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French TV help please :-)


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Have just returned to France after 5mnths to find analogue tv no longer working. Have bought an Astra decoder but can't get it to work either! Please does anyone know if Fransat and Astra are the same/compatible with the original satellite dish? Currently in area 33-Bordeaux. Any help would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
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Are you saying the make of the box is called Astra or is it for Astra Satellites? Does it have a card? As far as I know to watch digital French TV via satellite your decoder needs a card.

What was the old dish previously used for i.e. English or French and if it was French was it digital or analog? If it was analog before then you need a new LNB as well.

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Actually, you will probably need to put in a new LNB (the thing on the end of the arm that has the aerial wire coming out of it) as well as moving it, but your best bet is to post again in the TV phone bit of the forum and hope that Martin spots it. (He knows his stuff and explains it in un pompous English).

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The LNB is the same for analogue or digital.

If it is 5 years old it will be called a Universal LNB this is nothing to do with analog or digital.

A long time ago in the 20th century there was a time when LNBs only covered half of the satellite frequency spectrum, later with improved technology it was possible to provide the complete satellite frequency on a single LNB; this was and is still called a Universal LNB.

As for terrestrial aerials mentioned further up the thread; these do not have to be changed either.

What satellite analogue channels did you receive, because if you only received 5 french channels then you parabolic dish was directed towards Atlantic Bird 3, known as AB3, then only a Fransat Box with an associated card will work on AB3. Your post suggests that you have bought a Box compatible with Astra; it would be informative and helpful if you could tell us what is written on the carton or Decoder for a definitive identification.

It would also be useful if tomorrow you look at the direction the dish is pointing to see whether it is west of due south or east of due south.

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Well we and our neighbours had to change ariels for a new type. We have SKY digital with the latest digibox and a new french TV with built in receiver for french TV but it would not work on our old ariel. Have the latest quad LNB and new dish etc too. Just an observation that it could have been the problem and hence save calling out for new dish alignment experts etc.
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[quote user="Val_2"]Well we and our neighbours had to change ariels for a new type. We have SKY digital with the latest digibox and a new french TV with built in receiver for french TV but it would not work on our old ariel. Have the latest quad LNB and new dish etc too. Just an observation that it could have been the problem and hence save calling out for new dish alignment experts etc.[/quote]

Did you change for "Digital Ariel"

[;-)]

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To the o/p

Are you sure you haven't got an ASTRELL receiver?

I have to say I'm confused,  as has been said (and assuming you were watching FRENCH analogue TV via satellite,  ie TF1/2/3/5&Arte/6 and Canal + when non scrambled)

1)   Your simplest bet is to buy a Fransat receiver (comes with a card) and substitute it.   However,   Fransat do not market an Astra decoder,   there is a suitable Astrell one for Fransat.

2)   If it doesn't install properly,   what messages are you getting on screen?    Have you any channels (the box should work on 2/3/5/Parl with no card in)

3)   Did you watch the install process?    Did it find any channels?   If not what message did you get?

As has been said,  if your dish has been there since the days of the Ark then your LNB (the aerial bit) may be the "Telecom" type which is unsuitable.   However,  as has been said these were not installed since about ten years ago.

We will try and help but the exact make and model of box you have will be necessary.

Most of these questions have already been asked of you but I'm hoping to prompt a response....

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To the o/p again

Forget the previous post,  I didn't read what you wrote as carefully as I should have done.

Can you confirm that the card that came with the box has black and green and red squares on it and says TNTsat on it?

If so you probably SHOULD have bought a Fransat box,   because if you were getting the analogue channels I listed above your dish was pointing at Atlantic Bird 3 and the whole point of Fransat is to allow a quick substitution of the analogue box with a Fransat box and voila you have the TNT channels off the same dish  (assuming the LNB is universal as has already been pointed out,  most are).

If that's the case any chance of taking the box back and swapping for Fransat? 

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