Reception reports for Europe

Updated Friday, 14th February, 2014
AUSTRIA
Reception on a Gibertini 1.0 m in Landeck, Tyrol, but nothing on a 1.5 m in Wernberg, Villach. A well-installed 3 metre dish receives nothing in Graz, in the south-east.
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CANARY ISLANDS
Dishes of 2.4 to 3.2 now necessary. In Gran Canaria, a good quality, and expensive, 2.4 m ChannelMaster type is needed with a top quality LNB, but it seems this is too small in Tenerife.
3.1 m working in Lanzarote, as well as a 3 m in Adeje, Tenerife. 5 metres in Tenerife.
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DENMARK
The centre of Denmark is now an Astra 2E "black hole", where there is virtually no signal. It is on a "null", which extends the length of the country. The west coast of Sweden is also affected.
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FRANCE
Large scale losses from the southernmost quarter of the country. Typically dishes have been 80-90cm in the past. In some areas, a re-tune and a better LNB will get the signals back, but with little rain margin. A 120cm. may be needed in many areas. Near the border with Catalunya, the signal is worse. There is a report of a well-tuned 90 cm retaining the BBC between Cannes and Nice, but many reports of BBC loss in the region, roughly in a line drawn eastwards and westwards north of Toulouse. Planning regulations in many areas restrict dish sizes to 1 metre.
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GERMANY
BBC channels have disappeared most parts of Germany on the dishes typically installed for Astra 2. Previously, 60 to 90cm dishes were sufficient. Dishes of around 120cm may now be needed. This is guesswork, no-one needed dishes this big before. North of Hamburg, the signal weakens. Not far to the north, some parts of Denmark have virtually no signal. To the south, near the Austrian border, 2.4 metre dishes are now needed.
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GREECE
Just one report, from Lindos, Rhodes, 2.4m with petals, extended to 3.2m, 100% working on BBC. Some other Sky channels patchy. Using Sky receivers. This report is highly surprising, confounding predictions.
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ITALY
No BBC for most in the centre and south. Between this area and Rome, 1.8 to 2.5 metres. Further south, in Potenza, Basilicata (well south of Rome, 40.38N 15.48E), a 3.4 metre (11 feet) Prodelin dish is just about receiving the the 2E UK Spot beam.
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MENORCA
BBC signals have disappeared on 1.2 m dishes, which 90% of expats have. 1.8 m is the new minimum. Only 2.4 m Skyware dishes (formerly ChannelMaster) give good rain margin.
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NORTH AFRICA
Tunisia and Tangiers, loss of BBC on 2 metre dishes. Perhaps surprisingly, the BBC was easy to receive in N. Africa.
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NORWAY
Dishes of 90cm used to be OK in the south, but not now. Upgrades to 120cm may be needed.
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POLAND
A 1.0m dish has lost BBC near the German border, 100km east from Berlin.
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PORTUGAL
From the centre of the country southwards, little or no signal is being received on dishes of 3 metres. In Coimbra, a 1.5 m will give a just-about adequate signal with no rain margin. In Villa Real, in the north, 1.8 m works OK. The Algarve is a BBC disaster zone. Nothing on any size dish, even 3 metres and up.
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SLOVAKIA
In, Prietrzka (100km N. of Bratislava, near the border with the Czech Republic), a 2.5m prime focus dish has very limited reception of the 2E UK spot.

SPAIN
The lower third of the country has lost all BBC. Dishes of 3 metres are receiving no signal in Costa Del Sol. Most dishes in the Málaga region are 1.2m (1.3m vertically) which will just get the Europe beam used by Sky's pay channels. However, no BBC, ITV, Channel Four and associated channels will be received. If you have an Irish Sky card you will be able to watch C4, E4 More 4 Ireland. The only ITV channels which can be received are ITV 2,3,4 in HD as part of the Sky HD pack.
The cut off point seems to be around Mojácar. To the north, some dishes are still working. To the south, there are no reports of any dish of any size still receiving the BBC. In Quesada, 1.8m is OK, as is a 1.9m in Alicante. In Benidorm, 1.2m is OK. Mazarrón seems to be OK with 1.8m. A 2.4m in this region gives good rain margin.
In Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country, many dishes have stopped working. 1.2m to 1.5m may now be needed. Galicia now needs 1.5 metres, as does northern Portugal. In León, a 1.5 receives nothing, as does an 80cm in Vitoria-Gasteiz. In the Balearics, many dishes are still working.
Barcelona and Catalunya are now in a dead spot, with no measurable signal. Previously, 80-90cm dishes were used. The signal starts to appear north of the French border. Southern Catalunya is better, around Tortosa 1.8 m dishes are working. There are reports of people planning 3.0 metre dishes in Catalunya. It remains to be seen if they will work.
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SWEDEN
Losses on 1.2 m dishes, but this size may be OK in Gothenburg. 1.5 to 1.8 m may be needed in most parts of the country.
More reports to follow.
In all cases, well-installed dishes with high quality components have fared better. Many installations are not up to standard, or have been affected by strong winds, rain, or extreme sunlight. In some cases, a re-tune will help, or a better LNB. (more to follow on this subject)
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MORE REPORTS OF BETTER SIGNALS
It's too early to say whether signal strength on the new satellite has increased, it may just a result of drier weather in some places.
More reports of improved 2E reception have arrived. In Fredrikstad, Norway, a 1m Nokia dish has the BBC again, as does a 120cm in Mazarrón, Spain, a 125cm in Modena, Northern Italy, and 1 metre dishes in Horadada, South Costa Blanca and Lake Garda in northern Italy.
Signals are better in the mornings and late evenings after 11pm, followng a daily pattern