UK ENGLISH SATELLITE TV AND RADIO RECEPTION IN FRANCE

This page is intended as a guide for British expatriates seeking to install their own satellite system to receive UK free-to-air or free-to-view satellite TV and radio programming being broadcast from the UK. It is written with a Carcassonne locale simply because that's where the author lives. It can be used anywhere in France - the only important things to remember is the size of the satellite dish (the further South, the bigger the dish required) and the satellite dish elevation angle.

"How can I receive UK or English satellite TV in France?"

How can I receive UK or English satellite TV in France? BBC and ITV programmes (and now, many others) are now broadcast free-to-air (FTA) / free-to-view (FTV) so you don't need special boxes, cards or anything else to watch those channels - all you need is a dish and a digital (not analogue) satellite receiver. So where do you get these? Any Carcassonne bricolage will stock the basic kit. Although, the instructions and installation menu may just be in French, which could be tricky. Why not order some kit from the UK? I have bought satellite equipment since 1988 from a company called MIDSAT - speak to John or Dale and dial direct from outside the UK on 0044 1455 250548. They do have a website but I would phone them, introduce yourself and tell them what you are interested in purchasing or want to achieve from a satellite system. Their email address for all sales enquires:

DIY / Do it Yourself UK TV Satellite installation near Carcassonne. "I live in Carcassonne in the South of France, how can I get UK TV programs by satellite?"

Near Carcassonne, you need a minimum 1 metre diameter satellite dish to get a good signal in heavy rain otherwise you'll suffer from rain-fade and the TV picture will start breaking up in bad weather (pixelating). What make of digital satellite receiver? Ask your pocket! Personally, I always like Echostar. Although you may want to splash out on a high-definition receiver to receive the BBC's HD TV. I've got a Humax HDCI-2000 satellite receiver to do that. You will also need a 'HD-ready' telly. If you've never seen a high-definition television picture before, you must - it's awesome!

So, you've bought your dish and satellite receiver, what do you do next? Find a good place to mount the dish - it has to point south-east with a clear and uninterrupted view to the heavens, or rather, 28.2 degrees East of South. If you can't mount the satellite dish on a wall then fabricate a concrete slab somewhere in your garden and bolt it to that with a ground mounting kit. Make sure you ask for a ground mounting kit when you order. Ideally, you don't want to go beyond 50 metres of satellite cable length because of signal loss. You can, but try and avoid it if possible. Buy a top-quality co-axial cable if you need to go beyond 50 metres.

Aligning the satellite dish. That's fun! Don't get frustrated 'cos the Beeb is up there, somewhere! :-) Remember, Astra 28.2 only dishes (sorry!) out digital signals so there is no point trying to find it with an old analogue receiver. You can buy (also from MIDSAT perhaps) a cheap satfinder gizmo which detects satellite signals which makes the job easier.

"Ok, stop!" - shouts the wife as she eagerly watches the TV screen for a picture whilst you're up the ladder! :-) You found the Beeb! Most, if not all satellite receivers come with a set-up menu that tells you signal strength and signal quality so once you've got those at optimum levels (you'll never get 100% unless you use a massive dish) then tighten up your fixings. Leaving the LNB until last.

Now adjusting the LNB - Position the body of the LNB at the 7 o'clock position for Astra 2. Why? Because this adjustment further optimizes signal quality.

Cool! So you've done it! [round of applause]. Now what? Make sure the cable connectors are water-tight. The cable carries voltage and if you don't take steps to prevent the ingress of water, a chemical reaction will take place and oxidisation will result in degrading signal quality. So, you also need to order some self-amalgamating tape and I also squirt a little WD40 onto the cable connectors just before screwing the cable on to the LNB. Apply the tape first then the WD40 otherwise you won't be able to get the tape to stick. You can use ordinary insulating tape but it's not so good at keeping water out and it degrades (becomes brittle) with prolonged exposure to sunlight.

