Des97 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I have used a 60cm dish with a Freeview box (don't have a Sky account) for the last 4 years successfully, even as far as Florence on satellite Astra 28E. I have read in a national newspaper that channels on satellite Astra 2F have been moved to Astra 2E which no longer transmits BBC, C4 & ITV channels to continental Europe. Is there any expert advice out there as to the accuracy and implications of what I have read? Des Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klyne Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Des The satellite channels have only recently (weeks) moved to the new satellite and the spot beam is much tighter than previous satellites. If you want to receive the main UK channels it looks as if a 60cms dish might only work as far south as say the Loire Valley and for the South of France an 80cms dish might be required. A lot of this is untested as yet. There have been reports of people with 85cms Oyster Dish still being able to get the BBC in some parts of Spain. If that is the case it might mean the footprint is not as restrictive as first thought. You should still be able to get exclusive Sky programmes with your dish as they are still broadcast on north and south beams but that won't include the likes of BBC/ITV, at least that is my understanding. David Quote David - Milton Keynes Bailey Alliance 66-2 Motorhome for holidays and a Kia Venga for home. Caravan Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ern Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Yes that's about right David. Here in Spain there are Brits on their knees in the streets weeping because they can no longer get the soaps. There is currently a plethora of companies advertising software for downloading it on the internet, but they don't mention the broadband required to receive it. If you are relying on campsite wifi, you will be limited to BBC radio (and Classic FM). Personally, we gave up bothering with UK TV a couple of years ago because the programs you get are so b. .... awful! Quote Ern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumdrop Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Someone posted this, http://skyinmadrid. com/pages/news. html some good information here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispMan Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My s-i-l is (as we write) testing his home made 1. 9m dish near Almeria. At present it works (!) but has only the channels he had with his original smaller dish - that is, none of the BBC or ITV channels. Today is tweak day and if no luck, then it is onwards and upwards with a 2. 3m dish. The hero in the world of sat dishes is a Nigerian with a home made 5m dish!! However a VPN will give you a UK IP address and then access to BBC iPlayer etc. But the hunt is on in S. Spain for a fully working dish with full channel access. Quote Graham Unless otherwise stated all posts are my personal opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Blanc Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 we gave up bothering with UK TV a couple of years ago because the programs you get are so b. .... awful! Would you have us all believe that the programmes you get on Spanish or French TV are much better Ian? Vin Blanc Quote It is sometimes better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than to speak out and have it proven! Frontera 3. 2L V6 4x4 tugging Compass Magnum Classic 540 (quite easily!) Tripod mounted 57cm "Arcon Multi" prime focus dish - Humax Foxsat HD Recorder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumdrop Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My s-i-l is (as we write) testing his home made 1. 9m dish near Almeria. At present it works (!) but has only the channels he had with his original smaller dish - that is, none of the BBC or ITV channels. Today is tweak day and if no luck, then it is onwards and upwards with a 2. 3m dish. The hero in the world of sat dishes is a Nigerian with a home made 5m dish!! However a VPN will give you a UK IP address and then access to BBC iPlayer etc. But the hunt is on in S. Spain for a fully working dish with full channel access. If the footprint is so much tighter, increasing the size of the dish seems to be a futile endevour unless you can move it into the footprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Blanc Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 (edited) If the footprint is so much tighter, increasing the size of the dish seems to be a futile endevour unless you can move it into the footprint. Only if you have the misfortune to be in one of the dead (or null) zones such as Barcelona for example. Making the footprint "tighter" doesn't necessarily mean that the geographical limits have reduced, merely that the signal strength has reduced in any given location. Normally, the nearer you are to the outer limits of the footprint, the larger size dish you now need. Any one reasonably located somewhere within the the footprint can regain most of their lost channels simply by increasing the size of their dish! (unless you are in the "dead" zone) . Vin Blanc . Edited March 8, 2014 by Vin Blanc Quote It is sometimes better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than to speak out and have it proven! Frontera 3. 2L V6 4x4 tugging Compass Magnum Classic 540 (quite easily!) Tripod mounted 57cm "Arcon Multi" prime focus dish - Humax Foxsat HD Recorder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ern Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Vin Blanc. My extensive knowledge of Spanish language ensures that I don't watch it. Quote Ern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penman Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My experience of satellite tv with the caravan in the Costa Brava goes back 15 years, using Sky and with a subscription we will still be able to obtain the pay for view channels unless sky decide to move them to the spot beam. In 2013 I could not get non HD C5s and never met anyone who could, this was an indication of what was to come when the other UK channels moved. The present situation as I understand it is the signal in much of the Costa Brava is either very weak or null. Reading comments that expats have posted on many web sites much of Spain and the med coast of France are not able to receive UK tv. These people may be able to restore reception with larger dishes, For us Caravanners this is not an option, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommanderDave Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My s-i-l is (as we write) testing his home made 1. 9m dish near Almeria. At present it works (!) but has only the channels he had with his original smaller dish - that is, none of the BBC or ITV channels. Today is tweak day and if no luck, then it is onwards and upwards with a 2. 