Astra 1N channels move to Astra 2A - frequencies and channel affected.

Further to our previous posts (http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2014/02/uk-tv-satellite-changes-channels-swap-satellites/ ) regarding channels moving from Astra 1N to the Astra 2A satellite, we think we now know which channels and frequencies have moved.

These can be viewed at : http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2014/02/satellite-changes-sky-chabnnesl-change-satellites-channels-frequencies/

Astra 2E News : Transfer of channels from 1N to 2E will take place "early February 2014"

Astra 2E News : According to SES, who own and operate the new Astra 2E UK TV satellite, the transfer of channels from 1N to 2E will take place "early February 2014"

Channels in this transfer will include BBC ITV C4 and Sky pay channels.

"The transfer will have no adverse implications for viewers in the UK and Ireland as the affected channels will continue to operate on the same frequencies and will be broadcast at the same, or slightly improved power levels, across the UK and Ireland"

So no changes in UK TV reception in Spain for a couple of months yes, despite what you may have heard on the rumour mill - probably from some "Not So Smart" TV box sellers!!

http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/astra_2e_satellite_reception_testing_news_updates.php

Sky TV channels recently moved to Astra 1N, and may have affected reception of these channels

Further to this recent post (http://costablancasatellite.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/more-information-on-sky-tv-channels.html ), here is a complete list of channels that have moved from Astra 2B satellite to the Astra 1N satellite.

In some areas of Spain reception of some channels will have improved, as the channels used to be on a "weaker" Astra 2B south North beam signal, are now on a relatively "stronger" signal.

In some areas of Spain reception of some channels will have reduced, as the channels used to be on a "strong" Astra 2B south beam signal, are now on a relatively "weaker" signal.

Astra 1N 12090.00 V 20 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
National Geographic HD UK
Comedy Central HD UK
Eden HD
Nickelodeon HD

Astra 1N 12110.00 H 21 Pan Europe DVB-S QPSK 27500 2/3
Sky Sports F1
Sky One +1
Sky Sports 1
Sky Sports 2 Ireland
Sky Sports 3
PBS U.K.
Fox U.K.
Cartoonito
TCM 2 UK
Sky Living
Comedy Central UK

Astra 1N 12148.00 H 23 Pan Europe DVB-S QPSK 27500 2/3
Sky Arts 2
Sky Atlantic
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News Ireland
Sky Spts News
Sky Sports 1
Eurosport 2
Sky Sports 4
Fox +1 U.K.
Comedy Central Extra

Astra 1N 12168.00 V 24 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Sky Movies 007 HD / Sky Movies Showcase
Sky Drama HD
Sky Scifi/Horror HD
Sky Comedy HD

Astra 1N 12188.00 H 25 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Dave HD
Watch HD
Animal Planet HD
MTV HD UK

Astra 1N 12207.00 V 26 Pan Europe DVB-S QPSK 27500 2/3
Sky Sports 2
Sky News
Sky News Ireland
Sky One Ireland
Pick TV
Pick TV +1
Sky Two
Community Channel

Astra 1N 12226.00 H 27 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Good Food HD
Cartoon Network
Disney Cinemagic HD U.K.
Disney Channel HD UK

Astra 1N 12246.00 V 28 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Sky Action HD
NatGeo Wild HD
History HD
Crime HD

Astra 1N 12266.00 H 29 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Sky Sports News HD
ESPN America HD
Channel 5 HD

Astra 1N 12285.00 V 30 Pan Europe DVB-S QPSK 27500 2/3
Sky Oscars
Sky Arts 1
Sky One
Sky Atlantic
Sky Living
Sky Living +1
ESPN
British Eurosport
Chelsea TV
Sky Sports 2

Astra 1N 12304.00 H 31 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
More 4 HD
Eurosport 2 HD

Astra 1N 12324.00 V 32 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Discovery HD UK
ESPN HD
SyFy HD UK
Sky Box Office

Astra 1N 12363.00 V 34 Pan Europe DVB-S2 QPSK 29500 3/4
Sky Sports HD 3
Sky Sports F1 HD

More information on Sky TV channels moving satellites and loss of channels in some "fringe reception" areas.

Here are more details on the channels affcted by this weeks satellite move.

Our previous post ( http://satandpcguy.com/blog/2013/01/some-sky-tv-channels-move-to-their-new-european-beam-on-astra-2f-loss-of-some-channels-in-some-areas-like-canary-islands/ ) mentioned some of the channels and frequencies that had moved satellites.

