Communal TV Upgrades

The actual number of user bands depends on the number of filters built into the switch. Most SCR switches in the UK have three user bands, all of which are delivered to all the receiver inputs – the tuner then selects the user band required, ignoring all the others. The popular Lem SCX range has four such bands.

This drawing shows the frequencies of typical user bands, and how the SCR multiswitch provides the actual programme under the command of the satellite receiver. Standard Classic SCR User Bands are numbers 9 (1280MHz), 11 (1382MHz), 14 (1484MHz) and, where the SCR switch allows user band 17, (1586MHz).

Classic SCR technology will operate with all Sky HD boxes delivered since January 2010, plus some earlier units including the Pace PVR3 non HD box and on some Freesat models from 2012 onwards.

Terrestrial (DTT) signals can also be relayed on the same SCR coaxial cable.

The Sky Q Hub normally replaces any existing router and turns the Sky Q receivers into WiFi hot spots using the faster 5GHz 802.11ac WiFi standards. It also has two Ethernet RJ45 ports if hard-wiring is preferred.

One of the big advantages of the new Sky concept is called “Fluid Viewing”. Live or recorded material is streamed wirelessly to up to four additional rooms. A viewer can therefore pause a programme being viewed in one room, and continue watching it in another location on a different device – even a tablet or cellphone if they are using the Sky Q app.

The new remote control has a touch-sensitive control pad and uses Bluetooth instead of infra-red, so you can use it in a nearby room. If you have mislaid it, pressing a button on the receiver makes it beep, helping you to find it again. All Sky receivers also come with a standard infrared remote control.

All the receivers are on loan from Sky, who will maintain them free of charge during the contract period.

Other Considerations

Since the signals from a wideband LNB extend down to 300MHz, they may be subject to interference from other services. It is therefore essential to use double screened (and even triple screened) coaxial cable whenever this possibility exists. For the same reason, diplex and triplex wall plates must be replaced with simple F-F couplers for all feeds from the dish and the terrestrial services run separately. Sky Q IF services can no longer share a coax with DTT (Freeview) signals.

Sky Q uses 12, which leaves four user bands for older Classic SCR uses such as a Sky+ HD box or a Sky multiroom box. The dSCR also allows for the older European software EN50494, (sometimes known as ‘Unicable’) as well as the newer European dSCR software EN50507. An installation of this type will require a ‘smart splitter’ but it still delivers all the services over a single drop cable.

The SCR switch shown alongside has four outputs, each of which can be independently used to provide either a conventional (legacy) multiswitch service or classic SCR to two Sky Plus HD receivers (using a 4way ‘smart’ splitter), or a single input for a Sky Q receiver with 12 tuners (in which case a power injector will be required). It is available with 2, 4, 6 or 8 outputs and a unique input selector to cope with 2 satellite inputs on four input cables using wideband LNBs. This is the equivalent to a nine wire IRS, to cater for two satellite locations, but only using 4 satellite trunk cables and 1 terrestrial trunk. These switches can be cascaded to cope with large systems.