Satellite dish in France - help please

[Wapping]

Can anyone help with the following:

We are off on our annual pilgrimage to Le Mans for the 24 hour race in June.

As we have managed to steal a caravan for the first time we thought it might be nice to bring all the comforts of home. Including a generator, a TV, satellite dish and decoder along with a suitably long co-ax lead and a UK Sky card. All to watch Eurosport / World Cup footy when we are too to walk to the track. I guess we will have to hold the dish on a stout scaffolding pole, so I will arm us with one of those too.

Questions:

(1) Does the dish have to some sort of minimum size? I thought that I read somewhere that the satellite’s footprint had been reduced, making it more difficult to pick up UK oriented channels in France.

(2) Does anyone know where I can get a cheap suitable dish and its mounting gear from?

(3) What’s the best way to line it up for an amateur?

Cheers,

Richard

 

[Brian ROSEN]

TV in France

I suspect that the answer to your question may be rather complicated. There are a number of firms/individuals in England who specialise in setting up Satellite systems for residents in France and they would know the answer. It is (slightly) illegal of course. If you would like to e-mail me [email protected] I can give you a list.

 

[Wapping]

I suspect that the answer to your question may be rather complicated. There are a number of firms/individuals in England who specialise in setting up Satellite systems for residents in France and they would know the answer. It is (slightly) illegal of course. If you would like to e-mail me [email protected] I can give you a list.

Thanks Brian have sent you an email.

I am not so sure that it's really so difficult. Several happy campers had sat running from lashed together systems in the Arnage campsite last year. Judging by the beer they consume I wouldn't trust them to operate a pencil, let alone set up a sat dish.

If I can just get some advice on the size of (and where to get a cheap dish) / the easiest way to get alignment I think it should work.

 

[Bateman]

Try this site - there seems to be a lot of info on how to get a satellite dish to work in France on a caravan.

 

[Wapping]

Try this site - there seems to be a lot of info on how to get a satellite dish to work in France on a caravan.

Excellent result from the world of Tossers (as usual).

 

[longdog]

I supplied a friend of mine who lives in the Dordogne with a Sky receiver and a dish. She had a Skyview card but now just uses the free-to-air channels and she has had no problems whatsoever. You are quite correct that a larger size dish is required in France. I believe the sizes are 60cm and 80cm. You will need the larger dish. I paid £95 for a brand new dish from a satellite installer, who told me that he has supplied several dishes for just this purpose. I'm sure that if you look through fleabay and the free-ads you will find something cheaper. I'm afraid that I can't offer any advice on alignment, other than suck it an see, not very helpful I know! Maybe you can find something on the Internet?

 

[Macca2321]

Sky

I live In Germany as you can see, I got Sky and so have a few thousand more squaddies over here, Normal size dish is fine,and as for lining up...its a piece of p*ss. Keep pointing it untill your signal strength goes up. (Obviously while its mounted). Take some sort of metal pole shove it in the ground and mount your dish on it.

Does not have to be high up,I have had mine 4 ft of the floor before. You just need about 30m clear in front of dish.

Good Luck,Happy Viewing

Macca