Martin963

If she's as intelligent as you suggest one would think she would have the sense to realise that it would behove her to sing the anthem.   That way there's one less target for her critics to aim at,  critics who are by no means all on the "rabid" (to use your own perjorative term) right,  at least not judging by views in our own local community.

http://www.liberation.fr/politiques/2014/05/12/taubira-la-marseillaise-et-le-karaoke_1015393 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/12/french-justice-minister-marseillaise-national-anthem-karaoke Apparently in a poll (by Le Point - I have no idea how unbiased they are)  80% of 12,000 people questioned wanted her to go.

We're more or less in the middle of your area. When we bought (fin 1998) we were the only Brits in the village,   although a certain quite famous Scottish author of detective novels had lived there for about 15 years,  leaving a few years before we arrived.   Although a number of Brits have moved to the area since it is as nothing compared to say round Bergerac;   enough to find sympathetic  company but not enough to overwhelm the French population.    Certainly the greatest influx was round about 2003,  people who were moving to get away from Britain but who hadn't really perhaps the affinity with France that would have been desirable;   many of those folk are indeed desperate to go back. We are just in 24,   but feel that the scenery deteriorates to the west of Perigueux - at least for our tastes.   But it improves the further east you go,   Correze is an utterly beautiful department,   although it gets colder and higher as you move towards the Massif Central.   The weather can be grim,   I'd concur with the remarks about the spring - we've suffered interminable grey periods in April, May and June when Britain has been basking in sunshine.   We've been shown nothing but welcoming friendship and kindness,   although it's helped by the fact we both speak French.    And perhaps the fact that we're not there the whole time,   so people are pleased to see us when we arrive! Hautefort has a magnificent castle and also a very good restaurant (Table d'Erillac).    Tourtoirac has some grottes.

Interesting spanner in the works for the launch of Astra 2G.....: http://advanced-television.com/2014/04/28/us-bans-ses-satellite-launch-by-russia/

Fair comment.    But I can't help thinking that *something* is going on in her ministry if all these stories are coming out.... No smoke without fire etc etc.

....if this article is to be believed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10784647/Segolene-Royal-orders-staff-in-ministry-to-stand-in-her-presence.html You couldn't make it up,   assuming the Telegraph didn't do just that of course. How I'd love to tell that dreadful woman a few home truths.....

I liked Melonchon's comment yesterday,   which loosely translated as "Electoral Disaster yesterday,   Political Suicide today". Like your "New Government Old Bag" comment it's genuinely funny!! Edit:  of course I meant Monday,  not Tuesday,  when I referred to yesterday.   Can't count - sorry! Also Philipot who said "You don't change a losing team".   That and Cope's reference to the IV republic and un bateau ivre.   The French language can be put to such good use,   along with the term "poid lourd" for Segolene and the like,  which conjures up quite the wrong image in my mind!   

[quote user="NormanH"]That is the casual racism of the right that prefers a  male Spanish immigrant to a woman of colour. [/quote] I think it's more to do with the fact that Taubira is somewhat to the left of Valls. But you can dress it up however you like...

The government has fallen. Long live the government. To be fair to them they aren't trying to put a "spin" on their disaster,   and for that they deserve credit. Presumably Patapouf will take to national TV this evening.

[quote user="idun"] Re Valls, well who likes him? .[Www] [/quote] More or less anyone in the UMP when asked the question "Who is the least ghastly socialist?". Alternatively, those who like Taubira seem not to like Valls,   and vice versa - at least in my limited experience.

Well - you might be surprised to hear - I absolutely respect your "take" on Valls and you may well be right. And if I gather correctly most of the hard-left associated with the government may well "get up and walk out" if he becomes PM. He does seem to be fairly popular (and not just with his natural supporters) and might just be the "compromise" PM that brings (the majority of) the French population together,  which goodness knows is what's needed at the moment. It seems that the wretched Patapouf asked Le Drian if he'd like to have a go,  to which the reply was "No,  try Valls,  he's your man".     You honestly couldn't make it up.....

