Lozzer
Well-Known Member
Anyone got any practical data.
KVH M7 reception in Balearics
- Thread starter Lozzer
- Start date
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Not much help for KVH data specifically but once the dish is pointing at the Astra 2 hot spot (27.5 degrees east) you can set your TV receiver to the streams on transponder 13 - 11954 - horizontal polarity - 27500 2/3.
It seems to me that this is the only transponder that BBC have kept on the old Eurobeam satellites - all the other BBC stuff has moved onto the tighter focussed Astra 1N ( in its temporary position).
On this transponder you will find about 7 or 8 BBC TV streams - completely undocumented - mainly the multiscreen feeds but the transponder also caries all the BBC radio (audio) feeds. For example the F1 is transmitted here (when BBC are coveing it of course)
I haven't tried it in the Balearics but it's a very powerful signal throughout the western Med.
If it's News you want, then either Sky news on the same hotspot (27.5 degrees east) or point the dish at Hotbird (13 degrees east) and you will find BBC World News on transponder 93 - 12557 horizontal - 27500 2/3.
Again, this is a very powerful signal across the whole of the western Med.
FYI - I like to keep my system simple and not use DiSEqC. For those who dont know what DiSEqC is - it requires a satellite TV receiver with DiSEqC feature so not a Sky box. DiSEqC automatically drives the dish to the correct satellite position for a particular TV channel selected.
As I say, I like to disable DiSEqC and manually control where my dishes are pointing. This means that I can then use a Sky box as the receiver. Sky boxes do take a bit of getting used to but once mastered, they are quite flexible to use.
So, my procedure to tune a TV channel is first manually select the satellite using the dome's control box to point to the appropriate satellite constilation, then select the appropriate channel on the Sky box. To program a channel (like the ones above) you add them as "other channels" to the Sky box and this doesnt affect the main Sky EPG.
Dont know if that was any help but thats what I do.
Mike
It seems to me that this is the only transponder that BBC have kept on the old Eurobeam satellites - all the other BBC stuff has moved onto the tighter focussed Astra 1N ( in its temporary position).
On this transponder you will find about 7 or 8 BBC TV streams - completely undocumented - mainly the multiscreen feeds but the transponder also caries all the BBC radio (audio) feeds. For example the F1 is transmitted here (when BBC are coveing it of course)
I haven't tried it in the Balearics but it's a very powerful signal throughout the western Med.
If it's News you want, then either Sky news on the same hotspot (27.5 degrees east) or point the dish at Hotbird (13 degrees east) and you will find BBC World News on transponder 93 - 12557 horizontal - 27500 2/3.
Again, this is a very powerful signal across the whole of the western Med.
FYI - I like to keep my system simple and not use DiSEqC. For those who dont know what DiSEqC is - it requires a satellite TV receiver with DiSEqC feature so not a Sky box. DiSEqC automatically drives the dish to the correct satellite position for a particular TV channel selected.
As I say, I like to disable DiSEqC and manually control where my dishes are pointing. This means that I can then use a Sky box as the receiver. Sky boxes do take a bit of getting used to but once mastered, they are quite flexible to use.
So, my procedure to tune a TV channel is first manually select the satellite using the dome's control box to point to the appropriate satellite constilation, then select the appropriate channel on the Sky box. To program a channel (like the ones above) you add them as "other channels" to the Sky box and this doesnt affect the main Sky EPG.
Dont know if that was any help but thats what I do.
Mike
Last edited:
MYAG
Well-Known Member
Your M7's will get you pretty much anything worth having centered in the Balearics. Take a look at the KVH maps, the M7 footprint is in purple. These are the minimums in my experience, I have M9's and can get Astra 2A south beam in western Turkey for some of the day.
http://www.kvh.com/Pages/Satellite-...-Maps/TracVision-Maps/Europe-Middle-East.aspx
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
Great info Mike, thanks. I thought we'd lost all UK channels, but i'll try your settings. That would be fine, as I only really want the news.
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
Mike, you're a star!
I set the sat controller to the first of your co-ords (though 11953, not 4) and I have my choice of Euro 2012 coverage or the GP qualifying!
ps. I'd steer clear of my SWMBO for a while if I were you ...
I set the sat controller to the first of your co-ords (though 11953, not 4) and I have my choice of Euro 2012 coverage or the GP qualifying!
ps. I'd steer clear of my SWMBO for a while if I were you ...