It appears that all of the affected frequencies and channels used to be on the Astra 2A satellite.
They are now on a different satellite - this could be either Astra 2F, the new UK TV satellite recently launched, or (unlikely)  Astra 1N, the "temporary" UK TV satellite, which is also carrying the majority of the BBC and ITV channels.

Becasue these channels are now on a different satellite, this has meant that their reception in some areas in Spain has changed.

Channels that used to be on the Astra 2A North beam used to be hard to receive, especially mid afternoon, even on 2.4m satellite dishes, when the beam was at its weakest. Since these channels have moved to another beam, on another satellite their reception in Spain should have improved. Improved to an extent that they should be available in most areas on a 1m satellite dish.

However, Sky TV users in the extreme edges of reception, like the Canary Isands, Tenerife, will have lost these channels, as the bnew beam these channels have moved to is not available in that area. There is not a lot people in these areas can do. Their only hope of getting these channels back are if they eventually move and stay on a more "generous beam"

Sky Channels and Frequencies Affected

Sky TV Frequency 12070 H 27500 FEC 2/3 Transponder 19 Moved from Astra 2a north
Sky Sports Active

Sky TV Frequency 12090 V 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 20 Moved from Astra 2a north
National Geographic Channel UK HD, Comedy Central UK HD, Nickelodeon UK HD, Eden HD

Sky TV Frequency 12110 H 27500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 21 Moved from Astra 2a north
Sky Sports F1 HD, Sky 1 UK +1, Sky Sports 2 Ireland, Sky Sports 1 UK, Sky Sports 3, PBS America, Fox UK, Cartoonito UK, TCM 2, Sky Living HD Ireland, Comedy Central UK


Sky TV Frequency 12148 H 27500 FEC 2/3 Transponder 23 Moved from Astra 2a north
Sky Arts 2, Sky Atlantic Ireland HD, Sky Sports News UK, Sky Sports News Ireland, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, British Eurosport , Sky Sports 4, Fox UK +1, Comedy Central Extra UK

Sky TV Frequency 12168 V 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 24 Moved from Astra 2a north
Sky Movies Modern Greats HD, Sky Movies Drama & Romance HD, Sky Movies Sci-Fi & Horror HD, Sky Movies Comedy HD

Sky TV Frequency 12188 H 29500 FEC 3/4  Transponder 25 Moved from Astra 2a south
Dave UK HD, Watch HD,, Animal Planet Europe HD, MTV UK HD

Sky TV Frequency 12207 V 29500 Transponder 26 Moved from Astra 2a south
Sky Sports 2 UK, Sky News UK, Sky News Ireland, Sky News active, Sky 1 Ireland, Sky 2 UK, Pick TV, Pick TV+1, Community Channels

Sky TV Frequency 12226 H 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 27 Moved from Astra 2a north
Good Food Channel HD, Cartoon Network UK HD, Disney Cinemagic UK HD, Disney Channel UK HD

Sky TV Frequency 12266 H 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 29 Moved from Astra 2a south
Sky Sports News HD, ESPN America UK HD Five HD

Sky TV Frequency 12324 V 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder  32 Moved from Astra 2a north
Discovery Channel Europe HD, ESPN UK HD, Syfy UK HD, Sky Movies Box Office HD

Sky TV Frequency 12363 V 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 34 Moved from Astra 2a south
Sky Sports 3 HD, Sky Sports F1 HD

Sky TV Frequency 12480 V 29500 FEC 3/4 Transponder 40 Moved from Astra 2a North
Channel 4 Ireland, E4 Ireland, More 4 Ireland, Smash Hits, Kerang, Kiss, The Box, 4Music

December 2012 Update : Channel Movement From Astra 1N to Astra 2F

December 2012 Update : Channel Movement From Astra 1N to Astra 2F

On Tuesday 4th December 2012, a number of channels and frequencies moved from their temporary satellite home Astra 1N, to their new home on Astra 2F.

