Freeview set top boxes and Skye dishes ?

Ok well today i purchased a Satillite dish freeview box of TM for $40 .. as have a working Skye dish on roof ( and they got all bent outa shape about $80 .. got the letter in mail on the saturday to say i was overdue, and the monday they were here pick up the decoder )
So have paid the Skye bill ... but in no hurry to get back on there after the 2 day noticed from overdue to take decoder
Ok the box i got is a Zinwell zmx 7500 .. came with remote and cables .. no manual ... though i found that online

So have connected it up as per the instructions on its online manual ( also found the Freeview site and watched the install videos ... and have it all connect up properly as far as i can tell )

Cant get anything at all ... remote wroks ( i put new batteries in it ) as it changes some stuff on box ... but buggered if i cxan get anything ... the Skyue dish was working fine when they took the decoder back lol

Any tricks or basic stuff i am missing ??????
Alternatively ... anyone in Manawatu can recommend a Set up Person that doesn't cost both arms and both legs ?

Hi Stu_R,

I am not familiar with the Zinwell ZMX 7500 so I can't give you specific instructions, just general hints.

Firstly, I will assume that your dish is up on the roof, or otherwise out of reach so that the pay TV people were unable to give it a bump (to misalign it to prevent use with freeview) when they uplifted the decoder. Also, If you ever go up on your roof, do not bump the dish! as you will need a magnetic compass, spirit level, satellite signal strength meter, and knowing what you are doing to make a good job of re-pointing it at the satelite (Optus D1).

I will also assume that you have sorted out the AV or RF video and audio connections between your TV and the decoder, so that you can use the remote to go into the setup menu on the decoder, and this menu is displayed on your TV screen, etc

Have you figured out how to get your decoder to "scan" the satellite and automatically program itself with all the free to air channels? (the process is sort of like tuning an old TV or VCR for free to air analogue signals)

If this doesn't work, then the next thing to check is the "LNB" "LO" or "Local Oscillator" frequency (The LNB is the device at the focal point of the dish that the cable connects to). The LNB frequency setting in the decoder must match the actual frequency of your LNB - the two most common LNB frequencies are 10.7 and 11.3 GHz (might have to be entered as 10700 or 11300 MHz, depending on your decoder). Try scanning the satellite for channels with both LNB frequency settings. If this doesn't work then you could go up on the roof and very carefully (without bumping or otherwise moving the dish), have a look at your LNB for a sticker that states it's frequency (possibly marked as "LO xx.x GHz" or MHz).

Good luck!

wow thanks Spark
Um nope the pick up guy would have been in his late 70's so he just got the decoder box ( and told me no way in hell should he be there for $80 ... he was used to picking up when people owed well over $500 )
so no they never got anywhere near the dish

No i havent sorted the Av Rf thing as know nothing about it .. that could be the problem , i just plugged all the cables into same places the Skye ones were ( as the cables still there so took skye ones off and put freeview ones in )

Maybe i have to hope some one locally knows an installer that doesnt charge both arms and both legs .. and get him in when i can afford to , after i get the money from my Ewe lambs ( that never even got a bid on at the saleyards .. sold after auctions crap money )

Buggered if i know

Who do you know with 12 year old kids? Invite them round, hand the parents coffe/tea and cake, hand the kids the remote, box of bikkies and a bottle of coke and point to the TV.

Long before you have finished chatting with the parents the kids will be watching TV on freeview.

Is this any help Stu? freeviewnz.tv/help-support/freeview-set-up.aspx

Make sure you check your address to confirm you can receive it as Step One.

I couldn't set one up using my daughter's UHF aerial because there were massive trees in the way but satellite should be ok.

