DIY Saorview or Freeview installation

MossyTracks · 20-01-2023 9:03am #1

Hi all,

The electrician has hooked up a few sockets to accept coaxial cables in the house, and I've located the end cables that I can attach to an aerial or satellite dish. Anyone have any recommendations for DIY kits and some good retailers?

The house has a sky dish, so I can run the wire from the aerial inline with the existing satellite into the eve, where the end cables reside. Please share your knowledge on this.

I believe one could use the existing Sky dish to connect a Freeview connection to it? Can we still access some UK channels, given the marvelous Brexit agenda 🤐.

Nightshad3 · 20-01-2023 9:05am

Hi! I have a dish from sky that I hooked up a Freesat box to and it works perfectly! As long as its aligned to astra you are grand.

DublinDilbert · 20-01-2023 9:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058280435/diy-saorview-or-freeview-installation

Yes existing sky dish can be used for freeview once alignment (horizontal/vertical) is correct, which it probably is. Get some twist on F-plugs and couplers for joining the cables together in the attic. Check out youtube for how to put these plugs on, they give a good connection once you get the hang of it.

You have not mentioned what part of the country you are in, so difficult to give advice on Saoirview. In Dublin once you get an antennal with the correct polarisation and point it at 3 rock you will generally get a signal. I've done 4 installs in north dublin, 3 of the 4 are aerials fitted in the eves of the attic and they all work perfectly. The aerials are hidden away in a part of the attic you wouldn't normally use anyway and out of the weather, so they will last for ever. The last one I did was outdoor using small antenna from screwfix and it works great too (https://www.screwfix.ie/p/labgear-log-tv-aerial/797jr).

Check the frequency range of your local saoirview transmitter and the polarisation. If you look at other peoples antenna you will get an idea of the direction it should be pointing. You couldn't really go wrong with something like this https://www.screwfix.ie/p/labgear-yagi-tv-aerial/209jr

horse7 · 20-01-2023 9:32am

You tube is a mine of information.

wait4me · 20-01-2023 10:14am

Be careful- Freesat comes via the Satellite dish. Freeview is generally not available in Ireland as its like Saorview and comes via an aerial.

There is a forum on Boards.ie that is dedicated to Satellite TV and is worth a read.

MossyTracks · 20-01-2023 10:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120132926#Comment_120132926

Thanks, @DublinDilbert . Fantastic advice. Best to ask, me thinks, because the kit provider websites are not very user-friendly. The slap way too much info on their pages and the UI is not pretty!

I think steering towards installing an aerial would be the safest route.

I'm based in rural Waterford, so maybe it's best I look at a few nearby house to see their antennae position: great advice!

Trying the aerial in the even might be a good start, but I'm not sure how to test without wiring everything up. Any ideas?

My aim is to have saorview running in four rooms that each have a socket with coaxial inputs. All I need is to install an aerial (eve or chimney); optional: feed a wire down from chimney, if going that route; need some sort of digital box (any suggestions? Perhaps one multipurpose box in the eve could facilitate four rooms?).

DublinDilbert · 20-01-2023 12:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120133198#Comment_120133198

You will need a powered amplifier if splitting the aerial 4 ways.

This is the checker i use for signal, can also check the SAT signal. https://www.freetv.ie/uhf-meter-and-satellite-finder/

MossyTracks · 20-01-2023 12:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120133742#Comment_120133742

Thanks for the reply. Only one saorview box would be required with the powered amplifier?

Would the following powered amplifier be suitable? https://www.screwfix.ie/p/labgear-lda204k-4-way-5g-aerial-amplifier/588jr

Crikey, that signal checker is worth more than the aerial. I'll try to find a cheaper one on Amazon, or look at neighbours' aerial positioning, or try the eve first and see how I get on before I consider mounting the aerial to the chimney.

Not sure if I could repurpose a Triax TSC 114 305018 for multiple rooms with the powered amplifier?

DublinDilbert · 20-01-2023 6:29pm

Each room will need a saorview box. Is there a two co-axial cables going to each room?

€35 for a signal checker is fine, would you get one months sky for that? i've had mine 8+ years and have done lots of installs. That one should do Saorivew and Satellite installs, so you are getting two things.

That amp should work to get the Saorview signals down, you'll need a quad LNB on the satellite dish and a run from each output to each of your rooms.

