FTA BBC & ITV reception southernmost Spain

Satrep

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As a beginner in sat matters I would much appreciate advice from anyone with working systems in S Spain or Gibraltar. The location is near Tarifa and cannot get any terrestrial TV except from Morocco acoss the Straits. I would like to get tfta BBC 1,2,3 and 4, ITV, and Ch 4 & 5, preferably with some Spanish channels for local news.

Is the only way to do this via Sky and Hotbird with a 1.3m dish, two LNB's and a Sky digibox and another receiver? If so, what cards are needed and how can they be obtained? If not, what working alternatives are there?
 

PaulR

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I have relatives living in Estepona, just round the corner from you, and they use 1.3m dish to get a strong enough signal for ITV and BBC (I don't know if they still get Five - I must ask them). They used to use a 1.2m dish for the old $ly analogue so obviously the extra 10cm makes all the difference...

If you are content to settle for the BBC and other true FTA channels then almost any digital receiver will do the job. If you want the other FTV channels (ITV, C4 and Five) then you need a card to go into a digibox. The FTV (Free-to-View) card is no longer available, except at inflated prices on ebay so, unless you know someone with old series 2 card (yellow house on dark blue background) that they don't want you will have to subscribe to one of Ucle Rupes packages through an address in the UK. There are companies in Spain who will organise a subscription for you but you will pay even more this way.

Can't help you very much with Spanish terrestrial TV except that you won't need a 1.3m dish to pick it up. As it will be aimed at the Spanish something like a 60cm dish will be enough. Your Digital receiver will have to have a CAM, or CI slot for an external CAM, and I think they use SECA for the encryption - someone help me out here.

I went to Tarifa a couple of years ago. Does the wind always blow that hard?

PaulR
 

PoloMint

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Just to add to what PaulR said, my parents live in Estepona also and 1.2,m dish with Panasonic 30 gets them all 2D channels in most weather conditions, but channel 5 is now only there for an hour or two during the afternoon, if that. Check out http://www.astra2d.co.uk/ for locations nearer to you but that does look like the size of dish you will need.

Spain’s two (now one) satellite pay TV operators broadcast from Astra1, 19.2 and Hispasat, 30w, you will find some terrestrial channels included. Check out www.lyngsat.com (seems to be down at the moment, or I would get you more direct links) for complete channel variations between the sats. 19.2 uses Secca 2 for the Spanish stuff and hispasat uses Nargavision (I think, not actually certain now I think about it). Welcome to the forum Satrep
 

dishdoctor

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You cannot get any spanish terrestrial tv at your location near tarrifa? How do spanish people manage? terrestrial tv by its very nature is transmitted to a normal spikey aerial,and now also by spanish digital providers........but for uk chanels a 1.3 dish is required.....if your want 4 and 5 24/7 you will need at least a 1.5 dish......brian
 

devonbrown

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I am in Estepona and I get 8 locally transmitted spanish stations and Gibralter TV. For UK TV a 1.3 dish gives me all channels except in heavy rain.
 

Satrep

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Thanks for everyone's advice on this - some very useful points. Dealing first with the wind (PaulR)- Tarifa can have very strong winds just like Devon or Cornwall, ie South westerly prevailing but it also has the levante, a dry easterly from time to time! More on that later if you like! Second, (Dishdoctor), why no terrestrial Spanish TV? Because our particular location is in a terrestrial transmitter shadow.

Thanks Devonbrown, can you get Channels 4 and 5 24/7 ? If so, it seems reception may be better than in Malaga area, where Dishdoctor is. Are you getting all UKTV via Sky or otherwise? And with what setup, cards etc? Which satellite does it come from?

Thanks Polomint, for your advice re Spanish sat TV. Having checked out Lyngsat, it seems that I would need to access Astra 1E at 19.2º.

Btw, does anyone know of an up-to-date book on all this or does it all keep changing so fast that it isn't worth writing one?!
 

rolfw

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satrep said:
Btw, does anyone know of an up-to-date book on all this or does it all keep changing so fast that it isn't worth writing one?!

The basics stay the same, there are E-books around, but you will find pretty much all you need here in previous threads.
 

devonbrown

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I get all stations 24/7 except in heavy rain. I am very surprised that you don't get Gibralter TV. You can almost reach out and touch it from Tarrifa. I have friends who receive all sat stations 24/7 in Conil so I think with a 1.3 dish and a panasonic or a pace 2600 or something similar you should be ok.
 
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