Helping out local folk with UK TV from Astra

[Andy & Lesley]

Our favourite visitor!

Steve you are simply the best! We now have all the channels - all the time - even Grampian ITV from Sunny Scotland - all thanks to Steve.
Andy & Lesley

[englishbullterrier]

What's the point of a 1.2m dish if you can only get BBC/ITV part time - usually during hours of daylight?
I have a 1.8m dish with C120 Invacom and I can't get the BBC.
So do you want to come and sort mine in return for endless praise?

The point was that the dish was already installed !!!

Yes, if you'd like me to come around and peak your dish output, please call me on 966 722 850 or 625 925 805.

My 1.8pf/Invacom gives me BBC1/ITV and BBC2 most of the time. Hopefully your dish can too.

Regards...........Steve (ebt)

[englishbullterrier]

Yet another day for not installing dishes !!!!!

[6mauledrv]

Yea, today not much better. Too windy I would think.
However, looking forward to my dish getting tuned - when weather improves.

[englishbullterrier]

Yes, please let me know when............Steve

[Nalle]

Raisn and winds until next thursday according to Google
This starts to look like northern europe. Makes my lawn look good though

[englishbullterrier]

Updates 11th october 2008

Here’s an updated summary of the help I’ve been able to provide to UK folk since I started –

- La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
- Los Balcones – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
- Benijofar – 1.8 m prime focus (Fortec Petal Dish) (Just about receives BBC1 and all South Beam channels)
- Rojales – 1.2 m good quality offset focus dish. Refocus dish (Receives BBC1/ITV1 for some of the time and all South Beam channels
- Blue Lagoon – 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Install on solarium and wire into existing cable. BBC1/2 and ITV
- Bigastra – 1.4 prime focus dish, already installed on wall bracket. Removed defective Dual LNB and installed Quad LNB. Connected 2 x to existing wiring and 1 x to next door neighbours existing cabling
- La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish. Took home and proven working. Gave back to owner
- Blue Lagoon – Survey only and recommend dish size. Awaiting equipment
- Torrevieja – Existing 85cm wall mounted dish. Proved working with test receiver and recommended upgrade of dish size. Awaiting equipment
- Los Balcones - 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Realign dish and set LNB skew. Capable of receiving BBC1/2 and ITV with the right receiver
- Benijofar - Repositioned and realigned a Fortec petal dish. Just about gets BBC1 (Channel Islands) and ITV South. I would not recommend these dishes
- Playa Flemenca – Installed 1.15m offset dish. Excellent reception of the South Beam only
- San Miguel – Survey only for 1.8 prime focus heavy-duty fibreglass dish. Gain (supposedly) is equivalent to a 2 metre dish
- Los Balcones – realign an old motorised 1.8 prime focus dish, fixed to Astra
- San Miguel – align newly installed 1.8 Famaval dish. What a pleasure! Such a strong signal
- San Miguel – align old 1.8 prime focus dish. Focal length problem with LNB positioning and dark black cloud. Will be revisiting as soon as the weather improves
- Blue Lagoon – 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Install new Invacom Duo LNB and adjust skew
- Los Alcazares – realign 1.2 offset focus dish from Hotbird to Astra. Lovely dish even gets BBC1 Channel Islands transponder
- Torrevieja – install a new (Sharp) LNB and realign an 85cm offset focus dish from Hotbird to Astra. Good South Beam reception

[benimar_col]

Here’s a summary of the help I’ve been able to provide to UK folk since I started –

