Satellite Dish Installation Options

Satellite dish installations can be flexible and give you more scope for your viewing requirements. It is entirely possible to have up to four receivers operating from one dish, using a four output LNB. This means that you can watch four different TV channels in four different locations at the same time. Perfect for when football clashes with soaps. Note that to view multiple Sky subscription channels at the same time you will require multiple sky viewing cards.

It is also therefore entirely possible to share a dish with your neighbours. Using a multiple output LNB all that needs to be done is to run a cable from your dish to your neighbours receiver. Of course it is up to you to decide if your neighbour should pay some of the installation charge for the dish.

Community Satellite TV Installations

Even in communities you are not guaranteed reception of the main UK television channel like BBC or ITV.

Under EU Human Rights Law all EU citizens should have access to television channels in their own language. Unfortunately the law does not state how many or which channels should be available.

This means that if there is access to ANY English language channel, like BBC World News, then this covers the requirements of the EU Law. BBC World News is an English language channel available for free on most European satellites, including those used by Digital+, Spain's satellite service.

 Therefore a community can stop the installation of a satellite dish for UK TV services like Sky, because, as long as there is access to BBC World News, this covers the requirements of the law, and the community is under no obligation to install a big dish for UK viewers.

A compromise is often required to satisfy the requirements of the community of the potential viewers and the requirements, like planning and aesthetics, of the dish.

A satellite dish installed on a community will also still be under local planning rules and regulations.

Types of Community Satellite TV Installations

There are two types of Community installations. One called Satellite Master Antenna TV (SMATV) and the other called Integrated Reception Systems (IRS).

Satellite Master Antenna TV (SMATV) Systems
A SMATV system uses dishes to receive satellite signals that are then distributed via a dedicated cable infrastructure. No home will actually have a satellite receiver. Instead the receivers are are located in a secure housing ("head station" or "head end"), with each one preset to a specific channel, depending on what channels are required.  You then just have to plug your TV into the TV point, scan for channels, and then start watching. This means that on a 10 channel system, using 10 receivers at the head end, you can receive 10 channels.

Although this system reduces the requirement of fitting Satellite receivers into each home, this system is in fact classed as "rebroadcasting", as the actual satellite receivers are not in each home, but at a distribution point. It also means that the community has to watch the predetermine channels that each receiver has been programmes to receive, and there is no flexibility to be able to choose which of the many satellite channels are available.

Personally I would not recommend or install these systems.

Integrated Reception Systems (IRS)
This is the most common system installed when there are multiply homes to be connected to one dish. This system again uses a dedicated cable infrastructure, but the difference being that the full range of satellite tv channels can be received in each home as each home will have their own satellite receiver. And as each home has their own satellite receiver they are not limited to just a few predetermined channels from receivers at a head end. You will also find that the pictures on the TV are more clearer than the SMATV system.

These IRS systems will use special equipment and LNB to deliver signals from the dish to each home. This equipment will include multiswitch units, to distribute signals to individual cables,  and amplifiers, to provide more signal along the cabling systems.

Normally the cost of the dish and distribution system (cable and multiswicthes) will b met by the community, and then each home will be responsible for the cost of connecting to the system.