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Penguin · 12-04-06, 11:39 AM

Hi,
Living on Lanzarote is good but it attracts chancers and con men who rip-off the ill informed.
Can anyone advise me as to what I need/where to go(steady now) to recieve English channels in the Canaries?
I have a Sky system (1.25mtr dish) and pay those nice people too much every month to recieve very little.
BBC/ITV would be great as long as it lasts a while.
I have a P:C. and broadband.

Any help greatly appreciated,
Gary.

BGonaSTICK · 12-04-06, 12:50 PM

Hi Gary, and :welc2: to the forum

I have to agree about being ripped off in places such as the Canaries. It's the same in other ex-pat havens with regards satellite setups so I've been told.

Well, we have some good news and some bad news. There are some English channels that you should be able to get without too much trouble. BBC Prime is quite good, and can either be had on a reasonably priced subscription, or by patching your receiver, if it's of a suitable type. Your Sky digibox will not be suitable for that. In fact, it's very limiting all-round.

There is of course BBC World which is free and easy to get with your current dish.

You can also get all the BBC and ITV channels free (even on your digibox). Even Channel Four, FIVE and Sky Three can be had for an additional one-off payment of £20

That was the good news...

The bad news is that your 1.2m dish is not going to get anywhere near the BBC and ITV channels. You are going to need a 2.4m dish at the very least, and probably more like a 3m diameter due to the fact that they are now on a satellite with a very restrictive footprint targeted at the UK only and known as Astra 2D.

The best resource for information on your location is the excellent astra2d site (http://astra2d.com/spain.htm).

Just having a quick look, I'm dubious about the 2.4m unless you don't mind losing the signal at certain times of the day. It would also have to be professionally set up unless you're confident to do it yourself.

Hope this helps.

We can advise on all aspects of your setup, but the dish is going to have to be a local job for obvious reasons.

STICK

Jimdefruit · 12-04-06, 03:08 PM

Hi Gary, nice to see you here.

As you appear to have a system running already, I would be interested to know what you are actually getting in terms of channels and signal strength on your 1.25 M dish. Whilst the signal footprints are published It would be nice to know how accurate they are for your neck of the woods.

In addition to the UK Sky transmissions, there are other satellites which have films and sport in English that you might be interested in.

Dogsbelly · 12-04-06, 04:52 PM

????????????
If you have Sky then go FTV at £20 for a minimum of three years service.

BGonaSTICK · 12-04-06, 07:24 PM

Yes, but the required dish will cost several hundred pounds

The Beeb will also start high-quality Internet streaming later this year. You might even be able to get some of the BBC HD stuff if it's not on 2D.

Jimdefruit · 12-04-06, 07:31 PM

Have a look at this>
http://www.ses-astra.com/corpSite/si...Fleet/astra2d/

As you will see, a 1.2 metre dish will only be effective as far south as northern Spain for Astra 2 satellite transmissions.

12-04-06, 11:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
Penguin Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Canary Islands. Hi, Living on Lanzarote is good but it attracts chancers and con men who rip-off the ill informed. Can anyone advise me as to what I need/where to go(steady now) to recieve English channels in the Canaries? I have a Sky system (1.25mtr dish) and pay those nice people too much every month to recieve very little. BBC/ITV would be great as long as it lasts a while. I have a P:C. and broadband. Any help greatly appreciated, Gary.

12-04-06, 12:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
BGonaSTICK Dodgy Geezer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton Posts: 9,718 Thanks: 3 Thanked 166 Times in 60 Posts	Re: Canary Islands. Hi Gary, and :welc2: to the forum I have to agree about being ripped off in places such as the Canaries. It's the same in other ex-pat havens with regards satellite setups so I've been told. Well, we have some good news and some bad news. There are some English channels that you should be able to get without too much trouble. BBC Prime is quite good, and can either be had on a reasonably priced subscription, or by patching your receiver, if it's of a suitable type. Your Sky digibox will not be suitable for that. In fact, it's very limiting all-round. There is of course BBC World which is free and easy to get with your current dish. You can also get all the BBC and ITV channels free (even on your digibox). Even Channel Four, FIVE and Sky Three can be had for an additional one-off payment of £20 That was the good news... The bad news is that your 1.2m dish is not going to get anywhere near the BBC and ITV channels. You are going to need a 2.4m dish at the very least, and probably more like a 3m diameter due to the fact that they are now on a satellite with a very restrictive footprint targeted at the UK only and known as Astra 2D. The best resource for information on your location is the excellent astra2d site (http://astra2d.com/spain.htm). Just having a quick look, I'm dubious about the 2.4m unless you don't mind losing the signal at certain times of the day. It would also have to be professionally set up unless you're confident to do it yourself. Hope this helps. We can advise on all aspects of your setup, but the dish is going to have to be a local job for obvious reasons. STICK __________________ Dreambox 7000, Skystar2 PCI, Skystar USB, Fibo 90cm on Moteck SG2100, Triax TD110 multi-LNB. Sky + ART cards. 45.0°E - 58.0°W

12-04-06, 03:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jimdefruit Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,858 Thanks: 20 Thanked 221 Times in 187 Posts	Re: Canary Islands. Hi Gary, nice to see you here. As you appear to have a system running already, I would be interested to know what you are actually getting in terms of channels and signal strength on your 1.25 M dish. Whilst the signal footprints are published It would be nice to know how accurate they are for your neck of the woods. In addition to the UK Sky transmissions, there are other satellites which have films and sport in English that you might be interested in. __________________ Dreambox 800 HD; Dreambox 7000s + VBox + Channel Master 1.2 with 36v actuator CM120 feedhorn and Invacom .3 LNB Skystar 2 PCI card with links to my Dreamboxes If you like what you see here, tell your friends.

12-04-06, 04:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dogsbelly Technology Forums Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 58 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Canary Islands. ???????????? If you have Sky then go FTV at £20 for a minimum of three years service.

12-04-06, 07:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
BGonaSTICK Dodgy Geezer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton Posts: 9,718 Thanks: 3 Thanked 166 Times in 60 Posts	Re: Canary Islands. Yes, but the required dish will cost several hundred pounds The Beeb will also start high-quality Internet streaming later this year. You might even be able to get some of the BBC HD stuff if it's not on 2D. __________________ Dreambox 7000, Skystar2 PCI, Skystar USB, Fibo 90cm on Moteck SG2100, Triax TD110 multi-LNB. Sky + ART cards. 45.0°E - 58.0°W

12-04-06, 07:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jimdefruit Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,858 Thanks: 20 Thanked 221 Times in 187 Posts	Re: Canary Islands. Have a look at this> http://www.ses-astra.com/corpSite/si...Fleet/astra2d/ As you will see, a 1.2 metre dish will only be effective as far south as northern Spain for Astra 2 satellite transmissions. __________________ Dreambox 800 HD; Dreambox 7000s + VBox + Channel Master 1.2 with 36v actuator CM120 feedhorn and Invacom .3 LNB Skystar 2 PCI card with links to my Dreamboxes If you like what you see here, tell your friends.