Satellite coverage in France 2016 update from tech idiot (1 Viewer)

Feb 24, 2013
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This may be of little or no use to any or all of you, but one person my just gain something (y)

We are currently driving around France, we have a dome, no idea what size, but do seem to recall paying extra for something when we bought it, either bigger, or might have been to run 2 TV's at same time with different channels, or it might just be the seller saw a mug buyer :LOL:

Night 1 Maileray sur Seine excellent reception, even in torrential rain

Night 2 Bauge (50 miles of so south of Le Mans) good reception

Night 3 Parc Verger, good reception till it rained (snowed) then nothing worth watching

Night 4 Blaye, set tuner to auto, found nothing, then changed satellite to Astra S from Astra N, immediately found excellent TV, might have worked at PV if I had known to try

That might be obvious to some, it wasn't to me, but yet again I end the day slightly wiser, but in reality have simply learnt something else to forget before next needed :)

will update this thread as we progress round France, further south then up through Millau to return (y)
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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we have had 2 nights with friends, one parked in woods so no chance to check satellite, other with Frankie in Toulouse where we didn't try TV. Last night approx. 20 miles north of Millau so still a long way down, still set to Astra S found some channels and was able to watch the rugby with a good picture, then it rained and we lost the lot, nothing nada, zilch not even sound

Tried again today with no rain, the satellite seems to jam on Astra S, we have retuned on Astra N tuned in but no picture, by tuned I mean on auto search the dish stopped spinning and locked to something, just about to move anyway so not spending time on TV, only going 40 miles further north today will try again from Mende
 

funflair

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Dec 11, 2013
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Hi David

Somebody is going to ask, so it might as well be me, and I can guess the answer.

Are you tuning to Astra 1 or Astra 2, what channels have been getting.

Martin

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Just arrived in Mende, beautiful place, right down in a narrow valley, no hope of satellite, or so I thought, but turned on, brief twizzle bingo full signal full range of TV

@funflair Martin didn't have a clue but just been for a look, Astra2 N now, did try Astra2 S earlier in the trip which improved pictures on that site, Astra 1 I now know is the next one down, never even tried it (yet)

300 UK channels, only odd thing we cant get our normal Look North, but more than good enough to keep in touch

Mende is a long way down, not far off the Med really about 80 miles north of Montpellier, might be helping that it is quite fair weather, cloudy and some blue bits, importantly no rain (y)

Edit - Spoke too soon on the rain front, it rained not overly hard, picture too pixelated to watch and no sound, might try Astra 2 S and maybe Astra 1 later, but rain has stopped and picture perfect again
 
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funflair

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Hi David

That is a more technical answer than I was expecting. Astra 1 will just give you sky news and BBC new and the not much more that's what we are watching in Spain(in the sun).

Martin
 

Don Quixote

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Not long enough, but a little common sense helps..........
Just arrived in Mende, beautiful place, right down in a narrow valley, no hope of satellite, or so I thought, but turned on, brief twizzle bingo full signal full range of TV

@funflair Martin didn't have a clue but just been for a look, Astra2 N now, did try Astra2 S earlier in the trip which improved pictures on that site, Astra 1 I now know is the next one down, never even tried it (yet)

300 UK channels, only odd thing we cant get our normal Look North, but more than good enough to keep in touch

Mende is a long way down, not far off the Med really about 80 miles north of Montpellier, might be helping that it is quite fair weather, cloudy and some blue bits, importantly no rain (y)

Edit - Spoke too soon on the rain front, it rained not overly hard, picture too pixelated to watch and no sound, might try Astra 2 S and maybe Astra 1 later, but rain has stopped and picture perfect again
Very curious? to know how you moved your dish from Astra2 N and Astra2S ( these are NOT UK BsyB sats )
The sats for UK BskyB are: Astra 2A (now inactive), Astra 2E, Astra 2F Astra 2G and they are in the same orbit of 28.8E so no moving of the dish is/should be required.

I think you mean Astra1 which is on 19E and has Astra1Kr, Astra1L, Astra1M and Astra1N, which is the Germany sats for BskyB. They are all i the same orbit so no moving of the dish is required.

Awaiting your reply with interest.

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Very curious? to know how you moved your dish from Astra2 N and Astra2S ( these are NOT UK BsyB sats )
The sats for UK BskyB are: Astra 2A (now inactive), Astra 2E, Astra 2F Astra 2G and they are in the same orbit of 28.8E so no moving of the dish is/should be required.

I think you mean Astra1 which is on 19E and has Astra1Kr, Astra1L, Astra1M and Astra1N, which is the Germany sats for BskyB. They are all i the same orbit so no moving of the dish is required.

Awaiting your reply with interest.

As Bev would say, please don't say what you think I mean :)

I don't do technical, photo below of our control box, we can select which we use but rarely change from top option

IMG_1501.JPG


we have a sat dome, not sure if that influences your question?

