Manually adding a channel on a Freeview HD box

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Scoobing

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Topic # 127231 3-Aug-2013 11:18

Hi,

I'm helping my parents with their setup. Forgive my lack of knowledge in this area I get all my tv online.

Components involved:

Samsung Plasma TV - PS42 Q91H

Freeview HD box - Aerial Box T1020

There is an RF cable that comes out of the wall in their room that gives some analog channels and on C5 has the picture from the downstairs sky decoder. They can watch whatever is on the downstairs decoder (this is fine).

I put the RF cable into the freeview box and did auto-setup. It found 24 channels all works fine. It didn't pick up the sky feed though. The manual add channel option will only let me input an exact frequency. So my questions are:

Is it even possible to add the sky feed in as a channel on the freeview box and

How do I find the frequency of the sky feed so I can add it? (tried every menu on the TV)

Would appreciate some advice please,

Cheers,

Scoob

Behodar

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Reply # 871137 3-Aug-2013 11:35

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The Freeview box only picks up digital channels; the Sky decoder output is analogue. You'll need to tune it in on the TV itself.

Spyware

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Reply # 871140 3-Aug-2013 11:44

Or purchase a DVB-T modulator to convert from RF modulated analog PAL to DVB-T.

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/shop/Outdoor+Aerials+%26+Accessories/Modulators/RFMOD-COFDM.html

Ross

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B1GGLZ

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Reply # 871220 3-Aug-2013 14:31

Behodar: The Freeview box only picks up digital channels; the Sky decoder output is analogue. You'll need to tune it in on the TV itself.

+1
You need a 2-way splitter for the cable from the wall.
One cable from wall to splitter.
One cable from splitter to TV for analogue and Sky rf.
Other cable from splitter to Freeview box for Freeview.
The freeview box doesn't have an analogue tuner but the TV does.

Brunzy

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Reply # 871423 3-Aug-2013 22:22

The box has a pass through Biggles, no splitter required ;-)

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 871497 4-Aug-2013 08:48

Brunzy: The box has a pass through Biggles, no splitter required ;-)

OK, thanks.
Didn't know that.
In that case cable from wall to box then box to TV. Problem solved

Scoobing

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Reply # 872237 5-Aug-2013 18:44

B1GGLZ:
Brunzy: The box has a pass through Biggles, no splitter required ;-)

OK, thanks.
Didn't know that.
In that case cable from wall to box then box to TV. Problem solved

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies. So I have the RF cable coming from the wall into the freeview box and then that into the TV via HDMI.

Auto-scanning on the TV doesn't pick up the sky feed. Do I have to enable pass through on the box somehow?

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 872288 5-Aug-2013 19:39

Scoobing:
Hi,

Thanks for all the replies. So I have the RF cable coming from the wall into the freeview box and then that into the TV via HDMI.

Auto-scanning on the TV doesn't pick up the sky feed. Do I have to enable pass through on the box somehow?

Thats correct for tuning Freeview and passthrough is probably enabled anyway but I guess if you have now disconnected the sky rf which means it no longer works in the other room? You still have to get the sky rf to the TV and use the analogue tuner in the TV.
Read our replies again carefully.
Freeview is digital.
The Sky rf is analogue.
Your Freeview box will only tune digital signals so can't find the Sky signal. Your TV will tune the Sky signal but not Freeview.
The Sky rf needs to be fed to the rf input on the TV where the TV's analogue tuner will be able to tune it, presumably on CH5 as in the other room.
To do this you will need to combine the rf out from the wall with the Sky rf using a splitter.
My son has a very old Sky box and he does this by using a 2 way splitter like this.
http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=LT3044&keywords=splitter&form=KEYWORD
He connects the splitter's input to the wall socket, then one socket connects to his Freeview recorder (then rf passthrough to the TV) and the other connects to the Sky rf modulator. This allows injection of the Sky rf into the antenna cabling. There is another splitter under the house which connects the antenna to the wall sockets in the lounge and his bedroom. He can watch Freeview on the digital tuner in his bedroom TV and Sky on the analogue tuner. In the lounge he watches Freeview on the TV's inbuilt digital tuner and Sky via Composite A/V to his Freeview recorder then HDMI to the TV. He could tune Sky on the lounge TV but the HDMI upscaled picture from the recorder is better quality and the old Sky box doesn't have Component or HDMI. Sounds complicated but it works.
In your case connect the input of the splitter to the wall, one socket to the STB and the other to the Sky mod. Then connect the rf out on the STB to the TV. Use HDMI to watch Freeview and Tune the TV to the Sky mod which appears to be Ch5 from your original post.

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 872300 5-Aug-2013 19:42

B1GGLZ:
Brunzy: The box has a pass through Biggles, no splitter required ;-)

OK, thanks.
Didn't know that.
In that case cable from wall to box then box to TV. Problem solved

Just re-read you post and although it has passthrough a splitter will still be needed though to inject the Sky rf into the system

Brunzy

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Reply # 872401 5-Aug-2013 21:54

No sorry it doesn't , the sky signal is already present.
Behodars post give the answer

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 872496 6-Aug-2013 09:19

Brunzy: No sorry it doesn't , the sky signal is already present.
Behodars post give the answer

OK Brunzy. Apologies.
I think I've misunderstood the original post and we're only talking about one room with an analogue TV that has had a STB added? I thought the problem was in the other room where the Sky box is located.
If that's the situation then you are quite right.
The sky signal is already present (being injected somewhere else in the house?) and the Freeview will be tuned on the STB and fed via HDMI to the TV.
The rf needs to be fed from the STB rf out to the TV and the TV tuned to analogue CH5 for the Sky signal.
rf passthrough needs to checked on the STB as it may be off by default. I had to manually enable passthrough on my Panasonic recorder because it was off by default when the set was turned off although my previous recorder was on by default.
If the STB didn't have feedthrough then a splitter would be need to connect both the STB and the Tv to the wall.