GS 8304 is a satellite tuner that allows you to watch Tricolor TV channels. Differs in reliability and ergonomics. It has an external power supply, so its motherboard does not face overheating.
Design Features
The body of the satellite receiver is silver, regular rectangular shape. Above is a ventilation grill. On the left, on the front panel, there are four control buttons:
- Standby is responsible for turning on the device and transferring it from standby to working and vice versa.
- TV / Radio switches the reception modes.
- Channel "↑" and "↓" - two buttons for switching channels.
The display shows the channel number, a special symbol for signal reception, TV / radio mode, Standby, mail icon, as well as the current time.
On the front panel, behind the hinged lid, on the right, there is a slot for installing the DRE Crypt conditional access card.
The back panel of the receiver is equipped with connectors:
- LNB IN for connecting the converter cable;
- USB for software updates;
- CVBS for connecting to the TV video input;
- R-, L-outputs of the audio signal for the right and left channel;
- input for connecting an external network adapter.
Contents of delivery
- Satellite receiver.
- Remote control with two AAA batteries.
- RCA cable.
- External power supply
- User's manual.
The device is activated only with an access card.
Connection should be made only when the power of the satellite receiver and connected devices are turned off.
To connect the antenna, you must connect the converter cable to the LNB IN input of the GS 8304 satellite tuner. In this case, use the F-connector.
To connect to a television receiver via SCART, you need to insert one end of the cable into the TV socket of the satellite receiver, and the other into the SCART connector of the TV.
To connect to a TV receiver with a composite input, you need to connect 3 RCA connectors (white, yellow and red) to the video and audio outputs of the corresponding color (CVBS and L / R) located on the rear panel of the device. The connectors on the opposite end of the cable must be connected to the color-appropriate inputs of the video and audio TV.
Turning the tuner on and off
- You can turn on the receiver only after all the necessary connections are made.
- Insert the power supply connector into the receiver and plug it into an electrical outlet.
- Press the Sandby button on the remote control or on the front panel of the satellite receiver.
- To turn off the device, these steps should be performed in reverse order.
Setup wizard
When the receiver is turned on for the first time, and also after resetting to the factory settings, the “Installation Wizard” is launched, which sets up the GS 8304 in several steps. The program can be interrupted at any time by pressing the “Exit” button. The parameters of the “Installation Wizard” depend on the requirements of the satellite TV provider.
Selection of menu languages and sound channel
If the menu language needs to be changed, it should be selected from the drop-down list using the navigation buttons on the remote control and confirm your decision with the "OK" button.
The choice made in the line “Main language of the sound channel” will become the soundtrack language in silence. If any channel does not support it, the device will automatically select an audio track that matches the established second language.
The correctness of the automatic selection of the tracking language depends on the correctness of the data transmitted by the operator. In the absence or incorrect name of the channel, the automatic tuning will differ from the set preferences.
Setting the standard for the image, video and audio output of the TV
- In the line "Video Output" the type of signal is set, RGB or CVBS, applied to the television receiver.
- The RGB setting is used when connecting the tuner and TV receiver with a SCART cable. In this case, the image will be of the best quality.
- The CVBS setting will switch the TV to the composite signal reception mode, the quality of which corresponds to the broadcast TV signal.
Audio output
This sets the audio signal output from the audio outputs of the TV-connector. When you select the Mono menu item, the sound will play in monaural, even if the broadcast is broadcast in stereo. In this case, both audio jacks give the same signal.
Image view
The GS 8304 satellite tuner allows you to play back images in 16: 9 and 4: 3 formats.
In the first case, the standard picture on a widescreen television receiver will be stretched to full screen. If the aspect ratio is set to 4: 3, then the widescreen broadcast will be supplemented with black bars at the top and bottom.
TV standard
You can set the encoding standard for composite video, PAL, or SECAM. Please note that the SECAM signal on some TVs is not displayed correctly.
System time and date
The GS 8304 satellite receiver uses operator data to set the date and time. To display them correctly, you must enter the time zone information.
Channel search
In GS 8304, the firmware already contains the necessary settings for searching Tricolor TV channels. Additionally, you can set the type of converter - single or universal.
If the LNB is single, then the local oscillator operating frequency is set to 5150, 9750, 10 600, 10 750 MHz. In the absence of the required frequency, you can enter it manually using the remote control buttons. For the universal type LNB, switching between the frequencies of 9.75 and 10.6 GHz occurs automatically.
Standard converter power is supplied to the LNB IN connector. The increased power supply, i.e. higher by 1 V than the standard one, is used in case of non-standard installation, for example, with a long cable length.
After selecting a satellite, you must enter one of the channels broadcast by it.
To start the search, click Next. Found channels are displayed in the TV and radio columns. After the search is completed, a message appears about the number of channels found. To complete, press the yellow F3 button. This will record to the receiver.
The search can be interrupted by the red button F1. Only the found channels will be saved.
Switching of channels is made by digital or navigation keys of the remote control or CHANNEL "+" and "-" on the front panel of the satellite tuner.
The volume level is controlled by the buttons "→" and "←". They work in all modes. To temporarily turn off the sound, press the "Sound" button.
In order to access some functions of the receiver, you need to know the pin code, which defaults to 0000.
The list of channels when watching TV can be called up by clicking on "OK". Navigation through the list is carried out using the "↑" and "↓" buttons. The selection is confirmed by pressing "OK".
To exit the list, click on “Exit” of the remote control.
The data of the television channel and program are displayed in the information banner when they switch or after pressing the F1 button in red.
GS 8304: how to update software via satellite
The operator can replace the receiver firmware via a satellite signal. When switching channels, a message appears indicating the availability of new software with a request to confirm the update. With the consent of the user, data transfer and tuner firmware will begin, displayed on the TV screen as a percentage of completion.
During the update, it is important to ensure uninterrupted power to the satellite receiver, otherwise the receiver may be seriously damaged and the help of a service center will be required.
User settings, including antenna configuration and channel list, may not be saved after a software update.
Replacing a program via the USB connector
It is important that the firmware of the GS 8304 receiver is not interrupted by turning off the power to the tuner or removing the flash drive.
The procedure is as follows:
- In the root directory of the USB flash drive, write the img file for the firmware update.
- Turn on the device and make sure that any channel is working.
- Insert the flash drive into the USB port of the tuner.
- A message appears indicating that the download process has started.
- After its completion, the receiver will report the end of the software download.
- Remove the flash drive from the USB connector.
- Press the "OK" button on the remote control. Update completed.
Copying the base and firmware of the receiver to a PC
In the GS 8304 digital satellite tuner, the software is updated and the database is copied to the PC using the GS Burner program developed for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The procedure is as follows:
- Turn off the power.
- Connect the RS-232 cable to the receiver and computer.
- Install and run the GS Burner application on your PC, select the Download menu item and specify the file name.
- Turn on the GS 8304 and go to the "Data Transfer" menu item.
- To transmit only the channel base, press the “0” button, and then the blue UHF on the remote control.
- Database and software transfer occurs after pressing the blue UHF button. The display will show the data transfer process, which will end with a message about the number of kilobytes transferred in the left window.