BBC Spain – Satellite move – changes in reception – details here
Over night (6th February 2014) the BBC channels moved from their temporary home on Astra 1N to their new home on Astra 2E.
They have moved to a much “tighter” beam, meaning a change in reception of those channels in Spain.
reception reports are being compiled, and can be found here:
https://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/astra_2e_satellite_reception_footprint_uk_tv_spain.php.
Early indications are that in my service area, a 1m satellite dish is no longer the minimum, and a 1mx110m is the minimum requirement, with a 1.25×1.4m dish to be recommended.
I can confirm that those with “big” dishes, 1.8s and 2.4m in my service area have NOT been affected.
Many people in the Costa del Sol have lost heir BBC channel on their existing dishes. But there are sporadic reports of 1.8/1.9m dishes just about receiving BBC channels in the Costa del Sol.
Many people in the Algarve and Portugal have lost heir BBC channel on their existing dishes.
15.25 1.3 dish no loss of BBC AT la Barraca just south of Alzira.
We have lost all BBC channels in the Cadiz area.
No BBC reception on 1.1m dish in Almunecar, Granada province.
I am in the Tarragona area south of Barcelona. The 1 meter dish will not receive BBC TV or radio. What min size dish do you recommend for BBC TV and radio and it in the future
Regards peter roberts
From the reception reports ( https://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/astra_2e_satellite_reception_footprint_uk_tv_spain.php ) at least a 1.8m, maybe even a 2.4m dish would be required – the same as we in the Costa Blanca had to use for the last 10 years!
i’m in San sebastian. I’ not receiving BBC tv. What min size du you recomend for BBC tv and in it in the future? Regards Ana
There are not many reception reports available for that area…
so it is difficult to say.
Keep an eye on the reception report maps and maybe someone in that area will have sent one in.
https://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/astra_2e_satellite_reception_footprint_uk_tv_spain.php
I have been using a 1 metre dish in Torrevieja with good results on almost all UK free-to-air channels on Astra 2D prior to the changes. Reception is now absent on all BBC channels, although ITV is now borderline and only Ulster’s UTV can be received reliably, although even this is subject to fading. I have received a weak signal from BBC but it is now weather-dependent and mainly absent. CNN, al-Jazeera and CNBC are among the mainstream channels unaffected.
In order to keep costs to a minimum and possibly retain the existing 1m dish, my questions are:
1. Can some form of pre-amplifier help in these circumstances, or an improved LNB?
2. What is regarded as the most sensitive LNB?
Hi Raymond:
If your dish it too small to receive the signals in the first place, no amount of amplification will help at all!
The main issue is that your dish is now too small to receive the signals where you are.
Astra 2D was put into retirement a few years ago!
CNN, al-Jazeera and CNBC are available because they are on the European beams of the new satellite, a different beam to the uk beam that carries the bbc itv etc.
Thanks satandpcguy. My Gi sat box states the satellite as 2D. How strange! So I have the correct satellite but not sufficient signal…
1. As the signal is now ‘borderline’ would not a pre-amp bring it above the noise level?
2. If not, would a 1.4m dish do it?
And has there been any definitive research on which LNB is recommended? Ebay has the INVERTO BLACK ULTRA HIGH GAIN TWIN LNB 0.2DB on offer. Any views?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
1. Like I said before : If your dish it too small to receive the signals in the first place, no amount of amplification will help at all!
An amplifier will only work if the dish is getting enough signal in the first place. An amplifier simply amplifies the exiting signal. It cannot make the missing bits of a signal magically appear , or guess what the missing part of the signal are.
2. Yes. Maybe.
Your receiver does not automatically update the names of the satellite being used, hence why it till has the old satellites listed – like 2D. But then you could rename that satellite name to “Fred” – and it would still pick up the channels, as what is important is what satellite your dish is aligned to and the frequencies used on the receiver – not the names of the satellites!
The Inverto Ultra Black range are an excellent LNB and highly recommended.
Thanks for that advice, sat. I am not in Torrevieja at present. When I next visit I will be in touch for a survey and possible upgrade, funds permitting.
Initially, I would like to replace the LNB and see if that helps as this would obviously be the cheapest solution. I note what you say about the Inverto LNB. Have you been able to determine which receiver(s) are the most sensitive?
A receiver, as will a new LNB, or as someone else asked a “signal booster” or amplifier, will only work if the dish is getting enough signal in the first place. If the dish is simply too small to receive the signals in the first place, even the best receivers will not magically produce channels. But the GI Mini works fine.
I wonder how much below the noise the UK signals now are. As previously stated, the BBC has been received since the switch, but this is rare. The interesting thing is that Ulster’s ITV channel, UTV, is usually available. Is this signal as narrowly focussed as the others? Is so, how can one account for this anomaly?
Different transponders have different power levels.
They are not all exactly the same.
Hence some BBC and ITV regions may be better than others.