Problem getting satellite TV in Portugal

[cazd]

We visited Oyster on our way to Dover and got our satellite fixed (both LNBs replaced) so all was well and good and we were able to watch TV in the UK, France and Spain. Now that we're in Portugal we are unable to pick up any TV.

We've changed the transponder frequency to 12.207 (from 11.778) so that we pick up the Astra South Beam instead of the North Beam but still no luck. The Signal Test area shows no Signal Strength or Quality. The Lock Indicator is Not Locked, however the Network ID is 0002 indicating Astra 2, the transport stream is 07e9. Sometimes we are able to view the Program Guide, but when we try and view the actual channel it says "Searching for listings please wait" and then "No satellite signal is being received" or "There is a technical fault with this channel". The Satellite Control Panel is showing "Astra 2 found".

Does anyone have any idea what we can do to get a picture?

Any help will be very much appreciated!

Many thanks
Carol & Mark

Our blog - Carol and Mark in Europe

 

[keith]

We visited Oyster on our way to Dover and got our satellite fixed (both LNBs replaced) so all was well and good and we were able to watch TV in the UK, France and Spain. Now that we're in Portugal we are unable to pick up any TV.

We've changed the transponder frequency to 12.207 (from 11.778) so that we pick up the Astra South Beam instead of the North Beam but still no luck. The Signal Test area shows no Signal Strength or Quality. The Lock Indicator is Not Locked, however the Network ID is 0002 indicating Astra 2, the transport stream is 07e9. Sometimes we are able to view the Program Guide, but when we try and view the actual channel it says "Searching for listings please wait" and then "No satellite signal is being received" or "There is a technical fault with this channel". The Satellite Control Panel is showing "Astra 2 found".

Does anyone have any idea what we can do to get a picture?

Any help will be very much appreciated!

Many thanks
Carol & Mark

Our blog - Carol and Mark in Europe

Go to HERE & click on the link to using a Sky digibox. There is more information on getting a signal down there.

Good luck :thumb:

PS we are in Southern Spain watching Sky as we speak.

 

[cazd]

Thank you! I've printed out the PDF and will read it thoroughly.

 

[theresa]

when we are in spain our oyster dish is to small to work , we have to have a 1.3mt dish also we turn the lnb so its looking like 20 to 2 on a clock. good luck

 

[nomadic]

Satalite tv reception

Hi Cazd,

It is interesting that you are "not locked"...you must be to get any further forward.

We had a similar problem and after remaking the sat. cable to conector connections, we assumed the "locked on" status, and all was well....could be worth looking at these connections!

Evan the "not locked" status will allow some information to be displayed, its stored from your last viewing.

I hope this helps :thumb:


Nomadic

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[keith]

Hi Cazd,

It is interesting that you are "not locked"...you must be to get any further forward.

We had a similar problem and after remaking the sat. cable to conector connections, we assumed the "locked on" status, and all was well....could be worth looking at these connections!

Evan the "not locked" status will allow some information to be displayed, its stored from your last viewing.

I hope this helps :thumb:


Nomadic

When we are 'down South' it always shows 'Not Locked' & often no signal. Following the instructions on sat. for Caravans to tune in Sky news under 'srevices', other channels & leave well alone for a few mins. then go to EPG & you should see the full list ..... not that you will automatically be able to get them all.

Hope this helps

Keith

 

[Pikey Pete]

The system does not need to show signal strength or be locked to pick up channels, but you do need to see the 0002 and 07ee or similar for it to work.
If you go to TV guide and wait it should work. You will not get all channels ( Usually BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are not available) and when you switch to a channel you should get, it will tell you that no satellite signal is being received, so either wait a few seconds for the channel to come on or use the channel button to switch off the channel and then back on to it again, to quicken it up.
To get all the UK channels you need at least a 1.5 meter dish.
Pete

 

[Frankia]

We use our 80cm Oyster in Portugal and depending where you are (and the time of day)you can pick up Astra 2D (the one broadcasting BBC ITV )

The 1st thing to do is adjust the LNB - you have moved significantly south and west of where it was set up so you need to alter the "skew" - you will see in the Oyster manual that it should be set to 30deg for Portugal (cable pointing roughly to 7 o'clock position).

