Originally posted by MusicFreak As said before, in theory it could be possible. The dish size for Echostar 3 is very difficult to predict, as nobody known to me has achieved catching that satellite in Europe.
Have a look at the footprint: http://www.satcodx-op.com/ECH/uke/coverage.cgi?ECH003KB
On the edge of that footprint (in the center of the Atlantic Ocean) the signal strength is 42 dbW. Doing some arithmetics, the signal strength should be less than 30 dbW in the UK, meaning a 6m dish is required. But this is just a wild guess (it could be 8m or even 10m)
Just remember that, as they say, size isn't everything...
The key to picking up a usable signal from anywhere is not how much signal you can pick up, it is how much stronger that signal is than the surrounding noise. There is no point in putting up a dish that gets you 10x the signal, if it gets 10x the noise as well, the signal-to-noise ratio will be no better
When you have a dish that is pointed very close to the horizon you will pick up all sorts of extra noise from heat & electrical source sources on the ground. Also, one the signal from the satellite is really weak, general heat noise from the Sun, the sky (the real one, niot BSKyB!), the moon can start to droiwn out the satellite signal.
Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!
I have just bought a 80cm dish & receiver from Lidl in Gandia (Costa Blanca, North) and have found the Astra satellite but the picture is very grainy and the sound "fuzzy". The Canal Digital dishes around me are smaller than 80cm (60cm) and that comes from Astra, so i think I'm alright there.
The receiver is an SR 1902 VC (never heard of it i here you cry).
My questions are, how do i improve the sgnal i have got (not a clue have I) & do i have to tweek (video level screw underneath) the receiver to make it compatible with my english TV (Toshiba).
Thanks in advance for helping someone lost in the world of satelite.:)
If it's the same set up that my local Lidl are advertising for sale from next thursday it's analogue only
What is your set up, analogue or digital?
Which Astra satellite are you looking at ie 28.2east, the one that sky uses, or 19.2east?
Now your asking!!!
19.2 East I think. I'll have a play around with it and see if i get anything else.
If I buy a digi box from ebay will i get the digi signal? (told you i was new)
Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!
There's a good reason for that. It's so that you take the time to learn how things work here, instead of jumping in and disrupting a discussion...
I have just bought a 80cm dish & receiver from Lidl in Gandia (Costa Blanca, North) and have found the Astra satellite but the picture is very grainy and the sound "fuzzy".
This is almost certainly an analogue signal, since digital signals are either there or not, but never grainy & fuzzy. There isn't much point in comparing it with the digital signal from Canal Digital.
My questions are, how do i improve the sgnal i have got
Re-align the dish, check LNB skew (i.e. rotate the LNB a few degrees either side in its holder) check all the connections, make sure that you're using good satellite-quality cable. Check the footprint for the satellite you're using (see http://www.satmania.com/) to make sure that your dish is big enough.
do i have to tweek (video level screw underneath) the receiver to make it compatible with my english TV (Toshiba).
never, never, never, never, never, never, never tweak a screw if you don't know what it does. The recever is new, you can safely assume that it is aligned, and tweaking screws will not make things better. Your problems sound like they are due to weak signal, so start by checking all the things on the aerial side.
Thanks in advance for helping someone lost in the world of satelite.:)
Originally posted by hoppo Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!
I have just bought a 80cm dish & receiver from Lidl in Gandia (Costa Blanca, North) and have found the Astra satellite but the picture is very grainy and the sound "fuzzy". The Canal Digital dishes around me are smaller than 80cm (60cm) and that comes from Astra, so i think I'm alright there.
The receiver is an SR 1902 VC (never heard of it i here you cry).
My questions are, how do i improve the sgnal i have got (not a clue have I) & do i have to tweek (video level screw underneath) the receiver to make it compatible with my english TV (Toshiba).
Thanks in advance for helping someone lost in the world of satelite.:)
The sound on any RF device (game, VHS, RF out on Satellite etc) bought in europe MAY NOT WORK with a British / Irish TV
A UK/Ireland TV has sound on 6.0 MHz
Europe uses 5.5 or 6.5 depending on where you are. Use a SCART cable or Phono leads and not RF to solve sound problem.
PAL-I = UK/Ireland/SouthAfrica/Cyprus?
PAL-M = 4.5MHz soud (Where?)
