English TV in Spain

[Blue-Ray]

Is it possible to get English TV in Spain (satelite?)

Went to a 'specialist' satelite/dish shop this week, and the Spanish guy said I would need a dish minimum of about 1,5 meter to get the Astra 2 sat. Well my wife will not be to happy with a dish like that on the balcony.
I have heard of this other system in the Torrevieja area that does not require a dish but a simple antenna. The Spanish guy ofcourse did not know anything about this.

Would be nice to get some English TV here.

Thanks!

[Carl]

British Terrestrial Television in Spain
In recent months most British Terrestrial Television has become FREE to view. This means NO subscription for the following channels:
All ITV channels, ITV1, 2, 3, 4 & All BBC channels, BBC1, 2, 3 ,4

To receive these channels it is NOT necessary to have a Sky digital receiver, nor a card, nor pay any subscription. This is a real case of “free TV” without the asterisk!

So far, the only way to get British Terrestrial Television in Spain is from Astra 2. Generally speaking, you will need to get a professional to install your satellite dish correctly. And for those DIY fans who are not phased by modern sat-com technology, this satellite can be found at 28.2ºE of South. But then you already knew that, didn’t you?

Channel 4 Channel 5 and SKY 3

To watch these three channels you WILL need a Sky digital receiver (or similar), and a card. But still there is no need to pay any subscription. In Spain, Pace 430N / 440N / 445N receivers have had good reports.

One of the problems in Spain is the weak signal strength, which means that if you intend to watch British Terrestrial Television in Spain you will have to choose your receiving equipment carefully. Some areas give better reception than others. What you will need to check are the following:-

The dish size
The LNB (low noise blockdown converter) Actually, it means the bit in the middle that actually receives the signal that bounces off the dish.
The receiver.
Dish size
Weaker signal means you need a larger dish. A Prime Focus dish gives better reception from a weak signal than an Offset Focus dish. In the Alicante, Torrevieja areas, for instance, a 1.4m Prime Focus dish should be OK. If you want an Offset Focus dish, then you should get something a bit bigger, such as 1.5m. But generally speaking, from Valencia to Murcia, and in Madrid, 1.8 m dish is recommended if you have the room for it. In the Costa Del Sol, a smaller dish will give reasonable results. 1.2m Prime Focus should be OK here. But again, bigger equals better, if you can. 1.4m Prime Focus or 1.5m Offset for this area.

LNB
The best LNB for Spain is the Invacom TWIN. But get expert advice.

The Receiver
The first thing to note is that A BRITISH DIGITAL FREE VIEW RECEIVER WILL NOT WORK IN SPAIN! You need a good quality receiver made to Spanish specs. BBC & ITV channels now only require a European Free to Air Digital Receiver. These can be purchased from most electro-domestic(os) stores in Spain. They generally cost around 95 €, although I have seen them in Carrefour priced as little as 65 €.

You will not be able to watch Channel 4 / 5 and SKY 3 with these receivers; although these TV channels are Free to Air. You will need a SKY Digital Decoder, with a Free View Card. If you want to watch pay channels you will need to obtain a Package Viewing Card.

One final point, before giving you web links for further information: Our experience is that these channels tend to drop out, anything from late evening (around 22.30 till 01.00) and returning in the early morning, (around 06.00).

[Peet53]

True, you will need a big dish. Also depends a bit where you are in Spain, North or South.
If you are North you could do with something like 1 meter, way South you would need about 2 meters. 2 meters is rather big. In certain areas there are local services that have a digital signal and then you just need a small antenna. They have different sorts of subscriptions and they all have English stations.

[Louise31]

It is possible and depends what area you are in, sometimes you will have to pay for it and other times you can pick up some channels for free.

[mish3v]

I would recommend bringing along a laptop and tuning in some online tv broadcasting.

[Peet53]

Well that's not a bad idea, however, you would need a fast enough connection and you should not have a datalimit on your internet connection! You could end up paying a lot more.

If you have a garden, best thing is to get a sat dish. You will get excellent quality TV, not talking about the qualit of the programs.

[Louise31]

A laptop can pick up some stuff but we are prone to losing the internet in Spain.

[mish3v]

Haha, yeah, setting up a dish in the back garden would be a great idea:)

[Brandbla8]

I would say a dish would be your best option as well. I know it can be a bit big, but it will work for you better I think.

[Louise31]

I agree but it does depend on the size of the dish smaller dishes will only pick up certain chanels and huge 4.8 dishes will pick up loads.