Before buying sat equipment...

[robbo71]

I use a brand new LCD flat panel from the kitchen.

Sshh, just don't tell the wife, she would go nuts.

[ozzietiro]

IT WORKS!
Found the LCD monitor instructions and lo and behold there was a switch to change from PC to TV mode! You were right all along Robbo, the RF cables (video and audio) connect the monitor to the jacks at the rear of the receiver (the 2 SCART connectors are not used)!
But the satellite was not Astra 2D after all. HotBird, I suppose, showing heaps of religious sites mixed up with lashings of flesh. It's my first peek at sat TV and I'm not impressed - quite an invasion into my puritanical lodgings! Looks like I need to change the pre-programmed channels/satellites on the receiver and fine tune the dish ... and get rid of all those fleshy bits. I wonder what's on the pay per view channels!
Kim
PS: Looks like Robbo is courting domestic trouble...

[robbo71]

Originally Posted by ozzietiro

IT WORKS!
PS: Looks like Robbo is courting domestic trouble...

Sure am.

If she knew that I just swapped my dish from an 80cm to a 1m she go even more spare. But she is blonde and she will never notice.
( I hope)

Yes on Hotbird, well, any satellite for that matter, the Free to air stuff is mostly pretty harmless. I can't imagine what the subscription channels are like. I caught a glimpse of a temporary FTA channel the other day (XXL), very rude indeed.

So it looks like you are going to have to swivel the dish round a bit.

[ozzietiro]

I wonder what Robbo's backyard looks like with all that high tech stuff camouflaged in paint and shrubbery with a gnome guard of honour to keep the other half off guard! Yet an increase of 20cm in diameter is a huge difference even for a blond!
Back to business, spent most of the weekend compiling lists of channels to compare with the ones detected by my receiver (Sradix 128FTA, I've been duped yet again) and found out that I get Astra 1E etc at 19.2 E and Hotbird 8 at 13.0 E without moving anything, that is, the dish spans at least 6 degrees in its fixed position.
When I moved it further east eventually I got some channels from Astra 2A North Beam but nothing from Astra 2D. This means of course that my quest for Aunty is on foot, she's rechable but playing hard to get. So, my first question has been answered: Astra 2D is in my line of sight. Now is only a question of getting the right equipment.
I'll be in Cambridge and London for a week soon and I'll get a proper receiver then. Any suggestions re: what to get and where?
By the way, being a true novice, how can I add details of my gear at the foot of my posts?
Thanks fellas, we won the first battle against the mountain!
Kim

[Bitman]

Looking at the footprint map, you'll probably need more than just a more sensitive receiver to get 2D.
I'm also outside the normal footprint, and get perfect reception on 2A and 2B, but absolutely nothing on 2D - I need more than double the dish diameter.

But in the meantime, if all you want is to hear English voices, you can get BBC and lots of other steam radio stations on your current equipment, and there's also Sky News and a few other FTA channels on 2A/2B.

[will-in-estoril]

2D is not usually the problem in Portugal; it could either be that the LNB needs to be skewed, or it could be that your dish is slightly too small. Nevertheless, keep plugging away!!

Channel 4, FIVE (and its sister stations) and Sky Three all require a viewing card, which needs to be inserted into a Sky digibox. BBC and ITV are free to air, so that you could use any digital satellite receiver. Given that you will have a fixed system I would go for a Sky digibox and card.

As per my earlier post I have a spare box and card sitting in Monte Estoril.

[ozzietiro]

Hello Bitman! Thanks for sharing your comments and advice. Looks as if my receiver is a really dodgybox (Sradix): keeps on reverting back to pre-programmed sats and channels. Managed to get Astra 2A once but no chance in hell of getting a glimpse of Aunty Beeb, not even on Eutelsat! I know I'm on a steep learning curve and I'll plod along as suggested by Everton Will. Actually, my quest for BBC has another raison d'etre - recording educational programmes I could use in my teaching programme.
Thanks again mates!
PS - I'll report back when, finally, the old lady shows her charms!

[CARREGAL70]

Don't get an SRadix box. These boxes are very sensitive and tend to get stuck on channels after switching off and then on again. There is then a resulting wait (long) before box will reconnect following disconnect from power. The agents here in Portugal where I spend some time each year are at a loss.