In article , Adrian
writes
HI All

A tiny bit Off Topic - but if I can't get any joy out of the people
I've paid to do this job then I may end up DIY-ing it myself !

There was a discussion a few months back about the practicalities of
DIY setting up for a sky+ system out here in West Cork. General
consensus seemed to be that it wasn't such a difficult task - but, in
the end, time constraints cut in and I got a man in g

Result is that we have a little (oval - perhaps 80cm ?) sat dish up on
the gable end - with a clear view of the sky....

This is mostly OK (signal stength on channel 1 is about 50%, quality
about 25%, Stength on channel 2 is lower and quality doesn't even
indicate on the scale) - with a little 'stuttering' and picture
freezing from time to time.


Bigger dish required!. See also

http://www.astra2d.co.uk

and

a post to alt.satellite.tv.europe

When we have a heavy downpour the signal disappears altogether - which
means that the sky+ box gives up on any recordings that we're trying
to do.

Should we expect this situation (about the signal strength) - we're
out in the West of County Cork, near a little place called Ballydehob.

The same 'expert installers' ( it says so on their van !) fitted an
aerial for Terrestrial Irish TV. We are about 5 miles direct line of
sight from the transmitter at Mount Gabriel - and getting a noticeably
snowy picture with some ghosting. The aerial is a 4 dipole + reflector
arrangement, that they've fitted in the loft (where it has to look
through two concrete walls and is about 1ft from an enormous steel
'I-beam' which forms the ridge of the house. To compensate for this,
they've added a high-gain amplifier....


Kick them out and try to find someone who knows that their doing or DIY
that is a total crap way of going about TV reception!..

To be fair - they did say that if we weren't happy then they'd come
back & fit the aerial outside...

Yes what they should have done in the first place. If it were me I'd be
demanding my money back at this point!. Unless you told them to put it
there against their advice..

And a post to uk.tech.digital-tv

might turn up someone recommendable in your area but good aerial riggers
are like finding virgins in Cardiff.)

So - what should I expect in terms of satellite 'reliability' and
terrestrial picture quality?? - given that we are somewhat 'out in the
sticks - I don't want to be unreasonable with them, but I also don;'t
want to pay good euro for a 2nd-class job...

Advice appreciated - thanks in advance

Adrian

--
Tony Sayer