# Astra 1 and 2 on same dish?



## qwertyjjj (Jan 27, 2010)

Is it possible to get Astra 1 & 2 on the same dish?
We want Dutch TV (decoder card will be sent form Holland), English TV, and SPanish TV.

The guy in the shop said a 60cm dish was needed for Astra 1, a 130cm dish for the Sky channels on Astra 2 and then a normal antenna for the SPanish channels.
Aren't there any Spanish channels on the satellites?


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

You'll be able to get 1&2on the larger dish . 
The satellite would have to point in a different direction for the spanish channels.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

What satellite are the Spanish channels on?

19 and 28 is only 9 degrees that's not too much for a bracket is it?

Also isn't Sky on the broad Euro beam? If it is then I would think the 130cm is big. OTOH the other stuff is on Astra 1N. 

Of course if the above makes no sense you'll likely want an installer -)


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## qwertyjjj (Jan 27, 2010)

NickZ said:


> What satellite are the Spanish channels on?
> 
> 19 and 28 is only 9 degrees that's not too much for a bracket is it?
> 
> ...


I heard the Astra 2D footprint was being reduced soon so maybe that's why 130cm?
So, 2 on the same satellite should work. Is that with a dual LNB type setup - do they work ok or is it better to get 2 separate satellites?
Another problem with 130cm is storm winds apparently in winter.
Astra 2 is freesat for the UK channels?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

2D is gone IIRC. It's replaced by 1N at 28. I think all the freesat are on this. At least for the moment. 

I guess in theory two dedicated dishes would be best but if setup right the single dish should work fine. Make sure it's setup to get the weakest one. The 130 is going to be more then big enough for for 19E.


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, it is possable (but not ideal!) to get 28 and 19 on one dish 
as long as the dish is big enough and you are prepared to spend time getting all the alignments done and good.

Maybe better to get one dish for 19 and another for 28.

For Astra 1, usually a 60cm dish will do.
For Astra 2 anything from a 60cm to 3.1m dish is required, depending on location and channels required.

But if you are after Dutch, then their chanenls are split between 19 and 23, with 19 carrying the SD channels, and 23 carrying the HD channels. YOu need a good 80cm dish, and a special monoblock for 19 and 23 (TVVlanders does them)

There are Spanish channels available for free on satellite: TVE Internactional, TeleMadrid, and one or two other local channels.

Channels that you can get via TDT / TV aerail, require a D+ subscription to receive them via satellite.




qwertyjjj said:


> I heard the Astra 2D footprint was being reduced soon so maybe that's why 130cm?
> So, 2 on the same satellite should work. Is that with a dual LNB type setup - do they work ok or is it better to get 2 separate satellites?
> Another problem with 130cm is storm winds apparently in winter.
> Astra 2 is freesat for the UK channels?


2d is still up there, but all channels were removed from it late Feb, and moved to 1N, which is in the same location so no need to move dishes.
This is the reason why in most of Spain channels that previously were unavailable on 2.4m dishes can not be receiveed on 1m dishes, as the 1N signal is more available in Spain than the 2D signal they were previously on.

Astra 2a, 2b, 1n and Eurobird 1 all carry UK channels. These channels can be received by Freesat, Sky a
and other satellite receivers


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## walsh (Aug 1, 2012)

sat said:


> Yes, it is possable (but not ideal!) to get 28 and 19 on one dish
> as long as the dish is big enough and you are prepared to spend time getting all the alignments done and good.
> 
> Maybe better to get one dish for 19 and another for 28.
> ...


I assume that is the reason when I went to my holiday home in south east Spain in june I could no longer see any channels? I use a digital sky box which is tuned into frequency 12129? What can I do to get BBQ etc back without subscription?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

walsh said:


> I assume that is the reason when I went to my holiday home in south east Spain in june I could no longer see any channels? I use a digital sky box which is tuned into frequency 12129? What can I do to get BBQ etc back without subscription?


12129 no longer works - no channels. Try 11778 instead.


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

walsh said:


> I assume that is the reason when I went to my holiday home in south east Spain in june I could no longer see any channels? I use a digital sky box which is tuned into frequency 12129? What can I do to get BBQ etc back without subscription?


