Astra Satellite Footprint

[Byronic]

Concur with the above, the technological theory behind satellite transmission is no doubt an exact science. The practical appication at the consumer end is anything but.

Over 20 years ago I contemplated getting an Oyster set up, but was a bit sceptical about reception in southern Spain and Portugal with high hopes for Morocco, decided on a basic manual setup first..... based on advice given by an "expert" at Maxview these were early days in sat TV reception, there were very few alternative sources of advice. He, "the expert" was wrong, the dish was too small, the Pace box not sufficiently sensitive, I found this out the hard way by actually attempting to use the set up in situ.

Lesson learned, this time I'll wait until the main body of opinion comes down on one set up guaranteed to work, or as near as dammit. In other words I'll let others try first. Unbelievable how many hours some people spend, in obtaining or attempting to obtain sat reception, and then find out all they can get even on an auto system is Sky News. often it's wildcampers on beautiful sunny days (trying to keep the leisure battery topped up) twitching the dish and tuning away indoors for hours:rolleyes2:
.

 

[lebesset]

I was at javea since the change ,in fine weather .....someone parked near me was getting , on his manual 85 dish , only CNN and Sky news [ and some other odd channels I think ] but was getting BBC radio , maybe others but he didn't say

 

[John H]

I was at javea since the change ,in fine weather .....someone parked near me was getting , on his manual 85 dish , only CNN and Sky news [ and some other odd channels I think ] but was getting BBC radio , maybe others but he didn't say

Thanks - that was helpful. It is beginning to look as if what is possible now might not be so very different from what was possible before the changeover - which was the object of my question. If others could publish their recent experiences then we might be able to build up an accurate picture (pardon the pun!).

Some people on here have misunderstood the question. It is quite simple really - have you noticed any change in satellite radio reception in southern Spain since the changeover? The weather, the topography, the location and the time of day have always had an effect on reception - they are not relevant to this question. What I am asking is whether or not, all other things being equal, reception is significantly different now.

 

[lebesset]

for technical reasons the signal strength has to have weakened in the area you are interested ...but is that the point ?
the question is ...will the strength still be sufficient to receive the radio programmes on your equipment ? the answer to that is ....to a greater extent than the freesat TV channels are ; that , as observed , is yet to be determined ; but for sure , it is not as in the days of 1N !

if it is important to you it is easily solved for 50p/day plus an internet radio , carrefour spain SIM in your smart phone , tether the radio to that by wifi ; you could even play it through your laptop

 

[John H]

for technical reasons the signal strength has to have weakened in the area you are interested ...but is that the point ?
the question is ...will the strength still be sufficient to receive the radio programmes on your equipment ? the answer to that is ....to a greater extent than the freesat TV channels are ; that , as observed , is yet to be determined ; but for sure , it is not as in the days of 1N !

if it is important to you it is easily solved for 50p/day plus an internet radio , carrefour spain SIM in your smart phone , tether the radio to that by wifi

Thanks. I have said above that internet radio is not as good because it tends to be slow and buffers a lot. If all else fails, it is better than nothing (and tv can be received on the internet via Filmon etc) but satellite is the best option if available - which is why I am interested in people's actual experiences since February.

 

[Deleted member 9237]

John there was something on the Spanish TV news about trying to stop many Xpats from getting sky TV here now some friends of mine are having problems getting BBC here with a 2.4 dish if you look on Google under Spanish TV in think there is a lot on there about it :wave:

 

[lebesset]

Thanks. I have said above that internet radio is not as good because it tends to be slow and buffers a lot. If all else fails, it is better than nothing (and tv can be received on the internet via Filmon etc) but satellite is the best option if available - which is why I am interested in people's actual experiences since February.

you have experienced buffering on internet radio ? I've certainly had the problem on any form of video , but not radio

maybe it depends on the radio , I have a new one awaiting my next trip to the uk so hope that is ok ; reason for that one is that it is supposed to run for 12 hours on the rechargable battery , and the battery is recharged by 12v DC !

