Focus Sat Setup Guide: CCcam Configuration for Focus Sat

Getting focus sat channels decoded through CCcam or OScam isn't complicated once you have the right parameters. The platform runs on Viaccess encryption, so the CAID and ident values are what most people trip over. This guide covers everything from transponder frequencies to receiver-side softcam setup — real config snippets, actual values, no hand-waving.

If you're here because your channels are showing "no signal" or your ECMs are timing out, skip to the troubleshooting section. If you're starting from scratch, read through in order.

What Is Focus Sat and Where It Broadcasts

Focus Sat is a Romanian direct-to-home satellite platform targeting viewers in Romania and Moldova. The platform is operated under the M7 Group umbrella, which is now part of Canal+ Group following the 2023 acquisition. It's one of the longer-running DTH services in the Romanian market, though it's significantly smaller than Digi/RCS.

Focus Sat Platform Overview

The channel lineup covers Romanian national broadcasters, news channels, a solid selection of sports (including Liga 1 football), international movie channels localized for Romanian audiences, and a kids package. There's also a mix of documentary and lifestyle channels. Nothing exotic — it's your standard mid-tier Central European DTH package.

The platform transmits in both SD and HD. The HD package has expanded in recent years, with some channels now using HEVC (H.265) encoding — which matters a lot if your receiver is older than 2018 or so.

Satellite Position and Footprint

Focus sat broadcasts from Thor 5, Thor 6, and Thor 7 at orbital position 0.8°W. You'll sometimes see this listed as "1°W" in older receiver databases or online frequency tables. That's technically incorrect — it's 0.8° west, and if your dish isn't aimed at the right slot, you'll lose signal quality even with a correctly configured softcam.

The footprint covers Romania and Moldova well with a 60cm dish in most areas. Reception gets marginal toward the eastern edge of the coverage zone — parts of western Ukraine and the Black Sea coast — where you'll want 80cm or larger.

Channel Lineup Categories

Main categories carried on the platform:

• Romanian national channels (Pro TV, Antena 1, TVR, Digi 24, etc.)
• Sports: Digi Sport, Look Sport, motorsport feeds
• Movies: HBO package, Cinemax localized streams
• Kids: Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Minimax
• Documentary and lifestyle (National Geographic, Travel Channel)

Technical Parameters: Frequencies, Symbol Rates, and CAID

This is where most guides fail you. They list the satellite position but not the actual numbers you need to scan and decode. Here's what works as of 2026.

Transponder Frequencies on 0.8°W

Core Focus Sat transponders on Thor 5/6/7:

All transponders use DVB-S2 with 8PSK modulation. There are no legacy DVB-S transponders active in the current Focus Sat lineup. If your receiver's tuner doesn't support DVB-S2, you won't receive anything.

Symbol Rates and FEC

Symbol rate is consistently 30000 ks/s across the platform. FEC alternates between 3/4 and 5/6 depending on the transponder. Your receiver should auto-detect FEC after locking onto the signal, but if you're entering parameters manually, the table above covers the main multiplexes.

CAID and Provider ID

This is the critical part for softcam setup. Focus Sat uses Viaccess encryption:

• CAID: 0500
• Provider/Ident: 032830

Some transponders or channel packages may carry additional idents — 040810 has been observed on certain multiplexes. Check your receiver's ECM info window after scanning to confirm what idents are actually present on the transponders you care about. Don't filter too aggressively at first; scan everything and narrow down once you can see what's coming through.

DVB-S vs DVB-S2 Transponders

As noted above, the platform is entirely DVB-S2 as of 2026. Older satellite databases and some bootleg frequency lists still show DVB-S entries — those are either dead transponders or just wrong. If you're getting "no signal" after entering frequencies manually, confirm your receiver's tuner supports DVB-S2 with 8PSK. Budget boxes from before 2015 sometimes support DVB-S2 only with QPSK, not 8PSK.

CCcam Server Configuration for Focus Sat

CCcam configuration for Viaccess is straightforward. The main things to get right are the C-line format and CAID filtering so your box isn't sending ECMs to the wrong reader.