You may also wish to earth the satellite dish. You'll find an earthing-point icon or bracket on the side of the dish. Use a thick yellow and green earth cable to do that job which can be purchased from any Carcassonne DIY / Brico.

Can I paint the dish?
Yes you can, but don't use a metallic paint.

Can I use a dish bigger than 1 metre?
Yes, but first check what the French regulations are about the maximum size of a wall mounted dish (I don't know). You can have a much larger dish mounted on the ground. A bigger dish means more signal strength. Near Carcassonne, and 99.9% of the time, you don't need a dish bigger than 1 metre for receiving UK TV signals from Astra2 at 28.2 or Eurobird at 28.5 but the message here is, the bigger, the better, especially when it's snowing heavily. It's all about signal strength. The bigger the dish the greater the signal strength. How about a nice ground-mounted 1.5 or 2 metre dish to impress the neighbours? Or maybe they wouldn't be that impressed!

"I've have bought a digital satellite receiver in Carcassonne but I need help in setting up the UK TV satellite and radio channels. Can you help?"

What if I want to watch ITV and my wife wants to watch BBC?
You will need two satellite receivers and it's then a question of signal polarity. If the channels are broadcasting with the same polarity (Horizontal or Vertical), sharing the same LNB cable simultaneously can be done but it is not recommended. Best to turn one of the satellite receivers off whilst the other is switched on, and vice versa. Really, you need to buy a twin-port or multi-port LNB because each satellite receiver should have it's own cable and dedicated LNB port. You can buy satellite co-axial cable that is manufactured as a pair or rather, two cables in one (side-by-side), which looks really neat.

Can I use one cable to share both TV and satellite signals?
Yes, you need to install something called diplexers.

How can I find out more about what's being satellite channels are being broadcast by Astra 2/Eurobird?
This is a good website http://en.kingofsat.net/

I can get Astra at 28.2, do I need a separate dish or LNB to receive Eurobird at 28.5 as well?
No.

I can't find the program on the satellite receiver but "King of Sat" says it exists. What do I do?
When satellite receivers are shipped, manufacturers always install the latest frequencies and bouquets for each satellite. Satellite TV programming is a fast moving arena with channels coming and going all the time so you need to add the channel bouquet manually if it's not already stored in the satellite receiver's memory. Instructions on how to do that will be in the receivers channel set-up guide.

What is a LNB?
A LNB is the knobbly bit at the end of the stick-thing that pokes out from the front of the satellite dish. LNB is a mnemonic for = Low Noise Block down converter which converts microwave signals into other signals that your satellite receiver can process.

What sort of LNB should I buy?
What you can afford! Generally, the more sensitive they are the more expensive they are. On 17 Sept 2008 I bought a Sat-Attack quad port universal LNB (0.2dB) for €23.80 on-line via amazon.fr. Why a "quad" or 4-port port LNB? Just in case one of the ports gets nuked by lightning (it happens!) or that particular port develops an intermittent fault whereby sometimes you get a good signal/picture and at other times you don't, even after you have double-checked the alignment, cable and you think all is as it should be, i.e. the dish/LNB isn't loose/hasn't moved and the cable connections are well-made and tight and there has been no ingress of water (following heavy rain, for example).

Satellite TV Installation Engineers
Carcassonne
Montagne Noire
Minervois

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Why do you think a quad port LNB is better?
With a quad port LNB you can expand your system easily in the future and if one of the ports fails, simply switch to another without having to buy a new LNB. Sure, single port LNB's appear cheaper than multi-port LNB's but shop around (as paragraph above). A quad port LNB can cost much the same as a single port LNB. I've seen quad port LNB's in the shops around Carcassonne for €90 or more, which to me, seems expensive.

But I don't really need a quad port LNB with only two satellite receivers!
Ok, so you might think that at the outset, but once installed and after time you think, Hmmm... maybe I'll install satellite TV in another room in the house. This means going and buying another LNB to accommodate further satellite receivers. With a quad port LNB installed from the outset, all you need is another digital satellite receiver and cable because your LNB can already accommodate that additional satellite receiver.

