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Bad news for expats
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[Deleted User]
Posts: 167 Forum Member
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Hi all
Astra has just released the footprint of Astra 1N on their facbook page
http://http://www.facebook.com/SESASTRA
It just about covers UK & ireland the fringe signal disappears at Normandy Coast.
I see all future Sats at 28.2 with such low footpint.
Astra has just released the footprint of Astra 1N on their facbook page
http://http://www.facebook.com/SESASTRA
It just about covers UK & ireland the fringe signal disappears at Normandy Coast.
I see all future Sats at 28.2 with such low footpint.
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Not even SES Astra will know for sure until it starts broadcasting!
I see all future Sats at 28.2 with such low footpint says the op.Reminds me of the fortune teller with the glass ball.
JO
The official Astra 2D footprint does not even cover my location (Copenhagen), however, I've been watching the channels on it for years.
Look forward to Astra 1N lighting up.
www.satbeams.com/footprints
http://www.ses-astra.com/business/en/extranet/blog-astra-1n/index.php
http://www.ses-astra.com/business/en/support/media-library/Footprint-Graphics/Footprint-Graphics-28-2-East/astra-2D-north.php
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ccADLldN1K8/TLWqHtsCPLI/AAAAAAAAACY/nCWQIHcE0Dw/s1600/astra1n.jpg
I'd say there's not a lot in it, the shape of the footprint is also different between the two sats but so are the contours (lowest 50cm dish for 2D vs 45cm dish for 1N).
My guess is the footprints on the new 2E, 2F and 2G craft will be even tighter as they will be customised for 28.2E and UK use, I think the Expats may be a bit upset at what's to come in a few years time.
There is no real need for tighter spots for the UK, the only people to ever complain about Astra 2D was Sky (News corp).
narrow tight beams are here to stay RTE are on test at 9e ka-sat only covers ireland and no over spill:eek:
http://dxsat.com/e2D/2d_V_1N.png
The opposite I would have thought. If they lose free UK TV, expats will be more likely to dump FTA boxes and get Sky to carry on watching English language TV.
How tight? I have easily picked up 2d on a 35cm Lidl camping dish in the Pyranees, yet the chart says I need 90cm!!
Those that don't already have it maybe however once all the new birds are in place even Sky's TP's will all go spotbeam too. We'll then see expats cancelling in droves!
If that is so Sky will loose a great deal of subs (I guess at least 250,000 perhaps more) - Price increases for the on-shore subscribers? I doubt Sky will do anything at all - why should they?
One thing they will not do is anything that will effect U.K. dish sizes.
Ireland have to use tight Ka-Sat as it would cost too much to go FTA on Astra 2D all over the UK.
This is not a problem for UK channels
Presumably this assumes a sea level location. On top of a mountain may help a lot.
Which channels (transponders) were usable ?
If the mountain is high enough and you are in a marginal location then this could lift you into the higher strength part of the directional beam. 60cm is reported to be usable right down to the Spanish border on 2D depending on transponder, 1500M of altitude could make a difference. Nothing to do with distance or elevation. It would be pretty surprising if you can get every 2D transponder 24/7 on such a small dish.
Based on your argument the nearer the equator and to 28.2E the better the signal which is simply not true. Astra 2D can be used in Iceland according to some reports with only a modest dish (all down to beam pattern)
BUt the reason it wont be is as follows:
Obviously i cant be certain but i reckon the following will hold true - FREESAT WILL NEVER USE KA SPOTBEAMS - THe reasons would be as follows:
-More than one beam required to cover the UK - I think you would require a minimum of four to cover Great Britain and Northern Ireland-
- Different LNB's required - They would need all current Freesat users to change LNB
-More Fundamentally DIFFERENT LOCATION IN THE SKY! The big plus involved with Freesat is that sky users just take out there sky box and replace it with a Freesat one -
I cant see Sky changing over to KA - for the reasons listed above - They are established at 28.2 - It would require to much to change that - and as long as there at 28.2 there will be SOME stations available to ex-pats
Spotbeams won't do anything for UK dish sizes, if anything field strength will increase (as per currently with 2D).
SES will be the ones calling the shots, not Rupert or his News Corp mates. It's rumoured SES may in the future want to reuse orbital slots on other territories from the same birds and with 28.2E currently in use on an African spotbeam they could have plans for this.
Time will tell but I do expect the new satellites to have footprints much tighter than 1N or 2D currently. I'd have a smug grin on my face personally if Sky lost 250,000 subscribers overnight, not for the Expats but to see Sky's subscriber figures drop! Surely there's more than 250,000 Expats subscribing to Sky in Europe?
How do you work that out? same transponders
JO
Because Sky's pay channels aren't on 2d. There's enough encrypted English language programmes on the wide beam transponders without BBC1/2/3/4 ITV1 and C4 C5. There's no need for ITV2/3/4HD and E4HD to move to 1n.
Also, I expect BBC News to remain on a wide beam transponder (I'm sure it was moved from 2d to compete with Sky News in the expat market).
Yep. My understanding is that the RTE spot beam is super tight. It is envisaged for western ireland where DTT coverage will be poor in rugged areas. I've see posts claiming that coverage won't be possible even on the eastern coast of the country.