CCcam.cfg Structure for Viaccess CAID 0500

Your /etc/CCcam.cfg needs a few key directives when working with Focus Sat:

# Basic server connectionC: yourserver.example.com 12000 username password# CAID filtering — restrict to Viaccess onlyCAID PRIORITY: 0500# ECM timeout in millisecondsECMTIME: 3000# Cache settingsCACHE TIMEOUT: 120

The CAID PRIORITY directive tells CCcam which CA systems to prefer when a channel has multiple CAs available. Locking it to 0500 stops your box from wasting ECM requests on systems you don't have access to.

C-Line Format and Parameters

The C-line format is: C: hostname port username password [version] [allow_hop]

Most modern CCcam servers run version 2.2.11 or 2.3.0. If you're having handshake issues, try explicitly setting the version:

C: yourserver.example.com 12000 myuser mypassword 2.2.11 no

The last parameter (no) disables hop-sharing, which is what you want in most setups — you're not running a cascade.

Reader Priority and Group Assignment

If you have multiple C-lines (say, a primary and a backup server), CCcam will try them in order. Put the faster/more reliable one first. You can also use:

N: server2.example.com 12001 user2 pass2 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

The hex digits at the end define which CAIDs this line is used for. Setting those to the right CAID ranges helps avoid ECM routing to a reader that can't handle them.

ECM Cache Settings

ECM cache reduces server load by re-using previously received control words. A cache timeout of 120 seconds is reasonable for most setups. If channels are cutting out briefly every 2 minutes, you've set the timeout too short relative to the crypto period. Focus Sat typically uses a 10-second crypto period on most channels, so the cache timeout doesn't need to be long — 60–120 seconds is fine.

OScam Configuration for Focus Sat

OScam is more verbose to configure but gives you much better control over CAID routing. For Viaccess 0500, the ident filtering is where most people get tripped up.

oscam.server Reader Block for Viaccess

Add this reader block to /etc/oscam/oscam.server:

[reader]label = focussat_readerprotocol = cccamdevice = yourserver.example.com,12000user = myusernamepassword = mypasswordcaid = 0500ident = 0500:032830group = 1reconnecttimeout = 30lb_weight = 100

The ident field is the key one. Setting it to 0500:032830 restricts this reader to Focus Sat's specific provider ident. If you have other Viaccess providers in your setup (like Canalsat France on 0500:032000 or similar), they'll be routed to different readers.

If ECMs aren't going to this reader, try removing the ident restriction temporarily to confirm the reader is working, then add it back once you've verified the connection.

oscam.user Account Setup

Your local user in /etc/oscam/oscam.user should look like:

[account]user = localboxpwd = localpasscaid = 0500ident = 0500:032830group = 1au = focussat_reader

Setting au = focussat_reader enables auto-update from that reader, which handles EMM processing for entitlement updates. You generally want this on if your setup uses a real card reader; if you're running a pure CCcam/softcam chain without a physical card, AU is irrelevant.

oscam.dvbapi for Receiver Integration

The /etc/oscam/oscam.dvbapi file controls how OScam interfaces with your receiver's CA layer. For Focus Sat:

[dvbapi]enabled = 1au = 1pmt_mode = 0request_mode = 0boxtype = dreamboxP: 0500:032830

The P: line tells OScam to use the PMT routing for ident 032830 on CAID 0500. Without this, OScam might try to route Focus Sat ECMs to whichever Viaccess reader responds first — which could be the wrong one if you have multiple Viaccess providers configured.

A common mistake: leaving dvbapi with no P: lines and then wondering why ECMs go to the wrong reader. Always define explicit routing when you have more than one Viaccess ident in play.

CAID and Ident Filtering

OScam's load balancer can also get confused when multiple readers handle the same CAID but different idents. Force ident-level filtering in both the reader and user blocks. If you see "not found (0500:XXXXXX)" in the OScam log for a request that should be handled by your focus sat reader, the ident in the ECM doesn't match what you have in the reader config. Add the additional ident there.

