Costa Blanca Spain- British TV availability

[JohnM40]

Greetings from the Costa Blanca, (Torrevieja area)

The closing down of the local British TV re-broadcasting company by the authorities has left the expat community here without UK TV for the past 3 weeks and in complete turmoil!

Rumours are plentiful, facts are rare, and the ominous truth is that cheap SKY movies and sports are a thing of the past here in Spain!

Our community of 65 properties, has a cable network connected to a coms room which until recently distributes the now blank signal from the local re-broadcaster.

We intend to install a suitable sat dish aimed at the Astra satellite group and connect to the cable network. Each individual property owner can then choose which, if any, viewing box to install. Ie. Sky and or Freesat.

Several sharks have appeared in our waters waiting to take cash for supplying ‘unlimited free to air channels’, but there is a distinct lack of expertise when it comes to choosing which sat dish and which decoding equipment.

We have seen the ‘Freesat ‘website promoting their service via Astra 2d and the availability of HD TV without subscription is an exciting prospect.

Can you give some guidance via this forum as to what we can and cannot achieve?

What size of dish is required? We can fix up to 2.4 m on our comms room roof without a problem.

What type of decoders / digiboxes are recommended?
We would like the HD viewing facility if possible.

Perhaps this is all old news for your forum, sorry if I am going over old grounds. We are desperate to do the right thing and hope your forum can provide some sensible guidance?

JohnM40 ......Costa Blanca, Spain

 

[woborny]

Hi,
A 2.4m dish should be more than enough to provide a stable signal for the majority of channels - you may get away with a 1.8 but a local installer should be able to assist with his local knowledge.
ideally you will need a few multiswitch units which would be able to provide for the many individual commention you require from one dish. these will more than likely have to be "daisychained" or link together to provide enough individual connections.

What will be the unknown is how good is the cabling from the comms room to individual homes. you may also encounter problems if cable runs exceed 200m.

with this option each home will have one cable to feed either a generic receiver, a freesat receiver or a sky receiver (basic or HD) - depending on what people want to watch. remember that PVRs like sky plus will require two feeds...

you can also try to look in the local torrevieja forum...many people on there are looking and asking for advice since all this happened.

 

[JohnM40]

Have arranged for an engineer to visit tonight to examine our cable network - will let you know what he suggests/recommends.

Thanks for your help

John

 

[benidormgary]

Our local system(supplying Sky card progs) was switched of about 3 weeks ago,but at least they left us with FTA progs(BBC,ITV, ch4 ch5(card needed?)True Movies,Reality etc etc).On Monday this week they(The Sky progs)were all switched back on again.Dont know for how long though.....You shouldnt have too much of a problem getting a local installer in your area for your needs.

 

[JohnM40]

Have now received the spec for the community Sat system, perhaps you can comment /review before we agreed the quotation.

Installer insists that a quality 1.8m dish will obtain full signal from Astra 2d. I pushed him about a 2.4 but he was adamant!

Dish 1.8 precision unit, base mounted, German made by Katrein
LNB - Invacom quad
Receivers HUMAX HD for Freesat and SK* channels
Freesat only - Boshman or Cristor
Details of the cable and amps not known but system will be cabled into 65 properties.
Hope this is going to do the job, but if not we will insist on a 2.4m dish as you all suggested!
Regards and thanks

 

[satelliteman]

First of all you need to establish what system is currently in place; I'm guessing a SMATV system.

Is the cabling structure star wired or tree and branch (tapped off)?

If multi- switch's are used you have to remember that more noise will be introduced within the system and reduced CNR (carrier to Noise). A larger dish will provide a better overall margin to account for this.

If a SMATV system is installed the current cable structure can be used.

SM

 

[dxsat]

Have now received the spec for the community Sat system, perhaps you can comment /review before we agreed the quotation.

Installer insists that a quality 1.8m dish will obtain full signal from Astra 2d. I pushed him about a 2.4 but he was adamant!