"Help with finding, receiving and tuning UK TV and radio channels on your satellite receiver in France near Carcassonne. Can I get BBC Radio 2 via Satellite in France? Yes, no problem!"

How much should I pay for a digital satellite receiver?
No-frills free-to-air digital satellite receivers without High Definition (HD) capability can be purchased in the Carcassonne locale for less than 50 euros (Sept 2008). If you want to receive high-definition TV (BBC HD, for example) you must buy a high-definition digital satellite receiver, which is more expensive. And don't forget that you also need a "HD Ready" television to view high-definition digital satellite broadcasts.

What satellite in the set-up menu gives me English TV channels?
When installing the receiver, look for an Astra2 (28.2) and Eurobird (28.5) satellite in the installation menu (they are so close together that they are often considered and expressed as being "as-one") and set it to scan for the manufacturer's pre-set frequencies on both those 2 satellites if they are not expressed already as being "one-and-the-same" in the set-up menu (because all receivers are different). Doing that will give you some, but not all of the Free-to-Air/View English language channels (UK Satellite TV and Satellite Radio channels). To get the rest, you will need to manually enter other frequencies and their respective polarity and other channel parameters and then scan that frequency for additional programs.

Can I get at professional French Satellite installer to program in all the UK TV channels?
French satellite installers are adept in setting up an installation to receive Astra 1 and Hotbird AND they will know the legal maximum size of a wall-mounted satellite dish at your location AND they will be able to get your dish fixed and correctly aligned to point at Astra2 (28.2 East) / Eurobird (28.5 East) BUT they may not be able to help you fine-tune your digital satellite receiver to receive all the free-to-view UK channels at that orbital position.

Near Carcassonne, how big a satellite dish do I ask for?
Near Carcassonne, you need a dish at least 1 metre in diameter. 60cm? - forget it - not for every channel. 80cm will work when the sun is shining but not during inclement weather, especially those channels showing a lower signal strength being received at a near-Carcassonne location. If the thought of having a 1 metre dish mounted on a wall puts you off, have you thought about a suitable place in the garden that would be ideal to fix a ground mounted satellite dish of 1 metre or more? Get a concrete platform fabricated by a local builder if you can't DIY it, and then get the satellite professionals in to install your dish with a ground mounting kit.

"English TV Satellite Channel Programming - Help and Assistance in Carcassonne, Montagne Noire and Minervois with your satellite receiver to get UK TV and satellite radio channels."

I have tried to scan-in UK satellite TV frequencies but it's still not working properly. I can't seem to get the English Satellite TV channels I want! Help!
If you get stuck or don't want to program the receiver yourself, then arrange (make an appointment) to bring your satellite receiver and remote control in to me at Domaine La Royale in the Montagne Noire between the villages of Salsigne and Villardonnel Route D111 (or via Route D73).

UK Satellite TV and Radio Channel Tuning for €30. I will program your digital satellite receiver with all the latest UK TV free-to-air channels (including satellite radio) that are available at Astra 28.2 and Eurobird 28.5 and set up a "favourites" list so that popular TV and Radio channels are easy to find. How quickly can it be done? Same day service - bring your digital satellite receiver in in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. If you want Astra1/Hotbird channel or HD (High-Definition) channel assistance then just ask for a quote.

Email
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Ok, I live between Carcassonne and the Montagne Noire, I don't really want to do the satellite installation myself. What should I do?
For UK TV channels, if you can't or don't want to do it yourself, my suggestion is to find an English satellite installer local to Carcassonne, Montagne Noire or Minervois. Failing that, employ a French satellite-TV installer to install all your satellite cables and set-up and align your dish to point to Astra2/Eurobird at 28.2/28.5 degrees East of South, making sure the signal strength and quality are at optimum levels. After they have finished the installation, arrange to bring your digital satellite receiver in to me.

Can you program cams and cards?
If you are into cams, cards and programming the same, I can't help. Seek the help of your distributor or the internet. That area is too fast moving for me to maintain interest anymore.

