Overview
Freesat is a free-to-air satellite TV service for UK viewers jointly run by the BBC and ITV. The service offers in excess of 160 subscription free digital television and radio channels including 3 HDTV channels - BBC HD, BBC1 HD and ITV1 HD. This article provides some useful installation tips and advice to enable a competent DIY enthusiast to complete the task.
With many parts of the UK now gearing up for digital switchover (with some regions already switched to digital), Freesat offers a great way of experiencing the benefits of HD television without a recurring monthly fee.
To get the full benefit of HDTV transmissions you will need an HD set top box or digital recorder, a correctly aligned satellite mini-dish and an HD Ready TV with a free HDMI connection.
Advantages
Freesat has many advantages over the UK's terrestrial digital television service, including offering more than three times the channels. It doesn't suffer from impulse interference - a common problem experienced with Freeview and offers much more reliable reception in areas with poor terrestrial signal levels as the service uses satellite, as the method of delivery rather than a regular TV aerial.
A typical installation can make use of an existing Sky TV mini-dish or if a new installation is required this should be undertaken on a south facing wall of the property with clear line of site of the satellite. Two satellites carry the service - these being Astra 28.2E and Eurobird 28.5E. As these are very close together when viewed from Earth, one 43cm - 50cm dish will receive both in almost all areas of the UK, except the far north of Scotland and far west of England where a 60cm Zone 2 mini-dish is advised. The elevation of Astra is between 24 and 28 degrees and an azimuth of around 145 degrees. This data is valid for installations in most parts of the UK.
Requirements
A Dual or Quad output LNB is required to take full advantage of the functionality offered by many HD PVR's which includes the ability to record two channels at once or to record one channel and watch another.
Quad output LNB's are readily available and a single output LNB can typically be upgraded for less than ?10 as a DIY task. Before changing the LNB, the set top box should be disconnected from the AC Mains, the tape around the F-Type connector of the LNB carefully removed, the connector unscrewed and the LNB's retaining pin removed from the arm allowing the removal of the LNB. Refitting the Quad LNB is straightforward and all LNB outputs should be sealed with self amalgamating tape around the connectors to prevent water ingression.
Alignment should be re-checked with a satellite meter as the extra weight of the larger LNB and additional cable/s can affect the elevation, dropping the arm slightly. Consequently, when embarking on a new Freesat installation, it makes sense to optimise the alignment to ensure reception is reliable during heavy rain.
If an additional cable is run from the LNB this should be satellite grade double screened coaxial cable, preferably with foam dielectric, rather than air spaced. Most new cables like WF100 use a foam core as it is less susceptible to water penetration and subsequent signal loss.
Replacing an Existing Sky Installation
If you are considering cancelling your Sky subscription and changing to a Freesat HD installation, it's worth pointing out that many set top boxes and PVR's frequently don't come equipped with a UHF modulator or a TV distribution amplifier power feed capability, so distributing the output of the box to other televisions around your home requires a little ingenuity.
To solve this problem an external modulator can be purchased quite cheaply and fitted to an unused Scart socket on the Freesat box - the modulator output being set to a free UHF TV channel and used to feed a loft box distribution amplifier. In this case the loft box would need to be separately powered rather than taking its 12 volt feed via the coaxial cable as is commonly used in a typical Sky installation.
To change channels in other rooms would require a wireless remote extender rather than a 'Remote Eye' which are not supported by Freesat HD boxes.
When installation is completed Freesat HD will prove to be a great way of enjoying free to air digital TV in the UK without a monthly subscription, particularly in areas which have poor or unreliable terrestrial digital signal from Freeview.
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