Can't work out if I have freesat or free to air. help please (1 Viewer)

Michelle CV

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Hi

I am struggling to get my head around the set up in my new van. I have an automatic Maxview system with a controller in the wardrobe and have no problem (now) in getting a signal. What I don't understand is what channels I am getting. I have a visionplus TV which I have tuned to the Astra 28 Satalite and have loads of channels. However, when I compared the channels to the list for freesat the are different - does this mean that I have free to air rather than Freesat? Also is there an idiots guide to Sat TV anyone can point me to as it is difficult enough to understand in this country so goodness knows how we will cope in Portugal later this year when my hubby will be wanting to tune into Portuguese channels - how on earth does anyone know which satallites do what?
 

Badknee

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I would imagine you have Free View, Free Sat you need a dish.(n)
What you can do is get a telly guide like What's on TV and it has channel numbers on each listing. Check those out Free View against Free Sat.
 
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Michelle CV

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no I have a satellite dish but I read that some satellite decoders give freesat and other free to air - it is definitely not freeview - I don't have an ariel

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Freesat is free to air, Freeview is free to air terrestrial TV .Freesat is satellite TV. Does that make sense?
 

Satandpcguy

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Freesat offers selection of free to air channels... not all.
Freeview is UK TV via a TV Aerial.
(most but not all channels on Freeview are available on satellite, most are free, some are pay)
"Free to view" are channels that are encrypted, but require no subscription to watch (on satellite these channels include Motors TV, LFCTV and Sony Movies).

If your receiver has the Freesat logo on it, and the freesat software, and 8 day freesat programme guide, then that is a Freesat receiver.

freesat_logo.jpg


If it does not have the above, then it will be a free to air receiver, which is why your channel list on your FTA receiver will be different to the channel list on a Freesat receiver, and the channels will be in the order that they are loaded into the box
EG On Freesat you will have Channel Four on 104 - on the free to air box, usually frequency 10714 is the first it scans, so the first batch of channels it has in its list will be the 6 channel four advertising regions plus a few other c4 channels.

But note that most f the FTA channels you are getting now, will not be available in Portugal,where a 1.8m or larger dish will be required (especially for BBC ITV C4s and FIves)
 
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Michelle CV

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Thank you so much sat and pc guy - that was very helpful. I conclude that I have a free to air receiver built into my tv which explains the difference in channels. When we are in Portugal my husband, who is Portuguese, will be looking for Portuguese channels - do you happen to know which satellite we need to find?

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Satandpcguy

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When we are in Portugal my husband, who is Portuguese, will be looking for Portuguese channels - do you happen to know which satellite we need to find?
There are no many (well hardly any) free Portuguese satellite channels - only RTP Internacional Europa.
You may be better getting a TV aerial, and a terrestrial box, and get the main portuguese channels from there (if reception is good enough)
 
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Michelle CV

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There are no many (well hardly any) free Portuguese satellite channels - only RTP Internacional Europa.
You may be better getting a TV aerial, and a terrestrial box, and get the main portuguese channels from there (if reception is good enough)
Would my TV tune into Portuguese Channels if I get a TV ariel - it has a built in Satallite tuner and Digital tuner.
 

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