Well,
changing the default transponder frequency on a sky box is only done to help the sky box boot up.
changing this frequency DOES NOT improve individual channel reception.
so although you say it iis "tuned into frequency 12129", if you select bbc1 the box will use the specific frequency for bbc1 (which has never been 12129!), if you select bbc2 the box will use the specific frequency for bbc2, if you select itv1 the box will use the specific frequency for itv1, if you select c4 the box will use the specific frequency for c4, and if you select five the box will use the specific frequency for five. So the box will have used 5 frequencies for the five channels.... no of which are on 12129! 

normally this is set to 11778 - as this is the only frequency that carries the full 7 day programme guide data. and this data is what the sky box looks for on boot up.

in some areas, even 2.4m dishes can fail to get this information from this frequency.

luckily all other 120+ frequencies carry limited data - to 6am, to 12pm, 6pm, 12am. 
so if your box cannot locate 11778, it cannopt locate the data it needs to download to work, so you have to ask it to download minimal information from another frequency.

once the programme data has been downlaoded, then your manually input frequency is ignored. the sky box will use whichever frequency it needs to for the channel you have selected to watch.

there is really no "correct" one to use, but some are better than others. in the end they all do the same thing.


however, the lone channel on 12129 (S4C) was moved to another frequency. so for a time 12129 carried no information that could be used to help a sky box boot up.
12129 was then reconfigured for HD and is now carrying some of the BBC Olympic channels. The reconfiguration meant its settings have been changed, to settings taht are not available to be input into a sky box.

so these are the reasons why if you used to use 12129 to help boot up your sky box it is no longer working.

so use another one... such as 12207 (the frequency for sky news) or 12051 (turner channels) or any other frequnecies you knew of!)

not too sure about how to get your BBQ back....  but hopefully using a different frequency to 12129 will help get your BBC back.

Now if only there was a helpful satellite tv in spain website where this information was posted.......... 



snikpoh said:


> 12129 no longer works - no channels. Try 11778 instead.


as mentioned above, 11778 carries the full 7 day epg data and can even be unavailable on 2.4m dish in many areas of Spain.
Also some poorer perforing sky boxes really dislike this frequency in Spain....


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## walsh (Aug 1, 2012)

Thanks for your quick replies, I am back there next week so will let u know how I get on


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## qwertyjjj (Jan 27, 2010)

Wha the average price in Spain for a dish + LNB + receiver + installtion labour?
...or what's reasonable?


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

qwertyjjj said:


> Wha the average price in Spain for a dish + LNB + receiver + installtion labour?
> ...or what's reasonable?


all depends on what size dish, what make of dish, what make of LNB, how many ports on the LNB, what make of reicever, FTA or card, SD, HD, twin tuners wanted.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

sat said:


> all depends on what size dish, what make of dish, what make of LNB,
> QUOTE
> 
> 
> ...


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> We have a newish tv and Sky box -old type - that we would like to use to get Spanish tv in the guest room. We just want basic channels, news, that kind of thing. Our main SkyPlus box is in our salon and independent of any set-up we could have in the guest room. We used to get Spanish tv but have 'lost' those channels.
> 
> Do we need another dish or would we be able to get the free channels with just a box as in the UK?
> 
> ...


There are NO Spanish channels available via a Sky box or on the UK TV satellites.

The analogue SPanish TV channels closed down many months ago, and it is now all digital.

If you want Spanish TV channels then you wil need:
a TV aerial
maybe an aerial / amplifier
a digital terrestrial set top box, or a TV with built in digital tuner

and you can receive around 30-40 digital spanish channels. 
there are no UK channels on the Spanish TV sytems, but many channels allow you to change UK and USA imported programmes dubbed Spanish audio into the programme origianl English audio.

Alternatively, you can go for digital+, the Spanish satellite tv service. Channels similar to Sky, and pay per month. There are not many (5 or 6) Spanish chanenls available for free on satellite. And those that are are more local channels like Telemadrid.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

sat said:


> There are NO Spanish channels available via a Sky box or on the UK TV satellites.
> 
> The analogue SPanish TV channels closed down many months ago, and it is now all digital.
> 
> ...



Thankyou for that, very helpful.
This may sound like a dumb question but when you say 'aerial' you don't mean 'dish', do you?

I ask as we have a lot of ironmongery on our roof.


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> This may sound like a dumb question but when you say 'aerial' you don't mean 'dish', do you?
> 
> I ask as we have a lot of ironmongery on our roof.



a tv aeiral and a satellite dish are two completely different hings, and receive channels via two different methods.

