Introduction
Amstrad plc made it possible for the “man in the street” to purchase a low-cost satellite
receiver in order to watch satellite TV programmes from the Astra satellite designated
“Astra 1A”. The first receiver produced was the 16 channel SRX100 which did not have
an internal decoder. This receiver was upgraded to the SRX200 which worked with a
remote control handset. The SRX200 was later given 48 channels to cope with the
additional channels from the Astra 1B satellite and from the proposed Astra 1C.
Then the SRD400 was introduced, still with 48 channels and remote handset but also
containing a Videocrypt™ decoder which is needed to watch the scrambled channels
transmitted by "SKY Television".
Later receivers such as the SRD510, SRD520, SRD540, SRD550 have proved to be
somewhat less reliable than the early models, although they do have the benefit of
additional features such as on-screen menus, additional audio frequencies and more
channels.
Compared with more expensive receivers, the SRX200 has rather grainy pictures and the
audio does not use the true Wegener Panda™ stereo noise reduction circuitry. However,
unless you are a very discerning listener and watcher, you are unlikely to notice the
difference. In fact, compared with the average terrestrial television picture, the SRX200
satellite pictures are superb!
So, no matter whether you bought this receiver new or at a car boot sale, you may be
assured that you have got good value for money.
Now read on to find out how to use and improve on your purchase:–
If your SRX200 is not already installed you need our “How to Make Money from Satellite
TV” guide which explains all about installing satellite TV systems with a minimum of
equipment. Without following the professional methods described in the guide, you could
make mistakes which will fail to get the best from your equipment or even cause damage.
Assuming that your receiver is already connected to a properly installed dish, the
following information will guide you in obtaining the best pictures and sound and in
recording programmes on your video recorder.
Connecting up
The receiver, TV and Video recorder must be “chained” together by connecting them in a
particular order and you can do this by using either coaxial “RF” cable with an ordinary
TV plug at each end or by using a “SCART to SCART” cable.
In order to watch recorded programmes you must connect the TV after the video recorder.
In order to record satellite programmes, the video recorder must be connected after the
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