Freesat... have things changed

[Aleynasdad]

I was told last August that if I wanted to use freesat in Turkey I would need a huge 4m dish (in Izmir) and the signal might still be a problem. Just heard recently that there are now booster dishes in Turkey.

Does anyone know if freesat is more viable now?

 

[carolk]

What is freesat? I wish I knew what you were all talking about with these telly things lol. :mmph:

 

[Martyn]

It a free version of satellite they have in the uk if you have a dish. A lot of digital channels but without the cost.

 

[Bubskar]

I looked at a website today called Insat. They still saying a 4m dish is required to pick up for Freesat. No mention of a booster. I have heard about boosters though, but you need to ask a professional whether it would improve things.

 

[Guz1]

What is freesat? I wish I knew what you were all talking about with these telly things lol. :mmph:

Carol,

This could be the solution to the lack of decent English language TV channels in Turkey......well worthwhile getting the dish and any necessary booster provided there's a decent reception. The receivers are on sale here in places like TESCO, Argos and DIY shops. Lots of good channels with no on-going subscription. Channels available here include: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Film 4, True Movies, BBC News.

Wish I knew whether there's a decent reception in Kusadasi/Guzelcamli area.

 

[carolk]

Is it like freeview in the UK where you just buy the small box and set it up your self? A 4 metre dish!!!!

 

[Guz1]

Yes, Carol, you buy the box and set it up yourself. Pretty sure someone mentioned on another thread that you can get a reasonable reception with a smaller dish depending on the weather.

 

[carolk]

Thanks Maria. Wheres Mack when you need him?

 

[dalid69]

I have a freesat box in dalaman which i have tried on a 2 metre dish with not much to shout about but will be trying it on a bigger dish soon and will hopefully be able to shed more light on this matter.

Paul

 

[chelsea boy]

i have a feeling freesat boxes don't work here (could be wrong!) To get the weak signals from free to air channels you need a skybox with card. You also need a 4 meter dish. The channels fade sometimes during the day and you lose them completely in bad weather conditions. None of the free channels are allowed to be broadcast in Turkey (explains why you have to hide IP on computer) so I doubt they would be booster antennae.

 

[hijo]

..we have two sky boxes we brought them with us also a free view box..no joy ..but sure they will work one day..also still have the cards for them all..:biggrin1:

 

[v6cod]

Freesat is broadcast from the Astra2 group of satellites. You can see the coverage of the Astra2d satellite here

Astra 2D at 28.2°E - LyngSat Maps

This is the satellite which would give you bbc and itv channels, you can check out the lyngsat site for other satellites that reach turkey and the channels they offer here LyngSat - Lyngemark Satellite.

 

[Guz1]

..we have two sky boxes we brought them with us also a free view box..no joy ..but sure they will work one day..also still have the cards for them all..:biggrin1:

Can't be sure, Hijo, but your cards might not work. Sky sent out new cards this year.

Correction: The new cards came with the Sky Plus box, so the old cards are probably ok. Think we still have the old Sky box and card. Wonder what a 5 metre dish would cost. Suppose it would be too heavy for the roof?

 

[Aleynasdad]

So seems to be still a risk.... am told it works fine in Greece.

 

[v6cod]

Just found this thread on a satellite forum.

What type of Dish for SKY in Turkey - Satellite TV support forum & Digital TV support forum.

Have copied one of the posts on this thread here so you don't have toread through it if you don't want to.

SKY broadcast from FOUR different satellites

1/ Astra 2A @ 28.2E _http://www.lyngsat/astra2a.html
2/ Astra 2B @ 28.2E _http://www.lyngsat/astra2b.html
3/ Astra 2D @ 28.2E _http://www.lyngsat/astra2d.html
4/ Eurobird @ 28.2E _http://www.lyngsat/eb1.html

Astra 2A and B are the most powerful and consequently need a smaller dish to recive the channels. Astra 2D is where most BBC and ITV channels are broadcast and is MUCH weaker, which is why we need bigger dishes..but most channels are free. We cannot get channels from Eurobird.