You don't always need to see the signal strength and quality bars to get a picture - the reason for changing the default transponder is so that the signal meters get a chance to work as they are normally looking at a transponder on the northern beam.

The Prog Guide comes off a number of transponders and sometimes you can not get it all - I find that it is a good idea to put some of the channels we watch regularly into the "other channels" menu. To do this (once you are on beam) press the services button and select add channels then using the transponder info that you can get from LyngSat - Lyngemark Satellite input the frequencies of the transponder containing the channels you watch (you can put a max of 50 channels in ) then press the yellow button next to the stations you want. This is a job I do before leaving the UK.

The best places to get best reception are north of Lisbon and (oddly ) a few places along the Algarve.

Sky is broadcast from an array of satelites called Eurobird 1 and Astra 2A B C and D. Most people assume that it is only the channels on Astra 2D which are difficult as it points more specifically at the UK however there are many other transponders which point towards the north which are also difficult so, as an example, you will also lose Eurosport. Again compare the channels you watch with Lyngsat and you will see that any channels shown as being on Astra 2A or B north will be weak in Portugal.

Good luck with it - I wish I was in Portugal with you right now but will have to wait to the end of Jan.

Merry Christmas

 

[Satandpcguy]

on sky boxes whenever you press the services, sky guide,interactive or box office buttons the sky box automatically looks at the frequency 11778 - even if you have changed the default transponder to something else - as on 11778 is the background music stream that is used in the menu screens of the sky box. hence why you find not locked and no signal strength or quality on the sky test screen, as it is looking for a frequencys you cannot actually recive on your size dish.

you need to change the default transponder only to help the sky box locate the minimum amount of data it needs to boot up successsfully - ie date and time and 6 hours of epg information. once it has this information the default transponder (99.9% of the time) reverts back to 11778.

11778 is very tricky to get in spain - as are a wholeload of other north beams signals from astra 2a and 2b.
and the skew (rotation angle) of the LNB is critical for receiving these tricky signals - we are talking millimeter adjustments for optimisation!. even on a 2.4m dish here you can still loose then north beam signals...

try an alterate default tranponder frequency - i use 12129 v 27.5 2/3 - you know that you are on the correct satellite as the first indication is that the date and time will appear on the screen (top left of the services screens or botton right in the info banner). if it does not come in then check all the conenctions between the LNB and receiver and make sure you are on the correct satellite (a very common mistake as many locate Arabsat on 26 degrees and not the astra 28 constellation!)

putting channels in other channels may be a good idea, but the recent software updates from sky have caused an issue where on some sky boxes they loose their memory if disconneted from power and thus loose these other channels.

hope this helps

 

[keith]

11778 is very tricky to get in spain - as are a wholeload of other north beams signals from astra 2a and 2b.
and the skew (rotation angle) of the LNB is critical for receiving these tricky signals - we are talking millimeter adjustments for optimisation!. even on a 2.4m dish here you can still loose then north beam signals...

My Camos crakup dosn't have a LNB to alter. How does this work? Are there other tricks that can be used to acheive the same result.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[nomadic]

When we are 'down South' it always shows 'Not Locked' & often no signal. Following the instructions on sat. for Caravans to tune in Sky news under 'srevices', other channels & leave well alone for a few mins. then go to EPG & you should see the full list ..... not that you will automatically be able to get them all.

Hope this helps

Keith

Keith,

Thanks for your information, I will need it if we reach Portigal in January on.

