Poor Reception Channel 5 & BBC2 - COSTA BLANCA

[JMW]

I have just had a 1.9m Portugese Dish installed with an Invacom quad LNB. BigSat BS-S 501 XTRA receiver box. The dish is white not grey (I hope it is the Portugese Famaval as I specifically asked for that make). The reception of the following channels is either non existent or very weak: All on Astra 2A 28.2E - Channel 5 & CBBC 10773 H 22000, BBC2 10803 H 22000, Film 4 10714 H 22000, and other channels on these frequencies. Should I be receiving these channels along with such as Fiver and a few others or not? I don't have any channels tuned in on Astra 2D should I be able to receive on this as well? Thanks

[Tivù]

10773 is on 2D!

I suspect you are being misled by whatever Label was pre-stored for the 28.2/28.5 E position in your Rx. No matter. Just rename it "UK" for example and then all is clear.

You won't get Fiver because it is Encrypted (FTV on the Sky Platform).

So the bottom line is you are getting 2D but not sufficiently well. Whether this is due to inadequate alignment or whether the Dish is too small is difficult to say.

Full Channel listings for 28E here _http://www.flysat.com/28east.php

I suggest you either Edit the pre-stored Transponder list for this position in your Rx, or carry out an Auto/Blind Scan if the Rx has that feature. That won't solve the weak 2D reception issue, but will at least get you more or less up to date with the rest of the stuff on 2A,B,C and Eurobird.

[JMW]

Thank you, as you can guess I am not an expert on this!! Just thought I would have had a few more channels.

[Tivù]

Thank you, as you can guess I am not an expert on this!! Just thought I would have had a few more channels.

Sorry, but I was busy tinkering with my previous Post while you were replying! Have another read

[woborny]

I have just had a 1.9m Portugese Dish installed with an Invacom quad LNB. BigSat BS-S 501 XTRA receiver box. The dish is white not grey (I hope it is the Portugese Famaval as I specifically asked for that make). The reception of the following channels is either non existent or very weak: All on Astra 2A 28.2E - Channel 5 & CBBC 10773 H 22000, BBC2 10803 H 22000, Film 4 10714 H 22000, and other channels on these frequencies. Should I be receiving these channels along with such as Fiver and a few others or not? I don't have any channels tuned in on Astra 2D should I be able to receive on this as well? Thanks

the Astra 2ds horizontal frequencies, that carry BBC2,3,4, CBBC, film4, FTA Five etc are very very weak on the costa blanca. you will not get these 24/7...even on a big 2.4m dish.

if you are north of Calpe your reception of these 2d H's is good from around 2am til 6pm...
if youa re south of alicante, then these signals are good from about 6pm til about 12 am

(these are very approximate as they all vary with dish type and lnb and receiver!)

not all the hype about famaval dishs is true. i have a nonfamaval 1.8m dish, and had the two side by side and tested them and the non famaval dish outperformed the famaval dish by over 1/2 and hour for the astra2d Hs!!

[satelliteman]

FTV Channel 5 would be an easy catch being on South beam but you'd require a digibox and card for that.

Did your installer not take you through what channels you'd get and what you wouldn't?

[JMW]

Thank you Woborny. I don't feel so bad re the Famaval now! I am South of Torrevieja near to San Javier, Murcia so will see if the signal is any better during the evening.

[JMW]

Thanks Satelliteman. The 'installer' did not do much in the way of telling me anything re the channels which I could and could not receive just whizzed through. I am aware that there is a problem with some channels including 5 and BBC2 but thought I would receive them at some time of the day. To press nothing with BBC2 and a pixeling channel 5 at about 1830 hrs yesterday. I'll maybe get them back to check the lnb direction is correct maybe they need to fine tune it. Thanks.

[Huevos]

not all the hype about famaval dishs is true. i have a nonfamaval 1.8m dish, and had the two side by side and tested them and the non famaval dish outperformed the famaval dish by over 1/2 and hour for the astra2d Hs!!

Where are you located? There are horizontals receivable on a 2.4m from Benidorm going north for part of the day, but South Costa Blanca on a 1.8m dish not a chance.

[Topper]

Where are you located?

Post 7 seems to cover that answer

Thank you Woborny. I don't feel so bad re the Famaval now! I am South of Torrevieja near to San Javier, Murcia so will see if the signal is any better during the evening.

[Huevos]

Post 7 seems to cover that answer

I was talking to Woborny, not the OP.

[Topper]

I was talking to Woborny, not the OP.

Ah yes my apologies it must be time for bed

[woborny]

Where are you located? There are horizontals receivable on a 2.4m from Benidorm going north for part of the day, but South Costa Blanca on a 1.8m dish not a chance.

