Lori Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I read some of the previous posts on this subject, but could not find a poster that was near to my location, hence the question.Due to the previous post Where has BBC Prime Gone?, many of you were kind enough to tell dumb old me that nearly all the BBC and ITV channels are available Free to Air here in France. I did do a bit of researching and found the Astra website. I looked at the footprint and I am down in southeast France, near Avignon. I cannot tell for sure if I need a 95 cm or 100 cm dish. I did read the section on Astra 2D noting various French Reception comments. There was a guy from Vaison and one from Orange that said they used 85 cm dishes (if memory serves) and their reception was said to be pretty good. Is there anyone here who can tell me what size dish would be best for us? I have put a call in to my Electrician (message machine) and I'm sure he will be calling me back at some point. I printed out all the frequencies and the 28.2 East setting.. I'd just like to be prepared to say what size dish I would like installed. He may know all this stuff, but if he hasn't installed a dish for these channels, he may need/want the info. He installed our CanalSat dish. As was noted on the other thread, it would be ideal to have a separate, dedicated dish for the Astra 2D channels (keeping the CanalSat one on its own) and, naturally, I would like to have good reception.Thanks for any help offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Hi Lori!We are getting just the one dish and were told it has to be at least 90cm. I'm wondering where the hell it's going to go! The one we have at the moment is only 60cm. Oh well I'm sure the cable guy will know what to do for the best. We'll have all the BBC channels and some ITV at certain times of the day but we won't be getting the Sky box otherwise I will never leave the house!Right, I'm off for a walk - there's nothing on the telly[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Yes, Twinks I have read that with the larger dish, the reception is likely to be better. I can't remember where you call home in France. I think you are ever so slightly closer to the main footprint for Astra 2D than I am. Just thought someone here would know just how big I need to go. Our CanalSat dish is a small one too.I can't get the SkyBox thing as I have no address in the UK for the card to be sent to. Don't want to pay additional fees for cards, etc. anyway. I figure if the installation and orientation of the dish gets me the stations free to air, then I will be very happy.Hope you had a nice walk. The wind is too fierce over here for me to even think of going out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I was using a standard 45cm Sky dish in Aude with very good reception except in very adverse weather, so a 60cm dish anywhere in France is big enough. Having a larger dish than necessary can lead to other problemsBaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 We are keeping the 60cm dish as we are keeping Canalsat. So we'll have the big one too for BBC - I'm wondering now if all this is absolutely necessary just for Eastenders? Yep![:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Thanks Baz. I was reading the posts on the Astra2D website regarding reception in France and the 60 cm dishes did not get a good review. I guess it works for some, but not for all.Twinks - oh not just for Eastenders. I can't even imagine being able to watch all the good BBC programming. They do put out some good stuff. I'd like to be able to watch some of it. Supposedly other free stations will come in from the same satellite. Electrician hasn't called me back yet, so I haven't had the chance to ask him about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gyn_Paul Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 60cm is good enough for most of France except in the most extreme weather conditions, when you'd probably lose the signal for 5 minutes or so while the black clouds wizz by. Can you live with that?The bigger the dish the sharper the focus and therefore the harder it is to line up accurately (>90cms, say). Also with a big dish you have a larger area for the wind to push on (wind loading) and the easier it is for it to be pushed off-target (either momentarily by gusts, or permanently by gales). A 60cm dish flexing in the wind an inch or so is still within the signal path. A100cm subjected to the same gusts will probably flex enough to move in and out of the signal path causing the picture to freeze.So, are you on an exposed site? Might be a problem then.p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 [quote user="Lori"]The wind is too fierce over here for me to even think of going out. [/quote]Lori ..........Absolutely nothing to do with your thread, but we are no more than 40kms apart and that's what you've been getting over there? Gentle breeze this side of the Rhone.Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezShells Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I used a sky mesh mini dish in Deux Sevres and a 80cm dish in southern Corsica.Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 There's a bit more to satellite TV reception than pure dish size. I'd say that 60cm is probably as small as you'd want to go but equally important, if not more so though not often mentioned, is the quality of the LNB (Low Noise Block Converter) which is the thingysitting in the focal point of the dish, and crucially both the quality and length of the cable, not forgetting properly fitted connectors of course.If buying a system you should look for an LNB with the lowest noise figure, usually stated something like "NF 0.2dB" and also cable with the lowest loss, again often quoted as "xdB / 100m. As a broad rule of thumb the thicker the cable the better it is but still check the specs.It's perfecty feasible for a 60cm dish with a high quality LNB and short run of quality cable to out perform a 1.2m dish with cheaper poor quality components.As an illustration, whilst househunting last year, in a swathe stretching from The Ardech in the East to the Midi Pyrenennes, I had a 39cm portable system with me with and with a good LNB and only 10m of quality cable got excellent results every time. We only experienced slight problems on the few evenings when it rained and a 60cm dish would probably have avoided even that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Gardian - yes the winds were forecasted to be 65 to 75. They were more like 100 kms. It is calm now. I always laugh when I talk with my friend in Malaucene - just the other side of the mountain, maybe 8 or 10 kilometers from us - we can have horrible winds and they will have light wind - or vice versa.This has all been very interesting as far as dish requirements go. I have noted the need for a good LNB and good, thick cable. I have a digital receiver box (don't have the name in front of me, but husband says it is a good one). I will have to buy the dish, cable and LNB. Since I will be having the electrcian (does not speak English) do this, can anyone tell me what these items are called in French? Do they use the same LNB wording? I have written down the "NF 0.2dB" and "xdB / 100 m" info. to discuss with the electrician. Mainly, if I am going to have this done, I would like it done right.Since I read on the ASTRA2d website that 60 cm dishes in this region do not seem to offer great reception, I am hesitant. However, now with my lesson in how the larger ones move more, I am thinking maybe the 80 cm would be a better choice. We live with the mistral here. It is not uncommon to have days on end of 120 km winds. That is the downside of living in Provence for anyone considering it... We rarely have problems with our CanalSat dish (on the roof), but it is not unknown to happen now and then. I plan to have the ASTRA dish installed either by our terrace on somwhere, not the roof, where we can more easily get to it if need be. Again, thanks for all the good info. It really is most helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Lori, you may wish to consider a mesh dish rather than a solid one, as they will be less susceptible to movement in high wind areas.Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 We used to have a 60cm dish and changed to a 75cm one recently. The reception has improved 100% and we have not suffered any loss of image or pixelating (a common occurrence with the small dish) even in the windiest and wettest weather...Post edited to show correct dish size Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Clair - you are still fairly far from us. I think the further away from the main footprint we get, the larger the dish we need. At least that is what the ASTRA2D website says... Baz - what is a mesh dish? Is it called that in French? I will ask my installer about it. If it is supposed to be less susceptible to wind movement he surely would have heard of it as we all suffer terrible winds round here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 [quote user="Lori"]Clair - you are still fairly far from us. I think the further away from the main footprint we get, the larger the dish we need. At least that is what the ASTRA2D website says..Baz - what is a mesh dish? Is it called that in French? I will ask my installer about it. If it is supposed to be less susceptible to wind movement he surely would have heard of it as we all suffer terrible winds round here.[/quote]Sorry, I mislead you. We changed to a 75cm dish.Look at this website. They're the people we bought from a couple of months ago and Alex, the guy we dealt with, could not have been more helpful by email or on the phone. They do do a 75cm mesh dish which might be the one for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Have a read here:http://www.bigdishsat.com/fs11_size.phpEven better:http://www.astra2d.com/astra2d-france.htmAlso search google Images for Astra 2d footprint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Ernie - taken directly from your first link:In conclusion, and to answer the question that we asked at the start, we suggest that you use a 60cm satellite dish throughout France but you increase this to an 80cm dish for the southern most départements, ie those that border the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. This is not the same thing as saying that a small dish won't work . . . it is merely the advice that we offer you. They seem to verify our need for an 80 cm dish. We are in the Vaucluse a Southern France department near the med. Great site data.Now, will go read the other link you noted, but I think I have already read it.Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Now that is interesting. The second link Ernie noted has the line for an 80 cm dish drawn North of Nimes. The 1 meter recommendation line goes right through Avignon and then heads North towards Suisse. That makes it sound like I need 1 meter..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Thanks for that link Clair. They are a long way from me, so I don't think they can help me. However on the product list, there is a dish noted to be Fiber. Is that the "mesh" dish?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 [quote user="Lori"]Thanks for that link Clair. They are a long way from me, so I don't think they can help me. However on the product list, there is a dish noted to be Fiber. Is that the "mesh" dish?? [/quote]The first 2 dishes shown (oval grey) on this page are mesh dishes: they're finely perforated metal. I have never seen these or any mesh dish in French shops. They're based on the original Sky dish. The 2 other dishes (white round) are plain metal dishes similar to those found in most Bricos in France.I don't know what a fiber dish is, I would assume glassfibre, as opposed to the metal ones above... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 [quote user="Lori"]Baz - what is a mesh dish? Is it called that in French? I will ask my installer about it. If it is supposed to be less susceptible to wind movement he surely would have heard of it as we all suffer terrible winds round here.[/quote]Lori, Unlike a solid metal dish, the mesh dish is the same but has thousands of holes. This is very effective in windy area and is the type of dish that Sky uses when installing in the UK. Your French installer will know about them, they may be just a few euros more expensive but IMO are well worth using.Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Clair - the fourth one down on that page of dishes says it is a fiber dish. That is why I wondered if it meant "mesh." Thanks for the info. Baz - you and Clair have explained well what the mesh dish is. It sounds quite logical for windy areas such as this. I will discuss it with my installer.Thanks bunches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wils Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 OK, I agree with all that has been said regarding a good LNB and cable. I live in The Languedoc and I install satellite systems occasionally. An 80cm dish will be suitable, in Castorama at the moment they have a deal on, a pack containing an 80cm dish, plus LNB plus digibox for 69Euros. The LNB is a twin headed one giving you the option of using the same dish for Asta2 (UK channels) and Hotbird (French channels). The digibox (Receiver) is a French one but can be set up via the remote control to receive Astra 2 signal and hence all the UK free to air channels. I have just installed one and it works perfectly. Even if you only use the dish and LNB with your own receiver it is still a good buy at that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gyn_Paul Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 [quote user="Wils"]OK, I agree with all that has been said regarding a good LNB and cable. I live in The Languedoc and I install satellite systems occasionally. An 80cm dish will be suitable, in Castorama at the moment they have a deal on, a pack containing an 80cm dish, plus LNB plus digibox for 69Euros. The LNB is a twin headed one giving you the option of using the same dish for Asta2 (UK channels) and Hotbird (French channels). The digibox (Receiver) is a French one but can be set up via the remote control to receive Astra 2 signal and hence all the UK free to air channels. I have just installed one and it works perfectly. Even if you only use the dish and LNB with your own receiver it is still a good buy at that price. [/quote]Sounds a good price for a twin LNB + dish and receiver. However I can't imagine, having set one LNB for Astra 2, you'd get the other one to receive anything further round than about 20 - 22 degrees E. What these twin blocks are for (as I understand it: stand by for corrections!) is Hotbird + Astra 1Are you saying you've actually managed to get both the Astra 2 channels and the Hotbird ones from 2 LNBs on the same fixed dish, or just that it's theoretically possible ?p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezShells Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Think you can get Astra and Hotbird 13°this'll do[IMG]http://www.castorama.fr/produits/510421_s1.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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