Satellite reception (again!)

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DavidRR1
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: Miramar, near Cannes, France

Satellite reception (again!)

Post by DavidRR1 »

Having put up a big shiny new dish last year to catch what is left of the new Astra 2 spotbeam, was very pleased to have most UK channels back (we are between Cannes and St Raphael) - returned after the winter to find just a bit of BBC 1 left and then only if we tune into Bargain Hunt. Gone after that around 1pm.

Wondered if the Astra Gods had been even more mean and made more changes to the signal in recent months or the Mistrale is the culprit. Most of our neighbours are French so they just think it's quite funny to see an Englishman on his roof frantically polishing a satellite dish. I get it....

Any views welcome and any updates on reception helpful in knowing whether it's a busted flush or persistence is needed.

David
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Moliere
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:45 pm
Location: Magalas, Languedoc

Post by Moliere »

The signal does get better in winter and declines during spring/summer, for reasons someone more knowledgeable than me will have to explain.

Your reception is pretty marginal over St R way, I think; what size is your dish and what did the installers promise?

Moliere
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DavidRR1
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Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: Miramar, near Cannes, France

Post by DavidRR1 »

Thank you for your view, Moliere. It is 1m as this is the max our domain allows. 1.2 was recommended, however it was fine all last summer and autumn....
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Moliere
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Location: Magalas, Languedoc

Post by Moliere »

Hmm, this problem seems to be a perennial. We know "they" continually fiddle with the beam, we also know the signal is affected by the weather and the relative position of the sun to the satellite, but these variations seem to defy logic.

Hearking back to our discussions last year, you'll recall how on the fringes latitude is critically important to reception - even a degree or two makes a big difference thanks to the steep fall-off at the edges of the signal. You are the same latitude as me, but further east, which makes it a bit more attenuated. I have a 120cms dish which is adequate here, but you're stuck with 100cms, when really you need 120.

The only things I can suggest are ultra-fine positioning of your dish and possibly upgraded LMBs. (Failing that, give up on UK TV, tune to Hotbird and sample a world of delights from Korea to Kazakhstan! :lol: )
Jumping is just dressage with speed-bumps.
vacancesthezan
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Post by vacancesthezan »

We are just down the road from Moliere and are still using our original dish (estimated at about 85cms although oval) which was fitted in 2001. We are still getting a very good signal which is only lost for short periods during very low cloud. Most of time it is fine!

When we were hit by lightening in November and the top of the chimney was blown off, it not surprisingly moved the satellite dish. When the engineer came to refit the dish he recommended the 1m or 1.20 options. As the dish is on the very top of our home (6 floors up!!) we were very loath to do this because of the winds. We asked him to try realigning it and fit a new LNB and see.

This he did and we got everything back and it has been fine ever since.

It is clear from the differences in our experiences that the signal is very variable (even village by village) and that bigger is not necessarily better. The bigger the dish the more likely it is to get moved by high winds.

We would suggest that you get the engineer back to check the alignment. It may well have moved gradually between your visits, which is why the channels have been lost gradually over time. It has been a very windy winter/spring here and maybe also with you?

Dont be rushing out to get yet another dish until you have had someone check it with the proper kit!

Good luck
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PW in Polemi
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Post by PW in Polemi »

How about considering internet TV? That's what most ex-pats have done here since the satellite's footprint changed ensuring hardly any reception in Cyprus.
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dorie
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Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 2:46 pm
Location: Haute Savoie

Post by dorie »

I was going to suggest the same. We lose signal in a storm and switch to filmon, works pretty well
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