used for multi satellite/motorised dish and other such satellite stuff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiSEqC

Foxsat was/is Unicable the earlier SCD/SCR https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-cable_distribution I believe?

https://www.avforums.com/threads/scr-and-dscr-satellite-multiswitches.2099979/ has some info on the differences between SCR and dSCR.

It's all a tad outwith my speciality, though; so would need to study / read up on it as well!

 

[Mr C]

Hi all.

I've had a good read of what all of you have said , and will be another default factory reset.

@Rodders53
I will be checking the LNB inputs as I cannot recall what I did . I will also have a read regarding the C/FW you said about.
And as for tuning of programs I selected , Freesat.

Anyway , I will post what I have sorted it over the week end , hopefully fixed.

Thanks again for everyone's help & replies.


Rich