Information Technology

You CAN receive this programme even if your school has very limited broadband access - it comes as a television broadcast.

The equipment required is a television set, set top box and satellite dish. Please note, that the set top box you require is one that is not freeview branded. You will require a set top box which does not contain the Freeview EPG, as you will need to do a manual search to find the channel.

If you will be receiving the broadcast via the satellite TV connection, please make sure you read the technology information sheet below.

Click here to download the TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SHEET.

Suggested Suppliers

The following suppliers have been used by schools to set up the satellite dish and set top box and are aware of this programme:

• JX Satellite and Communications (Upper North Island through to Taupo); or
• Telephone your local Sky or Freeview installation company.

Technology Discussion and Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to questions relating to technology will be posted here by the UoA Technology Architect as they come in. Any points of discussion, between the technology team and the teachers, or amongst the teachers, about the technology used can be found here.

How to tune into the broadcast test signal

Simple Instructions:

1. Command the satellite receiver to do an "autoscan", or "blind scan" (depends on manufacturer) for Free To Air (FTA) channels only (that will help reduce the number of unwanted signals found), and then

2. Identify the wanted programme from the resulting pool of Freeview, Sky and any other services that the box finds.

More advanced users may prefer manual configuration of the satellite receiver.

RF parameters
• Downlink Carrier Frequency: 12456.2 MHZ
• Symbol Rate: 22.5 MSym/s
• FEC: 3/4

Transport Stream PIDs PCR: 519
• Video: 519
• Audio: 657
• Service ID*: 1932
• Network ID*: 47RF

Tuning in a Hills receiver

The Freeview certified Hills IRD was tuned to the signal using the following procedure:

• Press "Menu"
• Press "5. Installation Settings"
• Press "6. TV Reception and Channel search"
• Press "4. Manual Channel Search" <span />
• Select the 12456 MHz carrier
• Perform a search.

When this is done, the receiver pauses and then lists the services found on that carrier, which will include one new service. The Hills box identifies it as "N47/1932".

Topfield TF6000Fe Tuning procedure

• Menu ok
• Installation ok
• Factory setting ok
• Reset all data yes
• Menu ok
• Installation ok
• LNB setting ok
• Satellite Name Optus D1 KU (not ‘C’ band)
• LNB Frequency 11300 or if it’s unknown, search thru the list and watch the yellow ‘Quality’ bar at the bottom of the screen.
• LNB power on
• 22KHz off
• DiSEQC 1.1 disable
• DiSEQC 1.0 disable
• Service search ok
• Satellite Name Optus D1
• Search mode Manual
• Frequency 12456
• Symbol Rate 22500
• Polarisation Vertical
• Network Search off
• Start search ok
• Save search ok
• Scroll thru the channel list and you should see Optus D1 KU1932

National Education Network

Schools with a connection to the National Education Network can receive the broadcast via live stream. Click here for more information.

The University of Auckland streams the media live over the internet for schools to view the seminar online. The links will be sent out to registered schools on the day of the broadcast for schools to hook into the live feed.

PLEASE NOTE: The link provided is a live feed of the seminar, and after the seminar the stream will go offline; it will not be repeating the seminar on a loop. We will post the seminar to the Wiki as soon as we can to be streamed again, or downloaded.

Instructions

Click on the link below, or the link in the email sent on the day of the seminar, and a web browser will appear: http://pinewood.auckland.ac.nz/lensciencelive.htm or http://live.auckland.ac.nz/lensciencelive.htm.

If you have any issues with the stream, please log into the chartroom and tell the UoA representative that you are having issues. If you are a newly registered school and want to test the stream before the next seminar, please email the LENScience help team and we can set up a test signal for you.