Tarrot

Thanks.  Yes, I meant to type Astra 2E.

JOIDEVIE Yes, there are some interesting comments. I noticed the statement that "sky will move later this year".  Since I gather (from the thread you link to) that sky receives substantial income from reception outside the UK (not from me, I should add) I have a query.  If sky "moves" to the ASTRA e2 UK spotbeam, does that imply that the signal strength would have to be increased to ensure adequate reception?

When I tried that, from memory, a given channel cycled round to a maximum then defaulted back again e.g. 16/1 16/2 .....16/20  then back to 16/1 (I'm making the values up, but you get the point).  However, I could have been doing something silly.  I'll have another look.  What I did, picking up on a suggestion above, was use Astra 2D and (I think) transponder 5, which is loaded with the values for BBC 1 London. It eventually locked (the blue light came on) although I could barely detect a signal on the meter. I'm getting decent reception in the house right now, but it will disappear around 8.30 tonight.

Danny, Thanks.  I'd already done all those things and ended up trying to make sense of the instructions on the German website. There is a "translation" but it is simply wrong (it implies doing things with the device switched off!).  But many thanks for the French link - I'd missed it, and the description of the procedure sounds much more sensible. Re dish size I've just shifted up from 1 m to 1.2 m and bought a better LNB.. I think I need to do a bit more "reception research" among ex-pats here (near Marciac) before I buy a 1.5.  I can't afford anything bigger! Thanks again for the links.  

Just a quick update. First, thanks for the help - I'm most grateful. I eventually did find the UK spotbeam signal. It is incredibly weak. I shall have to settle (pro tem) for no reception early morning and late evening. The useful "Astra 2 Forum" website (probably well known to everyone else!) suggests: "There seems to have been a signal strength reduction recently ... whether it's due to satellite position management, satellite spower reduction, summer signal loss or what is not known. Possibly a combination of factors." So I think I shall sit tight for a while. As for the WS 6906, I got an email reply for my request for information on how to upgrade the software.  They say: "for this you need the software".

There really isn't enough information in the manual honestly (I've read it several times)  The memory stick upgrade method is for the 6908 device, the 6906 involves connecting to a computer using the COM port.  They provide is a cable to do this - and that's about it.  The instructions amount to saying "do the upgrade" but don't say how (or which options to chose). I've emailed them and we'll see what they suggest. From comments on this device on the web I'm not very optimistic.  

Thanks. It looks like the one thing I can't change is the transponder number (78)!  I also checked and the website doesn't have a pdf  version of the manual for the 6906 device.  I'd better go back to my initial naive question - I am getting a (very strong) signal and receiving some stations, but NOT BBC ITV and Channel 4.  Am I looking at the wrong "beam"?  Is that right?  So where is the right one? Is it a case of physically shifting the dish or is it that my receiver for some reason can't "see" (decode) the signal.  I held my breath and upgraded the PACE software (the task that takes 10 minutes).  It still doesn't find the relevant stations. Are they "nearby" in space (eg a case of shifting the dish a few mm right or left) or are they simply no longer visible to my receiver?  The vaues you give are for 2B/2D.  What are they for 2E? I'm most grateful for the help.

The 6906 doesn't let you change the TP number.  It is preset for (e.g.)2D as 1/18, 2/18 and so on. But do have the option "ADD TP" - setting the frequency and symbol rate manually.  I'll give that a go if you could tell me the values.  I wish I understood this better!

Thanks you both.  I confess I had not bothered with the pdf manual, assuming it was simply an electronic copy of the manual that came with the device, (very pooly translated - as all the AMAZON reviews  say).  I'll read it!

Your previous comment re 2B and 2D sort of implied I could line up using them - is that right?.  The device has 2A 2B 2D loaded - all at 28.2 degrees.  So is Astra 2E in a different physical location in the sky? I'm sorry for such a banal question - I had assumed they were all effectively in one place and that the differences related to power, frequency and all that stuff. I'll do a bit of research on the upgrade BIN file. I think you need to convert it to another format (ISO is mentioned).  It's that I can't do. 

Gosh, that was a swift reply! Thanks. The satfinder has Astra 2B and 2D loaded.  It has some Astra files with the prefix "1" but not 1N.  (they are not at 28 degrees either). I ploughed through that upgrade link yesterday, but failed every time at the last step.  The download is a RAR file.  I unpacked that and end up with a BIN file.  I don't know much about BIN files but I know they are used upgrading router firmware so it sounded promising.  I have a porgram that allegedly unpacks BIN files, but it simply says "unrecognised content".  I actually paid up yesterday to get the update from China.  The instructions to pay are in English - the rest is in Chinese, which I can't read.  I think they should have mentioned that before taking my 5 dollars.

I have an oldish Pace Sky box (3.0.58) and had been having problems losing BBC etc with a 1m dish in the garden.  I installed the new 1.2m dish on the same mount and have a strong signal and 90 percent quality. But I still don't have BBC or Film4 etc. The only things I watch (sad old man syndrome).  I get SKY News etc fine. I bought a little sat finder (WS 6906) thinking I could do a better job lining things up, but ASTRA 2e is not in its memory and it appears absolutely impossibe to update it (having wasted a day trying to get tthe software). I lined the new dish up using the TV and the Pace box. I am obviously doing something wrong. It boils down to two questions. First I am maybe misunderstanding how things work.  I have found the satellite (I think!). But are the various "beams" in different physical locations? Microscopic distances apart.  In which case the dish is too big for me to tweak and I'd better get a professional in. The second question is has anybody discovered how to add astra 2e to the WS-6909 satfinder? It's not much use if the answer's no - and I can post this as a beware! The device arrives with a lot of satellites loaded, but NOT Astra 2E.

