Stuff you ought to know about receiving UK satellite TV
BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Channel Five terrestrial TV channels are also broadcast to the UK from the Astra 2 group of satellites. 'Sky' has always been a satellite service only and carries BBC & ITV, C4 and Five alongside its pay TV offering. There are four satellites in the same position, Astra 2A, 2B, 2D and Eurobird (operated by Intelsat). The Freesat service uses the same frequencies as Sky with Eurobird supplying its TV guide. Reception of BBC & ITV is identical on both Sky and Freesat. 'Freesat from Sky' was launched by Sky as a spoiler to Freesat. It means that you have a Sky receiver but don't subscribe. You need a viewing card for this service. These cards have recently become harder to obtain. Don't get confused between 'Freeview' and 'Freesat'
Freesat is a free digital service broadcast from the Astra 2 satellite. It needs a dish mounted on the outside of your house to receive the service, and a digital set-top box or a TV with an integrated satelliter receiver.
Freeview is the name of the free domestic digital terrestrial service in the UK, brodacast from a network of land- based masts, and is received on a normal aerial, as found on most homes. It needs a digital set-top box or an integrated TV. Most modern TVs have digital terrestrial built in. A UK digital TV or Freeview box will work in Spain but will receive Spanish digital services in place of UK ones. In the past, UK TVs and VCRs would not work properly in mainland Europe
They worked on a different sound system. Typically, there would be picture but no sound. Modern TVs do not have this limitation. The UK uses PAL system 'I'. Spain and most of Europe use system Pal system B/G. France uses SECAM. A Sky box outputs UK system 'I' from its aerial outputs (labelled RF1, RF2). If you connect a B/G TV to the output, you will get a picture but no sound. If your TV allows it, change the country setting to UK for the channel you are trying to get the Sky signal on. Many people use the RF2 output to send a signal to a TV in another part of the house, in conjunction with a 'Magic Eye', which allows the Sky box to be controlled remotely. A Sky box needs to have RF2 power switched on for this to work. If set up correctly, a red light will appear on the Magic Eye unit. If you are feeding terrestrial TV though the same cable, you may find there is a poor picture. This is caused by interference from the terresrial channels received by the aerial. You can feed terrestrial channels through the system by connecting a normal aerial to the 'Aerial In' socket on the back of the Sky box. Choose a different channel on the Sky box RF setup if this happens. If you replace your Sky box, the RF channel on the replacement will be set to the default of 68. In some urban areas, it can be difficult to find a clear channel if the Sky box signal is mixed with terrestrial signals. Most satellite dishes in Spain point to the wrong satellite for UK TV
Spanish Satellite TV is provided by Digital+, features Canal+ and a number of international entertainment channels such as Discovery, Disney and Cartoon Network. It is broadcast from Astra 1 (19º east) and Hispasat (30º west), and carries only a few channels in English, Sky News and BBC World, though there are optional English soundtracks on some channels. If you move into a house in Spain with a satellite dish, it is virtually certain to be pointing to Astra 1 or Hispasat and will not work with the UK satellite service. If connect a Sky box to an Astra 1 dish, it wil show a 'no satellite signal' messager. The dish can be moved by our engineers to the right satellite. In 2003, for copyright reasons, the service from the BBC was moved to Astra 2D, a satellite aimed very tightly at the UK, which meant many expats in continental Europe lost their service. The 'footprint' (see right) extends out into the rest of Europe, but drops off dramatically in strength as you move further out. The reason for this was that the channels became 'free to air' (not scrambled). ITV joined the 2D satellite and went free-to-air in 2005, Channel Four joined in 2008. What this means in practice is that any satellite receiver can pick up the signals, but a large dish is needed in many parts of Europe. There are a number of 'hotspots' where dishes can be a little smaller than surrounding areas: the Algarve, Costa Del Sol and Barcelona. On the negative side, there is a large 'cold spot' on the Costa Blanca, centred between Gandia and Benidorm.
Channel Four has been joined on 2D by Channel Five (one region) and the Channel Four family of channels, E4, More4 and Film Four. All standard definition channels are now free to air and need no viewing card. E4 HD and Channel Four HD need a free to view card, known (confusingly) as Freesat From Sky. Astra 2A, 2B and 2D will be replaced by new satellites, statring in 2012. See our news page. In the UK, all channels can be received in England on a 55cm Sky minidish. In some parts of Europe, dishes as large as four metres wide have to be used. There are even some people watching UK television as far away as North Africa, Egypt and Jordan. In Spain, the problematic BBC 2D signal is fairly weak in most parts of the country, but there are pockets of good reception around Barcelona and the Costa del Sol.
In Madrid, the BBC can be received with dishes of 1.2 metres and upwards. BBC1 is stronger on the west of the city, in places such as Torrelodones, and weaker on the north-east. BBC2 is very difficult to receive anywhere, but is better on the north-east side. There can be local variations over as short as 100 metres. The urbanizaciones of Santo Domingo and Cuidalcampo on the A1 have a stronger signal than La Moraleja just 10km to the south. Interference from mobile phone masts, radar from the airport and hospital communications can be a problem. Astra 2D reception varies by season
Reception is best from October to March and poorer in the hot months. In addition, the signal is strong in the mornings and very poor at night. There is also a small random strengthening and weakening every few days or weeks. Viewers in the UK do not notice any of this, but those in weak signal areas can experience picture and sound breaking up as the digital signal drops below the threshold needed to produce a clear picture. The longer periodic variations are caused by the satellite drifting in space. It is allowed to move up to 50 km from its central point before jets are fired to return it to the correct position. This is know as 'station keeping'. Seasonal variations are caused by changes in the distance from the earth to the sun, and increased digital noise in the dish system owing to high temperatures in summer. Shorter variations are a result of small changes in the satellite's orbit caused by the fact that the earth is not perfectly spherical. Twice a year, the Astra satellites pass in front of the sun