Dish 1.8 precision unit, base mounted, German made by Katrein
LNB - Invacom quad
Receivers HUMAX HD for Freesat and SK* channels
Freesat only - Boshman or Cristor
Details of the cable and amps not known but system will be cabled into 65 properties.
Hope this is going to do the job, but if not we will insist on a 2.4m dish as you all suggested!
Regards and thanks

A 1.8m dish is inadequate to receive BBC2/2/4 Radio 5Live/ Film Four and Channel Four properly in your area.
The dish quoted is not as good as a ChannelMaster 1.8m.
Gain on a Kathrein 1.8m is 45.15 dBi, whilst a ChannelMaster 1.8m is 45.5 dbi.
Does not sound much it is significant.
The spec for the Kathrein is here:_
_http://www.kathrein.de/en/hfc/products/download/99810827_010.pdf
You need a 2.4m ChannelMaster or Prodelin to provide a reliable signal. Gain on a channelMaster 2.4m is 47.6 dBi.
This is almost double the gain.

 

[woborny]

Receivers HUMAX HD for Freesat and SK* channels
Freesat only - Boshman or Cristor

i didnt think boshman or cristor did freesat receivers...
they may do freetoair receivers - in which case they will not have a 7 day programme guide like freesat or sky receivers...

 

[pipino]

repost again:
-------------

Hi,
i´v just set up a fully motorized Gibertini´s OS 150 " for a very good friend of mine , a mini DX system i should say due to restictions" and i must say i was realy happy with the results

Astra 2D vertical including BBC 1 Cambridge and BBC HD (from 5Am to 11 PM)
Astra 2D Horizontal including BBC2 (from 5AM to 2 PM some times to 5PM but with breaks)

location (javea area)

the area is very well known for its difficulies to pick up Astra 2d , here is the list of the parts:

1-antenna OS 150 gibertini
1-Offset channel master feedhorn
1-LNB inverto twin "FLANGE C120"
1-LNB C Band Dual polarity 13ºK
1-Diseq switch 3B electronica X3
1-Motor jeager SMR1224 EL
1-Freesat Humax FOX/HD (the best freesat decoder tuner wise)
1-Sat receiver Manhattan Plaza 500 great for control and Blind scanning...i do have few more receivers i did test
1-Sat HD receiver kathrein UFS910( Great tuner i get Film 4 all thru the morning )
here is a live spec for Astra 2 Vertical low taken from a old parked promax meter i use it for blind scanning now

i also managed to get some rare stuff like the african spot from the south african provider Multichoice and lots of russian and south american stuff thru C band
..so the jump from 1m dish made a great difference...cheers

 

[satelliteman]

Look a nice Install with good results.

Your post got accidentally deleted earlier by the punching of a wrong button along with another posting whist moving it to the 'Members set up pictures'.

Apologies amigo.

 

[pipino]

sorted M8 ;)

 

[JohnM40]

Not sure what has happened to this thread, but the pics are impressive pipino

Following all your expert advice, many thanks Snap and co.! I visited the contractor in Torrevieja again today armed with your comments and suggestions....here goes......

Dish size and quality: He uses this dish in the area without any problems and gets full coverage of FreeSat and SKY from 2D.
We have reached an understanding that if the reception is less than perfect it will be changed for a Prodeline 2.4m costing 2000.00 euros
Cannot say fairer than that?

Full BBC2 requires 3.7 m in this area costing 5,200 way out of our humble league!

Cables and infrastructure
High quality coax RG 11 Boshmann with 75ohm resistance is being used
All other items are from Boshmann.

Receivers
Yes the Freesat receiver was for Freeview! we now agree on
Goodman GFSAT100SD for Freesat viewing only
For Freesat and SKY Humax HD will be supplied.

Yesterday the concrete base was 'Cast' and installation will begin on Tuesday next week.

My fingers are crossed, hope to send you pics of the installation and a report on the reception.

I have been asked a question about the future of Freesat reception in Spain. Is there likely to be a reduction in the signal reception in the forseable future as the beam is targeted to the UK only?

Some rumours about the uncertainty of continuity are being circulated by the worry brigade in our community. Some guidance on this would be of assistance in helping me keep the wolves away from our system!

Kind regards and again thanks!

