Octagon SF-8008 with low SR

  • OK so I now have a SF8008 and also FYI a cheapo £35 Revez HDS620 receiver which tunes down to 10.492 and decodes feeds with 1000 sr and above, not H265 ones though


    SQ6QY posted this image on the qo100 facebook group of his SF8008 getting a 250k symbol rate feed but he won't answer me about what image he is using so I ask on here, anyone ? How has he managed to enter the correct frequency ?


    also ?!

  • I expect he has installed the new firmware noted earlier that allows you to enter the correct frequency, which has to be in the 950MHz-1.75 GHz range of the tuner. A standard LNB will give an IF of 739 MHz whuch the SF8008 can't tune (nobody has found a way at least). You need to modify the LNB or use a frequency converter. For example, a 24 MHz reference into a normally 25 MHz PLL LNB will move the IF into the range of the SF8008. I think we have been around this loop before - I know your other receiver can do it but this one can't yet.


    Mike

  • I have just remembered that even the standard firmware allows you to enter the frequency - but only to a resolution of 1 MHz. The new firmware allows to to enter kHz too. This helps at lower SR but the receiver has a wide lock range so it will usually lock to the strongest signal of the right symbol rate.


    There is a link to this new firmware elsewhere in the forum. Once you have set your LNB LO frequency to bring the IF into the tuning range of the SF8008 don't forget to set this new LO frequency in the settings - e.g my LO is 9.5 GHz so I set my SF8008 LNB LO to that. Then I can enter the correct receive frequency in the setup menu.


    To help, there is a list of common frequencies already set up as a bouquet you can load which makes tuning much easier.


    Mike

  • So hard to get Tomasz to reply, it seems with a 9ghz LNB you can enter the frequency, this one for example https://www.aliexpress.com/ite…1602_1,searchweb201603_55 you can enter the correct frequency ?


    But still trying to find what Linux image is being used in the screenshot I posted, anyone ?

    I guess my reply was not sufficient as you keep asking the same questions and expecting someone else to reply. This is my last attempt.


    The LINUX image is directly linked to above in this thread by OE7DBH. There are now at least two working images that to kHz. I have pasted the information below again.


    The 9 GHz LNB you posted a link to does not look like a PLL LNB It might be but I doubt it.


    Mike



    SF8008 Receiver owner: :)

    http://forum.dxtv.de/wbb/threa…t=&hilightuser=0&page=169

    Please test new software, new software allows kHz input and thus exact frequency setting to 250 or 333 kSym is much easier.  So far, the smallest step was 1MHz

    Please download software here... http://openeight.de/index.php?open=sf8008



    Your experience with it, please post here !!!!!!



    Thank you to the Octagon support team !!



    ( "zuerst mal manuelle, auto, satfinder... alles durchtesten (nebenwirkungen etc.) danach kann man auch Kanallisten und blindscan angehen" - first manual, auto, satfinder ... everything by testing (side effects, etc.) then you can synonymous blind scan and channellist approach. )

    Images

     1,920×1,080 105

  • OK thanks for link unfortunately the image is not the one as the screenshot shows at all....and with me openeight 6.7 seems full of bugs, blindscan is not working for a start

  • That image of open 8 is working fine for me. I see absolutely no point in blind scan, we know the transponder band plan, we know the symbol rates, there is a bouquet with all these already set up. However, there is also Open ATV6.4 as linked here in the forum by DH5UW https://forum.amsat-dl.org/ind…user-post-list/941-dh5uw/

    Loose connection so now BS works ok, no it's only useful if you are an occasional sat feed hunter with a motorised dish like myself... as for that image which Tomasz SQ6QV originally posted on the Q-100 fb group still like to know which one it is....he said it was from the Polish sat dxers forum, which I can't find anywhere...

  • Hello,


    I received my SF8008 single S2X receiver yesterday.

    This receiver was supplied with OpenPli, but I flashed Openeight 6.7.

    Looks very nice but I have one problem, no KHz input:


    This is the firmwareI'm using:


    I also tried OpenATV 6.4 and went back to Openeight 6.7 but no KHz only MHz input.


    Could it be that the firmware is still not adapted for the SF8008 v2's ?


    Best 73's de ON6MID

  • Thank you Robert,


    But changing the satellite group does not give me the KHz input:

    In my list of satellites I do not have the same as you have, so I've chosen similar one.


    Also if you see the pictures of OE7DBH in his item on the OE7FORUM.AT, he uses also the 19.2E Ku-band Astra satellite.

    So I think it is related to the new version of the SF8008 firmware.


    Best 73's de Michel

  • There is a kHz version but the receiver just locks on to the strongest signal at the correct symbol rate regardless so not really worth it.

    Remarked it and hoped that with the 1 KHz input the lock of one of two signals with the same symbol rate would be easier.


