French terrestrial TV in Ireland

Connacht

This was covered on Boards in 2006, but so much changes so fast ...
Can anyone give clear and understandable advice on how to get the French 'normal' tv stations in Ireland ? I mean TF1, FR2, FR3, FR 5, M6. I have no interest in specialist tv - just the ones you get when you switch on the tv over in France.
Also, although I'll appreciate any help, please do try not to be too techie.

Pal

Heres a list of free French Channels.
http://www.flysat.com/tv-fr.php

The ones you want are mostly on a satellite called Atlantic Bird.
It is located 5 degrees West of South.
In sat speak, they call it 5W.

You point your dish at this location.
Check where the sun is at noon from your house.
thats where your dish will point to.
You need a clear line of sight. No trees or roofs in the way.
I suggest a big enough dish to get a good signal.
Say 80cm size.
You need a suitable receiver box.
A SECAM analogue box.
A Sky box won't work.

Thats it.

There are other options to get these channels such as Canal+ or TPS subscriptions. These are located on different satellites and can be quite expensive outside France.

Antenna

Pal wrote: »

Heres a list of free French Channels.
http://www.flysat.com/tv-fr.php

You need a suitable receiver box.
A SECAM analogue box.

Its the TV that needs to be SECAM capable. Otherwise you will get a Black and White picture only.
You might be able to get one of the Lidl analogue satellite recievers that sold some years ago very cheap (few Euro) at car boot sales etc. These were preprogrammed for various satellites (see the instructions) , I assume the French analogues did not change frequencies since then.

St Senan

Check out www.freesat.ie they do a package for french tv

Frisian

Or if you have relatives/friends in France you could ask them to get you one of these
boxes* and cards. All you need then would be a 70/80 cm dish, point it to Astra1, 19°e and there you go.
If you're not into installing you might aswell let a qualified installer do the job for you.
*Achtung: Make sure it's a new box and don't change the favourites.

Connacht

I just received the gear from Freesat.
There's a 20 m cable, which is to go from the LNB (sat dish) to the .... where ? I dunno.
I guess I cut it to length and then expose the male (copper wire) at the core.
But do I then plug it into a box in the attic or what ?
In the attic I currently have two boxes. The first has the tv aerial in and a single wire out for the 2 tvs in the house. This one wire then enters a second bo, where it becomes 2, one each for the 2 tvs. The first box does have a spare 'in' connector, waiting for a male.
However, in the wall of the tv room downstairs, we have a spare wire sticking out waiting to be used. Do I simply join the new cable to this up in the attic with insultaion tape and forget about the boxes up there ?
All help appreciated.

RapidResults

The cable from th LNB must be connected directly to the socket on the back of the satellite tuner. Don't use any of the existing house/aerial wiring.

Connacht

Thanks Rapid,
But surely you don't mean I have to trace the walls etc to get the coax cable from the LNB through the attic and down to the sat receiver beside the telly ?
When we convereted the garage into living space the electrician fitted coax cables from the attic to the wall behind the telly. These are the wires I refer to above :
" However, in the wall of the tv room downstairs, we have a spare wire sticking out waiting to be used. Do I simply join the new cable to this up in the attic with insultaion tape "
Sorry, I wsn't very clear.
What do you think ? Thanks again.

VH

you can use that spare cable but to join to it in the attic put an f-type connector on it:

and the use an f-type coupler

to connect that existing cable to the new run (with f-type connector) which goes to your dish.

RapidResults

For best results, don't have any joins.

Connacht

Lads, job done a while back.
I found the French stations fairly easily actually.
To find Atlantic Bird 3 from Connacht, point the dish at 5 W and at 28.4 degrees up in the sky.
Beautiful clear picture - better than picture of Irish terestrial tv via aerial.
All was great for a few days, but now I'm getting jagged / poor reception sometimes - not always.
The sound is okay but the pictiure gets broken up and horizontal lines of picture loss of sync.
What could this be ?
Does weather affect sat reception ? Is it passing aircraft ? Is it dodgy connections in my coax cables ?
It doesn't last, but is annoying when it's happening.
Thanks again people.