The channels and frequencies affected are :
10.964 H SR 22.000 FEC 5/6 (CH5/5USA/5*/Channel 5+1),
10.994 H SR 22.000 FEC 5/6 (ITV 1 Granada HD/ITV 1 Central South West SD/ITV 1 Anglia West SD/ITV 1 Meridian North SD/ITV 1 Yorkshire East SD/ITV 1+1 Yorkshire SD),
11.052 H SR 22.000 FEC 5/6 (ITV 1 Central South SD/ITV 1 Central East SD/ITV 1+1 Wales SD/ITV 1+1 Westcountry SD/ITV 1+1 Tyne Tees SD)
11.126 V SR 22.000 FEC 5/6 (Channel 4 HD/4Seven SD)

There have been many reception reports for Astra 2F in Spain.

The initial indication are that there are areas of Spain that are now experiencing "no satellite signal" messages for these channels are the southern areas of Spain, like Andalucía, Malaga, Marbella and the Costa Del Sol.

Previously these areas benefitted from "bonus" reception due to a "side lobe" on Astra 2D, meaning they could receive most of the main UK TV channels on a "medium" sized satellite dish - such as a 1.25m satellite dish.

However, with the change of these channels from Astra 1N to Astra 2F, these dishes are now simply too small to receive Channel Five and Channel 4HD.

A larger satellite dish will be required to be able to receive these channels again. What sized satellite dish to be able to receive these channels is currently debateable, as there are numerous conflicting reports for these areas.

However, it may be best to wait until the main bulk of the UK TV channels, like BBC and ITV move to their new satellite, whenever this may be. Only then can you be sure what sized satellite dish you will need to be able to receive these channels. There is no point in buying a 1.4m satellite dish today, if it is unknown and not guaranteed to receive the BBC channels when they move to their new satellite!

And at the moment, no-one knows what that will be.

BBC ITV on a 1 meter satellite dish - how long will it last? The Future of UK TV in Spain.

BBC ITV on a 1 meter satellite dish - how long will it last? The Future of UK TV in Spain.

Over the last few weeks I have been inundated with emails and phone calls from many people confused about what they have heard or read about the current availability of UK TV channels on a small satellite dish in Spain.

This has been made even more confusing with the usual Expat "bar talk" and with different “satellite installers” saying different things, some acknowledging that things will change, others not saying anything, and others being very “economical” with the truth.

So hopfully this will help confirm some of the facts and dispel some of the rumours about the availability of UK TV on smaller satellite dishes, and try to put forward what may well be happening with regards to the future of UK TV in Spain.

The reasons for reception of UK and Sky TV on small satellite dishes in Spain.

As many people are now aware a new “more powerful” satellite, Astra 1N, is providing a much stronger satellite signal that previously available. This has meant that many channels that previously required a large 1.8 metre satellite dish or a 2.4 metre satellite dish are now available on smaller 1 metre satellites dishes.

UK satellite TV has been transmitted from 4 satellites: Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2D and Eurobird 1.  These are located at 28.2-28.5 degrees east. Many of the main UK TV channels, such as BBC and ITV, were transmitted from the Astra 2D satellite.

The Astra 2D satellite had a tight reception footprint. This means that the further away from the UK you went the Astra 2D signal became harder to receive. To overcome this reduction is signal strength, larger satellite dishes, the 1.8 metre and 2.4m metre, are required in Spain for these signals.

The new UK TV Astra 2 Satellites and Astra 1N temporary mission.

Satellites need replacing, as they only have a finite lifespan. SES Astra, the Luxembourg company that own and operate the Astra satellites have said that Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2D will be replaced between 2012 and 2014. This was always been known as the expected useful lifetime of the satellites are published on the SES Astra website.

The UK TV satellite replacement process started with the launch of the Astra 1N satellite in October 2011.

Astra 1N, as per its “1” designation, was designed for 19 degrees east, and to provide more satellite capacity to that location that serves France, Spain and other European countries. However, in the short term, its mission was to help out with the replacement process of the Astra 2 satellites.

By February 2012, all the channels on the Astra 2D satellite were transferred over to Astra 1N. Astra 2D was coming to the end of its mission life and was also rumoured to be experiencing some transmission problems, meaning channels had to be transferred to another satellite.

Because it was designed for another location and not for UK TV, Astra 1N has a more “generous” signal footprint than Astra 2D. This has meant that many channels that previously required a large 1.8 metre satellite dish or a 2.4 metre satellite dish are now available on smaller 1 metre satellites dishes.

However, reception of these channels on Astra 1N is only temporary. SES Astra has confirmed the launch of Astra 2E in quarter 4 of 2012. When Astra 2E has been launched, tested, and positioned, it is expected that the channel s on Astra 1N will be transferred over to Astra 2E. Then, as SES Astra have confirmed, Astra 1N to be in its proper location, expected to be during 2013.