Have a good christmas and new year

Nomadic

 

[N&K]

Hi

Looks like you have it sorted now, but just wanted to add, I agree with Keith, we are in the south of Spain right now with our Sky HD box and the signal doesnt show as 'locked' in the Signal test. You need to rely on your signal meter, when you think you are locked on, turn off the power to the sky box, wait 30 secs and plug it back in. As soon as it comes back to life, go to Services -> System Setup (4) -> Signal Test (6) and the signal strength and quality will show for about a minute, then it returns to not locked. Apart from the ...all working on the south beam.

I found this site quite useful 28E transponder identifications to learn what all the numbers mean.


also if you are trying to get Eastenders on Xmas day on Astra 2D ;-) this is quite good to see if you are in a bad spot and a larger dish is recommended for your location. We have a 1.1 dish and as it happens we are bang in the middle of the 2.4m on the east coast of spain. We did get 2D most of the way down, but lost it in this location:
Link Removed

Hope that helps, have a good xmas.

N&K

 

[cazd]

Thank you all so much for your replies (this is the first chance that I've had to get on the Internet since first posting, hence the delayed reply)

I'll print out all your responses and try and work out what to do! It all seems quite complicated... :Sad:

We're able to get the South Beam channels at the moment, just need to try harder to pick up the other beams I think...

We're in Obidos in Portugal at the moment, a lovely old walled town, recommend it very much. Cloudy, overcast day today though, after a few lovely days of bright sunshine

Thanks again
Carol

 

[potjoe]

sat TV

Hi,try to BBC1 on number 974 this may help.we r in spain with a 1.4 dish

 

[Satandpcguy]

....and the signal strength and quality will show for about a minute, then it returns to not locked.

and the reason why it does that is that the box is looking at the alternate default transponder, and when it has all of the information it needs to boot up it reverts back to looking at 11778 - which may not be locked as this is on the north beam!

We have a 1.1 dish and as it happens we are bang in the middle of the 2.4m on the east coast of spain. We did get 2D most of the way down, but lost it in this location

it also depends on what LNB and receiver you are using - im on the costa blanca and can get bbc and itvs until about 6pmish on a 1.35 offset dish using the correct LNBs for the dish.

in spain we use
BBC1 Channel Islands (988)
ITV Channel Islands (10905 v 22 5/6)

or if you have a sly card ITV Meridian Se (12408 v 27.5 2/3) and for C4 E4 M4 12480v 27.5 2/3 (i have got these ITVs and C4's on an 80cm dish where i am!)

and it always helps if you have a good meter - the beepers really dont tell you much - if you want to make a good satellite meter investment look for a lacuna mk4 DSM meter...

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[N&K]

Hi SatandPCGuy

This is all interesting stuff....I have a Alsat 1.1m Dish and a Faval 0.2dB LNB. I used a Link Removed which seems to have given me a good signal on the south beam.

The Sky HD Box reports almost Maximum Signal Quality (right to the top of the bar signal gauge) and over 3/4 signal strength :thumb:. I have a full SKY HD subscription card and have tried adding the channels you suggested (Services -> System Setup -> Add Channels) but I always get "no signal found".

We are on the coast about 20 miles South/West of Cartagena which is apparently a weak spot. I even tried 1.1m dish on the motorhome roof (which gives it an almost clear sight of the sea) in an attempt to get some non south beam channels i.e BBC, ITV...but no joy.

I currently have set the default transponder to 12.129V 27.5 2/3 using the hidden Installer Setup Menu.

Using the Sat Meter and tweaking the dish and LNB angle I get a strong Sat meter reading and strong Sky box reading.....am I doing something wrong to get the other channels, is it bad hardware or just unlucky in geographical location?

Its after 6pm so I'll try again tomorrow, although the forecast doesnt look good which might not help. I did try all these the other day with no joy - Link Removed

I can get Channel 4 HD but not Channel 4 SD, the CH4 HD must come on the south beam.

