Is there a new satellite for English Language Channels?

[steve.robocop.barry]

I have recieved an advertising email from a company offering BBC1, BBC2, etc in Southern Spain. When I read the details of the offer they include a 1 meter dish with the package and or a re-alignment service.

I use a 1.4 meter dish pointed at Astra and still have some poor reception so it made me wonder if there is a new satellite that is not in the same location as the Astra group with a stronger transmission.

Does anybody have any views on this?

 

[Analoguesat]

The BBC channels are only available via:

28E for domestic reception

27.5W where they are carried for distribution to the transmitter network.

The 27.5W stuff is not generally available to receivers - one of our members has manage to decrypt it on a pc card, after much tinkering.

 

[PaulR]

When you say BBC1, BBC2, etc what does the etc mean? Is it the rest of the BBC channels or is the company saying they can get some/all of the ITV, C4 and C5 channels?

The PSB channels (BBC, ITV, C4 & C5) are now all on a new satellite which has replaced an old one at the current position of 28E. The signals are much stronger for you so if you are still haviving a problem with a 1.4m dish then there's something about your installation which isn't performing properly.

 

[robwormald]

Or is it simply a spam email from someone trying to get your credit card details?

Sorry, but as someone who works in information security, my natural instinct is to be suspicious of unsolicited offers ;)

 

[steve.robocop.barry]

Or is it simply a spam email from someone trying to get your credit card details?

Sorry, but as someone who works in information security, my natural instinct is to be suspicious of unsolicited offers ;)

It is a genuine email as I have my phone and broadband with them. The bit that caught my atention was the offer of a english TV service with only a ONE meter dish

 

[steve.robocop.barry]

When you say BBC1, BBC2, etc what does the etc mean? Is it the rest of the BBC channels or is the company saying they can get some/all of the ITV, C4 and C5 channels?

The PSB channels (BBC, ITV, C4 & C5) are now all on a new satellite which has replaced an old one at the current position of 28E. The signals are much stronger for you so if you are still haviving a problem with a 1.4m dish then there's something about your installation which isn't performing properly.

the etc. is ,as per the email, BBC 1 & 2 ITV 1, 2, 3, & 4 C5 it doesn't list BBC 3 or 4. Would this be the Astra 1N I have seen listed at 28.2?

 

[Analoguesat]

Probably yes, BUT 1N will be withdrawn at the end of the year (its on a temporary assignment from 19E). 1N was designed for European coverage, the new 2F is specifically designed for the UK and I guarantee coverage will be more restricted away from north western Europe than with 1N.

 

[steve.robocop.barry]

Probably yes, BUT 1N will be withdrawn at the end of the year (its on a temporary assignment from 19E). 1N was designed for European coverage, the new 2F is specifically designed for the UK and I guarantee coverage will be more restricted away from north western Europe than with 1N.

You have me even more intrigued now. If 2F is specifically aimed at the UK with "more restricted coverage" of Europe then what are Telitec offering and from what satellite?

 

[Analoguesat]

All 3 forthcoming birds (launch order 2F / 2E / 2G) will have UK spots & widebeams as well.

The termporary bird (1N) was designed for 19E, but diverted to 28E to provide extra capacity (& replace the ailing 2D) What we call the 1N "UK spot" is actually nothing of the kind - its got a big bulge to the southwest which will nicely cover Spain & Portugal when she is in service at 19E - and has the bonus of putting fairly good signal strengths into Spain for the next year or so whilst parked at 28E.

As for Telitec then give them a ring and ask - saying you have a partially obstructed line of sight and which direction does their dish face.

 

[PaulR]

You have me even more intrigued now. If 2F is specifically aimed at the UK with "more restricted coverage" of Europe then what are Telitec offering and from what satellite?

They're offering you what you've already got but with a smaller dish as 1N is more powerful than 2D which it replaced.

As I said earlier, if you're still having problems with a 1.4m dish there's something wrong with your installation.

 

[william-1]

Sad to say getting signals from 28.2 east outside the service area after 2013 will be next to impossible in Spain & Greece as Astra 2E,2F & 2G will have a very tight spot beam over the UK the outer reception ring will be nearer 90cm dish as the signal drop off will be very rapid from these newly designed transponders,

East Norfolk & East Suffolk will need 60cm dishes for reliable reception under all weather conditions with the new tight footprint see predicted coverage below.

 

[Lazarus]

Predicted is one thing - actuality is something else.

The latest Ku Band technology isn't as precise at focussing spot beams as Ka is proving to be, so we will wait with bated breath to find out what will actually happen.

I suspect that we need worry less about East Anglia than we need to about Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France.

