Anyone know if and how you can get freeview in Spain? We have the sky box and a freeview card on that, but the number of stations we get is limited.

I'd imagine someone could probably help further if you included the area of Spain you live (sometimes peoples locations in their profiles are out of date) and the size dish you have installed.

Don't know if this site will help - http://www.wildsat.com/others.htm - but he seems to know alot more than I do.

Cadiz between Cadiz itself and Tarifa. 2 - 3 feet diam? Damned if I know precisely, and it's a bit far to pop just to take a look.

I'll keep that site bookmarked Leigh. Thanks for that.

Any other suggestions welcome.

Would try to spot large dishes aiming East around your place, then ask the owners:

If they are getting Freeview out of it.

Then the size of the dish.

What happens by night? --The satellite footprint wobbles north and that makes no good.

How heavy has to be the rain to lose the signal?

...
In any case I don't think you'd go for less than 1.8m. The problem is Cádiz might well within the sharper secondary lobe, and any minor beam change could render your dish useless, either an overkill or not enough.

Freeview is for Northern Spain

You cannot get Freeview in Spain.

Freeview is the UK digital TERRESTRIAL service (ie via your aerial!). Unfortunatly Spain is a bit to far away from the nearest UK Terrestrial broadcasting tower to recveive the terrestrial siganls.

You can get its Spanish equivilent though...is it called TDT.

You can get UK Free To Air UK channels as long as you have the correct dish size for what you want to receive. An 80cm dish gets a fair load of free TV channels from the UK, but if you want BBC and ITV you will need to get the dish for your area of spain..generally a 1.8m or 2.4m will be required if you are in the south of Spain.

A Free To View Card will unlock Channel 4, Five, Five US and Five Life, and Sky 3 - again subject to your location and dish size (although 5 should be easily available on an 80cm dish)

Any other channels then you'll need to subscribe to a pay channel. The one that is based on UK TV is Sky, but there are alternatives (D+ is the SPanish supplier for example)

Hope this helps.

Ah, thanks for that.

I didn't know you could get US 5. I'll have to look into that.

Perhaps the info qualifies to be included in FREE BEER chapter ?

Great info there and Karma has been given!

Since you obviously seem to know what you're doing I've been looking into the new network that is going live in some areas of the UK this year "FREESAT"

Seems to basically be Freeview via dish but with the added bonus of some HD channels (BBC HD to start with and more to follow if one is to believe the hype)

I've done a search and there was a mention of it a couple of years ago but nothing about the possibilities of picking it up in Spain when it goes fully live across the UK.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance

PS: sorry to sorta highjack the thread, but it's still kinda on the same topic!

OK. Here we go again....

Freesat is being launched in the UK (they say from the 2nd week in May). It is to ensure that all areas ok the UK are covered for when UKTV is digital only, and will help those that cannot get Freeview.

If you curently have UK TV via satellite then NOTHING will change.

Freesat is just a cheaper alternative to Sky. They will use thier own decoders (which will not have a card slot so you cannot use a Sky or FTV card), and will use their own Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), which will be very simliar to Skys.

The Freesat EPG will be available over Europe, just as the Sky EPG is available over Europe. Both EPGs will point to the same frequencies for BBC and ITV and all the other channels up there onthe Astra 28 satellites. So if you cannot get BBC now you will not be able to get it via Freesat.

There are channels on Freeview that will not be on Freesat and vice versa.

The BBC HD service is currently available here in Spain if you have a HD decoder and are able to get BBC Channels Islands. C4HD is up and running. ITV are dithering about and have only said that sometime this year...probably saving their money on more "Z List Celeb in the Jungle / Kitchen / Garden / Singing / Dancing / Reading / Painting" programmes. Five have not said anything yet.

The only thing that may happen is that Channel 4's contract with Sky is ending sometime this year (October I think) and the current thinking is that they will now renew it, so you will no longer require a FTV card for Channel 4. The down side is that they will more than likely move Channel 4 (and +1) to the weaker 2D satellite...the wost case is that you may well end up loosing C4 at the same time as you loose BBC2!

The proposed Sky card change, originally due in March, has been posponed for a while, probably due to Sky wondering what channels to add to replace C4 with when it leaves, or to assess what impact a FTV card will have without C4, or that it just cost too much money for NDS and Sky to replace all the cards....

Cheers mate that's well and truly cleared that subject up then!

Having spent a lot on a very decent home entertainment system I would be somewhat upset if I lost a lot of the upcoming HD channels!

It's a shame someone hasn't done a basic map of what areas of Spain is liable to get what channels etc!

http://www.brymar.co.uk/info/europe_...Dish-Spain.gif

a nice simple map showing the dish size required to get Astra 2d (BBC and ITV) in Spain.

Note that this map is only indicative...always find a local instalelr who will know specific requirements for your area.

Apologies if this is a stupid question.

With my sky dish (freeview card) and box in Cadiz I can get all the BBC channels, and ITV, even if sometimes the reception breaks down at times.

Will Freesat offer me any more channels than I get at present? If so, will I need a decoder for it?

Have a look www.freesat.co.uk to compare the channel line up.