 La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
 Los Balcones – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
 Benijofar – 1.8 m prime focus (Fortec Petal Dish) (Just about receives BBC1 and all South Beam channels)
 Rojales – 1.2 m good quality offset focus dish. Refocus dish (Receives BBC1/ITV1 for some of the time and all South Beam channels
 Blue Lagoon – 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Install on solarium and wire into existing cable. BBC1/2 and ITV
 Bigastra – 1.4 prime focus dish, already installed on wall bracket. Renoved defective Dual LNB and installed Quad LNB. Connected 2 x to existing wiring and 1 x to next door neighbours existing cabling
 La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish. Took home and proved working. Gave back to owner
 Blue Lagoon – Survey only and recommend dish size. Awaiting equipment
 Torrevieja – Existing 85cm wallmounted dish. Proved working with test receiver and recommended upgrade of dish size. Awaiting equipment
 Los Balcones - 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Realign dish and set LNB skew. Capable of receiving BBC1/2 and ITV with the right receiver

can you answer my question plz, a mate of mine who has an apartment in Villamartin area told me earlier this week that he has had his dish turned to pick up Torresat and he gets the channels inc BBC1+2 ITV etc etc , is this possible ? i sent you an email last week because i cant pm or dont know how at the moment, can you let me know if this can be done or is he pulling my leg

[englishbullterrier]

Yes, absolutely possible. Some people are going around offering to swing ex Telemicro mesh dishes onto Torresat rebroadcasting transmitters. It's called stealing their signal, alledgedly.....

[benimar_col]

Yes, absolutely possible. Some people are going around offering to swing ex Telemicro mesh dishes onto Torresat rebroadcasting transmitters. It's called stealing their signal, alledgedly.....

thanks, i never had a few doubts about what my mate told me but it makes sense i guess, €30.00 you cant grumble

[englishbullterrier]

No, I guess not...

[englishbullterrier]

Updated list of what's been keeping me busy - ebt

 La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
 Los Balcones – 85cm offset focus dish, install and wire to existing cable to lounge (South Beam reception only)
 Benijofar – 1.8 m prime focus (Fortec Petal Dish) (Just about receives BBC1 and all South Beam channels)
 Rojales – 1.2 m good quality offset focus dish. Refocus dish (Receives BBC1/ITV1 for some of the time and all South Beam channels
 Blue Lagoon – 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Install on solarium and wire into existing cable. BBC1/2 and ITV
 Bigastra – 1.4 prime focus dish, already installed on wall bracket. Removed defective Dual LNB and installed Quad LNB. Connected 2 x to existing wiring and 1 x to next door neighbours existing cabling
 La Siesta – 85cm offset focus dish. Took home and proven working. Gave back to owner
 Blue Lagoon – Survey only and recommend dish size. Awaiting equipment
 Torrevieja – Existing 85cm wall mounted dish. Proved working with test receiver and recommended upgrade of dish size. Awaiting equipment
 Los Balcones - 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Realign dish and set LNB skew. Capable of receiving BBC1/2 and ITV with the right receiver
 Benijofar - Repositioned and realigned a Fortec petal dish. Just about gets BBC1 (Channel Islands) and ITV South. I would not recommend these dishes
 Playa Flemenca – Installed 1.15m offset dish. Excellent reception of the South Beam only
 San Miguel – Survey only for 1.8 prime focus heavy-duty fibreglass dish. Gain (supposedly) is equivalent to a 2 metre dish
 Los Balcones – realign an old motorised 1.8 prime focus dish, fixed to Astra
 San Miguel – align newly installed 1.8 Famaval dish. What a pleasure! Such a strong signal
 San Miguel – align old 1.8 prime focus dish. Focal length problem with LNB positioning and dark black cloud. Will be revisiting as soon as the weather improves
 Blue Lagoon – 1.8 Famaval (Portuguese) prime focus dish. Install new Invacom Duo LNB and adjust skew
 Los Alcazares – realign 1.2 offset focus dish from Hotbird to Astra. Lovely dish even gets BBC1 Channel Islands transponder
 Torrevieja – install a new (Sharp) LNB and realign an 85cm offset focus dish from Hotbird to Astra. Good South Beam reception
 Quesada – attempt to realign and peak an older 1.8 prime focus dish
 Los Balcones - attempt to realign and peak an older 1.8 prime focus dish. Used my personal Invacom twin. Set focal point of parabola to exact calculated position. Still unable to get enough signal strength to pull in BBC1. Assume dish is warped or surface finish is not reflecting optimally
 Los Balcones - installed 1.15m offset dish and Goodmans Freesat receiver. Superb reception of the South Beam only
 El Chaparall – install a boxed set supplied by customer in a rental property. Generic receiver. Good South Beam reception
 La Mata – realign an 1m dish from Hotbird to Astra. Chase cabling down 3 floors of apartment. Someone had gone in and cut apartment feed. Installed Goodmans Freesat box. Great South Beam reception. Customer very happy
 Los Balcones – put in position and realign an 80cm offset focus dish to Astra. Sky box being used
 San Luis – installed 1.15m offset dish, twin LNB to two homes with Goodmans Freesat receivers. Superb reception of the South Beam only
 Quesada – installed a second hand 1m offset focus dish and proved reception using my personal Humax Foxsat HD receiver. Customer to provide a Freesat receiver themselves.