Hagar

No need to worry about SECAM as long as you connect the box to the TV via scart.

stevethesatguy

Sounds like you are not locked on to the satellite properly or your dish is not big enough, what size dish you get with the system?

Connacht

Hagar, not sure I understand your point. This is digital, not analog. I'm receiving FTA FR2, FR3, FR5, ARTE and LCP.
Steve, my sat dish is 80cm, so should be big enough.
But as I say, it's just sporadic. If I go and check right now .... yeah, it's perfect. It's perfect most of the time.
Thanks guys.

Hagar

Pal wrote: »

...You need a suitable receiver box.
A SECAM analogue box...

Antenna wrote: »

Its the TV that needs to be SECAM capable. Otherwise you will get a Black and White picture only.

Hagar wrote: »

No need to worry about SECAM as long as you connect the box to the TV via scart.

Because Ireland uses PAL and France uses SECAM if you connect you sat box to the TV via the RF output and you don't have a multi standard TV you could end up with a black & white picture. If you connect VIA scart you will get a colour picture regardless of PAL/SECAM issues. The RF feed is normally only an issue if you try to run a second TV off the TV socket on the back of your sat box.

dhaumi

@Hagar
He said he has digital. Analog is very likely to be switched off next year, besides quality isn't great.
Connacht, what gear did you get from freesat.ie ? Is it, Strong, Sagem? HD (I doubt that)? Whereabout in Ireland do you live?

vsat

All,


65cm triax antenna,
FTA receiver,
20 metres cable,

Prefect 5degs west french channels all weather, except snow.

vsatcommunications.ie:)

buckg

I have been trying to get free to air French channels via satellite.
But all seem to be scrambled France 2, 3 etc. and no sign of M6.

I am on Atlantic bird W5.

What am I doing wrong ?

white_westie

@buckg - I swung a dish to 5W last Saturday to see the Cardiff Toulouse game FTA.
I think it was on France2 on TP 11590
Try that TP and you should see France2/3/5 Arte and LCP all in the clear
WW

Connacht

Buckg - See my post of 26.09.
I'm in Mayo, you might need to tweak the 28.4 degrees bit, depending on where you are. Try to have someone with you while you're doing it, but should work.
You won't get M6 or TF1. Only FR2, FR3, FR5, ARTE and LCP.

buckg

Thanks for the replies
What do you mean by TP ?

regards

GerardKeating

buckg wrote: »

I have been trying to get free to air French channels via satellite.
But all seem to be scrambled France 2, 3 etc. and no sign of M6.

I am on Atlantic bird W5.

What am I doing wrong ?

France seem to be launching there version of "FreeSat" soon, on this bird, details here.

Apogee

buckg wrote: »

But all seem to be scrambled France 2, 3 etc. and no sign of M6.

M6 is available FTA but on analogue SECAM.

white_westie

buckg wrote: »

Thanks for the replies
What do you mean by TP ?

regards

Sorry TP stands for transponder - well actually the transponder frequency
The full spec of it would be

Freq: 11590.00 MHz
Polarisation: V
FEC: 2/3
Symbol Rate: 20000

more info here http://en.kingofsat.net/pos-5W.php

Not sure what you find that or select that on your receiver, but you should be able to find a option in the setup menus to do a manual scan - just put the above values and run the scan.
If you are on 5W okay, you should pull the channels in.