PAL-B/G = 5.5MHz
PAL-D/K = 6.5MHz (Perhaps French Secam too)
The Canal Digital uses a more powerfull Digital signal. I presume the receiver you have is analog.
Astra 19 and Hotbirds13 have weaker analog signals than the Digital signals.
Some TVs and VHS in Ireland /UK are mulitstandard. I took apart several Samsung VHS for parts and amazed that they had PAL D/K and PAL I sound on the tuner. But the RF modulator to TV was PAL -I only, though with holes for more sound circuits and holes for a switch...
When i asked my question, i asked on another thread, explaining,
"Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!"
Originally posted by SteveMcK
"There's a good reason for that. It's so that you take the time to learn how things work here, instead of jumping in and disrupting a discussion..."
SteveMck, I thank you for the rest of your answer, but with regards to the (disrespectful) qoute above, I know my father and respect him. I do not need someone to try to be a father figure on the web. If you have a better suggestion on how to get an urgent post onto the board, inform myself and others here.
and if its that important ring your dad as he is such a wise and all knowledgeable being
this is our house, and our rules, stick to em or dont bother coming in through the door.
and no, im nobody special, and dont pretend to be, why do you think you deserve special treatment over all the other people who have to wait their turn??
When i asked my question, i asked on another thread, explaining,
"Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!"
Originally posted by SteveMcK
"There's a good reason for that. It's so that you take the time to learn how things work here, instead of jumping in and disrupting a discussion..."
SteveMck, I thank you for the rest of your answer, but with regards to the (disrespectful) qoute above, I know my father and respect him. I do not need someone to try to be a father figure on the web. If you have a better suggestion on how to get an urgent post onto the board, inform myself and others here.
Good luck!!
The forum, like most of the internet (most of the world, in fact) only works if people are polite and respect the basic rules and etiquette.
My comment was not meant to be fatherly nor disrespectful. Just a reminder that the best way to get respect from other people is to respect their rules.
Few posts are so urgent that they can't wait a week, during which time you can familiarize yourself with the forum etiquette. To do otherwise is rather like leaping into a fast car on the day you get your driving licence, and ignoring the red lights because you're in too much of a hurry to find out what driving is like. The result is generally not what you hoped for
I'm glad that the rest of my post was helpful, and I hope the fact that I did reply to your questions shows that I wasn't just trying to be difficult. I do hope that you get your satellite system working, it's a fun hobby.
On registrering, it says in plain english that you cannot start a new thread in the probation period of 1 month. You can however reply to an ongoing thread to allow you to post a question in that period.
I did exactly that. I posed a question, with the explanation for why it was posted in that thread, politely. If the members on the BB did not know or not want to answer, then don't. To get answers was the reason i regstered and posted.
I do not need nor want condescending, self important or plain abusive (bladerider - projection?) posts in reply. I know how BB's work, I have posted on plenty. So don't lecture me on how the world works or etiquette within it, when you yourself are unaware of the rules you talk about.
I have said what I want to say on this subject. I will not post on it nor read any posts about it again.
I thought it was three days (as it says on the faq) probation...
..................but then three days can be a lifetime to some !! lol
Oh, and I have no need to project anything - other than when I have had too much to drink, and thats not as often as it used to be
Regards,
James.
I went into the supermarket the other day and bought a lottery ticket, do you know they said I would have to wait until Saturday to find out if I had won anything !! In this day and age, with computers and stuff, I mean, thats appalling :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Can anyone help me. We are stuck in Saudi, local terrestial and Arabsat TV is not to our taste and we would very much like to get Astra 2. The footprint diagrams do not extend this far (say 22N 040E) so can anybody work out required dish size. We are herded onto 'western' compounds so a large communial dish is no problem. If you have any numbers to persuade our site technical boffins it would be appreciated. Many thanks
@Sad expat
I haven't heard from anybody beeing so far South East trying to catch the Astra 2A/B or even 2D but just that you have an idea of how big should be the minimum of diameter you will need:
In Cyprus which is far north east of you Astra 2A/B are beeing received quite well with only 2.40m. I think having read somewhere that the 2B North frequencies seem to make some difficulties there so for those one might need 3m or even more. So far so good. The 2D is by far much more difficult to catch there. Starting from 2.70m in the western parts of the island and rising to 4.2m in the eastern parts.