Receiver-Side Setup: Enigma2 and Vu+ Boxes

Most people doing this kind of setup are running Enigma2 on a Vu+ (Uno, Duo, Zero 4K, etc.) or a similar Linux-based box. The process is the same across OpenATV and OpenPLi.

Adding Thor 0.8°W to Satellite List

Go to Menu → Setup → Service Searching → Satellite Equipment Setup. Find the list of configured satellites. If Thor 0.8°W isn't there, add it manually:

• Satellite name: Thor 0.8°W
• Orbital position: 0.8°W
• LNB type: Universal (9750/10600 LOF)

Don't confuse this with Intelsat 10-02 at 0.98°W or Skynet 4C at 1°W. The slotting matters when your LNB and dish are aimed correctly — a few tenths of a degree off at this orbital position can drop signal quality by 20–30%.

Manual Transponder Entry

After adding the satellite, add transponders manually before scanning. In the transponder list for Thor 0.8°W, add entries using the frequency table above. Use DVB-S2 / 8PSK / APSK for the modulation setting. Symbol rate 30000, and set the FEC to match the table or leave on Auto.

Service Scan and Bouquet Creation

Run a manual scan on the Thor 0.8°W transponders (not a complete satellite scan — that takes forever and picks up everything). After the scan completes, you should see Focus Sat services appearing in the channel list. Don't expect the encrypted ones to show video yet — that comes after the softcam is running.

Create a bouquet from the Focus Sat services for easy management. OpenATV and OpenPLi both let you right-click in the service list to add to a custom bouquet.

CCcam/OScam Softcam Selection

Install the appropriate softcam via the softcam feed (available in both OpenATV and OpenPLi package managers). Then go to Menu → Setup → System → Softcam and select either CCcam or OScam. Restart the softcam after changing configuration files.

To verify decoding: select a Focus Sat channel and press Info. You should see CAID 0500 listed, provider 032830, and an ECM response time. Under 400ms is good. Over 1000ms and you'll get periodic freezing. Over 3000ms and the ECM will timeout before the next crypto period kicks in, causing channel loss.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Most focus sat decoding problems fall into five categories. Here's how to diagnose each one properly.

Channels Show but No Picture (ECM Timeout)

You see the channel name, the signal bar looks fine, but the screen stays black. The softcam is failing to get a valid control word before the timeout.

Check the softcam log. In CCcam, look at the info window (usually accessible via the blue button on your remote). In OScam, open the web interface on port 8888: http://receiver-ip:8888/readers. Look for the reader connected to your server — if ECM requests show 0% success or "timeout" responses, the server isn't answering correctly.

Common causes: wrong CAID or ident in your server config, server's CAID list doesn't include 0500:032830, or network latency is too high. Try increasing ECMTIME to 5000 as a test.

CAID Not Detected by Receiver

The ECM info shows nothing, or shows CAID 0000. This means the receiver's scan didn't pick up the CA descriptor from the transponder's PMT.

Rescan the specific transponder — don't rely on a cached scan result. Some Focus Sat transponders have had CA descriptor changes after platform updates in late 2025. After rescanning, check the service's technical info: it should list CAID 0500 under "CA System".

If the scan still shows nothing, check that your transponder parameters are correct. A slightly wrong symbol rate (28000 vs 30000) can give you a partial lock that looks like signal but doesn't decode the service information correctly.

Black Screen on HD Channels Only

SD channels work fine, HD channels are black. ECM info shows correct CAID and fast response times. This is almost always a codec issue.

Focus Sat HD channels on several transponders use HEVC (H.265) encoding. Receivers manufactured before 2017, and even some 2017–2019 boxes with older SoCs, don't support H.265 hardware decoding. You can verify by checking the channel's video PID info — if it shows HEVC or H.265, and your box's specifications don't list H.265 support, the receiver is the problem.

There's no software workaround for this. You need either a newer box or to restrict yourself to the SD versions of those channels.

