Freesat on Costa Blanca

[Nick Green]

I live in probably the worst area in coastal Spain for reception, between Moraira and Calpe. Here is some feedback on my recent Freesat installation.Dish-2.4mtr top quality Portugese, Humax Foxsat Freesat HD, Grundig Freesat SD.
The following mainstream channels were working well at 23.00hrs GMT+2

BBC1, ITV1,ITV2,ITV3,ITV4, BBC HD(Amazing!) Channel 4.
ITV HD not yet tested asI have not seen any ITV HD prorgammes yet

The following mainstream channels were off air : ITV2+1

Other channels off air or pixelating at 23.00hrs are Zone Reality, Zone Thriller, Zone Horror. Movies for Men 1.

E4,More4,True Movies1&2, Film Four all good.

Big Disappointment-Classic FM is too weak. All other radio stations good. Hope this is helpful.

 

[woborny]

i would have thought that classic fm would be no problems with it being on eurobird1 with a 2.4m dish...and the other channels you mention that pixelate are also on eb1...coincidence...?

i get horror ok most of the day on my 80cm dish and i am a few kms north of you...

 

[satelliteman]

Signal loss possibly due to the fact that your aligned focussed on 2d rather than E1 or a balance of the two. With that size dish the beamwidth will be very narrow.

 

[irart]

Some of the channels you mention that you cannot get are on Eurobird 1, but on the S1 and S2 beams which have very different footprints. I can get Zone Horror and Movies for Men 2, but not Movies for Men 1, and not Zone Thriller using an 80cm dish in Torrevieja for this reason.

 

[Nick Green]

Thanks for feedback. Thomson Sky box is using same dish yet pulls in Classic FM as strong as an ox!
Nick Green

 

[dxsat]

Sounds like you have both boxes connected to the same dish, with a twin or quad LNB?
If this is the case, there may be a problem with the cabling to the Humax. Joins, connecting through a wall outlet, poor quality cable can all cause a loss of some high band frequencies such as those used by Eurobird.

 

[Nick Green]

I have a quad LNB. Had to use best quality LNB and cable as there is a fairly long cable run from dish to house.It was a no expense spared installation
Yesterday a very strange thing happened. The Humax did an automatic update download to add some new channels which came on stream this week. Following the update, all the Zone channels,some of which were weak and Classic FM, all started to work properly!
Hey Ho!

 

[RobinB]

Hi Nick

I take it no BBC 2 ?

thanks

Robin...

 

[woborny]

Hi Nick

I take it no BBC 2 ?

thanks

Robin...

bbc2 in the CB area is not too good - normally it is only available from 5am to about 6pm...have to rely on torrents for topgear!!!

 

[fuelman]

Hi all,

I get all freesat channels apart from BBC2...I'm on the Costa Blanca (Torrevieja) using a Thomson Sky box and a 1.4Mtr dish and my old viewing card. The only thing that seems to have happened within the last week or so is no C4.....got C4+1 but no C4!!!! any info would be great.

Thanks.

Steve.

 

[Analoguesat]

C4 has moved to Astra 2D 10471H. Theres loads of info about it in the 28E fringe reception sub section.

 

[Nick Green]

Hi Nick

I take it no BBC 2 ?

thanks

Robin...

BBC2 goes off at around 18.30 hrs which is about half an hour after it goes off on my Thomson Sky Box. The performance of my Grundig SD box in our guest flat is definitely inferior to the Humax on SD channels.
Even though one might not have an HD TV, I would recommend buying the Humax HD box for SD use. The HD signals on BBC and ITV are definitely stronger than the SD equivalents. Picture quality is amazing.
The quality of the broadcast output does vary however.ie; some HD programmes are more HD than others!
Nick Green

 

[geoff lee]

Hi all,

I get all freesat channels apart from BBC2...I'm on the Costa Blanca (Torrevieja) using a Thomson Sky box and a 1.4Mtr dish and my old viewing card. The only thing that seems to have happened within the last week or so is no C4.....got C4+1 but no C4!!!! any info would be great.

Thanks.

Steve.

hi ive got a holiday place in playa flamenca, got a 1mt dish,0.3 lnb,pace digibox, only get channel five with a card out of the main channels, what make 1.4 dish are you useing, and were can you buy it, do you loose any channel in the evening, (had micra as well until a few weeks ago) any help would be appreciated. thanks geoff

 

[fuelman]

hi ive got a holiday place in playa flamenca, got a 1mt dish,0.3 lnb,pace digibox, only get channel five with a card out of the main channels, what make 1.4 dish are you useing, and were can you buy it, do you loose any channel in the evening, (had micra as well until a few weeks ago) any help would be appreciated. thanks geoff

HI Geoff....Can't tell you who made the dish, but it's a high gain Portuguese dish supplied and fitted by _www.lee-digital.com (easier then buying, transporting, assembling and aligning myself)

Yes I do lose some channels at different times of the day due to the sats realigning for recharge. I get BBC1 CI, ITV 1,2,3 C4, C4+1 etc C5, Five US, Sky3...blah,blah

Hope this helps,

Fuelman.

