Thread: Freesat TV and Radio on Costa Calida

I am trying out Freesat using a basic Goodmans Digibox and have good reception from my 1.45m prime focus dish with a number of TV channels.
My only problem is that BBC Radio 4 is too weak and breaks up too much to be listenable.
I heard that BBC may move to Eurobird 1 satellite. Anyone know anything?

some bbc channels are already on eurobird 1....bbc news, bbc sports interactive..bbc radio 1,2,3,4 and other bbc radios...and have been for a while (like years!).

some less well informed installers thought that as the freesat EPG will be transmitted from eurobird, that all freesat channels would also be transmitted from eurobird and therefore reception of such channels like bbc1 and itv1 would improve. however, as these installers now know, just beacuase an EPG is on a strong signal satellite does not mean the channels it points to is also on that strong signal satellite (take the Sky EPG...it can be received in some areas of spain on an 80cm dish..but if you select bbc1 on the sky epg it will not show the channel are you will need a much bigger dish to get that particular frequency!)

the main bbc tv channels will not be moving form astra 2d for a long while yet...until the satellite is due to be replaced when it comes to the end of its lifespan...

and therefore radio 4 should be available opver most of spain on an 80cm dish as eurobird 1 has a pan european footprint.

so if you are having trouble getting radio4 then there may be an issue with your system - or freesat box.
bbc radios 1,2,3,4 are on the same frequency as bbc news..so i dare say you are not getting this either.

Thanks, SatandPCGuy, that's very useful. I'll let you know how I get on. Regards

key things to check are:
cable connections - at the LNB and the receiver end
(you should not have any in the actual cable run but if you do check these...they maynot be watertight and therefore water can get in and cause a short circuit in the system and prevent channels appearing)
"nasties" in the LNB - especially spiders and waps nesting inside the feedhorn (becareful - do not use a metallic "prodder" as this could damage the LNB)
.
you could also borrow a friends receiver to see if that works ok - and therefore that will eliminate an issue with the receiver - i have had a few clients who bought a goodmans freesat receiver who have had a few issues with it....i prefer the grundig SD or humax HD version

hope this helps...

O.K. will do. Then to try to get Eurobird 1.

By the way, some friends have told me that BBC Radio 1,2,3 & 4 have not yet been moved to nor put on to Eurobird 1 and are still only available via Astra 2D. Apparently there was talk last year of a change-over but, they say, it never happened.
Know anything about this, please? I thought it was better to check before trying to re-align the dish.
Regards
ColinReid

apologies they are not on eurobird..but astra 2a and 2b south beam.

bbc radios 1,2,3,4, bbc news and bbc sports interactive have been on astra 2a / 2b's south beam for at least two years or so..maybe longer....

bbc radio5 is still on astra 2d...due to the sporting rights it holds and therefore must be on the narrow beam...

bbc radio is on 11954H and bbci is on 12441, which are not astra 2d frequencies...astra2d frequencies are from 10714 - 10936.

hence why you can get bbc radios 1,2,3,4 and bbc news on an 80cm dish over most of spain.....and radio 5 is partial reception even on some big dishes - radio5 is on the same frequency as bbc2!)

and all the uk tv satellites (astra 2a,b,c,d and eurobird) are all in the same constellation (28.32 to 28.5 degreees) so if you get one satellite you should get the others (note 2c is moving soon)

Hey satandpcguy , can you help? I need a new white Sky freeview card, do you have any in stock? Any means of getting one? Please let me know. Thanks