Frankkia Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 As of this morning Astra 2E has done a neat handbrake turn into the 28.2 degree parking slot and has been seen broadcasting a beacon. SES (the owners) have announced that all is well with the satellite and it will go into commercial service tomorrow (1st Feb). So it should not be long before the ex pats and 'vanners in Spain and Portugal should see how much effect it will have on "Free to air" TV reception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hi Bernie. It all seemed to happen here yesterday. We are at Benidorm with cable tv into the van The camp seemed to be retuning channels most of yesterday and when I put tv on tonight it was all crackly then retuned it myself and all that is coming in is channel 5 tonight. There was something on Talk Europe radio about the changes this week and I just caught the tail end of it saying 3 different methods expats could tune in at a cost. Never mind, moving tomorrow and have enough videos to last us anyway. chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Can still get UK tv via our pitch wifi on the laptop using "Filmon"............though a bit stop start at times *-).......but I only watch the news................and Bargain Hunt ;-)............... I see the UK has a new county.................Sunkenset 8-)....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Filmon? Is this free? Would we be able to use it to watch bbc1 for 6 nations matches?? Is there any problem with it? chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 wow. just registered with filmon and I am watching perfect live tv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 chris - 2014-01-31 9:14 PM wow. just registered with filmon and I am watching perfect live tv. Perfect 8-)..........................must be my old steam powered laptop then :-(.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Thanks Peletman. Lets hope wifi signal is as good in our new camp tomorrow, chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hi Chris. I don't know what they were doing in Benidorm but the channels haven't moved over to Astra 2E yet. They may have been installing new equipment ready for the changes. Channel 5 is on Astra 2F on a UK beam - If they are getting that then they will also be able to get the BBC and ITV channels when they migrate to Astra 2E later in Feb. Judging by the reports coming in about reception of the UK spot beams they would need a fair size dish in Benidorm - On the southern coast of Spain it would have to be massive. Looks like Filmon are going to get a lot more fans Camp sites will have to either invest in some big dishes or some pretty hefty bandwidth for their broadband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bounty hunter Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Still catching BBC/ITV here in Torremolinos but tuned to Astra 2A-B. Haven't retracted the dish for several days so don't know what will happen then. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 BBC and ITV are currently being broadcast from Astra 1N but the changes will happen over the next 3 weeks. Astra !N is due to be moved to the 19 degree position when all of the current broadcasters have been moved from it to Astra 2E. 2E has a much smaller footprint than 1N and is about the same as Astra 2F - If you can receive all of the Channel 5 programming (which is on 2F) now then you will likely get BBC and ITV when they move over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 As far as I know if you can receive Channel 5 now you should be able to receive the main UK channels when the new satellite is commissioned. So those of you in Benidorm should be OK with the onsite dish which on Villasol is at least 2 or possibly 3 metres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Ok - It happens tonight. Most of the BBC regions will be moved on to the Astra 2E UK beam in the early hours of 6th Feb. There will probably be a lot of tears before tomorrow nights bed time in a great many ex pat (In southern Spain) households. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 My Dad will be lost................he spends most of his day in front of the telly :-|........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Frankkia - 2014-02-05 6:12 PM Ok - It happens tonight. Most of the BBC regions will be moved on to the Astra 2E UK beam in the early hours of 6th Feb. There will probably be a lot of tears before tomorrow nights bed time in a great many ex pat (In southern Spain) households. You've just reminded me, when down in Dordonge I used different regional programmes to get a signal, it could make the differance between a watchable picture and one that kept breaking up. Proboly have to do that further north now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Dave - Has your dad got a subscription to Sky. If so there is some slightly better news - Some of the Astra 2A transponders were moved over to the "Pan European" beam yesterday and 1st reports are that they are getting a slightly stronger signal in Spain with the default transponder of 11778 V also showing well. Colin - What size dish are you using? The Dordogne should not be too bad with an 85 plus cm dish (just) - The south east of France will be the big looser along with Spain on the UK spot beam. Channel 5 which is already on the 2F spot is being received in the Dordogne but is lost in s/e France with anything under a 90cm dish according to