 

[pipino]

i did test goodmans freesat receiver ,i must admit it has a very poor tuner and so as general presentation (menu +epg...etc) i would stick with humax ,i understand you are getting Boshmman stuff(aka paravertv ) becarfull with some of the items they have ,realy nasty and cheap chinees crap ,for the cable despite i used a short 15metre Boshmman cable supplied by the owner of the dish i would use some other brand like italian Beta-CAVI for example ...cheers

 

[Topper]

pipino on future posts with photographs please follow the forum recommendations and upload to our server. If you do this they will not fill everyone's screen unless they actually click on them and they will remain in the thread without any loss whereas linking then to some far off server does not guarantee they will be there next week..... your co-operation would be appreciated

 

[dxsat]

Some contradiction in the installer's comments, he says 1,8m gets full 2D but then says BBC2 needs a 3.7m. full 2D means perfect BBC2 as well.
One thing to bear in mind is that the recent channel changes have seen channel Four and Film Four move to a horizontal transponder, with the same degree of difficulty as BBC2. The channels you will have problems with are;
Channel Four, Film Four, BBC2, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies, CBBC, Radio 5 Live, RTE, some ITV regions.
Freesat is already as weak on some channels as it is likely to be until Astra 2d is replaced in about four years' time. There is going to no narrowing of beams for the near future. Channel Five may go the same way as Four, but no-one is sure yet.

 

[pipino]

pipino on future posts with photographs please follow the forum recommendations and upload to our server. If you do this they will not fill everyone's screen unless they actually click on them and they will remain in the thread without any loss whereas linking then to some far off server does not guarantee they will be there next week..... your co-operation would be appreciated

done! sorry i didnt see that option before ..thanx for the recommendation ;)...cheers

 

[JohnM40]

Hi Snap, will check reception on the channels you quoted. If Freesat remains available for the next 4 years, I will be off the hook by then!

Should if ever become necessary could we move the dish and collect Brit TV from another source using the same equipment?

I also have one Norwegian on our community who would like to receive FTA Scandinavian channels....any polite ideas?
Regards

 

[irart]

I found the following contribution in a Costa Blanca Brit newspaper. Whether it is true or not I don't know. Interesting reading though!

"It seems fairly certain that our TV problems can be laid at the door of CANAL+. If we cast our minds back to May, when the first wave of interruptions took place, resulting in channels being deleted and later reappearing in different formats, it is almost certain that Canal+ was at that time finalising their deal with BskyB to screen Live English Premier League Football in Spain. I have no idea how much they had to pay for this or the duration of the deal, but, they must have then realised that they were going to have a problem recovering there outlay, let alone showing a profit on the deal. In light of my experience of what currently happens when they show Live Spanish Football, they will struggle.
When games featuring the National side, Real or Barcelona are shown on "free to air" channels, the bars which screen games are relatively empty. But, when these appear on Canal+ Subscription channel these bars are packed with Spaniards (who mostly make one drink last throughout the game). So, if Spanish fans won't subscribe to Canal+ and prefer to watch their own teams in bars, what chance is there that they will subscribe to watch English Football?
Having got their deal, Canal+ then realised that the only way to make it work was to entice a huge portion of the plentiful British viewers to subscribe.
But they had a problem, Telemicro were already providing this service so Telemicro had to go. In May, before the deal was finalised, they flexed their muscles, Telemicro's knee-jerk reaction to the vague allegations of illegality and impropriety sent Canal+ the clear message that they were onto a winner.
Now, just as the season was about to kick-off they went for the throat, encouraging their friends in high places to act.
Telemicro may well have all the correct licences etc. but their equipment is still being "examined" by the Guardia and according to some recent rumours, they won't be getting it back anyday soon, because Canal+ do not want them to. If they can succeed in neutering Telemicro, they will then turn their attentions to the other providers of British TV until all opposition is obliterated.
So folks, we may be in this for the long haul. What they want is for us desperate Brits to subscribe to them for Football.
This is exactly what we MUST NOT DO.
There are plenty of bars out there showing our Football. We should use them. If Canal show a loss on the project, so what? They may then have the good sense to ditch it, stop interfering with our TV and leave our providers alone.
Finally - Yes! it is an Exploit the Brits!
Anti-Brits thing. Could you imagine the uproar if a colony of Spaniards in GB had their Spanish TV curtailed because ITV was showing Spanish Football?"

 

[rolfw]

Interesting but total supposition and probably as far from the truth as one could get.

If there was a community of Spaniards in Britain setting up a microwave distribution system of Spanish channels, particularly subscription ones, it would be taken off air pretty much as soon as it started. Anti British? I don't think so, anti illegal rebroadcasting yes.

 

[irart]

You are probably right rolfw, but everyone loves a conspiracy theory. Although on some of the local forums out there I have read, many are asking how they can get Canal+.