TV, Satellite & Hi-Fi Engineers with Repair and Service Experience.

If you can offer on-site assistance in
Carcassonne
Montagne Noire
Minervois

THEN ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE FOR FREE!

Can you upgrade my satellite firmware?
Yes, if a new version is available AND the new version will rectify any problems you may have running with the current firmware version. I mention this because sometimes upgrading the firmware may lead to other operating environment issues, as well as possibly losing all your current "favourites" settings because all the channels will need to be set-up again if a factory-reset is required. If the new firmware version appears in the system identification menu as being installed after uploading it, then in my opinion, there is no need to factory re-set the satellite receiver. Upgrading satellite firmware can be done by downloading the latest firmware file from the manufacturers website and uploading that file to your satellite receiver or, pointing the dish at the satellite that the manufacturer has chosen to download firmware updates. The second method is problematic in that your dish might be fixed and aligned on another satellite!

We already have UK Satellite TV in France but could we install a cheap and simple satellite system in our gite or B&B so that customers can watch UK TV programs?
Yes, no problem. For example, I have installed free-to-view UK TV in our gite and many of my UK customers are puzzled and say; "It's not SKY or Freesat, so how is that done then!?"

There is nothing illegal or crafty about it. It's simply knowledge. My gîte customers can enjoy watching UK TV programs including BBC1234, ITV1234, CH4, E4, MORE4, FILM4, Five, CBBC, CBEEBIES and BBC Radio 1 & 2 (list correct as at 10 Nov 2008).

Go buy a cheap digital satellite receiver (50 euros?), cable (25 euros?) and possibly upgrade your LNB to accommodate the new additional satellite receiver if it doesn't already have a spare port, (25 euros?) and Bob's your Uncle for about 100 euros, or thereabouts, if you do the job yourself.

What other UK TV Satellite alternatives are available?
Freesat, Freeview or a Sky subscription, the details of which are on other websites. You have to work out what's best for you. Here's an article about Sky in France...
http://www.frenchentree.com/languedoc-familly/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=26778

HUMAX HDCI 2000 LIP SYNC

Press and hold down the mute button on the remote control for 4 seconds until the lip sync menu appears. Release and adjust lip-sync using the left / right keys.

Nov 2008
Channel Five now in the clear. 10773H 22000 5/6 SID 6335. Apparently, Five will become available as Freesat channel 105.

Currently, the author Nick has a Humax HDCI-2000 high-definition satellite receiver, quad LNB, pointing at a fixed 28.2/28.5 installation with a 1 metre dish providing all UK TV FTA (free-to-air) video and radio channels including BBC HD and ITV HD. And a separate fixed Astra1/Hotbird twin LNB installation with a 80cm dish and an Echostar receiver.

He installed his first satellite dish in 1988 and has since remained well and truly hooked on satellite technology which he finds fascinating. He is a keen amateur satellite enthusiast - having had many fixed and motorised satellite installations in the UK and France ever since.

The notion of becoming a professional satellite installation engineer in France does not appeal because these days, climbing ladders and scrambling across roofs scares the life out of him. "There are less dangerous ways to earn a living!", he says.

During July and August, La Royale's tourism facilities are at full-blast which takes up most of his time which he regards as his annual "holiday" away from his website development and optimisation business.

If you are interested in a website to promote your small business on-line please contact him here...

Email
infouk(arobase)monsieurweb(dot)net

HUMAX HDCI 2000 ITV HD

With v1.00.11 firmware, this combo worked for me...

PMT PID: 3400
VIDEO PID: 3401
AUDIO PID: 3402
PCR PID: 3401
SUBTITLE PID: 2331
TELETEXT PID: 8192
VIDEO SET: FALSE
SERVICE NAME: ITV HD
SERVICE ID: 0 (enter four zeros)

Both video and audio ok without bumps.
You'll see a test card when ITV HD is not broadcasting.
Nick.

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webmasters are welcome to link to this page which is part of La Royale's website. This page was last modified on 27-09-2009