Totally flumaxed

So we have now had our new Broadway (well new to use, it's a 2013 model) for just over a week and have not managed to get the satellite TV system working. Here is what we have. 

On the roof is a dome called a SATMARK. Inside the van is a unit that controls this. It enables you to choose different satellites and then searches for these and I assume lines up the dish. 

Then there is a satellite receiver unit called a Newline HD12v but only a German manual! I found an online manual at http://downloads.falcontechnical.co.uk/easyfind/Easy_Find_HD12_Mini_Satellite_Receiver.pdf Now although the manual shows a remote control which among other things turns on the receiver, there is no remote in the van. I'm currently trying to get a replacement.

On the van wall there are two connection plates with various connectors. Shown in the photo below. (I removed the 12v connector to show the top plate more clearly.)

When I tried the TV it was obviously only getting a signal from the aerial but that was very poor (we were in France). Nothing seemed to be coming from the satellite system. So I am a bit flumaxed as to why this is the situation and I just don't quite know what to do. 

I'm wondering if there should be a cable (coax?) from the SAT labelled socket to the RF In socket on the TV which would be instead of the aerial cable? Or is it that the sat receiver unit is not turned on?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi  

I don't know anyting about the Broadway but unless someone with the same system comes on:

Do you get the satellite reciever menu on the TV?

Anyway, there should be a CO-AX cable (with F connectors) from satellite socket to the satellite receiver (socket 1) and then an HDMI cable from the satellite receiver to the TV. Select the HDMI input on the TV.

If you don’t get anything get hold of a cheap sat finder something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O0YA868

and inset it between the wall socket and the lead to the receiver. That should tell you of you have a satellite signal or not.

If it’s not working, before you go any further it’s a good idea to connect the receiver and satfinder to another dish and TV (any Freesat or SKY dish will do). If you haven’t got one at home than perhaps a friend has?

Then make sure the receiver is working and go through the tuning procedure. Once you’ve done this and know you have a working receiver you have somewhere to start.

Put it all back in the van and if still no joy  panic   (not really) re-post and we’ll try and work out what’s going on.

Brod

The Satmark dome is the same as the one that I have for sale.

There should be a satellite cable (or maybe two if it's dual LNB) coming through the roof from the dome into your TV cupboard.

This cable plugs into the back of the Satmark controller. If there's just one cable, plug it into the back of the controller. If there are two you have to find the one which supplies 12V power up the cable to the dome for the motors and LNB, the other cable is then the second LNB.

Plug the cable into the back of the controller marked as ANT, and then a cable from the socket marked STB into your receiver.

I don't know about the Broadway specifically, but those plugs that you've pictured may only be to extend the output from the receiver to another TV in the bedroom area perhaps.

In summary:

Main satellite cable from the dome goes into the ANT connection on the controller

Cable then goes from STB connection on the controller to the receiver

An HDMI (preferably) cable then goes from the receiver into the TV

You have to select 'HDMI' as the source on the TV and then tune the receiver to the satellite to find all the channels.

There's another possibility, that the TV has a built in sat receiver, like my Avtex TV, in that case you don't need the receiver, but you'll still have to search for the channels in the TV's satellite menu.

I suspect that, once the controller has told the dome where to point the dish, it will then shut down into 'standby' and pass the signal through to the receiver.

(Once the satellite is locked you could then, in theory, put the cable from the ANT socket in the controller straight into the back of the receiver directly, as you then don't need the controller to 'passthrough' the signal any more - until you move the van of course  )

Does your controller look like this one?

meanchris wrote:Does your controller look like this one?

Yes that's the one. Just going out to check the cables and will post some photos.

Hi

meanchris wrote:The Satmark dome is the same as the one that I have for sale.

Well done that man !

Brod

So here is what I can see (some cables are boxed in so I can't tell how many come in from satellite to the controller but looks like just the white one).

And here is a close up of the back of the controller.

And finally of the connection to the sat receiver box

BTW why are you selling your SATMARK dome? I was wondering if there might be a better way to watch TV while travelling abroad.

If the receiver isn't switched on, the system won't work.

It needs to be on and tuned to the satellite.

And finally the rear layout from the sat receiver from their manual

meanchris wrote:If the receiver isn't switched on, the system won't work.

It needs to be on and tuned to the satellite.

I can't tell if it switched on or if there is a missing cable connection. There is no remote control and no sign of lights on the receiver so I suspect it is not on. How do I turn it on without a remote and no on/off button? Also on my home system there is an HDMI cable from the reciever to the TV. There doesn't seem to be one on this set up?

It looks to me as though the connection to the TV is probably via the connection No6 "CVBS/LR" which stands for composite video plus the left and right stereo audio. This will go to the red/yellow/white  connectors on your TV, maybe via the connectors in your first pictures? You'd have to follow this wire to see where it goes.

I suspect that you won't be able to turn on the receiver without the IR sensor for connection No4 and the remote to operate it.