So the smallest diameter i would try in your region would be a 4m solid dish perfectly aligned to this position. Could be that you need a bigger one or even with a 10m you won't be able to get all the frequencies or even only for some hours. Have also in mind that the Sky Digital Package is splitted on 28.2 and 28.5E. Such big dishes have a very small pointing angle and pointing to 28.2 will mean that on 28.5 the gain is (much?) reduced. Another point for Extreme Out-Of-Footprint reception is that the signal strength can vary over the day. So you might need let's say in the morning where the Atmosphere is colder only 4m for a frequency and in the afternoon where the heat is at its maximum a 6m, just an example. As many people practice Out-Of-Footprint reception in Greece this is what can happen. There we have other weak satellites like the Astra 1B/C/E/F, also some Astra 2A/B North frequencies and of course the Astra 2D bird but the Sirius 3 Nordic beam is very hard to catch as well, same Amos 1 Hungary beam in the South.
But nothing is impossible. Like Hotbird reception in Kenia or southern India with huge 6m dishes.
Hope some information was a little useful for you.
Wish you good luck, knock on wood
One remark: Extreme-Out-Of-Footprint reception is very complicated for digital channels in the ku-band.
Extreme-Out-Of-Footprint reception has been reported either in the C-band or just analogue signals in the ku-band. E.g. the guy in Brazil who gets Astra+Hotbird with an 8m dish just gets the analogue channels on Astra 1, but nothing digital. The same applies to the guy in Nigeria with his 12m dish.
Originally posted by deepbluesky
But nothing is impossible. Like Hotbird reception in Kenia or southern India with huge 6m dishes.
deepbluesky, do you have more details on the India case?
BTW:
In the current issue of Tele Satellite there's a very interesting article about the Brazilian guy who gets Astra+Hotbird
deepbluesky, do you have more details on the India case?
In the TSI issue 2003-02/03 there was a report on reception of different satellites in Bangalore India. Although then it was mentioned that tests were going on without having had any success yet i have read somewhere else that with 6m they achieved to get some frequencies but unfortunately i cannot remember where it was, sorry. Would be interesting to see the results of the guy testing in Bangalore.
Originally posted by MusicFreak
As said before, in theory it could be possible. The dish size for Echostar 3 is very difficult to predict, as nobody known to me has achieved catching that satellite in Europe.
Have a look at the footprint: http://www.satcodx-op.com/ECH/uke/coverage.cgi?ECH003KB
On the edge of that footprint (in the center of the Atlantic Ocean) the signal strength is 42 dbW. Doing some arithmetics, the signal strength should be less than 30 dbW in the UK, meaning a 6m dish is required. But this is just a wild guess (it could be 8m or even 10m)
I did some research on this issue and I found reports in other forums of people getting the Echostar 3 in Europe. These reports are from Iceland and the Canary Islands. In the case of Canaries the dish size was just 2.4m and in the Iceland case unfortunately they don’t specify the concrete size (they just say with a very big dish). Of course I do realize that the fact that you can catch that satellite in Iceland/Canaries doesn’t mean that you could achieve the same result in the UK, as those places are closer to America. However those reports show that the signal is reaching the European continent. Looking at a map one can see that Iceland is only 500 miles more westward than Ireland, so I guess you’ll have a pretty good chance of getting Echostar 3 on the western coast of Ireland with a big dish. Of course it’s another story for those living in East England.
Perhaps I should settle down on the Canary Islands. Weather is great, girls are pretty, wine is good and you’ll get TV from the USA. What else can a guy ask for?
@MusicFreak
You mentioned that in other forums you read about the Iceland case. Can you please post some links of those forums ?
I am desperately searching for any reception info from Iceland. Must be very interesting up there with a 3-5m solid motorised C-+KU-dish
Also i am searching for forums from the Mid-East. The only one i know is in hebrew and without an english section, so useless for me since i cannot read hebrew. There was a site years ago called Sat-Mideast and then disappeared. Maybe anyone knows any forum in arabic here around ? As far as i know the Saudi-Peninsula is full of big motorised dishes, must be a paradise for DXing. Would be nice to know if anybody gets the weaker european satellites there.
Really ? I searched it lately since i didn't knew it before but somehow i must have missed Iceland
Maybe on a scandinavian forum one will find regularly posts from Iceland. But i don't know any from there as well.
Comments
- A 18.3m dish. Price: $590,670. Details here.
- A 21m dish. Price: $690,000. Details here.