Had already been there Didi .. but thanks anyway
my thought exactly Kiwi ... find a kid as they will know how lol

If only Dish cable into box, power into box and the cable with the red/white/yellow plugs into box and into TV is all you need ( older Panasonic 29" tv ) then its plugged up correctly i think
Was working fine on Skye befor , and no one touched dish .. so should still be working
Hmmmm might have to wait till after sheep money comes in and pay someone to come n do it

Well have at least got it so am able to get menus and things so the box works .. now it wants a password or something befor it will let me get it to auto tune and auto scan satilite .. lol oh well progress anyway .. will get there in time i guess lol

Hi Stu, we bought ours off TM as well and like you - no manual - and I'm totally un-tech savvy. So rang son #1 who was able to talk me through what I needed to do with the remote to get into the settings and do all that stuff spark is talking about. Son#1 also lives in Feilding so if a phone call fails - he could pop round. You could send me a PM with your phone number and he can give you a ring.

We dumped Sky years and years ago - way before freeview became available. We've since signed up with Fatso for movies - $16.00 (order online) for 4 movies a month, delivered by post with a return paid envelope. Great value and they have a HUGE catalogue .. WAY more choice than you'd ever find in a video shop.

well Sucess ( to a certain extent anyway lol )
Have it working and can get TV 3 Tv4 prime and lots of other freeview chanels it seems lol and can chnage channels with the freeview box remote

Cant get Tv1 or Tv 2
that has to be something to do with TV set up maybe , as being able to get all the oither stuff dish is obviously working

Will ask at Electronics shop in town today
Thanks Aria for offer of loan of son ... i will let you know if i need him

good work stu.

lol well gone backwards a little bit as one of the things i found on the net said reset factory and it will re-tune
um did that .. ran the tunning thing again um lol its gone from "no signal" on TV1 and 2 to skip them completely ... oh well such is life
Found another thing in Geek Zone that says to rotate the LNB thing on the dish on the roof abit .. so been back to grove and brought in aldder i can get on roof with
lmfao lol ... will be interesting as will; leave all the windows open and turn volumes right up so maybe i will hear it if i get it right lol .. 3 dogs are NOT a lot of help in things like this lol ... its times like this that one wishes he had apartner or at least a flatmate lol lol
I still have a feeling there is something basic i am missing ... but i am teaching myself things as i go .. and i can at least watch TV again lol

Stu_R;455437 wrote: Found another thing in Geek Zone that says to rotate the LNB thing on the dish on the roof abit .. so been back to grove and brought in aldder i can get on roof with
lmfao lol ... will be interesting as will; leave all the windows open and turn volumes right up so maybe i will hear it if i get it right lol

Don't bother leaving the window open and listening to the sound as this is a very inaccurate method (it's digital audio, so you either get it, or you don't - you can't tune to minimise the hiss like you could with analogue TV). Instead, somewhere in the setup menus for the set top box, there will be a signal strength and quality meter. Get a friend to watch the signal strength meter while you are on the roof, or move the TV outside to where you can see it from the roof.
Before you touch the LNB, it is probably a good idea to use a permanent marker pen to mark the exisiting LNB position, and the adjustments for dish pointing, so that you have a fighting chance of putting it back the way it was if you make it perform worse.

Cheers

thanks Spark .. great idea .. will take pen up with me :)and mark the LNB against the screw holes so i can put it back exactly
LOL already was getting the idea this is more than just me and 3 dogs thing to do lol .. will have to try and co-opt a human from somewhere to help i guess
Thanks Spark for the very good points

Why on earth would you want to listen on TV1 and TV2 Stu? Absolute crap! Get with the real world and watch TV3 for your news and use your remote to find so many better programs than what the National Tax paid (with major ownership in Sky ) is giving you. Just do what some of us have and give them the middle finger.

I'm on Prime at this precise moment. I adore anyone who can hopefully sing and more than happy to watch American Idol against Coronation Street (TV1) and Mr T's World's Craziest Fools (TV2). That is me - perhaps my brother is watching some random Rugby on Sky but not interested.

You may have to change my friend and be open to watching what you would not normally give time to but believe me - there is so much life better than TV1 and TV2. No doubt this is in the interests of the Key Government. How to make money? Make it so unwatchable that people will buy into Government ownership (25%?) of Sky? Get real!

Hey Stu - just sent you a PM reply but not sure I use that feature right on this site ... so just in case you didn't get that - you'll get a phone call from son #1 (Neale) and hopefully he can talk you through it !