    Best 73's de Michel

  • Servus

    Wie bereits berichtet, ich hatte Erfolg mit mein SF8008 und 1kHz Step manuellen Frequenzeinstelungen. Alles OK ausser daß wenn empfangene Signal weg ist Receiver sich ein anderen Signal mit gleiche SR auf andere Frequenz sucht ----> hat mich das aber nicht gestört !!

    Receiver hat Ser.Nr. 000000009680 gehabt , Model : 4K UHD E2 DVB-S2X & DVB-C/T2


    Inzwischen habe ich mein SF8008 getauscht mit S58RU und bekommen:

    Receiver hat Ser.Nr. 000000032421 , Model : 4K UHD E2 DVB-S2X Single


    Habe mit neue Openeight6.7 geflascht ------> keine kHz eingabe möglich

    Habe mit alte Software von März 2019 probiert ----> keine kHz eingabe möglich


    ---------------- 20.06.2020 habe Octagon junior Chef angeschrieben ---------


    Servus Rasim ------> ich habe seit heute ein anderen NEUEN SF8008 SnNr.0000032421 ( getauscht mit einen Funkfreund ) in original war software 6.2 drin ------> ich habe neue software raufgeladen 6.7 recovery ( heute von deine open8 Webseite ) -----------> Receiver funktioniert und ich kann empfangen ABER manuelle Frequenzeinstellung erlaubt Eingabe nur volle MHz und keine komma !!!Wo liegt der Wurm ?


    Sein Antwort paar Stunden später: 20:51 kann ich fragen


    Richtige Antwort auf meine frage ist bis heute noch nicht gekommen. :(

  • Hallo zusammen,

    wie G0MJW bereits geschrieben hat, macht die kHz Eingabe eh keinen Sinn solange der Scanbereich unverändert bleibt.

    Es macht bei der Kanalselektion wenn mehrere Sender mit gleicher SR senden keinen Unterschied ob man mit kHz oder MHz sucht.

    Der SF8008 fängt sich auf dem stärksten Signal ....

  • Hallo Zusammen,


    weiterhin ist mir aufgefallen, daß der Receiver sich aufhängt, wenn er ununterbrochen auf einer kleiner Bandbreite läuft.
    Es lässt sich dann nichts mehr schalten und man muss ihn dann resetten.

    Schade, schade.. Das Bild ist sonst super... Selbst bei kleinen Bandbreiten bei wenig Bewegung super Bild.


    73 Thomas

  • Hi All,

    I tried to get the SF8008 running without modifying the LNB but had no success...

    After reading this thread a few times more I recognized that it is already mentioned in the posts.


    I would like to summarize : (I am happy to hear if I see something wrong)

    • SF8008 is able to capture low bitrates
    • You can input frequencies below 10.700 but if the combination with LNB LO brings the IF frequency out of tuner limits (950-2050 MHz) it does not work (I tested this by directly transitting in IF frequency from my adalm-pluto)
      • if you are using a normal LNB with 9750 IF, that means you can only input frequencies higher than 10.700 (9750+950)
      • if you are using a normal LNB with 9360 IF, that means you can only input frequencies higher than 10.310 (9360+950)
    • I am not able to find the way of inputting frequency of KHz steps (with dot... e.g. 10493.250)



    I checked the datasheet of RDA5815 and seems that it will work below 950 MHz.. so this is a software limit.. I started ompiling OPENATV from scratch to do the modifications to allow IF lower than 950 MHz (739MHz in our case) if somebody else not already started.


    I would like to know the discussions you know elsewher (forums, wb pages, etc.)


    (the forum warned me that the latest post is a year old.. so I decided to create a new thread.. please answer in that thread
    OCTAGON SF8008 - RDA5815 modification for openATV



    Thanks

    Baris DINC

    OH2UDS / TA7W

  • Hello,


    I am already working on a software-patch for the sf8008 to extend the frequency-range.

    All the secret ist in the file "hi-dvb.ko" and its RDA5815-relevant sub-part.


    I was successful in disassembling the binary (kernel-module)-code, which is quite identical

    to the SiLabs-source for RDA5815M, which can be found (SiLabs-superset) on github.

    After removing some restrictions, I am able to tune the IF @ 885...2360 MHz. That is not

    enough, because the RDA-tuner has 2 oszillators and for reaching lower frequencies,

    some programmable deviders and registers of the chip need to be changed.

    Unfortunately only an electrical datasheet ca be found in the internet and I need a

    programmers document to continue my modifications (has someone more informations?).


    It is true, that the tuner is able to receive IF-signals from 250MHz to 2300MHz and above.

    With successful modification, the Octagon should receive QO-100-WB together with normal

    unmodified (9750MHz) LNBs.


    Another aspect could be a software-modification of the afc-behavior, to remain on frequency,

    even if strong signals are on neighbor-channels.


    Anyhow, would be nice, if another OM has more knowlege than me in programming the ARM-

    processor of the SF8008...


    vy73s

    Manfred, DL1JM


    @Baris: I had sent you some email, but no response!?