3m dish. The hero in the world of sat dishes is a Nigerian with a home made 5m dish!! However a VPN will give you a UK IP address and then access to BBC iPlayer etc. But the hunt is on in S. Spain for a fully working dish with full channel access. About 25yrs ago when Sky and Sat here was in it's infancy it was very common for people to have large dishes and 3 - 4m dishes were advertised as free buyer collects and people were using them as ponds. How times change not like that now. Dave Quote Jeep Commander 3. 0 V6 CRD Isuzu D- Max Utah Auto Elddis Crusader Storm 2000 Kgs, Unipart Royal Atlas Mover . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Blanc Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 (edited) These people may be able to restore reception with larger dishes, For us Caravanners this is not an option, For any caravanners who just can’t live without their daily dose of "soaps" and/or "footy" they could always consider trading-in the beloved 4x4 for a removal van, large enough to tow a caravan and accommodate a 2. 4m dish! Vin Blanc Edited March 8, 2014 by Vin Blanc Quote It is sometimes better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than to speak out and have it proven! Frontera 3. 2L V6 4x4 tugging Compass Magnum Classic 540 (quite easily!) Tripod mounted 57cm "Arcon Multi" prime focus dish - Humax Foxsat HD Recorder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&L Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Have just read the above post's with interests and I can confirm that just outside Benidorm I can with an Automatic 85cm dish receive the following channels BBC1 South west, BBC1 Oxford, BBC1 Northern Ireland & BBC1 South also BBC2 Northern Ireland . Channel 5, 5+1, 5 USA, 5 USA+1 and 5 star also Channel 4 HD, 4seven, STV (scottish itv) Channel islands ITV and Northern ireland ITV (UTV) also all Sky channels including Movies and Sport . Am using a Bush Freesat HD box and also a Sky pace 1000 minibox and viewing card and Chrystop Autosat2 85cm automatic dish with 0. 2db gain LNB. Only time I lose any channels or suffer picture break up is during rain or low cloud. FL Quote 2022 Pilote P696GJ for European touring- 2022 Coachman VIP 565 for touring the UK towed by a 2020 Kia Sportage GT line S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunarloopy Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 We will be in Provence when world cup is on, no UK TV accepted, but what local TV channels will we be able to receive on either status ariel or satellite system? Quote Volvo XC60 D5 AWD AUTO. Lunar Lexon 570 We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing 2 x darling grandaughters and her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispMan Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Foghorn - really excellent news as you are N of Almeria but not as far N as Barcelona. You are obviously well aligned. Congratulations. Quote Graham Unless otherwise stated all posts are my personal opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satandpcguy Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Well the Valencia / Costa Blanca area is in a "hot spot" for the signal, and 2e and 2f Uk beams can be received on smaller 80cm dishes in some areas. "I have read in a national newspaper that channels on satellite Astra 2F have been moved to Astra 2E which no longer transmits " - 2e and 2f are the new satellites - channels have been moved from 2b and 1n to these new satellites. "You should still be able to get exclusive Sky programmes with your dish as they are still broadcast on north and south beams" - only a handful of Sky pay channels are on Astra 2A which has the north and south beams. The rest are on the European beams of 2e and 2f. The new satellites do not have north and south beams, only UK and European. "Here in Spain there are Brits on their knees in the streets weeping because they can no longer get the soaps." - not where I am based!!! "My s-i-l is (as we write) testing his home made 1. 9m dish near Almeria. At present it works (!) but has only the channels he had with his original smaller dish - that is, none of the BBC or ITV channels. Today is tweak day and if no luck, then it is onwards and upwards with a 2. 3m dish" - Almeria is a place where the signal does change a lot over a short distance meaning a 1. 8 or 2. 4m dish is required depending exactly where you are. "The hero in the world of sat dishes is a Nigerian with a home made 5m dish!!" - I thought Klaus Schumacher in Brazil with his home made 8m dish was the hero! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klyne Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 What puzzles me is how people seem to be getting some regional BBB programmes but not others, are they being transmitted on different satellites? David Quote David - Milton Keynes Bailey Alliance 66-2 Motorhome for holidays and a Kia Venga for home. Caravan Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satandpcguy Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Different regions on different frequencies "verticals" and "horizontals" - can be differences in signal levels between these. (similar to the old 2D days where for some verticals were better than horizontals") Also some BBC HD regions are on 2E, some are on 2F - different satellites, different reception Edited March 9, 2014 by satandpcguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&L Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Further to my previous post were now at Camping Monmar, Moncofa, Castelon which is north of Valencia and the following BBC 1 regions are available Oxford, South, South West, Wales, West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire, Northern Ireland are available with no break up . ITV 3, 3+1, Channel 4 HD and Channel 5, 5+1, 5 USA, 5 USA +1 and 5star . Still have ITV scotland, UTV and ITV west country plus some other regions . As Satandpcguy says valencia area and down to Benidorm seems to be ok with smaller dishes. FL Quote 2022 Pilote P696GJ for European touring- 2022 Coachman VIP 565 for touring the UK towed by a 2020 Kia Sportage GT line S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bopeep Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 At home here on the costa blanca I have a 2. 4 dish and I have not been troubled by the movements of the satellites, that is until tonight when we were told that to get BBC1 HD we were to tune it into channel 101 it also said it will be coming back shortly, I hope they are right. All other channels remain untouched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satandpcguy Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 bopeep; not to sure what you are saying. there have been no changes to bbc channels (SD or HD) since February - certainly not in the last few days. perhaps you are confusing the bBC1HD logo that says to get your local bbc news to tune to 101. ...? which is a standard banner on BBC1HD England, as they cannot yet provide all the local area news in HD for all BBC1 England regions. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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