Electrical Foxtel in the van.

[Crusty181]

Why not use FOXTEL-Go? That's what we do when Travelling and need a footy fix! Didn't miss a game in the four weeks we were away. PS: did need a fair to good signal to our iPads though so didn't work in one remote area we were in.

Sat TV works anywhere that you see the sky .......... in the middle of nowhere, including areas with zero phone or any other signal. Because Foxtel is position or location proof, (i.e. you simply get it everywhere) its nice to know we can have our same identical home programming no matter where we decide to pull, being in the middle of the city or the middle of nowhere.

One important part of Foxtel for us, and anyone travelling is the constantly updated position based comprehensive weather information. Thats priceless to use when travelling

A pleasant by product of Foxtel is the programming is local to where your account is based, so we get Melbourne news etc wherever we are, say when we are in QLD. If there is anything news worthy in QLD it will be on Melb news anyway, and a lot of the local content in QLD is lost on tourists. For example, Im interested in our Victorian politics and local issues etc, but have no interest in QLD politics etc.

The down side of Foxtel is if we travel west the programming time stays AEST time based, so in Perth we would be watching the 6pm news at 3pm, and our 8.30pm movie would start at 5.30pm. Foxtel has strict broadcast zones which is basically limited to metro areas (Austar do the regional areas) your not technically allowed to "mobilise" Foxtel, and its a huge no no to use it outside the broadcast zones. Im not sure if and how you can get the time zones changed when travelling, but I suspect that would cause an issue and possible disconnection

 

[Redbarn]

I'll get a pic soon

Thanks, appreciate it.

We use our second box as well.

 

[Marv_mart]

How did you get a second box? Paying for a second box on your home connections?
As a multi room second iQ box at $25 per month?

 

[Meanderthals]

We're with the old Austar and also now have a standard def box to complement the other HD box. We won't be able to record shows but don't really care. The smaller box uses less power and can run on a small inverter. Shame it can't be run straight from 12V but have seen somewhere where someone converted one. Recently we had to get a replacement for it and mucking around with the internals might have given the game away on returning it.

 

[john hayward]

Just thought that I would mention my post on 30 June titled "my new toy".
We used a tripod and dish for many years to watch both Foxtel and Vast (only one at a time).
But with the new set up it not only possible to watch both Foxtel and Vast at the same time ie. one for men and one for the girls, but it is so simple and quick to operate.
At home we have the Foxtel My Star in the lounge but also a standard encoder box in another room which we take with us when in the van. It costs about $19 extra per month. However the satellite dish is cabled that we could take the MyStar box if we wished to record programmes or watch HD transmissions.
Still have the old dish just in case I get caught under a tree some where but haven't had to use it again yet!

 

[Crusty181]

Interesting. So you run a single cable from the LNB and split it to the Sat box inputs?? Im very much self taught with this stuff, from when we first used used it 6 years ago with the Intelsat 8 Satellite. (now that satellite was a bastard to find) I presumed that a splitter wouldn't work with Foxtel simply because Foxtel go to all the trouble and expense of running dual coax. The satellite signal is a higher frequency than normal TV hence the 2400Mhz splitter. Makes you wonder why Foxtel don't run a single cable to a splitter. I never even considered testing a splitter ..... will now though. Makes it a little easier. Do you use the Wikicamps App??

@mfexpanda I connected a broad range splitter to the Foxtel box as you suggested, to replace my coax switch and it works fine ...... except i cant get any free to air. I get all the Foxtel content, but no FTA. Some years back I did have to fine tuned the LNB skew because for some reason FTA is more fickle via Foxtel (niether I or Google had any answers for that)

I swapped the splitter to my coax switch, and all the FTA now appear. I cant work it out, or find any reason online. As i said, the Foxtel FTA sat content has always been fickle.

Do you get FTA via Foxtel using a singke feed in to the splitter

 

[Crusty181]

We're with the old Austar and also now have a standard def box to complement the other HD box. We won't be able to record shows but don't really care. The smaller box uses less power and can run on a small inverter. Shame it can't be run straight from 12V but have seen somewhere where someone converted one. Recently we had to get a replacement for it and mucking around with the internals might have given the game away on returning it.

Our Foxtel iQ is 12v but runs via a transformer with a wierd shaped plug that I cant find anywhere to enable me to run it 12v direct. Luckily our Foxtel transformer failed and they posted out a new one, leaving the old one to be stripped for the plug, for direct 12v

 

[mfexpanda]

@mfexpanda I connected a broad range splitter to the Foxtel box as you suggested, to replace my coax switch and it works fine ...... except i cant get any free to air. I get all the Foxtel content, but no FTA. Some years back I did have to fine tuned the LNB skew because for some reason FTA is more fickle via Foxtel (niether I or Google had any answers for that)

I swapped the splitter to my coax switch, and all the FTA now appear. I cant work it out, or find any reason online. As i said, the Foxtel FTA sat content has always been fickle.

Do you get FTA via Foxtel using a singke feed in to the splitter

I didn't get fta channels either . Which splitter did you fit to make them work ?

 

[Crusty181]

I didn't get fta channels either . Which splitter did you fit to make them work ?