Maybe a little expensive, however custom engineering, site testing, and after-sales service and maintenance are included in the price
A bargain at twice the price!!
I rather like the fact that one of the optional extras is aircraft warning lights.
Just remember that, as they say, size isn't everything...
The key to picking up a usable signal from anywhere is not how much signal you can pick up, it is how much stronger that signal is than the surrounding noise. There is no point in putting up a dish that gets you 10x the signal, if it gets 10x the noise as well, the signal-to-noise ratio will be no better
When you have a dish that is pointed very close to the horizon you will pick up all sorts of extra noise from heat & electrical source sources on the ground. Also, one the signal from the satellite is really weak, general heat noise from the Sun, the sky (the real one, niot BSKyB!), the moon can start to droiwn out the satellite signal.
I have just bought a 80cm dish & receiver from Lidl in Gandia (Costa Blanca, North) and have found the Astra satellite but the picture is very grainy and the sound "fuzzy". The Canal Digital dishes around me are smaller than 80cm (60cm) and that comes from Astra, so i think I'm alright there.
The receiver is an SR 1902 VC (never heard of it i here you cry).
My questions are, how do i improve the sgnal i have got (not a clue have I) & do i have to tweek (video level screw underneath) the receiver to make it compatible with my english TV (Toshiba).
Thanks in advance for helping someone lost in the world of satelite.:)
What is your set up, analogue or digital?
Which Astra satellite are you looking at ie 28.2east, the one that sky uses, or 19.2east?
cheers
19.2 East I think. I'll have a play around with it and see if i get anything else.
If I buy a digi box from ebay will i get the digi signal? (told you i was new)
Cheers
There's a good reason for that. It's so that you take the time to learn how things work here, instead of jumping in and disrupting a discussion...
I have just bought a 80cm dish & receiver from Lidl in Gandia (Costa Blanca, North) and have found the Astra satellite but the picture is very grainy and the sound "fuzzy".
This is almost certainly an analogue signal, since digital signals are either there or not, but never grainy & fuzzy. There isn't much point in comparing it with the digital signal from Canal Digital.
My questions are, how do i improve the sgnal i have got
Re-align the dish, check LNB skew (i.e. rotate the LNB a few degrees either side in its holder) check all the connections, make sure that you're using good satellite-quality cable. Check the footprint for the satellite you're using (see http://www.satmania.com/) to make sure that your dish is big enough.
do i have to tweek (video level screw underneath) the receiver to make it compatible with my english TV (Toshiba).
never, never, never, never, never, never, never tweak a screw if you don't know what it does. The recever is new, you can safely assume that it is aligned, and tweaking screws will not make things better. Your problems sound like they are due to weak signal, so start by checking all the things on the aerial side.
Thanks in advance for helping someone lost in the world of satelite.:)
Good luck...
The sound on any RF device (game, VHS, RF out on Satellite etc) bought in europe MAY NOT WORK with a British / Irish TV
A UK/Ireland TV has sound on 6.0 MHz
Europe uses 5.5 or 6.5 depending on where you are. Use a SCART cable or Phono leads and not RF to solve sound problem.
PAL-I = UK/Ireland/SouthAfrica/Cyprus?
PAL-M = 4.5MHz soud (Where?)
PAL-B/G = 5.5MHz
PAL-D/K = 6.5MHz (Perhaps French Secam too)
The Canal Digital uses a more powerfull Digital signal. I presume the receiver you have is analog.
Astra 19 and Hotbirds13 have weaker analog signals than the Digital signals.
Some TVs and VHS in Ireland /UK are mulitstandard. I took apart several Samsung VHS for parts and amazed that they had PAL D/K and PAL I sound on the tuner. But the RF modulator to TV was PAL -I only, though with holes for more sound circuits and holes for a switch...
"Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!"
patience is a virtue
so is being polite
and if its that important ring your dad as he is such a wise and all knowledgeable being
this is our house, and our rules, stick to em or dont bother coming in through the door.
and no, im nobody special, and dont pretend to be, why do you think you deserve special treatment over all the other people who have to wait their turn??
James.
PAL-M = 4.5MHz soud (Where?)
Brazil. 525-line 60Hz PAL
PAL-D/K = 6.5MHz (Perhaps French Secam too)
Yes, SECAM-L, but the sound is AM and not FM
"Sorry to butt in, but being new, i can't post a new thread!!"
could you put up a photo of your dish please,if possible
thanks.
