Famaval 2.4 Metre Satellite Dish. 240cm Satellite dish. Portuguese Famaval Satellite Dish.

One of the most popular 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish es installed on the Costa Blanca over the past decade or so is the Famaval 2.4m satellite dish.

Some say this is one of the best performing 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish.

Famaval are based in Portugal and manufacture a range of satellite dishes / parabolicas.

One of the reasons why this Famaval 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish was popular on the Costa Blanca is that it is “future protected” against possible changes and reductions in satellite signals.

The Famaval 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish can be upgraded to a 3.1m satellite dish, by installing “extension panels” around the edge of the satellite dish.

Despite what you may have read or heard, not all genuine Famaval dishes have the Famaval logo printed on them for identification purposes. Some suppliers of these Famaval satellite dishes decide to buy the satellite dishes from Famaval without the Famaval logo printed on the satellite dish. Over the years we have installed many 2.4m Famaval satellite dishes that did not have the Famaval logo printed on them.

This 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish used to be the satellite dish you need to have installed to be able to receive good reception of UK TV channels like BBC TV ITV in the Costa Blanca and Valencia areas of Spain.

However, with the current UK TV satellites, Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G reception in the Costa Blanca and Valencia area has improved, the 2.4m 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish is now no longer required, as the UK TV signals can be received on a satellite dish about half the size!

Famaval 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish Specifications:
Reflector Material: Aluminium
Reflector Weight: 33.8kg
Outside diameter: 2470mm x 2470mm
Reflector diameter: 2290mm x 2290mm
Focal Distance: 93cm
Gain (10,7 Ghz): 46,1db
Gain (11.7 Ghz): 46,9db
Gain (12.7Ghz) : 47,6db

Satellite Dish Size Confusion

There are two ways to actually measure a Famaval 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish. The first way is to measure the actual reflector part of the satellite dish, and the second is to measure the larger reflector and outer rim of the satellite dish. So, where Famaval quote in their catalogue the size of a satellite dish as “230” with measurements of 2290×2290, this is the measurement of the actual reflector of the satellite dish. When you include the outer rim of the satellite dish the actual measurements of the reflector are 2470 x 2470mm. So this dish can be quoted as being a “2.3m satellite dish” or a “2.4m satellite dish”.

2.4 Metre Satellite Dish. 240cm Satellite dish. Bulgarian Satellite Dish. Pasat Satellite Dish.

One of the other makes of 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish used on the Costa Blanca over the past few years is the Pasat 2.4m satellite dish.

Unfortunately I have found that, although this 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish does perform well, and it is of a robust build, there are some flaws as to the installation.

One of the problems with this 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish is how the supporting ring is secured to the floor stand. The dish is secured by using four bots being tightened against the floor stand. This can cause all sorts of problems with dish alignment, as the bolts pierce the floor stand, and make indentations into the floor stand. This means that if the dish is not aligned correctly in the first place, then and future small critical movements to ensure perfect alignment of the satellite dish is pretty much impossible, as the bolts will always slot back into their indentations in the floor stand.
The photo below shows an extreme example of this problem, where the bolts have been tightened so much it has damaged the floor stand. So the 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish cannot be secured to this floor stand perfectly, which will harm satellite TV reception.

Another problem with this Pasat 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish is that the LNB and feedhorn system that comes as part of this satellite dish kit is not the most efficient and does not easily allow the installation of the best performing feedhorn and LNB combination that can receive the best signals for satellite TV in Spain.
Most of the LNB support arms and feedhorn components have to be sources and changed to ensure the best LNB and feedhorn can be installed on this satellite dish.

Do I have a Portuguese or Eastern Europe (Bulgarian) Pasat satellite dish?

An Eastern European 2.4m dish is identifiable by:
a large hole in the middle. The Famaval Prime Focus Satellite Dishes do not have a centre hole.
“spin circles” on the back where you can see the dish has been made from spun steel. The Portuguese Prime Focus Satellite Dishes don’t have these as they are pressed aluminium.
5 bolts to hold the dish support ring to the ground stand, the Portuguese Prime Focus Satellite Dishes clamp onto the ground stand.
A 2.4m Famaval Prime Focus Satellite Dishes can also be distinguished from other dishes by the 24 small holes around the rim which can be used to install extension petals, making the 2.4m Famaval satellite dish a 3.1m satellite dish.

A Famaval 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish (left) and a Pasat Bulgarian 2.4m Prime Focus Satellite Dish (right). Note the large hole in the centre of the Turkish dish.