emjharts

I am wondering what to do with firstly my mobile phone when I move to Spain, as obviously I cannot keep on my current O2 tariff so can anyone tell me of any Spanish pay and go or pay monthly companies that they would recommend? I have a Blackberry so one where I can get Blackberry services included would be good.
Also, what about TV? I have a Humax personal video recorder where I can obviously get freeview in the UK and record but will this be useless in Spain? Will I need to pay to get British TV?
Thanks!

Fred James

There are plenty of mobile options in Spain - just shop around for the best deal. Also make sure you phone is not locked to a UK provider.

Your Freeview PVR will work fine in Spain but only receive Spanish digital channels. Buy a Humax Freesat HDR in the UK and pay about €300 to get a dish set up and you will then get most of the UK channels you had on Freeview.

emjharts

So are all spanish digital channels purely spanish or are there some english channels too as i know when we have rented places we have always had news channels and bbc 1 for example?

The Guy

There are NO English channel on Spanish terrestrial TV system, just like there are no Spanish channel on the UK "Freeview" terrestrial system. Terrestrial means the signals are from the TV aerial on the roof, not via a satellite dish which is "extraterrestrial". As UK Freeview is a terrestrial system you will not get UK Freeview in Spain, the signals from the Freeview transmitters in the UK just do not reach this far into Europe. (Avoid ppeople / installers who say you can get Freeview in Spain, as they simply do not know what they are talking baout. You cannot rec eive UK Freeview in Spain)

So your Freeview PVR will, if connected to a Spanish TV aerial, will only receive the Spanish terrestrial system (its called Televisio Digital Terrestrial - TDT) and the 30-40 Spanish digital channels.

You cannot use your Freeview receorder with a satellite dish, you can only use your Freeview receorder with a TV aerial.

In the UK is called DTT Digital Terrestrial Television, and Freeview is a service on DTT that allows access to those signals and provides a channel guide and text services.

However, when Spanish channels on TDT show a UK or USA imported programme, then 9 times out of 10 you can change the audio language from the dubbed Spanish to the original English version...Top Gear was on Quatro this morning, Dr Who and Merlin are on also Spanish Tv

The rented house you mention that had BBC channels either had a satellite dish and getting the signals free and direct from the satellites, or a third party rebroadcaster system, where a company takes those signals from the satellite and sends then top clients on their own network of frequencies, for a fee.

Freesat is the name of a system that allows you to watch "free to air" tv channels, ie those channel that are available with no subscription or a sky card. A Sky box with no sky card will get the same channels as a Freesat box. There are channels on Freeview, like Dave and History, that are subscription on satellite. Dish size required depends exactly where you are, in some areas a 1m dish can get all UK TV channels, yet in other area even a 2.4m dish may still not get certain channels all day.

Domino

not sure what you are trying to say Em.

you can retain your uk mobile in spain, it will be roaming so certain charges would be higher when its used (in and out). if you intend returning to uk from time to time then it would be there to use. perhaps go from an all in tariff to a PAYGO tarrif instead.

I currently have uk and spanish mobiles, as does the oh.
when we are apart it is cheaper to use the uk to uk for quick texts etc

if you are going to get skype then you can get that to call a mobile if you are away from the pc for the day or longer.

hth

pwwm

Buy a Spanish sim card and change it in your phone for paygo

We have a Humax box with HDD, very pleased with it, also have Spanish tv through an ariel, they now have some films in English but rather like quite a few of their programmes anyway, what better way (apart from speaking to locals) to learn the language

Mitzyboy

Got to be honest, I lost my Mobile yesterday. £80 phone down the drain! I went to Vodaphone as when we went to use the wifes payg phone, it didnt work either.

So we replaced the payg phone with another Nokia that cost €38 and then I got to thinking ... why dont I just get a payg phone myself instead of another contract phone? I think thats what I'm going to do for when the wife put €10 credit on hers, she got a text giving her free calls at the weekend!!

Domino

where do all these lost mobiles get to ? ?

my uk is vodafone payg, old nokia, no frills, talk, text, thats it, not even radio.

my sp is movistar payg, new samsung €35, all the frills, radio, camera, 3g roaming or sumthing, internet (but never got it to work), fitted an 8gig card to hold music download from pc.
problem is ensuring it is used cos the sp turn off unused mobiles especially if payg. (anti-terrorist measure???)

Mitzyboy

I dunno where they go to, but in the two or three hours it took me to realise I had lost it, they managed to make €30 worth of calls.

Domino

one of the good things abt paygo, once its empty its empty and no use to whomsoever without doing work on it
only ever top up with £10, altho sp mobile got €20 cos I hit the wrong button
either large fingers or small buttons ?

megmet

I've always used a payg phone for personal use, when I worked back in the UK that used to be on contract paid for by local government.

I only use my mobile now very infrequently, it's Vodafone and I just top it up with 5€ every six months at our local petrol station so that it doesn't get cut off.
Vodafone Invariably send me a text doubling my money, so I've now got 60€ on there, it doesn't get used as our landline calls are all free.

I don't use roaming at all, I put a UK Sims card in when in the UK, it works out less expensive.

Domino

I don't get any of those