This results in loss of signal for up to ten minutes in the mornings, twice a year, in spring and autumn, for a period of about a week. Asrta 2D transmits at very low power
From 24,254 miles away in space, (39,034 KM) each transponder's output power is only 39 watts, less than most lightbulbs. A transponder is a directional antenna and carries on average about ten channels. There are sixteen transponders on Astra 2D. 'Rain Fade' and 'Rain Margin'
Rain reduces the weak channels. Unless you have a large dish of 1.8 metres, you will lose BBC & ITV completely in heavy rain or snow. 'Rain Margin' means having a dish large enough to have something in reserve when the signal drops in rainy weather. 1.2 metre dishes have little or no rain margin for BBC & ITV in Madrid, meaning signal will be lost as soon as it starts raining. Once rain drops are above a certain size, the satellite signal will be absorbed by them. It's similar to what happens when you put a cup of water in a microwave oven. Much of the mircrowave energy is absorbed by the water. Satellite transmissions are in the microwave band of frequencies. The best way of preventing poor signal ruining your viewing is to install as large a dish as is possible. A 1.8 metre dish (six feet) will give very good reception of BBC1 and ITV all day, and BBC 2, Channel Four, BBC Three and BBC Four until late in the evening. Most Sky channels can be seen all day regardless of weather conditions. This means Sky Sports SD & HD, MTV, VH1, Sky Movies SD & HD, Dave and The Discovery Channel SD & HD will always be present. High definition (HD) channels are available on Sky and Freesat. Sky has forty HD services, Freesat has four. Channel Four HD is exclusive to Sky HD. ITV1 HD is a simulcast with ITV1. STV HD is simulcast with STV (Scottish Televison) Picture quality is about four to five times better than standard definition, with improved colour and sound (Dolby Digital 5.1) HD adds another dimension to your viewing. Upgrading is comparable to the previous move from black and white to colour. BBC One will be available in HD in autumn 2010. Access BBCi for free
The BBC runs interactive content alongside its normal broadcast channels. Special events such as Wimbledon and Glastonbury have alternative sumultaneous content which normally needs access to a BBC main channel in order to press the red button. If you can't receive the BBC in mainland Europe, but can receive BBC News, you can access the Red Button channels by doing the following on a Sky Digibox:
Select channel 503, BBC News.
(on the remote control) Press' text'.
Key in 3001 and press 'Select'. Call Sky from abroad
Sky's customer service number 08442 414 141 is inaccessible from outside of the UK. Call instead via Skype or another VOIP provider. If using Skype, buy some calling credit. Have your contract in front of you so that you can read out any details they may ask for without hesitation. You should also be aware that the time is an hour behind what your own clock says, and that the operator may, in typically British style, talk about the weather in the UK. Beware of cheap Sky box offers
Sky offers a low-price Sky+HD box at £50, or free. There are hidden disadvantages in this offer: the Sky box may not be new, and you have to subscribe to a more expensive package for at least one year. Sky engineers have to call at your home to take this this offer. No More Sky+ or standard Sky boxes
All new boxes are Sky+ HD. You can choose not to subscribe to the HD pack, which adds HD versions of the channels you have subscribed to. Choosing not to take the HD pack adds £50. All blue Sky viewing cards have been deactivated.
They no longer work at all. You need a white viewing card. Keep the old one, however, as your Sky box may be using the last four digits on the viewing card as a PIN. Current white cards will probably remain active for about five years. Keep your PIN handy
See the item above. A PIN is required to view Sky Movies before 9pm, and to use the 'other channels' feature. The PIN is normally the last four digits of your viewing card. It may have been the last four digits of your OLD viewing card. (Did you throw yours away?) The PIN is now required to view 'other channels' if parental control is enabled.
You can change your PIN by logging in to 'My Sky' on Sky.com. Don't disconnect your Sky box
If you switch off the power to your Sky box when you go away on holiday, not only might it lose an important software update, your viewing card may 'sleep' after one month. The card needs to receive 'stay alive' signals from the satellite. Cards which have been put to sleep will re- activate after about 24 hours of the box being re- connected to mains power. There is an exception to this rule (see below) Temporarily disconnect your Sky box from the mains supply If there is a thunderstorm nearby. If lightning strikes the power network in your neighbourhood, it could ruin your Sky box with a power surge. Such damage is usually unrepairable. You can prevent this by installing a surge protector or UPS (Unterruptible Power Supply). In addition, install earthing to your satellite dish. A UPS is strongly recommended to prevent power cuts affecting your Sky box. In many parts of Spain, a power cut will result in a message saying 'no satellite signal being received' when the power is restored. This is caused by the default transponder being received poorly. (see the item below to fix this) Rebuild Sky Planner A Sky+ and Sky+HD receiver is just like a computer, with a hard drive and operating software. After repeated use, the Sky box can start to lose track of data on its hard drive. The symptoms are odd behaviour such as 'no signal' on some channels and being unable to delete recordings. Rebuilding the planner is similar to performing maintenance on a PC. Instructions are HERE (opens in new window) Changing default transponder on Sky+ and Sky+HD
If you have an undersized dish and your Sky box shows 'no satellite signal' after a power cut, you may need to change the default transponder settings. The problem is caused by weak or no signal on Astra 2 North Beam.
On a Sky standard box or Sky+ (but not Sky+HD)

