# Satellite for UK TV viewing



## Casa Morica (Dec 6, 2012)

Dear Expatforum members

This is my first ever post so please be gentle!

My friend has had a villa in Calpe (South of Denia, North of Benidorm) for 10 years and has had a new villa built in the grounds. The old villa has Wide band TV aerials for Spanish TV (I assume) but never had a TV out there. He and his wife have moved to Spain from the UK to live permanently last month. 

Question:
He would like to try and receive UK programmes via a satellite dish, but is aware that the Astra satellite is moving and it may require a very large dish to receive the programmes. He has asked me to look on the web to find more info, as he doesn't want to buy a small dish to then have to buy another larger dish. 

Can anybody advise me what to do? He does not have any internet or phone other than a UK mobile phone.

Having looked on the web I notice that the satellite has been moved into place now, does anybody else in the Calpe area have info on signal quality in this area? Which size dish?

Thank you for your assistance

Richard


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi and welcome to the forum. Interestingly we had this post come in this morning, have a read and see if helps any??? Altho I think at this moment in time no one really knows the answer????

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/134687-channel-5-cds.html

Jo xxx


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

For calpe you will currently need at least a 1m dish for decent reception of the main UK TV channels.
Obviously a larger dish will help with reception, but it does not alway gaurentee 24/7 reception (even the largest 2.4m dishes can lose reception sometime in the rains we have).

Although the new satellite is in position, and is carry a handful of channels, this is not the end of the changes.

We are still awaiting for the main batch of BBC ITV C4 channels to move. We are waiing to see if they move to this first new satellite, or to the second new satellite (scheduled for launch q1 2013), but it is unlikely they will wait and move onto the third new satellite (scheduled for launch 2014). Current money is they wil move to the second satellite - but what trecept5ion of this second satellite will be like in Spain, or what the required dish size will be for reception of this second satellite, no-one will know until the satellite is launched, and is in operation. SO a dish installed today, may or may not get these channels when they move to their new satellite.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Yes we have lost Channel 5 but since I never watched it no loss. But the others will be more problematic although we can still watch BBC via iPlayer.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Any luck streaming tvcatchup via a proxy server?


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## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Any luck streaming tvcatchup via a proxy server?


TVcatchup quickly close and vpn or proxy servers to thier site - to try and make their site purely for the UK only.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

If you use netflix and pay a couple quid to Unblock Us - smarter faster VPN this lets you use your UK account to access the US netflix site which is many many times bigger in terms of content than the UK site.


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## Casa Morica (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks all for your information everybody I have passed on the information.


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