I thought it was going to cost !  Part of my problem is I had to site the dish 60 m from the house (the only available line of sight).  I used low loss cable and until this summer all was well.  The distance makes checking difficult, but before I shell out £200 I'll try taking the receiver etc down the garden. Thanks for the advice.

I am in the SW (not far from Marciac) and lost channel 5 over the summer.   Over the past few weeks I have also become much more vulnerable to the weather - if it rains, I lose pretty well everything  I have a 1 m dish (mounted in the garden) and I will try "tweaking" it before ultimate despair sets in. Using the bar graphs on the TV I seem to have reasonable signal strength, but "quality" has dropped to 50 percent or less.  I  have a little satellite finder, but I think I will need something more sophisticated. Can anyone recommend a device that doesn't cost a fortune? Is there something that will indicate "strength" and "quality" separately?  I assume the tiny meter I have just gives an indication of signal strength.

Many thanks for the (generally gloomy) news.  The event isn't insured.  We took a risk on an oldish car.  Actually the insurance people have been quite nice:- they are picking up the bill for towing and strictly I don't think they needed to.  We've decided to get it towed to a Renault garage for another opinion.  I wasn't there, but I gather the engine simply stopped - suggesting an electrical fault.  It's unlikely water was sucked in, but I'm going on a second-hand description of the water level.  I've been doing web searches on water damaged cars in the UK.  As ever, mixed messages.  We'd be willing to shell out for a repair because we like the car but now I have another question - is there a French version of Auto-Trader?  It looks like we need one.

My wife found herself approaching a pool of water across the road.  Another car coming in the other direction went through and passed her.  She drove into the water and the engine died.  It was deeper than it looked.  She was eventually rescued and the car towed to a nearby garage.  The garage have now told us the engine is damaged beyond repair and the car a write-off.  I am a little suspicious of this claim (partly because I know the garage) and am looking for comment as to whether it is plausible.  The car is a  1.9 D Renault Laguna "break".  The water was at most 50 cm deep.  It was across the floor of the car inside, just covering the tranmsission hump.  It would have come up to the bottom of the engine, but no higher.  Anybody know how much damage is that likely to cause? Is it really a write-off or are we possibly being tricked? 

Sorry I have not checked the web for a while or I would have responded earlier.  I was puzzled as well, but it really was very fine soot.  And quite a lot of it too. It was too big (imagine a fan about five feet long) and too regular to be burning paper. I've since found a mark on the liner at the bottom of the pool (the deep end).  I'll try and do a bit more research on the physics of this mystery.  All I've turned up so far is a news item about some poor chap in Italy who was killed by lightning sitting with his legs dangling in the water. And yes, I add a little chlorine and the tests were okay, although the water was a tiny bit more acid than usual.

Not on a hill, but lots of very high trees nearby.  I am going to do the chemical tests tomorrow.  I have a copper / silver electrode system and was worried about the effect of a million volts or so on that, but it seems to working okay. 

At the start of this season, as a completely novice pool owner, I got some good advice from forum members.  I thought I'd share the following experience.  We awoke the other morning to find the circuit breaker on one phase of our power supply had tripped.  We assumed this was a result of the usual Summer storms and in particular the enormous clap of thunder that had woken us up in the night.  The circuit was easily re-set.  The pool house is one of the things on that circuit.      Later that morning I noticed a huge black swirl across the surface of the pool.  It ran all down one side.  It actually looked quite pretty - like a garland of black flowers.  Closer examination showed it was made of very fine soot.  I collected some of it by hand (a few ounces actually) off the top of the water. The rest was extracted, also by hand, in the skimmer a bit at a time. I can only assume that the pool was struck by lightning - which is rather a scary thought.  Does this happen often?

"There are some strange rules here inFrance regarding land that is not used. We were told many years ago that if you own  agricultural land it must be used and not left to stagnate or grow wild. I honestly think you should check this out with your notaire because it just maybe that the farmer has exercised a right to use land that is standing idle regardless of whether you use it for a garden or not." Does anybody have further information or links to this? There doesn't appear to be anything on the SAFER website about it.

Jonzjob It's looks perfect !  Did you get it in France? It might also double as a frog-escape.

Thanks for the suggestion and the link.  I don't think this one would work for me because it appears to replace the skimmer covers and mine are rectangular.  But it's good to know that there are possible solutions - at least in the soft-hearted USA.  I guess it's going to be harder here.

Thanks.  I shall look for this on the web.  Fortunately, so far, our dog is proving extremely wary.  He's trying to work out what happened when the cover came off and everything changed.  He's keeping his distance. As a new pool owner I've been startled to discover how much wild life gets into a pool - not something you see much about.  Frogs, lizards, mice and yesterday a small snake.  It's a pity they mostly drown - I'm now looking for something (a one-way something !) that will let them crawl out.

Thanks.  I shall look for this on the web.  Fortunately, so far, our dog is proving extremely wary.  He's trying to work out what happened when the cover came off and everything changed.  He's keeping his distance. As a new pool owner I've been startled to discover how much wild life gets into a pool - not something you see much about.  Frogs, lizards, mice, and yesterday a rather alarming small snake.  Alarming because it seemed to be able to swim quite well.  It's a pity they mostly drown - I'm now looking for something (a one-way something !) that will let them crawl out.

Perhaps I didn't put my question very well.  I appreciate if the the dog falls in he will set off the alarm - the problem is how do I get him out!  The idea of tussling with a massive frightened dog in a swimming pool is a bit daunting.  He is a hunting dog (not that he actually hunts anything).  He is very friendly normally and a perfect pet, but when frightened who knows what he could do.  He is strong enough to kill me.  I was hoping that there was some standard technique in this situation, well known to pool owners - something I hadn't thought of.  It looks like the plastic ramp is the only solution.  Thanks.