Lozzer
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys will give it a try later.
DougH
Well-Known Member
We have a KVH M7 system on our boat in Mallorca. (Installed 2011)
It is currently impossible to receive BBC or ITV programs and we are left with all Sky offerings etc.
Before the BBC changed satellites we used to watch BBC sport by accessing BBC News and going though the back door to the sport section.
Since the move to the other satellite we are unable to watch BBC News.
Very disappointing all round, but we still watch Sky a fair bit but that is only because BBC & ITV is unavailable.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Have another read of my post above.
We have a KVH M7 system on our boat in Mallorca. (Installed 2011)
It is currently impossible to receive BBC or ITV programs and we are left with all Sky offerings etc.
Before the BBC changed satellites we used to watch BBC sport by accessing BBC News and going though the back door to the sport section.
Since the move to the other satellite we are unable to watch BBC News.
Very disappointing all round, but we still watch Sky a fair bit but that is only because BBC & ITV is unavailable.
Just set your system up to watch Sky as usual and follow these instructions.
http://www.digitalsat.co.uk/addchannels.html
The frequency you need to enter is 11954 but I think Nick said he had to use 11953
The polarity is horizontal
the Symbol rate and FEC is 27500 2/3
This process will find all the BBC radio channels (which you already have in your standard Sky EPG) but there are about 7 extra channels with obtuse names (mainly numbers)
Add the lot and then check each one out by selecting "Services", 6 (Other Channels) instead of your usual EPG.
I'm sure this will work for you in Mallorca.
Once you have cracked that, select the Hotbird satellite from your KVH control box and tune in BBC World News on transponder 93 - 12557 horizontal - 27500 2/3
Not quite as good as the normal BBC/ITV but it should give you a good alternative to Sky.
BTW
I have an 800mm domestic offset dish in Sant Carles that I stand on a tripod and it picks up all the Astra 1N BBC/ITV TV that you can get in the UK so it's only a matter of the size of the dish that prevents you from picking up domestin BBC/ITV in Spain.
DougH
Well-Known Member
Hi Mike,
We already set the system to 11954 Horizontal without success for BBC/ITV reception.
I do not understand what 'Symbol Rate & FEC 27500 2/3' is.
Could you explain further please?
Doug
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
These extra channels are video feeds transmitted by the BBC but aren't included in the Sky or Freesat EPG (Electronic Program Guide). The BBC are currently putting their Multivision feeds over these spare streams - that means special sports feeds and sometimes CBBC etc - Totally undocumented and I dont think it will last forever but I believe that the BBC are committed to airing their radio channels across Europe so maybe this traansponder will be around for a while - lets hope anyway.
These channels have odd names - maybe someone near a system can list the names - Nick?
On the Sky box you manually add them to the "Other Channels" section.
Follow the notes in the link in my post above.
I think the notes might be for the original Sky boxes - not the HD boxes but the concept will be the same.
The Symbol Rate & FEC along with the frequency/polarity are the parameters you need to enter.
Note this is just settings in the Sky box not the KVH dish system.
Once you've added the extra channels you can get to them any time by selecting the one you want from "other channels"
It isn't very intuative and as I said earlier, it requires a bit of "getting your head round it"
If it doesnt work, check that the KVH dome box is still tracking Astra (probably labelled Astra 2S)
All the best
Mike
I am certain that the signals are strong enough in Mallorca.
DougH
Well-Known Member
Thanks Mike, I will give it a go when back on the boat in about 2 weeks.
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
They show as 6711-6715, and another called T7STRM.
I think they're all "red button" channels, three currently have Euro 2012 highlights on a loop, another has cricket/F1, one is Springwatch photos, and the final one is the BBC news headlines on a loop.
From having no TV at all, it's nice to be able to get some news, follow Euro 2012, and i'm hoping to get the GP highlights later on, but if you've got all the Sky channels already then you probably wont gain that much, as they seem to be on very short loops most of the time, so repeat themselves every few minutes.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
They are loops usually but become live feeds when the sports event is actually on.
For example, during the Monaco qualifiers one of them was exactly the same feed that was broadcast on BBC1 and another was the driver tracker. Unfortunately, for the actual race, they only had the driver tracker.
As you say, it's the multivision "red button" feeds. One even has the 6 small screens.
During the winter, we watched the Rugby ove one of them.
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
Yep, I was able to watch the GP extended highlights on one of them last night at exactly the same time as it was broadcast on BBC1
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