Astra 2A frequencies moved to Astra 2E and 2F - better UK TV reception for many in Spain

Astra 2A frequencies moved to Astra 2E and 2F - better UK TV reception for many in Spain

Today, it appears that frequencies on the old Astra 2A satellite have been moved to the newer Astra 2E and Astra 2G satellites.

For us in Spain, it means that those channels on the harder to receive Astra 2A north beam, should be easier to receive than before.

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

Further to our previous post (http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2014/02/astra-2e-channels-start-move/ ) regarding channels moving from Astra 2A to the new UK TV satellite, Astra 2E, we think we now know which channels and frequencies have moved:

11.720 H : MTV Live HD, Sky Sports 2 HD, Lifetime HD

11.758 H : Disney XD HD, Animal Planet HD, ITV 2 HD, ITV 3 HD, ITV 4 HD

11.778 v : Sky Guide / EPG

11.798 H : Sky Sports HD 1, Sky Sports News HD, Sky Living HD, Sky Sports 1 HD, Sky Sp NewsHD, Channel 5 HD

11.836 H : Sky Action, Sky Comedy, Sky SciFi / Horror, Sky Select, Sky Disney, Sky Family, Sky Movies Premier, Sky Movies Premier +1, Sky Thriller, Sky Valentine, Sky Modern Greats

11.856 H : Eurosport HD, Fox HD U.K., E4 HD, Eurosport 2 HD

11.914 H : Sky Atlantic +1 11.934 V : Sky intro, Sky Box Office

12.012 H : Sky Family HD, Sky Movies Premiere HD, Sky Thriller HD, Sky Select HD UK

12.344 H : Sky Sports HD 4, Sky Atlantic HD, Sky1 HD, Sky Sports 2 HD,

12.383 H : Sky Insider HD, Universal HD UK, Dave HD, E! HD, Alibi HD

12.460 H : Sky 3D, Sky News HD, Sky Arts 1 HD, Sky Showcase HD

Sky TV outage on on 28th November 2013

Sky has advised all broadcasters of planned maintenance on 28th Nov, between 0100 and 0300, which will result in a "brief outage of between 10-20 seconds"

What does this mean...?

http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2013/11/sky-tv-outage-28th-november-2013/

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

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

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.

Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice

I have received an email about the Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice, and thought it would be useful to share the information.

This is a services used by Sky Sports for allowing the viewing of multiple matches, either tennis or football, that are not available on the main Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 4 channels.

During the US Open Tennis, the match choice allows the viewers to watch the matches on other courts - a bit like when the BBC have Wimbledon on their Multiscreen Sports Interactive streams.

For football, Sky have Match choice, when they show highlights of the days Premier League matches. Although all matches are shown on the main channels, you can still select which of the days matches you want to watch.

Reception of Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3 on the Costa Blanca are easily available on a small satellite dish - say an 80cm satellite dish.

Sky Sports 4 (and Sky Sports News) are on a north beam frequency of the Astra 2 satellites. These north beam frequencies are weakest in Spain around 5pm in the afternoon, and even some big 2.4m satellite dishes may struggle to get these Astra 2 satellite frequencies all day.

And the Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice channels are also on these weaker Astra 2 satellite north beam frequencies, and so may not be available all day - especially on small (80cm and 1m) satellite dishes.

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

Five HD launches on Sky HD Costa Blanca Spain Reception information

Five HD launched on Sky HD today.

The RTL-owned channel had previously shunned the offer of capacity on the UK terrestrial platform Freeview HD. Five, the last of the UK legacy broadcasters to launch a high definition channel, will broadcast a simulcast of its main channel featuring a mix of US drama and UK-originated series.

Charles Constable, Five’s Director of Strategy, said: “We broadcast so many high quality series shot in HD, such as Don’t Stop Believing and our line-up of great US dramas, so our schedule is really suited to fantastic picture quality. Five HD is a great addition to our channel portfolio.”

Five will be showing some moves in HD during July, not many are actually in HD but will be upscaled.
July:

Romeo Must Die 15/07/10 (HD)
Superman 2 18/07/10 (HD)
The Wedding Singer 18/07/10 (Upscaled)
Finding Nemo 18/07/10 (HD)
Not Another Teen Movie 18/07/10 (Upscaled)
The Jackal 19/07/10 (Upscaled)
Quicksand 22/07/10 (Upscaled)
Police Academy 3: Back in Training 24/07/10 (Upscaled)
The Karate Kid, Part II 25/07/10 (Upscaled)
Moulin Rouge! 25/07/10 (Upscaled)
Panic Room 26/07/10 (Upscaled)
Flatliners 26/07/10 (Upscaled)

Five HD recption in Costa Blanca Spain should be good, as it is transmitted on frequency 12266 H - on Astra 2a south beam.

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