Reception in Spain of the new UK TV Astra satellites

In March 2012, SES Astra made reception footprints available for the three new Astra 2 satellites: Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G. These footprints show that the new Astra 2 has a mix of both Pan European and UK “Spot” beams.

The Pan European footprints for the new satellites do actually show that reception of channels on this beam should be available in Spain using 80cm satellite dishes.

The UK Spot beam footprints for the new satellites do not actually show any meaningful data, and give no indication as to reception outside the UK.

Reception of this UK spot beam in Spain can only be speculated. Although the new Astra 2 satellites are more powerful than their predecessors, the amount of signal drop off at the edge of reception, in areas like Spain, is pure guesswork, at least until the satellites are operational.

Future UK TV Reception In Spain - Speculation and Guesswork

As SES Astra are aware of the requirements for the UK Spot Beams for its clients, including BBC and ITV, you can almost certainly expect those channels to be located on this UK Spot beam, just like the channels were located on the UK spot beam on Astra 2D. This means that the BBC, ITV and other broadcasters’ contractual obligation with content owners that requires that transmission of that content for reception in the U.K. and Northern Ireland, are satisfied. If channels are moved to this UK Spot beam, is is highly likely that they will not be available on the smaller satellite dishes like they currently are.

You can also expect that, with the advances of satellite beam shaping technology, the erroneous “sidelobe” of Astra 2D to be corrected. This sidelobe confusingly allowed reception of channels on smaller satellite dishes, like 1.25m and 1.4m dishes, in the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca south, whereas north of these areas, in Alicante for example, 2.4 metre satellite dishes were required.

Not all UK TV channels will be located on the UK beam, so you will not lose all reception of UK TV. You can expect many of the Sky pay channels to be located on the European beams, just as they currently are today. This would certainly help Sky retain some revenue from the many expats who subscribe to the Sky Pay TV service. Although contractually, many Sky channels do not own the broadcaster rights to transmit programmes in Spain, by making reception of these pay channels harder would certainly mean less subscribers and thus less revenue for Sky.

Another reason for these new satellites for having Pan and UK beams could be to cover any future changes in broadcast right requirements within the EU. It could be that in the next decade, the EU could force all EU broadcasters to make all their signals available to all EU countries. Currently no legislation or law covers true Pan European broadcasting for all EU citizens. This is due to how broadcast rights are currently sold (on a country by country basis), and, as the EU has admitted during the recent "Pub vs The FA" court case, how complex it would be to deal with these rights contracts fo all EU countries as a whole. For example, how to overcome the issue where a few countries fund their public broadcasters via a tax or lisence fee, yet it would be unfair to make those signals available freely to other countries that have no legal requirement to fund that broadcaster.

In summary, reception of the main BBC ITV Chanel 4 and Five channels on a small satellite dish in Spain is only a temporary situation. With the launch of the first of three new Astra 2 satellites it can be expected that these channels will return to a UK Spot Beam in late 2012 or early 2013/2014. The size of satellite dish required for reception of channels on this new UK Spot Beam in Spain will be unknown, probably until the channels actually move onto this UK Spot Beam.

You can discuss and ask questions about this post by registering and logging into our forum at: BBC ITV on a 1m satellite dish - how long will it last? The Future of UK TV in Spain

BBC Channels to move to Astra 1N Friday 24th February 2012

Origianlly posted at: http://www.satandpcguy.com/forum/sho...-February-2012

The BBC channels, BBC1, BB2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC1HD, BBCHD, CBBC, CBeebies, will be moving from Astra 2D to Astra 1N this coming Friday.

There will be no change of frequencies.

The BBC channels will be using the same frequencies as they currently do.

However, this will mean that reception of these BBC channels in Spain will be much better than currently.

In some areas, they should be able to be received on a small 80cm or 1m satellte dish, where are previously they may not have been available even on a 2.4m satellite dish.

If you are unable to receive these channels, then no reception of these channels may require dish realignment, a new LNB or a larger satellite dish - such as a 1m satellite dish.

This follows the recent move of the ITV and channel 4 group of channels to Astra 1N in the last few weeks.

