# Freesat (not Sky Freesat)



## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

Hi there. I have a question regarding Freesat (not the Sky version), but I can't see any previous answers on the Forum. I live in an awful Freeview area for signal and with at least two years to a boost it's making watching my TiVo hopeless, even more so during the winter.

I was considering getting a Freesat box as I already have a dish (I have Sky + HD as well) but am concerned about IR codes. Have TiVo boxes been upgraded to accommodate Freesat boxes and for that matter will they work at all as they don't have any UHF in and out. If they are compatible can anyone recommend a simple Freesat SD box to use?

Many thanks for reading and Happy New Year.


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Yes, there is a FreeSAT option in guided setup, and the IR codes for 3 boxes were actually added on launch day :up::up:

FreeSAT thread

The Bush FreeSAT box is £29 from Argos
The Humax HD is £119 from dixons

Codes:
Humax Foxsat HD	20073
Bush freesat SD	20074
Grundig freesat SD	20074
Alba freesat SD	20074

(select Bush UK as the manufacturer)



> will they work at all as they don't have any UHF in and out


No, but they all have SCART outputs...


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

That's great Mike, many thanks. My lodger has a Bush Freesat box from Argos here, so I'll borrow it to try it out before going out to buy my own. Mind you, I'd better go it quick before the VAT goes up!


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

I searched for Freesat and the previous thread didn't come up. Maybe I wasn't specific enough.


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

The Bush, Alba, Grundig one I always found cranky with IR.

The Humax HD one costs more but was a lot better with IR.

P.S. If you have an old Sky box you could also use that with a viewing card (about &#163;25.00 if you don't have a card).

Automan.


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

Hello again. I setup a Bush Freesat box this AM but I'm not getting a good IR blast. Has anyone discovered the best location on a Bush BFSAT02SD box were to put the IR blaster? Left, right or middle? I've tried all but the blast is poor. I can't see the infra-red point through the casing. Many thanks.


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Just to be clear, the "IR blaster" is an LEd built into the front of the TiVo unit which sprays IR around the room. The LEDs on wires are "wands" and are not the IR Blaster,.


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

Okay, sorry. Does any one know where I should be sticking my wand. I have two but tuck one away round the back. Cheers.


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Have both round the front - double your odds!

Suggest you take the Bush's remote, hold a button down and shield parts of the Bush fascia until you find the IR receiver.


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

Many thanks. I'll give it a go with a bit of tape. I found just leaving the wand laying in front of the unit is better than actually attaching it in any particular location.


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

There are two wands as TiVo will run two different stbs in the same setup - I always hide the second one away if not required.


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## Leif_Davidsen (Jun 5, 2002)

We have the Bush Freesat SD box with our Tivo (2 actually). We taped the wand over the top of the freesat box with the end hanging over the edge just to the right of the green light (which is on the left side of the front). There are 2 'lights' at the front. One on the left glows green when the box is on, and the other one seems to be the sensor


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## rickynumber18 (Feb 28, 2007)

Hi there Leif. Thanks. That's interesting, I would have thought the other light (the red one) would have been the stand by light. I'll give it a whirl though. 

Do you leave your Bush Freesat SD box on 24/7? I've found if I turn it off, TiVo doesn't turn it on when calling for a channel. My old Freeview box could be off and TiVo would turn it on. So much for power saving.


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## Leif_Davidsen (Jun 5, 2002)

Yes - leave the box on - has been very reliable.


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## Jo.Cassady (Jul 21, 2002)

I used to use a blob of blu-tac to hold the IR wand in place, a short distance away from the IR sensor on the STB

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Make sure you use trial and error to see what works best
i.e. with or without trailing 00s e.g. 1 vs 01 vs 001

I'd also go into the settings of your Freesat STB to see if there are any tweaks that might improve efficiency (e.g. make the on-screen display/banner disappear quicker)

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So, have you got Freesat SD. (I suppose there would be no point in recording hi def as the Thompson Scenium only supports SD)

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I avoid Bush and Alba like the plague, but glad to see you are having some success with them. Maybe they have improved over the years


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