By tv aerial i mean a tv aerial.
A TV aerial receive channels that are tranmitted "terrestrially" ie from land based tv transmitters.

A satellite dish receive channels from satellites that are "extra terrrestrial".

Both systems requrie some form of receiver to be able to watch channels.
a TV aerial requires a digital terrestrial set top box, or a TV with a built in terrestrial reeciver.
a satellite dish requires a digital satellite receiver, or a tv with a built in digital satellite receiver.

To use the UK as an example; 
Freeview is the UKs digital terrestrial system allowing access to the free UK digital terrestrial channels - via a tv aerial

Freesat is the UKs digital satellite system allowing access to the free UK digital satellite channels - via a satellite dish

You cannot get Freeview via satellite, just like you cannot get Freesat via a TV aerial.

You cannot get Freeview in Spain - the UK masts donts send the signals this far!
You can, with appropriate sized dish, get Freesat.

hope this helps


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

sat said:


> a tv aeiral and a satellite dish are two completely different hings, and receive channels via two different methods.
> 
> By tv aerial i mean a tv aerial.
> A TV aerial receive channels that are tranmitted "terrestrially" ie from land based tv transmitters.
> ...




Yes, it has helped immensely. Although I find even a tin-opener to be a gadget of amazing technological complexity I understood exactly what you wrote....thankyou.

So I think that all I need to do is to purchase a Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box and link it up with the aerial on the roof and the tv???


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> Yes, it has helped immensely. Although I find even a tin-opener to be a gadget of amazing technological complexity I understood exactly what you wrote....thankyou.


Happy to help.



mrypg9 said:


> So I think that all I need to do is to purchase a Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box and link it up with the aerial on the roof and the tv???


If you have a TV aerial








and it is pointing towards a tv transmitter mast, then you conenct a cable to the tv aerial, the other end to the TDT / Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box , and connected the TDT / Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box to the TV, turn on, and search for channels.

depending on your area and signal quality, some more kit my be required.
a masthead amplifer and power supply may be needed to provide some boost to a weak signal.
the masthead amplifer goes along the cable close to the tv aerial.
its power supply goes olong the cable close to the TDT / Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box. Soem amplifiers dont require the power supply, as they get their power from the TDT / Spanish 'Freeview' equivalent box .


if you look at tdt1.com, select your region, and area, then it will tell you what channels yu should be able to recieve.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

sat said:


> Happy to help.
> 
> 
> If you have a TV aerial
> ...


Yes!!!!! That's one of the things on our roof!! 
I have pasted your reply so my son can sort it all out when he comes next week.

Once again, thankyou for being so helpful. I am sending you a virtual bottle of Bollinger!


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## walsh (Aug 1, 2012)

Hi I am now in south east Spain and have a digital Tv connected to an aerial outlet and the scan failed to pick up any channels? The sky digital box is connected to the tv by a scart lead and I am just getting the blue screen saying no signal ? Do you think the problem is in the settings or do we need a new dish and aerial?


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

walsh said:


> Hi I am now in south east Spain and have a digital Tv connected to an aerial outlet and the scan failed to pick up any channels?


Are you sure the aerial outlet is connected to a tv aerial?
You would be surprised the number of outlets i have been to that have not been connected up to the aerial / distribution systems!

Also, is the aerial pointing in the correct direction for signal?
And, which I have seen a few times, aerial have been installed incorrectly, so the connections are topside and not bottomside, leaving the connections open to the weather and liable to rust and corrosion.



walsh said:


> The sky digital box is connected to the tv by a scart lead and I am just getting the blue screen saying no signal ?


Is the "no signal" message from the TV or Sky box?
If from the TV then you will need to select the correct input on the TV for the scart cable input you have connetced it all up to.

If it is a "no satellite signal" sky box error message, and assuming you have connected it to a cable from the satellite dish, and assuming that dish is aligned to the UK TV satellites, then perhaps you need to change the default transpodner frequency on the sky box to help it download the information it need to work.
sky sd box: services, 401 select, 2 12207v 27.5 2/3 save, sky button, date and time appear, banner populates with channel 998, channels will be there.
sky hd box: services, 001 select, txponder, 12207v 27.5 2/3 save, sky button, date and time appear, banner populates with channel 998, channels will be there.


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