BFM are reporting that Manuel Valls is off to see Monsieur Patapouf at the Elysee this morning. If he becomes PM then it would be the first sensible thing that Patapouf has done in two years,   and he'd have my support (a rare thing). I don't think there's much doubt that national politics (and dissatisfaction with the current bunch of muppets) has outshone most local issues,  although as other have said the Left has made something of a speciality of fighting each other rather than anyone or anything else relevant! So good may come out of all this.

Not at all.   Nearest piece of land not belonging to us 300 m away.  And the hunter aimed at (and mainly succeeded to hit) a point so that the nest would be detached neatly rather than blown apart. Perhaps you will be surprised to hear that he'd done it before and knew what he was about.

We got a local hunter to shoot down their nests from the trees - it was great fun!   Although we do still have some their numbers were greatly reduced after that cull....

OK.  Well that's me told.  I hand over to Jako.  Fourteen years on here helping out but clearly I need to retire. If anybody wants me I will of course correspond privately.

Thanks Quillan.   Let's hope it stays that way for you - maybe the 1N transponders were causing a problem,  although I still remain to be entirely convinced that that is the explanation. AFAIK you should get 5USA - I say that because freesat's channel list is a standard one (like Sky's) and permits no variations in the basic ordering.   Certainly my rubbish Grundig freesat box has it on the list (and gets it). Will be interested to see what your individual readings are.....

How is Quillan getting on this morning?

But surely the advice given still holds;   even if you (who know the theory) are going to argue that the dish was never put up properly in the first place (!),  then nudging it to the east to peak up 2E (in its current position) might be of help. For the average punter that's useful advice in my view.  Certainly I have been able to bring Eurobird in using the same technique for some folk who couldn't get it previously,  and if at the moment getting the BBC back is the end result then I'd have thought it's worth trying. With the proviso that we don't know if 2E will stay at 28.35 deg E - although apparently it's there until 25th Feb at least.   But it's a useful trick to have up one's sleeve,  whatever the theory says.

[quote user="Jako"] @Martin963: you need a very big dish to notice any difference between 28.2 and 28.35 , impossible for a tiny 80 cm dish. If reception improves by giving a dish a nudge east it was simply misaligned to begin with. As the signal of Astra1N was so powerful I think this will be the case with the majority of dishes pointing at 28.2 east. [/quote] So are you saying that an 80 cm dish will not "notice any difference" between 28.2 and 28.5 deg E?

It seems unlikely to me,  but then if you continue to have perfect reception from now on then one starts to wonder. I don't think that problems of that sort tend to manifest themselves unless the differential between wanted and unwanted is much bigger than what you're likely to be seeing,  and with dishes over 2 m big.   It should be possibly to apply some maths to it I expect,  but I'm not sure I know enough to try.  I suspect Jako might be able to add something though.

On Digital Spy an English installer in SW France is pointing out that he is often able to get 80 cm dishes that have lost the BBC etc to start working again by giving them a tiny nudge eastwards.  This seems to chime with the notion that 2E - at least at the moment - is at 28.35 deg E rather than at 28.2 deg E. Now of course we don't know what SES are planning, but 1N will probably glide off before the end of the week (many of us with Astra 1 dishes will see her again in about a week's time),  but then of course 2C may well make the opposite journey. My point though is that if 2E is eventually properly co-located at 28.2 some people who have lost channels may get them back,  and if she stays where she is (or even goes to 28.5 deg E where there's more room!) then it MAY be possible to optimise dish azimuth accordingly to favour BBC/ITV etc. We shall see.

I take your point,  but how much forward planning has gone into the spot beam/freq re-use deployment?   For example when Astra 2H comes along...!

Thanks NickP.  That is exactly what I wanted.   I suspected it was still on that frequency but wanted confirmation. Reason - whatever the default transponder is set to is the (single) frequency that the signal meters on a Sky box give an indication for.  So those indicators are still NOT showing the strength and quality of the spot beam. Thanks again.

Would someone mind please checking a Sky box and telling me what frequency the default transponder is now on..? Thanks.

[quote user="Martin963"] But it may well be that ITV and ch 4 are gone by tomorrow morning.  [/quote] As indeed they have,  at least if one's dish isn't up to the job.