Cheers

N&K

 

[Satandpcguy]

The Sky HD Box reports almost Maximum Signal Quality (right to the top of the bar signal gauge) and over 3/4 signal strength :thumb:. I have a full SKY HD subscription card and have tried adding the channels you suggested (Services -> System Setup -> Add Channels) but I always get "no signal found".

as i have said previously the sky signals test screen only shows the default tranponder frequency. it is not an indicator of the strength of ALL 50plus frequencies used by UK TV satellite broadcasters.

therefore it is correct that even tho this screen shows you are getting one frequency OK, it does not mean you are getting other frequencies ok.

the other frequnecies i gave for itv and c4 are on 2a north...ont too good, but i can still pick it up in the mornings and then late evenings on an 1.35 offset dish.

...in an attempt to get some non south beam channels i.e BBC, ITV...but no joy.

For info Astra 2d, where the main frequencies for ITV and BBC, does not have a north or south beam...it juts has one beam, a narrow beam. Astra 2a and 2b have north and south beams.

I currently have set the default transponder to 12.129V 27.5 2/3 using the hidden Installer Setup Menu.

Using the Sat Meter and tweaking the dish and LNB angle I get a strong Sat meter reading and strong Sky box reading.....am I doing something wrong to get the other channels, is it bad hardware or just unlucky in geographical location?

Ideally you should use 12129 to make sure you are on the correct satellite, but if you then change to a weaker signal (say a north beam one or a strong astra 2d (bbc1 Channel Islands) you can then then tweak your dish alignment to get the max from this signal.

just becuases you have a strong and good signal on 12129 does not mean you are getting the most from all satellites...all it means is that your dish is aligned to one of the five satellites up there...so aligning on 12129 just means you have agood signal from astra 2a.

I can get Channel 4 HD but not Channel 4 SD, the CH4 HD must come on the south beam.

correcto.

 

[N&K]

Hi Sat and PC Guy

Thanks for a really detailed answer :thanks2:....It all makes sense, I looked up the meaning of Offset dish and it looks like the arrangement of our dish, i realise offset angles differ but I am guessing offset dishes are better for weaker signals.

I am also guessing I am flying blind with the signal meter I have, I suppose the weaker narrower beam Astra2D is flooded by the South Beam on my signal meter so I cant recognise it. The signal meter only shows the strongest signal and in this case isnt the signal I am trying to get (Astra2D) ....the Sat Meter you suggested 'Lacuna DSM' looks pretty impressive.

In a final attempt to get the BBC before we leave for the UK next week :cry-smile: :rain: what is the best method to try and get BBC1 Channel Island. How are the five satellites arranged, how do I need to move my dish, left or right (to reduce my current signal strength, but keep enough signal to keep the Sky box active to allow me to keep trying the Add Channels to add the channels you suggested).

Is it a case of tweaking the dish left/right or up/down or both and keep trying the add channel to see if it picks something up...but leave the default transponder set to 12129

Link Removedwebsite says the Satellites are arranged in a Square
"The Astra 2 satellites are arranged in a rough square in space, with some 40 miles on a side.Because of their distance from Earth (some 27,000 miles or more), the satellites appear as one signal source when tuning in a signal- so no need for 4 separate dishes!" so maybe I need to tweak up/down and left/right.



I havent touched the dish yet, but tried the channels again in day light and the Skybox didnt see a signal.

Cheers

N&K

 

[Satandpcguy]

the basic beepers will measure the frequency that the sky box is looking for....if you select sky news then the signal being measured will be 12207, if you select B4Movies, then the frequency measured will be 12129, if you select bbc1ci then the frequency being measured will be 10847...they cannot look at multiple frequencies so cannot "be flooded" by stronger signals

if all you have is a basic satellite "beeper" then connect the beeper to the cable between the reciever and LNB, ensure you are on the correct satellites (sky news 501), then go to sky channels 988 (bbc1 CI), then use your meter and eye on the tv to fine tune the dish - in otherword do as exactly as you are doing at the moment to align your dish, but try a weaker signal....

again it makes no difference as to what the default transponder is when you have picture...as all the channels are on their own frequencies...and whenever you are in the "sky menus" the boxes look at 11778. so if you set you box on bbc1 CI (988) the box will look at the frequency 10847V - where BBC1 CI sits - and try go get the maximin signal on that frequency.....

the satellites 2a,b,c,d,eb1 are all in the same cluster and your dish will need very minimal movement...we are talking mm's here...