I am in Gandia.
i have found that 2.4s from Alicant to calpe get bbc2 until about 3 or 5pm.
north of there it gets easier...and in Gandia i get them til about 6 or 7 pm on a 1.8m dish.
in el saler (just south of valencia) i have got bbc2 til 4pm....on a 1m dish - yet 20kms inland you need a 1.8m dish to get bbc2 at 4pm!

in torre, for what ever reason, these horizontal 2ds strart to get stronger after 6pm...some people with a 2.4 in the torre area report that they start to get bbc2 from about 4pm....and i know a few top gear fans who watch it on their 1.8...

but the torre area is weird, as signal reception really varies and is not consistant...maybe something to do with the local geography or maybe other "illegal" signals floating around in the area...

Did your installer not take you through what channels you'd get and what you wouldn't?

maybe he was in a rush to feed his horse....yehaaaa cowboy!!!

[Huevos]

i have found that 2.4s from Alicant to calpe get bbc2 until about 3 or 5pm.

Hmm! I'm in Alicante and I don't know anyone that can receive any horizontals on a 2.4m. The closest I have ever seen one working to here is Benidorm. Going south I have never seen one receive horizontals, but 6pm is well too late for me to be out playing with satellite dishes.

the torre area is weird

And the residents. 1.2 offset dish with an Inverto Black Ultra LNB and a Pace 2600C1 seems to fine fine for all verticals there.

This brings us to another thing, the receiver. Has anyone here ever used the BigSat BS-S 501 XTRA? It looks very cheap; maybe it's deaf.

One other thing, what meter did the installer use to align the dish? If it was a squaker you can be sure it's not aligned properly.

[satelliteman]

Take a snap shot of the dish and upload the picture so we can see out of interest. As said you may well have an alignment issue or feed / skew incorrectly set etc.

[JMW]

Sorry I don't have a camera at the moment.

Have been in touch with the 'supplier' they say that if they try to adjust for channel 5 etc we will loose everthing else???!!? Is this true? I haven't got anything on 10773H, surely this is something that they should be able to sort? Could it be the receiver box that is no use?

They also said that Channel 5 is coming onto freesat at the end of August, I thought it was already on freesat or have I got it wrong? Sometimes I think some people think that the customers are stupid, maybe sometimes we are but not all the time!!

[woborny]

10773H has the freesat version of five on it...it has been there for a few months now...so no idea what you installer is taking about....
unless he means the (constant) rumours about the other "five" channels possibly going FTA also...

[JMW]

Should I be able to receive channels on the frequency 10773H? Or can there be problems? Maybe the installer is trying to pull the wool over my eyes, I have done quite a lot of reading on this site and thought I should be able to receive on this frequency even though it may be only at certain times of the day.

[woborny]

you may only get the 2d H's for a few hours (if that) if your 1.8m dish is correctly aligned,....as i said before, even peeps with a 2.4 struggle to get it. 24/7
maybe people on your local forum (torrevieja.co.uk) can be more specific...there are a few on there in villamartin (is that nr you?) who get some bbc2 in the evening on a 1.8m dish.

Had our 1.9 Famaval dish fitted by xxxxxx. No problems at all, even get BBC2 most of the afternoon and all evening, though they warned us we might not.

[JMW]

thanks for that I'll have a look on there. It's a 1.9 dish but don't suppose the extra 10cm will make much difference if they have probs with 2.4's!!

Will there be any better reception with a Sky box and free to view Sky card if I can get hold of one?

I'm nearer to San Javier than torrevieja.

[woborny]

the Sky version of five (and sister channels) should be available on an 80 - 1m dish with no problems....

i call the dishes 1.8m...as that is the reflectors size (ok 1.79m if you really want to be picky!) and is what is on all the tech sheets from the manufacturers. many installers call them 1.9m...sounds like you are getting more for your money!...this measurement it refers to the dishes full size, edge to edge...and therefore the "extra" 10cm refers to the surrounding rim also...
found this on a site somewhere...

For reference Famaval dish sizes are

1.4 prime focus
Outside diameter: 1440mm x 1440mm
Relector diameter: 1330mm x 1330mm

1.8 prime focus
Outside diameter: 1940mm x 1940mm
Relector diameter: 1790mm x 1790mm

2.4 prime focus
Outside diameter: 2470mm x 2470mm
Relector diameter: 2290mm x 2290mm

[satelliteman]

Will there be any better reception with a Sky box and free to view Sky card if I can get hold of one?

If it's FIVE you really want, FTV 'five & family' would be an easy catch as it's on the South beam.

[JMW]

Thank you Woborny and Satelliteman. The engineer has just been!! Seems like it was the office staff who were spinning the tales about 5 moving in a month and that we would not get the channels I spoke about earlier. I now have 5 and BBC2 and other associated channels on 10773H. Not brilliant signals all the time but I'll see how they go.

Thanks again you are always very helpful to us novices!

[Huevos]

JMW, what meter did the "engineer" use? Was it a proper meter or just a squawker?

Also, I've got a Pace 2600C1 with FTV card available here if you need it. It would cure your C5 problem without a doubt, and I'm sure the tuner would out perform that cheap FTA receiver you've got there.