 

[C0re]

In The Netherlands the BBC is very popular. Almost all cable/IPTV/DVB-T providers offer BBC 1-4 and the cable providers offer BBC 1 HD/BBC HD as well. The cable and IPTV providers are by far the biggest players on the market (the satellite provider is small here) so the overspill of the Astra 2 satellites isn't that much of a problem because the providers pay the BBC. Switzerland is a much bigger problem because by Swiss law those providers may offer all channels that are receivable FTA without paying those channels.

 

[DishDick]

Sorry William-1, but are you seriously telling us that Astra (SES a very close friend of Mr Murdock) is going to put a satellite in orbit at 28 degrees that wont work perfectly in the UK with the size of mini dishes that are already fitted? And saying BBC et al are not part of Sky wont wash, because if the general public who have Sky get breakup on their Sky dodgibox they will complain in the first instance to Sky. To most people with Sky all the channels are Sky. Only the people with an interest in this hobby know or care about the other companies that use the Sky EPG or EPG and NDS encryption.

 

[william-1]

Sky will not be effected by these changes as it will be on the European beam of the new satellites so if you want to watch tv from 28.2 east in Europe you will have to pay for it in the future,
The proposed footprint that Sky tv will use is below,

Quote from Sky tv:

Throughout most of Europe, our programmes can be received via any satellite equipment pointing at the Astra/Eurobird complex at 28.2E.

It is estimated that Sky tv will have several million European subscribers by the end of 2013.

 

[Lazarus]

That misses the point made so well by DishDick, though, regarding the fact that BSkyB "Subscribers" consider BBC, ITV etc to be part of "Sky". So as far as they, the consumer, are concerned, only part of BSkyB''s offering will be available in the latter footprint you Posted.

The semantics here are crucially important - It matters little what the minority of us who have more detailed knowledge of Satellites through our hobby think, but it will matter an awful lot to those who currently get "Sky" including UK PSB Channels.

 

[sonnetpete]

...The proposed footprint that Sky tv will use is below...

But that's the footprint of 1N, which is off to 19.2°E at the end of the year. AFIK it won't be carrying any $ky UK services by then.

...It is estimated that Sky tv will have several million European subscribers by the end of 2013.

Quite possibly, if you include the German and Italian versions of $ky. If you mean Europeans receiving $ky's UK broadcasts it would require sweeping changes to do so legally.

 

[william-1]

SES S.A. and Astrium announced in December 2009 that SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from Astrium to provide replacement as well as incremental capacity for its SES ASTRA and SES WORLD SKIES divisions.

The new satellites, to be designated Astra 2E, Astra 2F, Astra 2G and Astra 5B, will allow the release of the existing satellites at two orbital positions (28.2 and 31.5 degrees East) and add new capacity as well as fleet deployment flexibility for the SES group over the coming years. The satellites are scheduled for launch in several steps between 2012 and 2014. The design life of each satellite is 15 years.

The four new satellites will be built on a Eurostar-3000 platform.

Three of the new spacecraft, Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G, will serve to deliver next generation broadcast, VSAT and broadband services in Europe and Africa, and will carry Ku-and Ka-band payloads at 28.2 degrees East.

The Ku-band capacity will allow SES ASTRA to enhance and secure its existing offering to major Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in the UK and Ireland. With a Ku-band payload specifically designed to meet the requirements of some of Europe’s largest DTH broadcasters, the satellites will have spot beam and pan-European beam switching capabilities to accommodate both pay-TV and free-to-air broadcasters, and to provide these customers with increased functionality. The Ka-band payload will allow SES ASTRA to develop next generation broadband services in Europe, including its ASTRA2Connect product.

Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G will also include replacement and new capacity for the SES WORLD SKIES division, serving the African and the Middle Eastern markets with Ku-and Ka-band capacity. The new capacity will provide continuity of service and expansion opportunities for customers that are today already using the Astra 2B steerable beam over West Africa, as well as for new customers

Astra 5B will be deployed at the orbital position 31.5 degrees East, extending SES ASTRA’s transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighboring markets for DTH, Direct-to-Cable (DTC) and contribution feeds to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks.

The beams previously posted above are just a guide but Sky UK will probably be on the wide European beam below are 2 of the new spot beams from Astra 2E & 2F for the Middle East & Africa.

Info from

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/astra-2e.htm

 

[ralphmagno]

hello, since bbc1 .2,3 itv ch 4 ch5 E-4 and all free view and can be received here in naples italy with a 1.2 meter dish ,in spain i would say it should be fine with your 1.4 meter dish.
have someone check your alignment and lnb sceu to see if it is spot on.
there is something out of alignment
ralph

 

[timo_w2s]

Looking at that Middle East footprint, it's getting dangerously close to Eastern Europe and Finland. IF there is frequency re-use then I assume the European beam will be somewhat more Western Europe focused than the older satellites.