Use old analogue sky dish & cable for digital ?

[tuco]

I found hotbird ( a compass is a wonderful thing ) but for the life of me can't find 19.2 astra. But for now i simply don't care, i've spent most of today arsing about in the rain up & down a ladder before realising i do actually own a compass! if nothing else, i've given my arse cheeks & legs the workout of a lifetime.

 

[snibble]

hi tuco
riduculously late follow up to this thread but here's hoping...
I am in same situation as u were- have old sky dish currently getting analogue from 19.2. Interested in getting a techno mate. any chance you could tell me what you now pick up and quality of reception? am on essex/suffolk border. can you get any spanish or french stuff- wud help sell it to wife as she is a fr/spanish teacher! cheers for help

 

[eghamhigh]

Hi

This site will tell you what stations are available where and what language they are broadcast in: http://www.lyngsat.com/.

I can watch a few free to air digital French programmes but they are at 13E. I have not found any Spanish channels there. If you buy the right technomate and move the dish to 13E (assuming that the LNB on the dish is suitable for digital transmissions) you will get TPS and Multivision as well. I don't think that 19.2 has much in the way of French and Spanish; it is more Scandinavian and German. I believe that you can still get free French TV on analogue at 5 degrees west I can't as my dish cannot get line of sight in that direction.

 

[rolfw]

There are Free To Air channels available from Spain on Astra 19.2 East, also at the moment there are more Spanish channels available if you are using a patched Technomate or similar receiver. There are also several French language channels available, including Arté, France 24 Francais, LCP, and TV5 Monde.

 

[snibble]

thanks rolfw and eghamhigh.
the lnb is new and will suit digital. so its either buy new technomate, keep fixed dish and live with what is available in D and A from 19.2, or poss keep analogue at 19.2 and buy the comag sl65/12 from maplin and experiment with digital from various sats depending on reception. don't want to spend much more than £100. does anyone have a view as to which would be the better option? A patched technomate would presumably have a wider range than an unpatched comag but unless I get a second or motorised dish which i am not keen on, then the comag would be able to cover more satellites than techno with a fixed dish?

 

[rolfw]

I would go for the patched Technomate. ;)