UK TV SATELLITE ISSUES

Algarveaddick wrote: There are quite a number of well off folk who have Sky in their villas as well.

Interesting update direct from Sky


Transponders on Astra 2F
Transponder 57, 10.964 H, 22000, 5/6, DVB-S/MPEG-2, (Channel 5 (regions 1-5) 5 USA, 5 USA+1, 5*, 5*+1 and Channel 5 +1)
Transponder 59, 10.994 H, 22000, 5/6, DVB-S/MPEG-2, (ITV1 regions)
Transponder 61, 11.023 H, 23000, 2/3, DVB-S2/8PSK, (BBC DSAT 8, BBC One HD)
Transponder 63, 11.053H, 22000, 5/6, DVB-S/MPEG-2, (ITV1 regions and ITV1 London HD)
Transponder 68, 11.126 V, 22000, 5/6 DVB-S/QPSK, (Channel Four HD and 4 Seven)
All transponders will be on the UK Spotbeam.

Tends to indicate not all is lost, just the above and they are easy to get on a computer using a UK based proxy server!

cubsur wrote: Those channels were the first to migrate. Watch out for others following on.

Interesting posts found here - http://robssatellitetv.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/8337943-astra-2f-reception-reports?page=4

Tommy at December 8, 2012 at 3:33 AM

Albufeira area of Algarve, Portugal.

Using 1.2 offset dish, Bush HD freesat box.

Lost channel 5 (all), and Channel 4HD on Wednesday , but so far every other channel is fine, inc  BBC HD and ITV HD.

Did retune yesterday and now Sky News is also available, picture perfect, weather was fairly clear.

Will keep informed if anything else changes.

Good web site, as lots of scare mongering going on down here.

And the reply

Tommy, its not scare mongering its going to happen 

The general concensus of opinion, on this and a number of satellite websites, is that all Channels will go eventually, probably in January but possibly not until May/June next year.

That becuase Chinese and Indian food is no longer seen as being Foreign because everybody grows up with them.
What British people dislike is food that is unfamiliar.

Jayjan wrote: well hope so John, maybe we are reading too much into it at the mo, we will see, fingers crossed.But I for one will not be paying the price of a 3 metre dish if needed, very very expensive indeed.

That is for sure Polli.

EutelSat 28A already carries Sky (called Sky Digital) but it doesn't carry any BBC, ITV, C4 Channels or Sky Sports, Sky 1 etc and again, for copyright issues, this will not change.

So yes, you might be able to still receive UK Channels but they won't necessarily be the ones that most people want.
If you like watching Shopping, Adult, Religious, Music or Childrens Channels, then with the right equipment, you should be fine.

Channel list -
http://www.eutelsat.com/deploy_tvLineUp/struts/linkPackageSearch.do?b=SKY+UK&Langue=en

There are plenty of Satellites up there but all Satellites are gradually being replaced with Spot Beam technology because it allows the signal to be directed only those Countries that the service is designed for.
Or to put it the other way, the technolgy prevents the signal going to those Countries that the service is not designed for and where the broadcaster does not own the rights to broadcast.

When these Channels (BBC, ITV etc) are no longer available via Astra, in the areas like of Spain & Portugal, it's not possible for Sky or Freesat can change to another satellite & restore all those channels to Spain & Portugal, because they can't -  they won't be allowed to. That's what this is all about.

Yes there will always be leakage of signal because of geographical proximity, (e.g. Holland, Belgium, Northern France etc) but the days of signals from Sky or Freesat being spread far & wide around the extremities of Europe will soon be gone forever.

The alternative is that the BBC, Sky, ITV etc decide to sell channels to a local broadcaster (e.g. MEO) as in some instances (Sky News, BBC World News, BBC Entertainment), they do already.

I was out and about yesterday, walking in the countryside, and I saw in Messines a place with a massive great dish on the roof that looked like it was a mesh dish rather than solid metal. That would obviously be a lot lighter than something soid and also a lot less prone to disappearing in the first gale I would think.

I have had a quick look around but cannot find anything that looks the part.

Any info anyone?

More info from the same website as above -

Satellite changes at 28.2° East

After over a decade in service, the Astra satellites copositioned at 28.2° east are reaching the end of their intended period of service. Plans are already well underway to replace the three satellites providing televisin and radio services to the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic, Astra 2A, Astra 2B and Astra 2D. Astra 1N has temporarily replaced Astra 2D until Astra 2F entered commercial service. Astra 2F is, as of November 22, 2012, operational. Currently one transponder is active, transponder 61, 11.023 horizontal. This is the new BBC DSAT 8 transponder, using the UK Spotbeam, broadcasting in DVB-S2, 8PSK.
What will all these changes entail for those currently viewing TV via Sky or Freesat? If you live within the intended reception area of the new satellites (the British Isles), then your viewing will not be affected and you will continue to receive all the services you currently have.
For viewers outside the British Isles in mainland Europe, reception of certain channels currently on Astra 2A or 2B may change or be lost in certain areas after all the new satellites are operational.

How will these changes affect viewers overseas?

There have been many rumours doing their rounds on the Internet, that overseas viewers will lose all their channels once these changes are complete. For viewers in some areas of Europe, this may be true, this depends on which spotbeam Sky deciide to use for their channels. There is no reason for Sky to opt for the UK spotbeam, their channels are encrypted and there are no copyright issues. There are many expats who have legal subscriptions registered to a UK address, there are many British or Irish pubs and bars that have Sky Sports, these are all income for Sky.
It seems unlikely that Sky would want to lose this income, at this time there are no answers and no guarentees of future reception.
As for the main terrestrial broadcasters, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, these are using the UK spotbeam on Astra 2F and Astra 1N. If you can already receive signals from the Astra 2F satellite, then little is likely to change over the coming years.
Many free-to-air channels currently use Eutelsat 28A at 28.5° east, launched in 2001 it has an expected lifespan of twelve years, there is currently no information on whether this satellite is to be replaced. If not, then many will have to move to the new satellites.

Astra 2E

The BBC has confirmed their plans to move their services from Astra 1N to Astra 2E in 2013.
The overspill of the BBC’s services will be reduced so viewers outside the UK will find it even harder to receive them. Astra 2E will have the same UK footprint as Astra 2F, so if you can currently view channels from Astra 2F, there should be no problems receiving Astra 2E.
In February 2012, SES retired Astra 2D and BBC services moved to a new temporary home on Astra 1N. Astra 1N is due to take up its permanent position in 2013 (19°East), so the BBC’s services will move to their new permanent home on Astra 2E (28.2°East) when that becomes operational. SES expects Astra 2E to launch in Q2 2013, the BBC expect to move their services to Astra 2E during summer 2013.
The move of BBC services from 1N to their new permanent homes will have no impact on UK households. Astra 2E and 2F have the same, tighter though slightly more powerful UK spot beams which means that UK households should get a slightly stronger signal. So if you happened to be on the edge of coverage, you will hopefully get more reliable reception.

Astra 2F

The Astra 2F satellite has now entered service at 28.2° East, some frequencies have been transfered from Astra 1N to Astra 2F.
Services will keep the same frequencies, so there is not expected to be any major disruption apart from a short break in service when the transfer occurs. Once UK services have been withdrawn from Astra 1N, the satellite will be repositioned to serve continental Europe.
If you are viewing or listening outside the UK, now is not the time to invest in any new equipment. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, currently uses the UK spotbeam on the Astra 1N satellite, this is soon to be replaced by Astra 2F. The two satellites are very similar, though the UK spotbeam on Astra 2F differs from that of Astra 1N.

UK Spot Beam from Astra 2F



Pan-European Beam