Steren 200-310, used in reverse

Its a coaxial slide switch made by Steren In the USA. Theyre a bit hard to find in Aus, I got mine from the USA. Other coax switches probably work just as well, but Ive only used the Steren.

It basically just switches the single feed into one or other of the STB dual input, same as unscrewing the single coax and swapping it between the STB inputs. Its not a splitter, it switches from one side to the other ... it doesnt ever feed both inputs at the same time.

I can only assume to work correctly (certainly at lesst in regards to the FTA channels) the STB needs to recieve independant feeds to each STB input, but not constantly and not necessarily at the same time. Obviously why the home setup is dual LNB.

One or two times a day the screen will go to "No Satelitte Signal Being Receieved" ..... just slide the switch and its good for the rest of the day. It dont seem to have any bearing which side its switched too either ie. One side functions same as the other and you get the "no signal" screen eventually regardless which way its switched.

You obviously need to install it where you can touch it, but once its in, its no inconvenience.

 

[Marv_mart]

FTA doesn't come via Foxtel satellite of course so I'm assuming you are trying to merge normal tv aerial and foxtel satellite into your TV or switch between the two inputs. Haven't followed the full threw so might just be puffing in the wind.

 

[Crusty181]

FTA doesn't come via Foxtel satellite of course so I'm assuming you are trying to merge normal tv aerial and foxtel satellite into your TV or switch between the two inputs. Haven't followed the full threw so might just be puffing in the wind.

Marv, FTA does come through sat Foxtel.

 

[Marv_mart]

Not on my foxtel satellite feed, except for ABC and SBS that is. I sometimes wish I could get 9, 7 & 10 through my foxtel feed as its so much easier to record on the Foxtel box than on other recorders.
How come you can get 7, 9 & 10 via your satellite Foxtel feed? I know you do get them via cable foxtel.

 

[john hayward]

Both the Foxtel and fta signals come from the same satellite (C2 I think it's called).
However the signals need to be decoded so you can watch them on your TV.
The Foxtel decoder only decodes signals for their channels (which does include ABC and SBS as someone previously advised).
To watch fta programmes you also require a VAST decoder which cost approx $100 (I think).
This will enable you to watch approx 100+ digital fta channels.
By splitting the signal before it gets to the decoders allows you to watch either Foxtel or fta on one TV or both Foxtel and fta at the same time on two TVs

 

[Marv_mart]

Both the Foxtel and fta signals come from the same satellite (C2 I think it's called).
However the signals need to be decoded so you can watch them on your TV.
The Foxtel decoder only decodes signals for their channels (which does include ABC and SBS as someone previously advised).
To watch fta programmes you also require a VAST decoder which cost approx $100 (I think).
This will enable you to watch approx 100+ digital fta channels.
By splitting the signal before it gets to the decoders allows you to watch either Foxtel or fta on one TV or both Foxtel and fta at the same time on two TVs

Thanks for that info. Does that mean you can do the same thing at home from the dish?

 

[benrosenick]

We use a quad LNB, with 3x ~1m fly cables (leaving a spare LNB output) that are heatshrinked into a single cable package (ie they remain attached to the LNB and fold up with the dish). From there I run two cables (that roll up in a CordPro) to the Foxtel IQ and can use a third cable to connect the vast STB if needed. We get most of the fta channels on the Foxtel (7, 9, 10, sbs, go, gem etc) but the vast STB is handy if someone wants to watch tv while the EPL is on...

Takes about 5 mins to set up with the sat finder in wikicamps.

 

[mfexpanda]

Not on my foxtel satellite feed, except for ABC and SBS that is. I sometimes wish I could get 9, 7 & 10 through my foxtel feed as its so much easier to record on the Foxtel box than on other recorders.
How come you can get 7, 9 & 10 via your satellite Foxtel feed? I know you do get them via cable foxtel.

I get all the fta channels at home through foxtel

 

[Marv_mart]

I get all the fta channels at home through foxtel

Cable or satellite?

 

[Bushman]

I get all the fta channels at home through foxtel

Likewise, via Satelite but not all of them.

 

[Crusty181]

Cable or satellite?

Hey Marv. We only have Foxtel (not VAST) which we get via satellite, because although we live in a cabled area at home I requested it be satellite delivery or I didnt want it (simply because I wanted to use it in the van). We reluctantly swapped over to Foxtel when Foxtel took over our previous travel satellite provider, SelecTV.

We get via the Foxtel satellite in the van the following channels
All regular Foxtel account content
7 and 7two
9 and Go
10 and Eleven
ABC 1,2,3,4
SBS 1,2

And the bonus is all the FTA channels are our local Melb based content because thats where the account is based, and thats where Foxtel thinks the STB is sitting ... ie our own news etc which is better for us

 

[john hayward]

I'm starting to get confused here,
At home we get our fta channels through our Foxtel decoder because our local area antenna is also connected through the box which allows us to use one remote (and record programmes etc using "our favourites").
However when we are away in the van we can only access fta channels such as imparja and 7central, channels which service remote areas such as Alice springs,NT, west Aust etc.(and therefore are delivered via satellite).
How the satellite could provide access to every local channel in Aust defies belief. For example there must at least 50 channel 7's in Aust if not 100 providing local news etc. Multiply that by 4 for all the other commercial networks and you can see what I mean.
Is there an expert out there who can help?