Receiving Freesat south-east of Geneva

[Penners]

My son lives in France, about half an hour south-east of Geneva (French postcode 74250). He would like to receive UK TV on a Humax Foxsat HDR.

I'd be very grateful for any advice on the following, please:-

1. Which satellite will give him the best signal?

2. What size/type of dish will he require to receive from that satellite?

Any and all advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

 

[PaulR]

1) ONLY Astra 2 at 28E will give you Freesat.

2) An 80cm dish will work well even in quite heavy rain, maybe even a 70cm dish.

Just be aware that there will be a new satellite taking over later this year or early next year carrying most of the Freesat channels and things may change with the size of dish required. However, I strongly doubt that it will affect reception near Geneva and even if it does then you can deal with that problem then.

 

[Penners]

Thanks very much for that information, PaulR.

My son already has a dish on his house (left by previous occupants). It's oval shaped - a fair bit wider than its height. Which dimension should he measure to see whether it's 70 - 80 cm?

I didn't know about the Freesat satellite change later this year. Will that mean that my own dish needs re-aligning, for continued Freesat reception? I live in Suffolk.

 

[PaulR]

The satellite will be replacing one that's already there so dishes don't need realigning. In the UK you won't notice any difference - in fact a similar changeover happened a few months ago and I'll bet you didn't notice!

Were the previous occupants Brits? They might have installed a Zone 2 $ly minidish as this is wideer than it is tall. Normally they are taller than wide which is why I ask. If it was already used for $ly or Freesat then it won't need realigning. If it was used for French (or other language) channels then, if it's large enough, then it will need realigning.

Measure both dimensions. Any chance of a photo?

 

[Penners]

No, the previous owners were French... and quite elderly. So I'm fairly sure that they would have watched French TV. The area is very mountainous, so I suspect that satellite is a widely-used way of receiving TV there.

I'll see whether I can get dimensions/photo of the dish. This may take a few days, as my son is currently away.

Many thanks for your continued advice. (And no, I didn't notice the recent satellite change!).

 

[PaulR]

OK. Just for information, on a regular dish which is taller than it is wide it's the width that's important.

 

[archive10]

I've recevied Freesat with excellent quality on a Humax Foxsat and 64cm Triax dish from La Clusaz, which is about 25 km west of 74250.
See this thread:

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...2689-travel-kit-28-2e-mid-eastern-france.html

As Paul writes the dish that is already there is likely to be repurposable for English TV.
The alignment is crucial. Use dishpointer.com as a starting point, and observe that there may be a slight deviation in that region (about 5 or so degrees).
Elsewhere on this forum you will find excellent guides on how to align a dish.

 

[Penners]

Thanks very much st1. I'll pass that on to my son, as soon as he's home. I hope also to post a picture and dimensions of his dish for PaulR.

 

[Burnham Beech]

I can confirm above comments about dish size. I get excellent results with an old 60cm dish about 100km south of 74250.

If re-using the old French dish I would recommend getting a new LNB. You should be able to lock onto a signal on a clear day with the old LNB, but a new LNB will help a lot in rain and snow.

It helps to have access to the dish to clear off snow in the winter - you will lose the signal completely if the LNB is covered with snow.

 

[PaulR]

Thanks for the on the spot help, I was extrapolating from a couple of hundred kilometres further south. A 60cm dish just wasn't big enough for 2D when it was transmitting. No rain margin at all.

 

[Penners]

Many thanks Burnham Beech. Your comments about reception are very encouraging. Is your old dish the same horizontal oval shape as my son's?

He is going to need a new LNB anyway, to give the necessary two feeds for his Humax HDR. The currently fitted LNB is just a single. Fortunately the dish is mounted at one end of an upstairs balcony which is accessible through french windows, so snow clearance will be very easy.

 

[Burnham Beech]

The dish I am using in 73700 is a very old Sky mesh dish which was nominally 60cm. But I think the actual size is approx 70cm high x 65cm wide - not there at present to check exact dimensions, but I know it is a vertical oval, not a horizontal oval.

I am using the Inverto black ultra twin LNB.

 

[Penners]

OK, thanks again BB. My son is home tomorrow so I hope to get his dish data (if he remembers!).

 

[Penners]

Well, that's embarrassing! I could have sworn that my son's dish was a horizontal oval! However, he's now sent me a picture, and here it is:



Does that look realistic for receiving in his location?

 

[PaulR]

That looks OK to me. I'm a bit concerned about the overhang from the roof as, not being there, I can't be sure that it won't get in the way when the dish is turned. It may be necessary to relocate the dish as well.

I think it's already been mentioned but if you go to _www.dishpointer.com and put the details of the town and which satellite you want (28.2E) you can then drag the pin to the exact spot your son lives and see the direction in which the dish has to point. It'll also show the possibility of anything tall in the way that might necessitate moving the dish anyway.

 

[Penners]

OK, thanks once again PaulR.

I think we've now reached the point where my son has been given as much theoretical information as is available, and he'll have to 'suck it and see' for the rest of the job. I note your comments about the roof overhang and the direction of the dish, and I'll pass on the Dishpointer URL to him.

I'm very grateful to everyone who has helped with advice on this topic. And my son will be too!