On registrering, it says in plain english that you cannot start a new thread in the probation period of 1 month. You can however reply to an ongoing thread to allow you to post a question in that period.
I did exactly that. I posed a question, with the explanation for why it was posted in that thread, politely. If the members on the BB did not know or not want to answer, then don't. To get answers was the reason i regstered and posted.
I do not need nor want condescending, self important or plain abusive (bladerider - projection?) posts in reply. I know how BB's work, I have posted on plenty. So don't lecture me on how the world works or etiquette within it, when you yourself are unaware of the rules you talk about.
I have said what I want to say on this subject. I will not post on it nor read any posts about it again.
I thought it was three days (as it says on the faq) probation...
..................but then three days can be a lifetime to some !! lol
Oh, and I have no need to project anything - other than when I have had too much to drink, and thats not as often as it used to be
Regards,
James.
I went into the supermarket the other day and bought a lottery ticket, do you know they said I would have to wait until Saturday to find out if I had won anything !! In this day and age, with computers and stuff, I mean, thats appalling :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I haven't heard from anybody beeing so far South East trying to catch the Astra 2A/B or even 2D but just that you have an idea of how big should be the minimum of diameter you will need:
In Cyprus which is far north east of you Astra 2A/B are beeing received quite well with only 2.40m. I think having read somewhere that the 2B North frequencies seem to make some difficulties there so for those one might need 3m or even more. So far so good. The 2D is by far much more difficult to catch there. Starting from 2.70m in the western parts of the island and rising to 4.2m in the eastern parts.
So the smallest diameter i would try in your region would be a 4m solid dish perfectly aligned to this position. Could be that you need a bigger one or even with a 10m you won't be able to get all the frequencies or even only for some hours. Have also in mind that the Sky Digital Package is splitted on 28.2 and 28.5E. Such big dishes have a very small pointing angle and pointing to 28.2 will mean that on 28.5 the gain is (much?) reduced. Another point for Extreme Out-Of-Footprint reception is that the signal strength can vary over the day. So you might need let's say in the morning where the Atmosphere is colder only 4m for a frequency and in the afternoon where the heat is at its maximum a 6m, just an example. As many people practice Out-Of-Footprint reception in Greece this is what can happen. There we have other weak satellites like the Astra 1B/C/E/F, also some Astra 2A/B North frequencies and of course the Astra 2D bird but the Sirius 3 Nordic beam is very hard to catch as well, same Amos 1 Hungary beam in the South.
But nothing is impossible. Like Hotbird reception in Kenia or southern India with huge 6m dishes.
Hope some information was a little useful for you.
Wish you good luck, knock on wood
Extreme-Out-Of-Footprint reception has been reported either in the C-band or just analogue signals in the ku-band. E.g. the guy in Brazil who gets Astra+Hotbird with an 8m dish just gets the analogue channels on Astra 1, but nothing digital. The same applies to the guy in Nigeria with his 12m dish.
deepbluesky, do you have more details on the India case?
BTW:
In the current issue of Tele Satellite there's a very interesting article about the Brazilian guy who gets Astra+Hotbird
In the TSI issue 2003-02/03 there was a report on reception of different satellites in Bangalore India. Although then it was mentioned that tests were going on without having had any success yet i have read somewhere else that with 6m they achieved to get some frequencies but unfortunately i cannot remember where it was, sorry. Would be interesting to see the results of the guy testing in Bangalore.
Perhaps I should settle down on the Canary Islands. Weather is great, girls are pretty, wine is good and you’ll get TV from the USA. What else can a guy ask for?
You mentioned that in other forums you read about the Iceland case. Can you please post some links of those forums ?
I am desperately searching for any reception info from Iceland. Must be very interesting up there with a 3-5m solid motorised C-+KU-dish
Also i am searching for forums from the Mid-East. The only one i know is in hebrew and without an english section, so useless for me since i cannot read hebrew. There was a site years ago called Sat-Mideast and then disappeared. Maybe anyone knows any forum in arabic here around ? As far as i know the Saudi-Peninsula is full of big motorised dishes, must be a paradise for DXing. Would be nice to know if anybody gets the weaker european satellites there.
Unfortunately the report isn't very detailed (no dish size and no signal strength mentioned)
Maybe on a scandinavian forum one will find regularly posts from Iceland. But i don't know any from there as well.