reports I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Frankkia - 2014-02-05 10:13 PM Colin - What size dish are you using? The Dordogne should not be too bad with an 85 plus cm dish (just) - The south east of France will be the big looser along with Spain on the UK spot beam. Channel 5 which is already on the 2F spot is being received in the Dordogne but is lost in s/e France with anything under a 90cm dish according to reports I have seen. I use an i-sat, this has only got a 40cm cassegrain dish, a certain retailer quotes this as equivelent to 60cm, well thats bulls**t (good job I'm not posting this on his forum) , have got bigger dishes or flatsat I can take if I feel like it, but I not that fussed if only away for couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Hi Colin Yes I have seen many claims for this type of "prime focus" dish since the 1st Arcon Sweety dishes which used similar principles. Although the Sweety did outperform other 60 cm dishes it didn't come up to the "equivalent to 80cm" claimed. It looks as if the Dordogne may be out for your rig but as the signal should be stronger within the advertised Astra 2E UK spot footprint you should see it perform better for signal strength in northern France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Bernie dear boy..... you have a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Until now anybody's best hope of getting a signal in France and Spain is to skew the lnb. On my skewed 65cms dish I have been able to receive channels that the 85cms non skewed dishes can't. Of course even that won't work now in Spain but in France there is a chance. All you need to do is turn the lnb clockwise to between the 7 and 8 O'Clock position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Mike88 - 2014-02-06 1:48 PM Until now anybody's best hope of getting a signal in France and Spain is to skew the lnb. On my skewed 65cms dish I have been able to receive channels that the 85cms non skewed dishes can't. Of course even that won't work now in Spain but in France there is a chance. All you need to do is turn the lnb clockwise to between the 7 and 8 O'Clock position. It depends on where you are relative to the position your skew was originally set. If you were say east of Berlin then you would have the skew the other way at 5 o'clock. and the skew is progressive the further south and east or west you go. The skew will still be necessary if in Spain and you are wanting to receive the channels on the "Pan European" Beam. What may not now be necessary is to change the default transponder on a Sky box as it is now on the "Pan European" Beam and not the previous Astra 2 A northern beam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-02-06 7:23 AM Bernie dear boy..... you have a PM hi Eddie - You have a reply and then another reply. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Further update: It looks like Astra 1N will be setting off for the 19 degree slot on Wednesday and that the remaining channels will be moved from it to Astra 2 E and F in the early hours of Tuesday 11th. That will mean that the remaining ITV channels will go (some regions and HD variants have already gone) as will Channel 4 and the rest of Channel 5. Reception reports coming in are indicating that there are some strange anomalies in the footprint but basically most of the "Free To Air" (National) broadcasters will not be visible to anything short of a 90 cm dish anywhere south of Toulouse - As the footprint is a bit on the ragged side there will be some exceptions. Total dead spots appear to be - The south coast of Spain and most of Portugal from Lisbon and south. The Algarve is particularly badly hit with even 3 meter dishes loosing the signal in many places. Looks like it may be time for some to get a good internet connection and a VPN like http://vibevpn.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Lee Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 No ITV or Channel 4 programmes here in Almeria this morning. Still have Sky News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi Rowan See also my other post - http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Satellite-TV-not-a-total-loss-but-almost/34000/ You may get something from the BBC at least with that - even if it is only part of their "Red Button" service. Almeria has been particularly badly hit, with people reporting no signal from the "UK Spot beam" even with very big dishes (2.4m and above). The higher frequencies on the "Pan European" beam should still be OK for most of Spain. Oddly areas where, previously, they had difficulty when Astra 2D and 1N were broadcasting are now getting a good signal and other areas where they had a good signal are having difficulty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mitch Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I thought I would resurrect this thread as information on the Astra 2E footprint has gone quiet. We have recently stayed at a campsite in Mataro, 30 km's north of Barcelona, where the signal was sufficient for Sky News, Pick, CNN etc. However we have travelled up to Narbonne today, and can now receive BBC, Channel 4, ITV etc. Interestingly we can receive BBC South which has been particularly poor in the past. It would appear that the French / Spanish border is the cut-off point - at least for our Oyster 85 cm dish. Mad Mitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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