 

[Wooie1958]

John there was something on the Spanish TV news about trying to stop many Xpats from getting sky TV here now some friends of mine are having problems getting BBC here with a 2.4 dish if you look on Google under Spanish TV in think there is a lot on there about it :wave:

One of these should help :-

 

[Byronic]

Thanks. I have said above that internet radio is not as good because it tends to be slow and buffers a lot. If all else fails, it is better than nothing (and tv can be received on the internet via Filmon etc) but satellite is the best option if available - which is why I am interested in people's actual experiences since February.

By the time you get definitive responses that you "trust" you could probably learn Spanish and/or French, if you don't already speaka el lingo of course. Fortunately I am conversant with one of these languages, but perhaps not so fortunate when it happens to be Spanish. Spanish TV? dire is the word that comes to mind , however French TV is not much, if any better, or so I'm informed by the fmore fluent. Another option is Terrestial DVBT, Nitro can be picked up in many areas mostly English language American cop type progs and fims. Spanish stations often have dubbed English language films twiddling with the remote to delete subtitles brings up the English soundtrack.

I tune in to NZ radio stations in Spain France etc. and if the wifi is slow most of the stations have a slower speed connection option to overcome buffering problems. I don't know if the BBC radio provide likewise?

BBC Radio 4 is still available on longwave. I receive it nearly everywhere in Spain and France, quality of reception varies greatly, mainly down to distance from source but mountains, buildings, other obstructions all have an effect.

 

[wints]

Hi Allen. I can't PM you but as I'm in Raco perhaps I could call in and say hello sometime?
John

Hi John, we're on pitch 26, and will be here till April 24 (ish), maybe longer, depends on how the night of the 23rd goes ???

It appears a few folk on here don't read all of the threads that are posted....here in Benidorm I definitely can't receive any bbc radio on my 110 cm dish, whereas last winter I could.

I can't get any bbc, itv, ch4, ch5.

regards
Allen

 

[Deleted member 9237]

I thought that the idea of having a holiday was to get away from the rat race don't matter what country you come from i could never understand why any one sets in doors watching tv when on holiday, not wanting to upset anyone with this,:wave:

 

[Siimplyloco]

Hi John, we're on pitch 26, and will be here till April 24 (ish), maybe longer, depends on how the night of the 23rd goes ???

It appears a few folk on here don't read all of the threads that are posted....here in Benidorm I definitely can't receive any bbc radio on my 110 cm dish, whereas last winter I could.

I can't get any bbc, itv, ch4, ch5.

regards
Allen

We're on 269. We'll have to put some more beer in the fridge....
My folding 70cm dish hasn't been out of its bag as it's pointless nowadays!
John

 

[Byronic]

I thought that the idea of having a holiday was to get away from the rat race don't matter what country you come from i could never understand why any one sets in doors watching tv when on holiday, not wanting to upset anyone with this,:wave:

Some of those mid winter nights in Spain even in the best "hotspots" can be a bit parky and with dusk falling at 5:30pm it's no bad thing to have TV reception in addition to reading, radio, getting plastered, particularly when wilding somewhere somewhat isolated and long terming. Just a personal view, but put it this way I'd like to have the choice

It's another matter in the summer though, when on say, just a couple or three weeks holiday, I would then make every minute count in lieu of TV viewing, again a personal preference.

 

[John H]

It appears a few folk on here don't read all of the threads that are posted....here in Benidorm I definitely can't receive any bbc radio on my 110 cm dish, whereas last winter I could.

Yes - I read that. And I read the other useful replies too. Clearly there has been a weakening of the signals but the overall effect, from what people have reported, seems to be that overall reception is not so very different to what it used to be - certainly not as bad as some people feared.

And Byronic - its not a matter of getting a definitive answer that I can "trust"; it is a matter of finding out from people's personal experiences whether the anticipated reduction in service has been as great as feared. From what has been posted so far it seems more likely than not that we can continue to listen to the Archers Omnibus throughout next winter (sad, aren't we???)