Freezing Every Few Seconds

The picture is decoding but stutters or freezes every 5–15 seconds. Two possible causes: signal quality and ECM timing.

Check signal quality in dB and percentage. Run dmesg | grep -i "ber\|snr\|signal" on an SSH connection to the box, or use the signal meter in your receiver's menu. For Focus Sat on 0.8°W, you need SNR above 10dB and quality above 60%. Below that, the tuner drops packets and the video stutters.

If signal is fine, the freezing may be ECM-timing related — the control word is arriving just after the crypto period flips. This happens with servers that have high load or poor routing. Test with a different server connection to isolate.

Wrong Dish Alignment vs LNB Issue

If you're getting signal but it's weak and unstable, it's one of two things: the dish isn't aimed at 0.8°W precisely, or the LNB skew is off.

Use a satellite finder app (like Dishpointer or Satfinder) to calculate the exact azimuth and elevation for 0.8°W from your location. Then use a signal meter or your receiver's signal screen to peak the dish. After peaking azimuth and elevation, adjust the LNB rotation (skew) until signal quality is maximized. Skew matters more at 0.8°W than it does for closer-to-south satellites.

Signal Quality and Dish Alignment for 0.8°W

0.8°W is a western position relative to most of Central and Eastern Europe, which means the satellite is at a lower elevation angle than you'd expect, and the skew requirement is more pronounced.

Minimum Dish Size by Region

• Central Romania (Bucharest area): 60cm works reliably
• Northern Romania, Transylvania: 60cm, though 70cm gives better rain fade margin
• Moldova, eastern Romania, Black Sea coast: 80cm recommended, 90cm for margin
• Central Europe (Hungary, Slovakia): 80cm minimum, 90cm preferred
• Western Ukraine, extreme footprint edge: 90cm–120cm

Don't try to get away with a smaller dish than these recommendations. Thor's EIRP toward the edge of the beam drops sharply. Rain fade at a marginal signal level causes exactly the kind of intermittent freezing that's nearly impossible to diagnose correctly.

LNB Type and Skew Angle

Use a standard universal Ku-band LNB (9750/10600 MHz local oscillator frequencies). Single or quad output depending on how many tuners you're feeding. Avoid cheap no-name LNBs with high noise figures — 0.1dB LNB is the spec to look for.

Skew angle for 0.8°W from Romania is around +20 to +25 degrees (clockwise when facing the dish from the front). From further west — Hungary, Austria — it's less, around +15 degrees. Use a satellite alignment calculator with your exact GPS coordinates to get the right value before you start tweaking.

Co-Rotation Issues with Nearby Satellites

Ku-band satellites at 4.8°E (Astra 4A), 5°E (Sirius 4), and 7°E (Eutelsat 7A/B) can cause interference on small dishes when aiming at 0.8°W if the dish isn't exactly pointed at the right slot. This shows up as elevated noise floor rather than obvious interference — your signal quality reads 65% instead of 85%, and you can't figure out why.

The fix is precise dish alignment. Use a 4-figure azimuth reading and fine-tune with your receiver's signal screen. If you're in a location with good sightlines, you can actually see the quality improve as you sweep through the nearby positions.

Monoblock LNB Options for 0.8°W + 13°E

A number of users in Romania want both Focus Sat on 0.8°W and Hot Bird channels on 13°E. A monoblock LNB handles both positions with a single dish, using two LNB elements with a fixed separation matching the angular difference between 0.8°W and 13°E (about 13.8 degrees).

Products from Inverto and Dur-Line are commonly used for this. The dish is aimed at a midpoint between the two positions and the LNB geometry takes care of the rest. Skew adjustment on a monoblock is trickier — optimizing for one position can degrade the other slightly. Find the balance point where both signals are acceptable rather than maximizing one.

One gotcha: if your monoblock shows one position decoding and the other not, check which LNB input your receiver's tuner is connected to. Some monoblock LNBs label them 0.8°W and 13°E — swap them if you're getting the wrong satellite.