 

[N&K]

SatandPCGuy

You are a genius, I did exactly what you said, selected 988 and tweaked the dish by 2mm to the right and BINGO... BBC 1 CI. Thanks very much for your detailed and VERY helpful answers.

Happy New Year

N&K (with a very Happy Wife)

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Satandpcguy]

SatandPCGuy
You are a genius,

ho hum....:Blush:

I did exactly what you said, selected 988 and tweaked the dish by 2mm to the right and BINGO... BBC 1 CI. Thanks very much for your detailed and VERY helpful answers.

note you may still loose it, and depending on your locations it will not be 24/7, and is dependant on the weather!
if you are feeling lucky, once you have bbc1 CI, try another like BBC2....the worst to get....

 

[N&K]

Yep, understood...

I have also been able to add these channels using information from your previous post:

BBC1 Channel Islands (988)
ITV Channel Islands (10905 v 22 5/6)
ITV3
ITV Meridian Se (12408 v 27.5 2/3)
Channel4, Channel 4+1, E4, E4+1, More4 (12480v 27.5 2/3)

thanks again :thumb:

N&K

PS. Sorry Cazd - Carol & Mark for hijacking your post, but all relevant stuff

 

[C.L.S]

job

:Cool::Coolear happy thnak you for me

 

[C.L.S]

pub

calld me01509631356:thumb::thumb:

 

[smifee]

hi cazd

i have an oyster system with 2 feeds from the LNB.

i can receive BBC & ITV as far south as the border between the Evora & Beja regions just a few miles from the spanish border. quite a bit further south than obidos. i can remember that sometimes reception was better on the oyster receiver than the sky box and reception could sometimes be improved by changing from one feed to the other.

my system has what i think is called auto skew. when it's tuning in you can hear & see a part of the LNB twitching. not being at all techie i don't know if this is why i can get a signal further south than most people i speak to.

time of day didn't seem to affect the signal but heavy rain sure did.

i mostly wildcamp & keep a log of locations. i think on my next trip i'll keep a log of sat reception & settings at each location.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Frankia]

As has been said before the signal from Astra 2D (most BBC and ITV channels) is very difficult to get because of its narrow north ponting beam. I have had a signal (with an Oyster) near Lisbon then lost it on the west coast only to get it back again further south on the Algarve.

It helps to have the LNB skewed correctly for the area so have the cable pointing to about 7 o'clock and if no joy move it round a bit towards 8 o'clock. I always leave the screws just tight enough that the LNB wont move on its own but can be easily turned by hand as you need to move the skew in the other direction as you travel further east.

If you get fed up with chasing the BBC / ITV channels you can always tune your Sky box to pick up Arabsat as there are a number of free to air stations you can get in Portugal which broadcast in English. notable MBC2, MBC4, MBC Action and Bahrain tv.

To get Arabsat on a Sky box :-
1) Change the default transponder to 11919 H 27/5 3/4
2) From the Astra 2 position move your dish 2 degrees right (south) and 2 degrees up
when you get a strong signal
3) Go to manual tuning which should have the above frequency etc in and select "find channels"
4) After a moment or 2 you should see a list of channels displayed - move to each of the MBC channels above and press the yellow button and a tick will appear next to them then press "select" - you have now stored them to your other channels menu which you can find under "services"

If you want more channels from Arabsat go to LyngSat - Lyngemark Satellite and use the frequencies shown there with the above method to add them.

Keep a note of them as "occasionaly" your "other channels" will be lost when Sky download new software to your box.

In an earlier post S&PCGUY mentioned that this happened when you powered down the box but I have not had a problem (today did a forced download and still had all the channels I put in last year in Portugal). It is also handy to put in say Sky News to your "other channels" so that if you can't get the EPG you can always get something via "other channels"