I have a very similar system which is a £50 Aldi HD satellite kit, the receiver looks very similar and also won't work without the remote control.
Without the sensor, you can't even work around it by programming a 'One For All' type IR remote control to the receiver.
You could use another receiver, such as a Sky box or Humax FreeSat box, even temporarily, to see whether the satellite dish and controller is working.
In fact, if you look at the pictures in my advert, the sequence of pictures showing the controller display shows what it reads when it has found and locked on to the required satellite. It finally shows "NIT" (Now In Tune?) and then "Standby", meaning that the dish is now pointing to the correct satellite, receiving a signal, and that the controller is no longer needed to find or maintain the signal as long as you don't move the dish.

BTW why are you selling your SATMARK dome? I was wondering if there might be a better way to watch TV while travelling abroad.

A friend asked me if I wanted his Satmark dome to repair, as it had stopped working and he replaced it with a new Snipe 3 dish.
We already have a Snipe dish on our van, so I repaired the Satmark dish and it's now for sale.
He was originally told by a repair/salesman that the controller firmware was corrupted, and that it was too difficult to repair, so he bought a new one.
In fact, moisture had caused corrosion products in the powered LNB connector and was partially shorting the LNB signal preventing the controller from booting up.
Once I found the problem and cleaned out the contamination (which was so minute that I needed a 6X loupe to even see it) the system works perfectly.

 

EDIT: Do you have an Avtex TV with a built-in satellite tuner, if so you can plug the 'STB' output from the PAPSA controller straight into the satellite connector on the TV and you don't need the separate receiver?

I tried this to test the Satmark dish using our Avtex L188DRS and it works perfectly, as it should.

Thanks again for the detailed reply. The dish does find the satellite and it goes through those stages that are shown in your advert. Only difference is that final stage says Mobile and not Standby. So it really is a question of getting another sat tuner I think. (BTW I have found ther remote IR sensor above the TV but still can't turn it on, although it is showing green light?) The Avtex we have is the W163DR and it does not appear to have an inbuilt tuner which is why I suppose the previous owner had the Newline installed. But that is now useless as can't be turned on    I may have to bite the bullet and get a new tuner.

The reason I asked about you selling the Satmark is that I was wondering if you have switched to mifi or some other system. I see a lot of talk about the benefits of doing this and I am wondering if that might be an alternative. Especially as we are just thinking of an extended tour of Spain and I don't know that satellite systems will get much of our TV when there. But that is another issue altogether.

If you have the sensor, you may be able to program a phone with IR, or an All 4 One, or Humax remote to operate the satellite STB (Set Top Box) receiver, at least to turn it on so that you can see its front/menu page on the TV screen.
If you have any other satellite tuner/receiver, such as a Sky box, you could use that to test the system.

We do have a MiFi with a "3" Data SIM for use abroad, but in the rare circumstances that we watch TV in the van (World Cup 2018 at Domaine du Logis for example), we use the Snipe dish and Avtex TV, or occasionally local terrestrial TV.
4G is an option, but too expensive for us when we're not that bothered with TV

I'm reliably informed by the owner of the Satmark dish that it could be used as far South as Narbonne for Sky HD with a subscription, as the Astra 2 South beam has a bigger footprint than the North beam used for UK FreeSat.

We always have a big USB stick full of films ripped from our Humax Foxsat HDR to watch if we get bored, as I think that UK TV is a waste of time further South than around Bordeaux.

So a little progress. I figured that as the LED was green on the IR remote sensor that meant that the sat tuner must be on. So I used a HDMI spare cable I had and connected the tuner to the TV. Then I selected HDMI 1 on source on the TV and immediately got Radio 1. So the tuner is working but just stuck on R1. Now all I need is some way to change channels! But for that I need a remote control. And that takes me back to square 1. Ah well. At least I know what the solution is - new box or find another remote control that works. Thanks for all the help today.

How about this?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fernbedienung-fur-Sat-Receiver-New-Line-HD12-v-HD22/272381012224?epid=1345168265&hash=item3f6b2c6900:g:8WgAAOxyBjBTV2rf

Bloody hell. Just what I need. Thanks a million. Just bought it.

All working now. Cheers for the help.

joeirish wrote:Thanks again for the detailed reply. The dish does find the satellite and it goes through those stages that are shown in your advert. Only difference is that final stage says Mobile and not Standby. So it really is a question of getting another sat tuner I think. (BTW I have found ther remote IR sensor above the TV but still can't turn it on, although it is showing green light?) The Avtex we have is the W163DR and it does not appear to have an inbuilt tuner which is why I suppose the previous owner had the Newline installed. But that is now useless as can't be turned on    I may have to bite the bullet and get a new tuner.

The reason I asked about you selling the Satmark is that I was wondering if you have switched to mifi or some other system. I see a lot of talk about the benefits of doing this and I am wondering if that might be an alternative. Especially as we are just thinking of an extended tour of Spain and I don't know that satellite systems will get much of our TV when there. But that is another issue altogether.

Hi Joe, we had a long debate about whether to fit satellite to our Malvern and have decided against it for the time being. The trip we did in April took us as far as Croatia so I wasn’t sure what value satellite would be over there.  We took a few DVDs and downloaded some films before we went, and also tethered to my phone (I’ve got a good data allowance), so didn’t need a mifi for streaming from Netflix or other providers. Using a VPN service like NordVPN allows you to appear as if you’re in the UK, though the BBC have got wise to that and you may need to pay for a dedicated IP address to get iPlayer to work, if you’re bothered about that.