FreeSat

We've had the weekend at my parents', which was a welcome, relaxing break. Before setting off yesterday, we planted some spring bulbs, though. 30 fluted tulips, 30 praestens multiheaded tulips, and some more tête à têtes (in pots, to go into hanging baskets in the spring). They're all outside the back door for now, and we'll move them around when they're up.

After the analogue television signal was switched off in September, we've been without TV. We hadn't really had television since moving in, because the signal's awful—we've been surviving on recordings provided by Liz's parents, and holding on to see if the digital switchover improved the signal. It didn't; at least, not enough (we borrowed a digital set to check). The options were to improve/amplify the existing aerial, get Sky (no thanks), or get FreeSat. The house had an existing Sky dish, but we had no idea whether it was functional.

However, we plumped, in the end, for FreeSat, on the basis that it would definitely work, where Freeview only might work (even with expensive new aerial (and fitting) and amplifier). However, that left the installation... So, up the ladder went I, and loosened off the dish and pointed it in the direction of the Astra satellite. In theory, that's the same alignment as Sky...but it wasn't where it was pointing previously. What the previous owners were watching, I have no idea.

It was really straightforward, in the end, and the old dish and LNB (only a mono) are connected to the Humax FreeSat box and working really nicely. It's been foggy all day, so it should be reliable, as it's worked today. At some point, I intend to change the LNB to a duo or quad, and run a second cable to the box, so that we can record two channels at once (rather than one), but that'll wait.