Click here for more information and what this means for BBC TV reception in Spain and BBC TV Reception in the Costa Blanca

More UK TV satellite changes - affecting Disney, Irish RTE, and ITV1HD

This morning there have been a number of changes to some channels, affecting Rte, Disney channels, Nickelodeon channels, and some ITV1 HD regions.

These channels have moved from the Astra 2D satellite to the Astra 1 satellite.

For more information see our news forum:

More UK TV satellite changes - affecting Disney, Irish RTE, and ITV1HD

Astra 1N - Testing frequencies

These are some of the latest frequencies showing test signals for the new Astra 1N satellite, that has recently been launched and will be providing additional satellite capaciity for UK Satellite TV.

From the looks of it the scare stories being banded around about loosing channels may just be that: stories.

These three frequencies are onthe alleged UK Spot beam of Astra 1N, however I am able to receive these on my 80cm dish.

Frequency: 11053 horizontal symbol rate 22000 fec 5/6
Currently transmitting and carrying ITV1 regions, in the clear with no sky viewing card required.
These ITV1 regions may be in preparation for the ITV1 regions on Frequency 11973 or 12402 that do require a sky card to be moved.

Frequency: 10965 horizontal symbol rate 22000 fec 5/6
Currently transmitting carrying Channel 5, Five USA, Five USA+1, 5*, 5*+1, and "7720" which we think may well be Channel 5+1. These channelsa re still encrypted at the moment.
These channel Five channels may be in preparation for the channel Five channels on Frequency 12422 that do require a sky card to be moved. They are expected to get Free to air, available with no sky card, sometime in December.

Frequency: 11.123 vertical symbol rate:22000 fec:2/3
Currently transmitting carrying C4HD.
This C4HD may be in preparation for Chanel 4 HD to move from is current frequency ot another, and it may also be in preparation for more C4 HD channels, like E4HD and maybe even Film4HD.

Note: These are the latest test signals. They may not be the final frequencies for the channels. Although I am able to recevive these on my 80cm satellite dish , there is no saying they will still be available on my 80cm satellite dish when the channels go live.

UK TV Satellites - Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2C, Astra 1N, Eurobird 1 - and reception in Spain

UK Satellite TV is provided by FIVE satellites.

Four of these satellites are operated by SES Astra of Belgium, and one, Eurobird, is operated by Eutelsat.

SES Astra operate Astra 2a, Astra 2b, Astra 2d and Astra 1N.

Eutelsat operate Eurobird 1.

These satellites provide the UK And Europe with the UK satellite TV channels, such as the BBC, ITV and those provided on the Freesat and Sky satellite platforms.

These five satellites are located at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east of south.

Each of these satellites operate a number of "beams". Each of these beams have different reception characteristics, especially in fringe reception areas like Spain and the Costa Blanca. This is the reason why channels like Sky News can be reepived in Spain on a smller satellite dish than channels like BBC TV Channels, as these channels are distributed across these different beams.

There are a number of "siganl reception maps" or "footprints" for these beams, but they have to be treated with some caution. Many of them are the theoretical reecption, and are different to the actual reception.

Astra 1N. New satellite for UK satellite TV reception. Sky tv in Spain. UK TV in Spain

On the 24th October 2011, Astra 1N finally made it to it first location.

Luxembourg, 24 October 2011 - SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced that its new ASTRA 1N satellite has entered commercial service at the orbital position of 28.2 degrees East.

ASTRA 1N was built by Astrium on the Eurostar E3000 platform and is equipped with 52 transponders in the Ku frequency band. The satellite was successfully launched on board an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on 6 August 2011. It had a launch mass of 5,325 kg and is the fourth Eurostar satellite in the 49 satellite-strong SES fleet.

ASTRA 1N greatly enhances the flexibility of the SES satellite fleet at the orbital slot 28.2 degrees East over Europe. ASTRA 1N is notably being used by Channel 4 and ITV. The new satellite will also allow SES to offer its satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect via 28.2 degrees East and thus complement its service offer from the 23.5 degrees East position. ASTRA2Connect is Europe's largest satellite broadband network with more than 80,000 end users

Today, some frequencies on Astra 1N are powered, but there are no channels available from Astra 1N as yet.

However SES Astra have confirmed that

C4 and ITV will start on 1N in the coming days. This will be completely transparent to consumers as there will be no change in frequencies.

What can be said is that C4HD will be defintely moving from Eurobird1 to 1N.