I only posted really for non techies like me who wonder what they might see while away (y)
 

Don Quixote

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Not long enough, but a little common sense helps..........
Now it makes sense. What you have is a tuner that locks to the following Sats:

Astra2_N - 28.8E ( Sky UK (BskyB)) ( in your case I think that's North beam )
Astra2_S - 28.8E ( Sky UK (BskyB)) ( in your case I think that's South beam )
Astra 1 - 19.2E (Sky Germany (BskyB)) german audio, but you can change the audio stream via remote to English if supplied
Hotbird - 13E ( Polish, Arab and Spainsh ) again audio can be change to English or supplied
Sirius - 4.8E ( Ukraine and Spanish ) again audio can be changed if supplied
AB3 - 5W ( 5 x Africa channels! )
Hispasat - 30W ( mainly Spanish ) again audio can be changed.

Not sure why your automatic tuner has 2 x Astra freq buttons as both are on the same bearing ( but it could be North beam and South beam ). You are doing well with a dome as many would have problems with a 80cm dish. Now at least you know what each satellite supplies. Enjoy
 
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Jul 29, 2013
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Yes they are north and south beam ours has that on it I was told that there should be channels on the south beam if no reception on north as south is the European coverage

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Satandpcguy

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The old Astra 2A and Astra 2B satellites had North and South beams.
The north beam could be tricky to receive (Valencia area even a 2.4m dish could struggle to receive these 24/7), so go get an automatic system to lock on, you switched over to the south beam which was a lot easier to receive in fringe reception areas
The current satellites (2e 2g and 2g) have UK, European, and Middle East beams with the European beam being similar to the old South beam, but there are no longer north and south beams.
But you just have to hope that the frequencies they use to lock on are on the stronger beam and not the weaker beam...
 

dshague

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David,,witch company supplied your dome and what make is it please
 

wanderer

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I have the same set up its a Camos dome supplied by Roadpro . It was fitted in 2008

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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David,,witch company supplied your dome and what make is it please

I thinks it is a Maxview but we are parked against a fence and I cant get far enough away to see it

My memory is useless cant even recall the firm who fitted it three years, they were recommended on here but not advertisers, somewhere near Newark

Hope that little info is of some use
 

parigby

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Hi DavidG58 - l doooo so relate to your techie posts. You sound exactly like me, mainly useless.

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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@dshague this might be more useful

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I am now more awake, this company fitted mine and TV's and a solar panel three years ago when we bought this MH
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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@dshague this might be more useful

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I am now more awake, this company fitted mine and TV's and a solar panel three years ago when we bought this MH

they were very good, fitted at home and came back to sort out a minor issue

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dshague

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rob automate have used him in the past fitted my last crank up ,was talking to him last week about domes they do roadpro and vudome ...when you have time to look witch one ...thanks
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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rob automate have used him in the past fitted my last crank up ,was talking to him last week about domes they do roadpro and vudome ...when you have time to look witch one ...thanks

I don't think it is either of those, but forgot to look before it went dark, sorry :LOL:

fairly sure it is Maxview though
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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we are now north of Clermont Ferrand, tuned in first time, got brilliant picture even with heavy grey clouds, then it started to snow and we lost the lot (y)

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dshague

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maxview vudome is what rob sells now ,,,,thanks david
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Parked at Blois aire tonight, couldn't get signal at first, moved still nothing, then changed back to Astra2 N, perfect, but with clear blue skies which seems to make a difference

Have a smug grin on for past half hour, French MHer with 'proper' dish keeps moving and his dish keeps twiddling and ducking and diving, now just put in down flat again :)

Hadn't realised the advantage of a stealth dome unit till tonight, nobody knows you are still searching, he has just gone by us on way to town, with a very disappointed look back at our TV
 

teensvan99

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When we were at Blois some 7 years ago the sat signal was so strong there was no signal difference between UK and Blois. We could still watch UK TV no loss of any channels down as far as Barcelona.

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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last 2 nights in France, last night la Mailleraye again, where we started out, good picture to start then it started to sleat lost the picture again, this has surprised me this trip just how a little moisture in the air with the associated clouds kills satellite pictures

Very last night tonight almost in sight of UK at Montreuil sur mer, clear skies and perfect reception, the most predictable result of the trip :)

that's all folks, see some of you somewhere during the year hopefully (y)
 

Satandpcguy

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Note that we are approaching Equinonx time.....
Soon the suns path across the sky takes it directly along the Clarke Belt - where the geo satellites are positioned.
This means that in the mornings, some channels can be lost as the suns energy swamps out the weaker signals.

But this also affects things at night, as the satellites will be in the earths shadow, and will be getting reduced solar power, so they switch to their battery backups, which usually means a small drop in power, meaning a weaker signal being transmitted, again, meaning the weaker channels can disappear earlier than usual.

More: http://www.satandpcguy.com/uk-tv-astra-satellites/satellite-solar-outage/
 

teensvan99

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Hi Satandpcguy. That is a very good post. Never thought the sun would effect the sat signal

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Mar 1, 2015
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Spent last summer in vias plage on the med and using my 85cm oyster dish I got all the sky channels that I get here in uk.I use a spiderbox receiver and get a perfect picture even when it rains which is not often.
 

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