 

[Byronic]

[No message]

 

[lebesset]

I think motorhomers haven't yet fully realised that the footprint has large lobes so that reception is not dependant just on how far south you are , but where you are related to the lobes
eg
in southern france near the pyrenees residents who formerly got good reception on 80cm dishes now get only intermittant reception on 1.2 metres according to the weather

in the barcelona area where 1 metre used to give good reception a 1.6 to 1.8 metres is required

in javea where a 1.4 metre used to be the absolute minimum a well tuned 1 metre is now giving all channels after the change in good weather ...we didn't have any bad weather while I was there so I don't know what happens in that case ; I am surprised to read of no reception in benidorm [ not one of my haunts ] on a 1.1 metre dish , especially for radio ; unless , of course , the poster is talking about a dish 1.1 metres high and 1 metre wide which performs as a 1 metre dish despite what is put in the adverts ; even so I would have expected a correctly tuned dish to bring in radio

finally , in france at least , for a given distance south the reception gets worse the further east you go

I can't give eye witness reports further down the coast as I was late going south this winter and only got as far as murcia where I didn't meet up with other english people and discuss this

oh , for the long wave brigade , the thermionic valves used in the BBC equipment are no longer manufactured , so when the small stock they have is used it will be the end of the road for LW

 

[WildThingsKev]

I think motorhomers haven't yet fully realised that the footprint has large lobes so that reception is not dependant just on how far south you are , but where you are related to the lobes
eg
in southern france near the pyrenees residents who formerly got good reception on 80cm dishes now get only intermittant reception on 1.2 metres according to the weather

in the barcelona area where 1 metre used to give good reception a 1.6 to 1.8 metres is required

in javea where a 1.4 metre used to be the absolute minimum a well tuned 1 metre is now giving all channels after the change in good weather ...we didn't have any bad weather while I was there so I don't know what happens in that case ; I am surprised to read of no reception in benidorm [ not one of my haunts ] on a 1.1 metre dish , especially for radio ; unless , of course , the poster is talking about a dish 1.1 metres high and 1 metre wide which performs as a 1 metre dish despite what is put in the adverts ; even so I would have expected a correctly tuned dish to bring in radio

finally , in france at least , for a given distance south the reception gets worse the further east you go

I can't give eye witness reports further down the coast as I was late going south this winter and only got as far as murcia where I didn't meet up with other english people and discuss this

oh , for the long wave brigade , the thermionic valves used in the BBC equipment are no longer manufactured , so when the small stock they have is used it will be the end of the road for LW

Agree, except that I think people will now find that SE France gets better reception than SW France.

 

[maxi77]

Yes - I read that. And I read the other useful replies too. Clearly there has been a weakening of the signals but the overall effect, from what people have reported, seems to be that overall reception is not so very different to what it used to be - certainly not as bad as some people feared.

And Byronic - its not a matter of getting a definitive answer that I can "trust"; it is a matter of finding out from people's personal experiences whether the anticipated reduction in service has been as great as feared. From what has been posted so far it seems more likely than not that we can continue to listen to the Archers Omnibus throughout next winter (sad, aren't we???)

I can assure you that the lack of reception in much of Iberia is a reality, the suppliers of dishes to expats are now selling IPTV services as fast as they can, as I said try that madid companies websit for info

 

[Byronic]

It appears that what may eventuate is a chioce between the lesser of 2 evils as is personally perceived, and that is (a) go for the satellite reception areas and probably overcrowded as a result, with a 2M dish to cover all eventualities, or (b) go for the no satellite reception areas, but probably no crowding, what a dilemma:sad:
To a degree this is what happened in the past. Such is the allure of Corrie and E.Enders.

 

[lebesset]

Agree, except that I think people will now find that SE France gets better reception than SW France.

why do you think that ?

it's where I rest my head and can assure you that what you say is not the case !