ALDI Satellite Kit

[Ecopod]

Went along to ALDI for fruit bushes & shrubs on Thursday and picked up a HD satellite kit (along with the bushes). Seemed like a good price at £60 but just cannot get it to work. The little satellite finder doesn't seem to do anything at all, I adjust it down to two lights then try to position dish but the lights either stay exactly the same (even when I point dish at the floor) or just go off (even if I don't move the dish). I'm usually not too bad with stuff like this but I can see it languishing in a cupboard soon which is a pity as others seem to be raving about them.

Does anyone have any tips about this kinda kit - it's a Philex portable HD satellite system and I'm trying to set it up indoors first - pointing dish out window of course where satelitefinder.com tells me to point it.

Thanks.

PS bushes were fine even if watering them in was a major disaster

[GTIAlex]

I can't really help but if it doesn't work don't hesitate to take it back, Aldi are really good with returns.

[Jeff J]

I'm pretty sure, but not 100%, that you need to be outdoors. If a good downpour can affect the signal then I would have thought glass would have the same effect.

[Ecopod]

Good morning,

GTI Alex - agree ALDI service is brilliant but I'li persevere a bit longer, I've only got 12 DVD's and I've watched them all three times now.

Jeff - it did cross my mind that maybe the window impacts on the signal - time to head out I guess.

Thanks for the replies.

[Ecopod]

YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Cheers GTI Alex, it was the window. Flipped window horizontal and placed dish on the window and the satellite finder worked perfectly. Within a couple of minutes the receiver box had tuned into hundreds of channels on Eutelset 28. I'll check out options later as BBC etc were in funny places but picture was superb.

I've joined the ranks of 'those wee portable dishes from ALDI are brilliant' people.

Many thanks and best wishes.

[seanmc1970a]

Do you get many english speaking channels on it that aren't encrypted? thinking of getting one

[jamesc76]

Iused to have one of these kits, yes get uk channels and loads of foreign ones too, I sold it in the end as to much hassle to set up!

[Ecopod]

Hi Sean mc,

I've got all of the english speaking channels listed on the Freesat website for UK, they are just in funny places and do not correspond to the numbers given on the website (i.e. BBC 1 HD listed at 101 but for me it's on 186)

I chose the Eutelsat 28 (something like that) satellite as it was first on the list - think I need to choose one of the Astra ones but not tried that yet.

I set it up on big telly in living room and picture was superb - EPG was a bit of a pain but I probably just need to play around with it a bit.

All in all I'm delighted with it.

[Oldiebut goodie]

The channel numbers will not correspond with freesat or sky channel numbers. They are not meant to do so.

[ghost123uk]

Iused to have one of these kits, yes get uk channels and loads of foreign ones too, I sold it in the end as to much hassle to set up!

Same here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I use a laptop with a USB freeview dongle. Works OK most of the time, but some rural campsites (and wild camping places) don't have a strong enough signal without using one of those proper (expensive) flying saucer style aerials, which I don't own. I always tune it in when I get to my overnight stop, but hardly ever actually watch anything on it Mind you, I have been lucky with the weather

[seanmc1970a]

Thanks, was thinking about putting it in my shed and possibly taking away with me.
Local Aldi seem to have sold out, but lots on ebay

[Ecopod]

Cheers Oldie - that's saved me a lot of time, just going to save a favourites list and use that.

Re comments on setting up, I've now gone from box to being set up (albeit at home) in -

1st attempt - gave up
2nd attempt - gave up
3rd attempt - around 20 minutes (with a reset/retune)
4th attempt - around 12 minutes (with a reset/ retune)

So I'm hoping that without a retune it should be done in less than 10 minutes (famous last words of course and could be entirely different up near Killin in a couple of weeks).