Astra 2F: Iberia & Balearics Discussion

[Cala d'or]

Many thanks for the info , I'll take my meter in july and see what is going on . It seems strange that it should be less signal quality to that extent.

 

[joddle]

Packing for my annual excursion to the UK but want to bring back a good freesat box in Spetember - When I last got one the Humax Foxsat HD seemed to be the best for this area - ( I must admit one has done really well for me) bit I suppose things may have moved on a bit now - any recomendations for a good reliable basic Freesat box?

 

[Huevos]

I still think the Foxsat HD is one of the best non-recording Freesat boxes... but for similar money (140GBP for a good starter box) why not consider one of the Linux HD receivers? Add a harddrive for single tuner recording box. Auto updating channel list (with channel numbering that corresponds with Freesat). 7 day EPG. Second satellite tuner by adding a USB dongle. TDT by adding a USB dongle (Nova-T for example). OnDemand services like iPlayer and ITV's version. Etc, etc. The possibilities are endless. But not a clone.

 

[joddle]

I still think the Foxsat HD is one of the best non-recording Freesat boxes... but for similar money (140GBP for a good starter box) why not consider one of the Linux HD receivers? Add a harddrive for single tuner recording box. Auto updating channel list (with channel numbering that corresponds with Freesat). 7 day EPG. Second satellite tuner by adding a USB dongle. TDT by adding a USB dongle (Nova-T for example). OnDemand services like iPlayer and ITV's version. Etc, etc. The possibilities are endless. But not a clone.

Thanks Huevos - I really need a box for a holiday villa which is let a lot so the simpler the better - I may well go for another Humax - they seem to be pretty cheap on fleabay and I havea tame repairer who does the power caps for 10e if the need arises!.

 

[Nagusia]

DONT install a 1.5m dish on a chimney no matter how solid it looks!!

The forces exerted by gale force winds are enormous and the chimney will fail sooner or later.

Well, six months later and I have taken advantage of the fact that our building community decided to renew the roof. I arranged (and got permission) to have a concrete base made and a 70 mm mast installed on it (ordered from TDT professional down in Malaga) by the builders. I had intended to wait and see what happens with the 2E satellite before upgrading my 100 cm dish but as hauling a big satellite dish onto the roof of a five-storey building is not for the faint hearted, I went ahead and ordered a Gibertini OP150 and the guys working on the roof gave me a hand installing it (i.e. they held it in place while I screwed it to the mounting). Initial results were disappointing until I realised the LNB arm was upside down. Put that right and went downstairs to see if I could get Channel five and C4HD and all looked good at around 7 pm. Tried again around 8.15 pm and got 'bad or no signal' on the FOXSAT HDR. 'Mi gozo en un pozo' as they say around here.

Tweaking things didn't seem to make any difference so last week I ordered a Raven Feedhorn and a Invacrom single C120 flange LNB combination from SatelliteSupertore which arrived yesterday and was duly installed. Initial results continued to be disappointing in that signal strength and quality seemed to drop of a cliff at 20.00 as before and in reality performance didn't seem much better than with the IBU I'd been using.

However, I thought I'd go up again today and have another fiddle around and move the feedhorn as far back away from the dish as the possible in the holder (I read about this somewhere). Just now at 7.00 pm the humax gives me 80% strength and 90% quality (occasionally 100%) on both horzontal and vertical frequencies (Five and C4HD - Freesat 105 and 126) - I've never seen more thaN 60% quality before, and it's overcast today and very humid.
7.40 pm now and we're down to 75/80 strength and 80% quality .... 7.45 pm and Five (Horizontal) maintains 80/80% but C4HD is looking a bit flakey with quality dropping to 70% occasionally (I reckon 45% quality is enough for a lock so will these channels be watchable this evening?)

It's now 8.05 pm and all good and strength and quality are maintained when normally at this time the FOXSAT doesn't even register a signal. Maybe it's just coincidence (a good 2F day?) but I'm excited enough to post this right now. It seems that dish size makes the difference but with big dishes a feedhorn C120 LNB combination can also be an important factor in order to get the most out of the dish. Ironically when I changed the position of the feedhorn I didn't even bother to check it with the Satlook metre.

 

[Lazarus]

Great result - let's hope it stays that way!

 

[Captain Jack]

Very interesting post and a lovely dish. Keep us updated, especially when 2E goes up (and not in smoke, hopefully).

 

[Nagusia]

You're both right of course - who knows where we will all be with this come September? I have to report that, sad as it might seem, I was having problems sleeping last night (27º C in the bedroom) so I decided to have a look at signal strength at 2.30 am. Channel five was down to around 50% quality and occasionally pixelated and I couldn't get a lock on C4HD. Things were back to 80/90% quality on both by 7.30 am so there's some major wobble going on there.

Anyway, I thought I would upload an shot of the Invacrom / Raven Feedhorn setup as reference for others. I had to turn the plastic adaptor around the 'wrong' way in order to get the feedhorn as far back in the holder as possible. It's not how it's meant to be used but it seems to be quite secure and hold things in the right place.

 

[Huevos]

I took the CM feed/Invacom combination off my Gibertini a long time ago. It's simply no match for a properly adjusted Black Ultra. Also I put a stressor across the dish to get it in better focus and that picked up a lot of signal. In the photos it is the stainless cable coming from the top of the dish down to the LNB arm.