And there are rumours about Film4hd, E4hd and M4hd becoming free to air and, in the case of Film4HD, finally on satellite, on the same C4HD frequency - however nothing has been confirmed by Channel 4.

As for ITV, you can probably safely say that the "free to view" versions of ITV1 on freq 11973 and 12402 that currently require a sky card to view will also move FTA and move from their Astra 2 south beams to Astra 1N.

And, although nothing has been said, there are strong rumours about the "five channels", apart from FiveHD, moving from their current ASra 2 frequencies to Astra 1N and also becoming FTA and no longer sky card required.

Astra 1N Reception

Earlier this week C4HD appeared on Astra 1N. I assume this was a test of the satellite and frequency. The channels appered for a few hours in the clear and free to air. However, after a few hours the channel became encrypted and unavailable.

C4HD frequency on Astra 1N is:
11127.00 V DVB-S2 8PSK 22000 2/3
channel named 21200
The signal is currently encrypted.
This cannot be tuned manually on a Sky receiver or a standard definition FTA box.

The reception for this frequency is not as bad as first thought. If this is indeed on Astra 1N's UK spot beam, then it is not very restrictive, and looks to be avaialble on smaller 80cm to 1m satellite dishes on the Valencia area and Costa Blanca areas of Spain. That is assuming that the satellite power is not reduced, meaning the reception is also reduced.

But from recent reception reqpoers it looks like those in Eastern Europe will be the ones that may well struggle more than before with channels that
migrate onto Astra 1N.

New satellite Astra 1N being launched 1st July 2011

SES Astra are due to launch a new satellite. Astra 1N will launch on Friday 1st July 2011.
Astra 1N was designed to be placed at 19 eat, and provide new satellite capacity for Western Europe, like Spain, France and Germany. However, Astra have said that 1N will initially be deployed at 28 east, providing more satellite TV capacity for UK broadcasters like Sky, BBC and ITV and Freesat, and to help as a backup in case one of the existing satellites, Astra 2a, Astra 2b, or Astra 2D, fail.

But what does Astra 1N mean for watching UK TV in Spain? SES Astra have released a signal footprint map for this new satellite, but the map is focused on the UK, and does not show the full signal footprint that covers the rest of Europe.

However, an "unofficial" footprint map did appear for a short time on the Astra website.

The footprint map shows the signal reception when the satellite is at 28 east. If you move the footprint slightly east and slightly south, then you can see how it covers Spain and France and Germany, as it should do when 1N is deployed at 19 east.

As you can see there is a large area of Spain not covered by this footprint. However, is should be noted that the outermost line is the expected reception for a 1.25m dish. There is no indication of reception for larger 1.8m or 2.4m satellite dishes in Spain. But it looks like, i repeat looks like, reception of Astra 1N in Spain will be similar to that of AStra 2D that carries the main BBC channels. That will be a case of cross your fingers and wait and see.

But what could this mean for reception of channels.
Well nothing official has been said by anyone, either Astra, Sky, BBC or ITV or Five, or any of the other UK broadcasters. The idea is that this new satellite will be able to provide more capactity, and thus more channels.

However, there are lots of rumours going around.

One rumour is that the 8 ITV1 regions that currently require a sky card to view will move to Astra 1N. This may mean that those people receiving ITV1 on a small satellite dish with a Sky card will no longer be able to receive ITV1.

Another rumour is that channel Five and its sister channels Five USA and Five*. Five have always indicated that their channels, apart from Five HD, would eventually be free to air. And it may just be that with Astra 1N all Fives channels will go free to air. So, as mentioned for ITV1, this may mean that those people receiving Five on a small satellite dish with a Sky card will no longer be able to receive Five.

And there are rumours that this extra capacity will mean more HD channels...such as more HD channel from Channel 4, like E4 HD and More4HD being made available free to air. Or more BBC Sports streams being made available in HD, especially with the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics.

Some people have said that SES Astra wants more pan European coverage, not less, as this is better commercially (for their advertisers / broadcasters), and so the signals on new satllites will be stronger. This is incorrect, as SES Astra can actually charge a premium rate for a satellite beam that is area specific. Eurobird 1 is a Pan European signal footprint, and as such is relatively cheap for channels to be on there, which is why a lot of the "cheap" channels are on Eurobird and not Astra.

However, all this is rumour and speculation and nothing will be confirmed until the satellite actually launches, is tested, and is made operational.


For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca