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help needed to install satellite TV


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After 5 years living in France and only having French terrestial TV, we feel we now have a grasp of the language and could treat ourselves with some British TV programmes occasionally.  Bought a double headed dish and digibox from Mr. Brico or somesuch for about 90 euros, but got wimpy at the thought of climbing up to the roof and fixing it up.  Also, we have no knowledge on how to tune it all in. 

Went to local 'Antenne' shop and asked them to call and fit it up for British TV. Reaction not warm and failed to make the rendezvous.  Called in again and still no visit.  My grasp of the language clearly not sufficient to indicate 'me customer, you in business to please customer' so I wont be going there again to give them fluent lessons in customer service.

 

Is there anyone who can sort this out for us just to watch BBC, not interested in Sky.  We have a big ladder and there is an existing dish ( French) fixed to the chimney which is in good order. We are in dept. 77 not far from Fontainebleau. 0160 71 81 70

 

Many thanks

 

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I'm too far away from you to help you, but a few questions :

1) Why the double headed dish? They are set up for Astra and Hotbird at 13 and 19 degrees east. I guess you could point one of them at 28 degrees east, where you'll find BBC and ITV, and ignore the other head.

2) Since you already had a dish, why not just turn that one in the right direction. All you really need is the receiver.

3) Tuning it, is fairly easy, heights is another matter. But since it's already fixed, if you can easily get to it, unscrew it a bit and turn it, you should be able to tune it without too much difficulty.

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What a pity you are too far away to help.  We bought a double headed dish so we could have both French TV which we like, particularly Arte, Euronews, and M6 as well as pick up BBC free to air programmes.  Our house is about 12 metres high to where the dish is currently fixed and we are surrounded by even taller trees so alignment is critical.  In response to one kind person who emailed, I have already tried local installers who are not interested and know nothing about reception of BBC channels.  We are happy to pay someone for their time and travel, even an overnight stop as we are deep in a house renovation project and never have time to address the satellite topic.  I would like my aged mother to stay for a while but she woud have serious withdrawal symptons without British telly so want to hand the job over to someone who can sort it quickly. Any offers?
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What you want to do is really quite easy BUT the one piece of equipment you will need is a sattelite finder (around 15 to 20 euros).  These are a little box which fits in line between the LNB (the receiving bit on the dish ) and the downlead.  SWITCH OFF THE RECEIVER WHEN ATTACHING THIS  there is about 12 volts flowing to the dish and while this is not in anyway dangerous to you it could well blow the LNB while you are fiddling about - I know, I've done it !!  When everything is attached and switched back on and the dish pointing approx 150 degrees by compass, slowly move the dish from side to side and a little up and down to find the signal which will be a buzzer and/or meter on the finder.  Get the maximum signal then clamp the dish tight. Then check the signal again, you may have moved the dish in clamping it - repeat as necessary.  You can now switch off and remove the sat finder and reconnect direct to the dish (do not permanantly leave the finder in place)  Waterproof the connections as the cable acts as a wick to damp and can corrode quickly.  Now, safely back on the ground, you may need to retune the receiver, there will be a menu option to search all channels and all transponders.  Astra 2D at 28.2deg east of south has (I think) 79 transponders and about a 1000 channels of complete rubbish (mostly Sky encrypted) but in amongst it  you will get BBC 1, 2, 3, 4 ITV1, 2, 3, 4 and some other goodies.  You won't get E4 or 5 without a Sky FTV card (I never bothered) 

Points to note are that any LNB will work with any receiver, cheap little digisat boxes from the DIY store work just fine and the dish doesn't need to up high - 5 metres in 40,000 Km makes no difference, My dish is attached to the wall just above head height (I don't like ladders)

 Good Luck and send  me a private message if you need more info.

Pierre from a sunny Luxembourg (and part-time Pas-de-Calais)

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