 

[Nagusia]

Iwill definitely experiment with a stressor to see if it makes any difference. Judging by your photos you have a stack of gear on the end of the LNB arm - it all must weigh quite a bit and I guess that could slightly distort the dish. However, in another post you mention a difference of 0.5 dB snr. When I substituted the IBU (which I had tweaked in terms of skew and moving back and forth ad nauseum) with the feedhorn/invacrom combination I got a difference of 1-1.6 dB in snr and with considably better quality readings. When I tried the feedhorn in its designed position the results were disappointing. It was only when it did a bodge to move it back in the holder that I got the desired results. That said, I have a second IBU which I use on my portable so maybe I should try that.

 

[Huevos]

you have a stack of gear on the end of the LNB arm - it all must weigh quite a bit and I guess that could slightly distort the dish.

No, all that stuff was added later. 0.5dB SNR difference when the dish is close to the receive threshold is a lot. Feed was set up like yours to get the LNB to the right depth.

 

[timo_w2s]

I took the CM feed/Invacom combination off my Gibertini a long time ago. It's simply no match for a properly adjusted Black Ultra. Also I put a stressor across the dish to get it in better focus and that picked up a lot of signal. In the photos it is the stainless cable coming from the top of the dish down to the LNB arm.

Why do you have another Black Ultra on top of the other one?

 

[Huevos]

Why do you have another Black Ultra on top of the other one?

Not there any more. Used to use it for tracking Astra 1c when it was declined south.

 

[RichardinSpain]

I took the CM feed/Invacom combination off my Gibertini a long time ago. It's simply no match for a properly adjusted Black Ultra. Also I put a stressor across the dish to get it in better focus and that picked up a lot of signal. In the photos it is the stainless cable coming from the top of the dish down to the LNB arm.

Hi Huevos
Can you elaborate what is a 'stressor' and what it does
many thanks

 

[Huevos]

Can you elaborate what is a 'stressor' and what it does

Well in this case it is it is spar that helps maintain the shape of the dish in perfect focus.

 

[woborny]

This is the type of crap some of us have to endure on a daily basis about the new satellites from all sorts of people - bar gossip, to "people" trying to flog iptv / android / xbmc systems

Just receive some promotional email from an IPTV retailer - with this image included.

Using the predicted Astra 2E UK beam footprint map, they say anyone outside the 60cm dish contour, but with no reference to a 60cm or larger dish, will lose BBC ITV C4 and Fives, so, surprise surprise buy their system now so you don't lose channels!!!!!

No mention of those outside that contour using larger dishes - simply you will lose many UK TV channels if you are outside that contour!!!

 

[Huevos]

This is the type of crap some of us have to endure on a daily basis about the new satellites from all sorts of people - bar gossip, to "people" trying to flog iptv / android / xbmc systems

Well the funny thing is a lot of people have gone full circle. They started with satellite before Astra 2D, switched to rebroadcast when BBC/ITV moved to 2D. Realised rebroadcast is unreliable and overpriced as well as many of the channels disappearing over time, just leaving them with stuff in Norwegian. Then they switched to IPTV, and found there connections weren't up to it (especially rural ones or WiFi). And now they are coming back to satellite, many in order not to have to pay a monthly fee, and most don't believe the scaremongering anymore after the 2F transition and successful reception of those transponders continuing in this region.

 

[Huevos]

This is the type of crap some of us have to endure on a daily basis about the new satellites from all sorts of people

Here's some more of it...

AN IMPORTANT ANNONCEMENT FROM SPECTRUM FM:-

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON UK TERRESTRIAL TV CHANNELS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE
Television and Internet services in South of Europe is changing soon.
(1) All BBC, ITV, Ch4 and Ch5 TV channels etc. will disappear from the SKY platform at end of October beginning November. None of these channels will physically reach Europe mainland via Satellite.
The Satellite launch has now been completed on the 15th September and final switch over to the new satellite will be end of October beginning of November affecting more than 1,000,000 Expats and foreign users outside the new footprint.
(2) Sky will stop the use of their cards in all Digital receivers other than their own.
(3) Sky Channels (Pay TV) will only be available on a SKY Digi set-top boxes with fixed card, however after end of October no BBC or ITV channels etc. will be viewable on your SKY Box, or Free to Air box.
(4) The only way as of now to get UK TV in areas outside the new footprint is via Internet:
through a telephone line with broadband ADSL with a minimum of 2 Mbps download speed or with our Internet via Satellite systems, utilizing an IPTV set-top box easy-to-use for television via Internet (plug and play) or VPN service.
(5) If your only option (remote rural locations) is via Internet via Satellite, you will need a special VSAT satellite system and a package to make sure you have a perfect uninterrupted TV reception via Internet.
As you can see all these changes will be happening at once.
Astra 2E Launch - September 15, 2013
The ILS Proton returns to flight mission will be the Astra 2E satellite for SES on September 15, 2013.
Changes to BBC satellite transponders in 2013 - Astra 2E
The BBC has confirmed their plans to move their services from Astra 1N to Astra 2E in 2013. The overspill of the BBC’s services will be reduced so viewers outside the UK will find it even harder to receive them.

Source: Jason Terry

 

[woborny]

Most of that is from the same "IPTV" webpage that posted that map.

 

[terryashbyash]

In my experience a 2MB connection gives a passable picture only, so wht not use filmon for free?
Apart from the need of an output from pc to tv it works and a cheap/old laptop better than a box from an iptv supplier that may well go bust and leave you a piece of junk, also no monthly fee.