85cm picking up 2E Europe in Lapland, Finland

[timo_w2s]

I can't quite believe it but I'm near Kuusamo, Finland by the north eastern border with Russia and with an 85cm dish (TD88), Black Ultra single LNB and a Pace 2600C1 I'm picking up 12480V (2E Europe) clearly tonight, no breakup.

With a similar setup in Helsinki there is no chance, even a 1.8m dish struggles to get that transponder at times so I was quite surprised when Channel 4 came in loud and clear way up north.

I'm also getting 12032H (QVC) with quite bad breakup but the channels are identifiable. No other 2E transponders seem to be receivable. I also cannot get any 2F transponders.

This had led me to believe there may be life after 2A and 28A have gone (which are all currently receivable in the north), especially if I get a slightly bigger dish.

It seems that in the north of Finland the higher frequency 2E Europe transponders are stronger, whereas in the south of Finland the opposite is true and the lower 2E Europe transponders are stronger.

I guess here in the north of Finland I'm picking up a side lobe and presumably somewhere in the central areas there could be a null for the Europe beam? The 2E Europe beam should certainly not be picked up on a 85cm dish in the north east of Finland according to the published SES footprint maps.

I'll be bringing an HD receiver with me next time I visit so I can check some of the DVB-S2 transponders and get some actual signal level readings.

 

[Captain Jack]

Brilliant news! If I were you, I'd just live in the north of Finland...for the nature, you understand. How are the Auroras doing this year. Northern Sweden is quite active!

 

[archive10]

Pretty much astounding! But I suppose a side-lobe must be the answer.
Probably the next one over from the one I exerience over southern Sweden...
Good catch!

 

[timo_w2s]

Brilliant news! If I were you, I'd just live in the north of Finland...for the nature, you understand. How are the Auroras doing this year. Northern Sweden is quite active!

Yes, it is tempting and I nearly did a few years ago.

Pretty much astounding! But I suppose a side-lobe must be the answer.
Probably the next one over from the one I exerience over southern Sweden...
Good catch!

This is the encrypted Channel 4 on the Europe beam though so you are well within the main footprint for that particular beam. But yeah, still pretty cool.

Here's a map I meant to add to the original post to show where my dish in relation to the 2E Europe beam but I got over excited and posted too early. ;)
.

 

[Analoguesat]

Superb catch timo

 

[timo_w2s]

How are the Auroras doing this year. Northern Sweden is quite active!

Apparently they have been very good, some of the best seen this solar cycle, but funnily enough I haven't had much luck as it's always been cloudy when I've been here.

The skies where a bit green last night but I think the source of the light was more terrestrial (street lights).

 

[archive10]

Yes, but still pretty amazing!

 

[archive10]

Apparently they have been very good, some of the best seen this solar cycle, but funnily enough I haven't had much luck as it's always been cloudy when I've been here.

The skies where a bit green last night but I think the source of the light was more terrestrial (street lights).

Uhf! Snow and -6 degrees celcius. I almost forgot it's winter!

 

[skomedal]

Weather conditions are?

Unbelievable on an 85cm so far north well done.

Is this reception stable?

Sorry for questions.

Regards

 

[timo_w2s]

Uhf! Snow and -6 degrees celcius. I almost forgot it's winter!

You'll soon remember if you step outside here. ;)

 

[timo_w2s]

Weather conditions are?

Unbelievable on an 85cm so far north well done.

Is this reception stable?

Sorry for questions.

Regards

I've only just discovered this as it was so unbelievable I hadn't even bothered checking for signals until tonight, just assuming these new 2E transponder moves from a couple of weeks ago where lost up here. I'll be keeping an eye on the reception but rock solid signal on 12480V so far for the past hour or so but I'm assuming it's going to fade out at some point during the next 24 hours. At least it seems strong during the evening prime time at the moment. Will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow evening as we should be getting quite a bit of fresh snow.

At the moment it's just cloudy/misty and about -6C.

I just wish I had taken my F15 receiver with me now as this SD Sky box doesn't really give any useful info.

 

[Captain Jack]

Those snowy pine trees look like something out of a fairy tale.

 

[timo_w2s]

Been monitoring the reception for the past 24 hours every few hours and 12480V has been rock solid all day. This also despite some heavy snow and a bit of ice on the LNB face too. 12032H is strongest in the evening between 8-11pm, with some slight breakup, at other times it is either very broken up or no signal. I also got some kind of signal on 12051V between 8-11pm but I can't view any of those pay channels so not sure how good the quality was. No reception of any other 2E or 2F DVB-S transponders.

So it seems like evening reception of 2E is strongest here in the north which is the opposite to Helsinki in the south. Perhaps more evidence that I'm on the other side of a null that runs through the middle of Finland.

Today they also changed the streetlights from blue/white mercury vapour type to the yellow high pressure sodium lights. Shame they didn't swap them for LEDs as the yellow light somehow isn't as picturesque in the snow.

 

[Captain Jack]

Love the snowy pictures!

 

[timo_w2s]

Love the snowy pictures!

Screw the snow, I'm getting one 2E transponder 24 hours a day!

 

[timo_w2s]

Of course it's only a matter of time before this transponder is switched off and the channels are moved to a UK beam, as people have suggested for a while now. ;)

 

[archive10]

Screw the snow, I'm getting one 2E transponder 24 hours a day!

Dude, Kuusamo is in the middle of no-where. How do you get up there?
Sounds like a 10 hour car journey, or a domestic flight. How to get bigger dishes up there??
(and wth are you doing that far away from anything? thought you pendled between london and helsinki??)

 

[timo_w2s]

Dude, Kuusamo is in the middle of no-where. How do you get up there?
Sounds like a 10 hour car journey, or a domestic flight. How to get bigger dishes up there??
(and wth are you doing that far away from anything? thought you pendled between london and helsinki??)

Hehe, yeah it's a 10 hour drive from Helsinki but it's easily doable in a day. You can fly but flights are not cheap so most of the time we drive. We've got a holiday cottage up here so I'm here a few times a year. It's not that remote, I mean there is a reasonable sized town about half an hour away and it's a great place to ski and go for walks. Even the ADSL syncs at 8Mb (probably would go faster if we upgraded to "up to 24Mb").

The annoying thing is I have a spare 1.25m Gibertini dish in Helsinki which sounds like it might be a good upgrade from the TD88 but it doesn't fit in the car, although it might fit in the ski box. Might be a plan for the future...

 

[archive10]

Hehe, yeah it's a 10 hour drive from Helsinki but it's easily doable in a day. You can fly but flights are not cheap so most of the time we drive. We've got a holiday cottage up here so I'm here a few times a year. It's not that remote, I mean there is a reasonable sized town about half an hour away and it's a great place to ski and go for walks. Even the ADSL syncs at 8Mb (probably would go faster if we upgraded to "up to 24Mb").

The annoying thing is I have a spare 1.25m Gibertini dish in Helsinki which sounds like it might be a good upgrade from the TD88 but it doesn't fit in the car, although it might fit in the ski box. Might be a plan for the future...

Hats off! I have a two-hour drive to the swedish cottage, and the family still feels like its juuuuust a liiiitle to far away for a week-end trip. 10-hour drive... phew!
Nevertheless, I took my CM120 on the roof-rails of the car. Not a problem, if you tie it down properly.

 

[Kveys]

Morning lol here
Same message from Timo; answers-> Uk forum: aaah what a landscape, uuh Lappland and snow are cool..., did you mentioned also something about channels?
Finnish forum: Are you sure that satellite is right on that case..?