help

[sfoster76uk]

will i be able to pick up many satellites with a 60cm dish and an echostar 1200 receiver+ i see people make lists of different transponder frequencies for different satellites but i dont even know what a transponder is ,could anyone explain in simple term please i am a complete novice but very keen

[Analoguesat]

Hiya mate, welcome to our happy little band.

To be exact a transponder is an amplifier up on the spacecraft that provide our TV channels. Generally speaking one transponder carries one "block" of channels on one frequency.

Therefore we tend to refer to transponder and frequency fairly interchangably.

Have a look at thi list :

http://www.flysat.com/hotbird.php

which is for 13E. The transponder number is in the first column (this is just an official designation by the satellite operator). The relevant frequency carried is in the second column and the channels carried are in the fourth column.

[Analoguesat]

As for the question of the 60cm dish, yes you will get European satellites on it. You will get Astra 1, Astra 2 and Hotbird no problem, and most of the stronger frequencies on many of the other satellites.

Have a look at the little free to air digital satellite site I run

www.digitalsat.co.uk

The charts are a bit out of date but you should get something off most of the satellites listed with a 60cm dish.

[sfoster76uk]

thanks most helpful will try asap