Press the 'services' button.

Press, in succession but without pausing, 4, 0, 1 and then 'select'. You should now be in the installer's menu.

Press 2 - 'default transponder'

Select the 'frequency' (GHz) line and enter 12129 (the default is 11778). You can also try 12441, 12051 or 12207.

Scroll down to 'save new settings' and press 'select'. This will bring you back to the installers menu.

Press 'Back up' three times. Your screen should now display "searching For listings"

When channel 998 appears, you can use the Sky guide and tune to a channel.

Programme listings may only appear for a few hours ahead.

On a Sky+ HD box,

Press the 'services' button.

Navigate sideways to the 'settings' menu (spanner icon)

Navigate down and highlight the 'Picture' item in the middle menu

Press, in succession and without pausing, 0, 1 and then 'select'. You should now be in the installer's menu.

Use side arrow keys to select 'Default TRP'

Select the 'frequency' (GHz) line and enter 12129 (the default is 11778). You can also try 12441, 12051 or 12207.

Press the green button on the remote to save the settings.

Press 'Back up' three times. Your screen should now display "searching For listings"

When channel 998 appears, you can use the Sky guide and tune to a channel.

Add 'other channels' : stronger ITV and HD
If you have difficulty receiving ITV or Channel Four at night, follow the procedure on this graphic, right.
First press 'services' then 'system setup' then 'add channels' Enter the values shown. This version of ITV is encrypted but on an easier beam to receive. For Channel Four follow the same procedure, but enter 12480 and choose the channels you can't currently get, such as E4 and More Four. (These are the versions for the Irish Republic) To get Channel Five with no card, enter 10773, H, 22.0, 5/6, choose 'Five UK'. Reception pattern will be the same as BBC Two. You can also add ITV1 HD on the south beam (60cm dish in Madrid) on 11973, V, 27.5, 2/3 in 'add channels' To check out which channels are where see http://www.flysat.com/28east.php The difficult ones are on the Astra 2D beam (column 9) Easier ones are on 2A and 2B North. Easiest ones of all (24/7) are on 2A and 2B south beam, and Eurobird-1. Channels frequently change and recent moves are indicated in the last column. Check this first if a channel suddenly disappears.