TimHorton · 22-01-2023 3:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120135631#Comment_120135631

"Is there a two co-axial cables going to each room?" 1 Cable is fine if you use these https://www.freetv.ie/tv-aerial-and-satellite-combiner/

Cerco · 23-01-2023 4:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120132926#Comment_120132926

The different systems sometimes lead to confusion. Freeview is the British terrestrial system.

Free to Air is a satellite system. Freesat is a standardised version of Free to Air which is more user friendly.

Just to clarify, you cannot use a sat dish for freeview as it is a terrestrial system. frreview is generally not available here.

Either Freesat or “free to air” .can be received on the dish with a sat box. Saorview requires a Terrestrial aerial

Most modern televisions do not require Saorview boxes unless you want to record . You will require a sat box for each room.

Read the sat and terrestrial forums hefe on boards. You will also see some equipment suppliers.

MossyTracks · 24-01-2023 9:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147126#Comment_120147126

Right, thanks, but you did not help with my query. I'm sure someone qualified at installations would have told me this. Read my question!

TimHorton · 24-01-2023 9:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149380#Comment_120149380

No need to be smart, In all honesty, you seem clueless, It's quite simple really, You need an external aerial that has one cable going to a splitter/amplifier, Each room is fed from this splitter/amplifier - It simply brings the signal from the Aerial to the TV , Then each TV needs to be able to decode the Saorview signal , most TV's sold in the last 10 years should do this, If the TV itself is not compatible then you need a Saorview Decoder Box. For Freesat Brexit has not made any difference - Why would it?

MossyTracks · 24-01-2023 9:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149447#Comment_120149447

You sound "smart" yourself. I asked a direct question. By asking for an expert installer, I clearly flagged I did not know. Clearly, some members of Boards.ie think they know everything, which is impossible as we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I was competent to install my own CCTV system in my home, so I'm not "clueless". I'm a computer programmer, so I find this very simple; do others?

Again, I asked for an expert to install whatever is possible in my home. A lot of it depends on what an electrician put in place also.

TimHorton · 24-01-2023 9:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149583#Comment_120149583

This is a DIY forum...

MossyTracks · 24-01-2023 10:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149593#Comment_120149593

Asking for an expert is a form of DIY. They won't come to me.

I'm trying to understand what I need to ask an expert; maybe, I'll realize I can DIY it!

shane b · 24-01-2023 11:19am

Freetv.ie has a lot of good info and are a shop too so you can price stuff up

Try the link below of basic diagram to set set saorview and free to air together.

https://www.freetv.ie/images/Receiver_Software/how-to-distribute-irish-and-uk-channels-throughout-a-building.pdf

MossyTracks · 24-01-2023 11:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149990#Comment_120149990

That's a great diagram, @shane b . Thank you!

MossyTracks · 24-01-2023 11:36am

Looks like the aerial route is my best option for getting Saorview set up (maybe this is very doable, and I won't need an expert installer).

The electrician left the following open wires in my attic eve:

I have about 5 rooms that have a coaxial connection wired; so for those who asked (thank you), I only have one coaxial connection per room.

shane b · 24-01-2023 11:58am

I ran free to air to 4 rooms in my house about 8 years ago. I got a professional to install the soarview as i needed an aerial on the roof and amplifier.

The big thing i learned is that with soarview you can bring 1 cable from the aerial and split it to several rooms via booster, for the satelite a cable has to be ran from the dish to each individual room. you then need a combo box or suitable tv in each room.

JMcL · 24-01-2023 12:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120133198#Comment_120133198

I'm in Tramoire and need to point my aerial at Mount Leinster - which is 60km away for the average crow. Depending where you are, there seem to be a couple around Kilmacthomas and Dungarvan. You can stick your Eircode in here http://coverage.2rn.ie/index700.php and it'll tell you directions, polarisation, etc. In fact based on that site, I think mine may be misaligned and pointing at Gorey or Arklow as I get dropouts on RTE in poor weather and the direction doesn't look right. I'd check it were it not for my extremely poor head for heights.

As far as a signal checker goes, depending what box you end up with you may be able to check the signal using that. I've a Vu+ Duo2 which has been rock solid, deals with Saorview +satellite. I connect to it using the DreamEPG app and it shows a live display of signal in that

Cerco · 24-01-2023 5:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120149380#Comment_120149380

Then please read my answer!

I suggested you read the appropriate fora for your queries.

All the answers are there.

DIY Saorview or Freeview installation

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