BBC/ ITV reception - no SKY card needed-not even a SKY receiver !

In the west of TR, Istanbul/ Izmir a good ( Famaval ) dish will reliably bring in BBC/ ITV ( weakest but free)

Bodrum east to Gazipaza a good 2.7m ( DH) should bring in BBC / ITV all day

Another 50-100 Km east a 3.0m - up to up to 50 Km west of Silifke( DH, Famaval with extensions to 3.1m ) will suffice

Further east - 50 km east of Silifke a 4.2m Jonsa dish ( well installed ) will offer reliable reception, but the Astra 2 D reception is falling away ..FAST..

Thereafter, a 4.5m, for another 40Km and a 5.0m, in the Mersin area. I have no data beyond this !

No problem to get SKY News, CNN, BBC Parliament - using ineractive feature to get BBC News 24, and major sporting events ( like Wimbledon) - free channels ...with a 1.5m offset dish in the west and a 3m in the east .

With a SKY subscription one can get most SKY channels , UK golds, etc on the smaller dishes.

A tip !! The Irish channels - only available with an Irish sub - approx 22 Euro /month - show Eastenders, Corrie, Emmerdale, The Bill - same episodes, same day.. but the signal is STRONGER - and the episodes are repeated the next afternoon - when - especially in the summer - the signal is stronger - and for the men - a Premiereship footie match is shown live on alternative Saturday afternoons ( different from the one on SKY) . BBC and ITV channels still available - but NOT Five - coming soon.

Please also note that some SKY receivers perform VERY poorly out here for reception of Astra 2D ( BBC/ ITV). The Pace 2600, Javelin Miniand Amstrad DRX 400 (not made now) ... Pace 440N, Thomson HD SKY+, Thomson 4214, are the best.

 

[carolk]

Hi John, I know the above post is great an comprehensive but, for a numpty like me to whom the above means nothing (sorry), where do I go and what do I ask for to get it so I can rid myself of digiturk. I cant just go into a satellite store and ask them because they will tell you anything!!! You need to appear to know what you are asking for, lol. :roundgrin

 

[v6cod]

Hi Carol, I'm no expert but from the extract I posted I would say the minimum you could get away with is a 2.4m dish, this weighs in at around 34kg so not really a roof option.

I can't find a price for a system for this in Turkey at the moment but from having a google around something similar in Portugal would cost around 1300euros to give you some idea of cost, so it won't be cheap. A 4m dish would be even dearer.

I would go on to the www.satellites.co.uk forum and ask the question there as it looks like there are some real experts there.

The system I have cost only 400tl and has two sat dishes one pointing at Hotbird and the other at Thor, it is no good for bbc1 etc but I get a number of english channels including at least 2 film channels and I also get premier league football (but in a different language) I can also watch BBC world news, aljazeera news in english so it is enough for what I want but I appreciate it wouldn't suit everyone but there is no subscription :roundgrin.

 

[carolk]

Thank you very much John.

 

[Pete&Mag]

I do like looking in on all this Geeky stuff now and then. I havn't a Bl**dy clue what you're all on about but it seems very interesting. Ive been looking into this new Viagrasat stuff. It makes your dish bigger!!

 

[joannagh]

Hi John, I know the above post is great an comprehensive but, for a numpty like me to whom the above means nothing (sorry), where do I go and what do I ask for to get it so I can rid myself of digiturk. I cant just go into a satellite store and ask them because they will tell you anything!!! You need to appear to know what you are asking for, lol. :roundgrin

I'm also a numpty who can't get my head round this stuff....is there any box you can get without a dish with even just a few english channels on it? A dish isn't an option for us as we're renting and I don't want to risk getting Digiturk in case it's just all Turkish channels....we just have normal tv. Cine5 shows some great movies...dubbed in Turkish!