 

[FreeSatNumpty]

Just getting into the Freesat stuff - got a place in Moraira C/Banca and want to start a fresh set up with new everything ! Going over to Spain Xmas and can bring whatever - any suggestions to get it 'sorted' properly -please

 

[woborny]

no matter what sized dish you have in Moraira you will always loose some channels, especially bbc2.

unless you really really want a freesat box, personally i would go for a sly receiver and a sly card. this allows you to get the much stronger ITVs on 12408, c4's on 12480, and Five.

you will need a 2.4m satellite dish - a one peice famaval is the most popular - avoid the fortecstar petal dishes, they are very bad (putting it nicely!) especially in moraira!!

certain receivers perform much better than others - avoid pace 440 and 445's. if you can get your hands on a pace 2600 or pace 430 do so.
if you do want a freesat receiver the Humax Freesat performs well.

The HD signals on BBC and ITV are definitely stronger than the SD equivalents.

BBCHD is on the same frequency as BBC CI and BBC East so there will not be much difference in reception. But ITVHD is on a stronger signal than the Freesat ITV frequencies.

 

[FreeSatNumpty]

Thanks for that.. are you close enough to call by?

 

[woborny]

im just up the road from you in Gandia....
but guess where i was yesterday....moraira./ javea!!!

will send you a pm / email, but you need to get 5 posts (i think) for it to activate on here...

 

[Nick Green]

Just getting into the Freesat stuff - got a place in Moraira C/Banca and want to start a fresh set up with new everything ! Going over to Spain Xmas and can bring whatever - any suggestions to get it 'sorted' properly -please

In my last reply, please read Eurobird and not Intelsat re Classic FM

 

[Nick Green]

Just getting into the Freesat stuff - got a place in Moraira C/Banca and want to start a fresh set up with new everything ! Going over to Spain Xmas and can bring whatever - any suggestions to get it 'sorted' properly -please

You have a choice between Sky and Freesat. I have both so I know the good points and warts of both systems.
2.4mtr top quality expandable Portuguese dish is essential.(I live near the Moraira border)
For Freesat there is only one receiver to buy-Humax HD
Buy Thomson or Pace for Sky.

Freesat Advantages-
1. No need to buy free to air card
2. ITV HD only available on Freesat. ITV HD goes 24/7 next year.
3. Better picture definition on Freesat Humax HD receiver even using an SD television.
4. Future proof.Cannot be switched off remotely by Broadcasters as there is no card involved

Freesat Disadvantages-
1. Channel 4 and Channel 5 are transmitted on weak transponder with Horizontal polarity. Like BBC 2 you will lose them early evening.
Channel 4 problem can be overcome by loading a stronger signal "TT on 4" channel into the non freesat facility on the box. Channel 5 problem cannot as the strong Sky signal on Channel 5 is encrypted. This situation may change in the future.
2. Won't pick up Classic FM signal off Intelsat 28.5

Sky Advantages-
1.Channel 5 signal strong. Also has Fiver and Fiver US which are only coming on Freesat next year.
2. You can pay a Sky sub with a UK address and get all the Sports and other subscription channels
3. Picks up Classic FM strongly
4. Much larger range of programmes in the Electronic Programme Guide although all the free to air unencrypted channels can be added to your Freesat box.
5. Sky has Channel 4 HD, Freesat has not yet.

Sky Disadvantages-
1.To get ITV 1 on strongest signal(Channel Islands) it is necessary to go via the Services/Other Channels route. (Very frustrating when making a rapid switch between East Enders and Coronation St!!)
2. Purchase of a Sky Free to Air card is necessary to get the Channel 4 and Five families
3. It is technically possible but unlikely that Sky could disable your Free to air card.

Tricky decision? Yes. If you only want to buy one receiver buy a SKY HD box. If your telly down in Spain is not HD ready, still go for HD. Eventually all tellys will be HD.

If your credit has not been excessively crunched, get a Dual LNB on the dish and buy a Freesat HD receiver as well.
Happy Christmas
If you want to phone when you are down here, send me an e-mail to xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx and I will send you my phone number. (I don' put my phone number on public blogs)
Nick Green