[englishbullterrier]

Update

[QUOTE=englishbullterrier;19916]Updated list of what's been keeping me busy - ebt

 Albertera – peak the output in a 1.8 prime focus dish. Customer now able to receive BBC1/ITV 24 hours a day
 San Miguel – Align a 1.8 fibreglass offset focus dish. Superb output. Great dish
 Rojales – tweak a 1.2 offset dish to try and increase BBC1/ITV received time
 La Siesta – align 85cm offset dish. Good South beam reception
 Vista Bay – Move and align an 80cm dish. Marginal reception of the South beam
 San Miguel – Align a 1.0 metre offset dish. Good South beam reception
 Benijofar – Re-align a 1.8 Fortec dish to get BBC/ITV after dish was accidentally knocked out of alignment
 San Miguel - Align a 1.8 prime focus dish. Excellent signal strength, gets BBC and ITV no problems
 Los Altos – realign an 85cm dish. Good South beam reception
 Campo Verde – Align a 1.2 dish. Managed to get ITV but no BBC
 Campo Verde – install new LNB on an 85 offset dish and align. Good South beam reception
 La Marina – Tried to align a Fortec 1.8 dish. Failed to get BBC/ITV, just not enough signal being received at the feedhorn. Apologies to Chris
 Villa Olimpia – Installed a 1.15 dish and Freesat receiver. Excellent South beam reception
 Torrelamata - Installed a 1.15 dish and Freesat receiver. Excellent South beam reception

[6mauledrv]

englishbullterrier -
You had a go at peaking my dish, unsuccessfully.
I suspect that the Invacom LNB is perhaps not as good as made out - well at least with the non-adjustable feedhorn which is supplied in this area.
Invacom have their own adjustable feedhorn which can be matched to the dish. My feedhorn was supplied with the LNB but is not Invacom's.
However, for the record, I removed the Invacom and replaced it with a Smart 0.2db simple LNB which cost me 20 euros.
Result - BBC, ITV, Ch4 no problem. CH4 breaks up a bit around midnight but some tweaking will sort that. With the Invacom I couldn't get any of these channels.
Conclusion - don't assume you will get results just because "all installers are using this one".
Be prepared to try alternatives which in many cases will be better and cheaper.
I did and am a happy man.
P.S. For those setting up their own 1.8m pf dish - the focal point is 736mm from the dish face, and nowhere else.

[englishbullterrier]

I did and am a happy man.
P.S. For those setting up their own 1.8m pf dish - the focal point is 736mm from the dish face, and nowhere else.

I'm afraid this in incorrect. Parabolic shape (depth) changes depending on who the manufacturer is and hence the focal point.

To calculate the exact distance to the entry of the feed horn, use the following formula -

D x D/16d where D = the diameter of the reflecting surface (do not include any rolled edge) and d = the depth of the dish at the centre of the parabola. (Use a straight edge and measure the depth).