I also have an old LIDL analogue receiver, which picks up TF1 on another transponder, but as was said earlier your TV need a SECAM deceoder otherwise the picture is in black and white.
My new Panasonic LCD tv does'nt, but my older sony does and picture is good.

a bientot

France is now ensuring that their viewers in the areas without normal means of reception of the traditional five terrestrial (living in French Alps. Pyrenees etc) will be able to avail of the TNT (18 channels in digital including the five) service on AB3 from June.
Tuners are available in France with a card that will last for up to four years and possibly longer.
So one can receive the TNT service from Astra 1 (19.2) or AB3 with a plethora of radio channels also. There are also other French language channels in the clear on Astra 1 including TV5MONDE and RTBF (sat version of the RTBF 1 and 2) from Belgium

For convenience most people who watch Astra 2 here for Sky etc would find it more convenient to use two lnbs to pick up the French and English language channels. This could also apply to those living in France.....

snaps

So its not really a version of freesat for france.......You need a card. Thought it was a little to good to be true.

budgi3

Thinking of getting a motor for my lidl sat to get rugby on fr2. will the channels on 5W stay fta?

watty

We don't know really. Seems fairly likely since they have been FTA so long now.

I presume you also watch Rugbyi on S4C~digidol?

budgi3

watty wrote: »

We don't know really. Seems fairly likely since they have been FTA so long now.

Am I right that France 2 is also on 19.2E aswell ... but encrypted? Do you think they might shutdown 5W now this is in place?

watty wrote: »

I presume you also watch Rugbyi on S4C~digidol?

Occasionally watch S4C for Magners League. Will be tuning in for the Lions highlights in a few weeks. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055550656


A good guide to FTA rugby here: http://www.techwatch.co.uk/forums/50200-fta-rugby.html
I've never heard of DSL sport which is mentioned on that page for Heineken Cup coverage next season.... wonder if it's correct that they will be showing the games.

snaps

No 5west wont be shut down or the french channels wont move from there, but i suspect when the french freesat service starts from 5west it will go encypted like it allready is on Astra 1, But we will see. I was thinking about getting a french tnt card, but it seems you may well need a offical decoder to keep the card alive, but many 3rd party viaccess receivers will work with the card. A version of M6 is FTA on 7east i think or maybe even 10east as i came across it earlier when watching Nasa feeds from the space shuttle.

Connacht

Am ressurecting this thread.
ARTE has now diappeared from my Atlantic Bird 3W and FR2 is scrambled at certain times of the day (too early to have anything to do with World Cup).
Does anybody know what's going on please ?
The screen on ARTE's channel tells me what to do with my 'TNT', which I don't have.
Many thanks.

Greenman

Connacht wrote: »

The screen on ARTE's channel tells me what to do with my 'TNT', which I don't have.
Many thanks.

Maybe you might consider a second dish looking on Hotbird 13 degrees with and many more as per http://www.lyngsat.com/hotbird.html

Let us know how you get on.:)

The Cush

Connacht wrote: »

Am ressurecting this thread.
ARTE has now diappeared from my Atlantic Bird 3W and FR2 is scrambled at certain times of the day (too early to have anything to do with World Cup).
Does anybody know what's going on please ?
The screen on ARTE's channel tells me what to do with my 'TNT', which I don't have.
Many thanks.

The channels are in the process of transitioning to encrypted digital. TNT is DTT in french, so you won't be able to receive it but like the UK's freesat France has launched an equivalent service called Fransat which requires a satellite receiver and matched card (once off payment I believe). Fransat is also available from AB3 at 5 deg. West.

The terrestrial channels are also available as part of the BIS TV and TNT SAT packages.

See the various options here.

GerardKeating

Connacht wrote: »

Hagar, not sure I understand your point. This is digital, not analog. I'm receiving FTA FR2, FR3, FR5, ARTE and LCP.
Steve, my sat dish is 80cm, so should be big enough.
But as I say, it's just sporadic. If I go and check right now .... yeah, it's perfect. It's perfect most of the time.
Thanks guys.

80cm should be fine with AB3, we used to have an 80cm, now using an 60cm disk and get good picture off AB3, not looking at the French stations now. WE are near Ros an Mhíl

Connacht

Thanks lads.
Yes, we have an 80 cm dish with no problems.
Will invest in Fransat so.
Cheers

Connacht

Update :
Got the Fransat and installed today.
Cr*p !
TF1, ARTE and other channels I really wanted to watch are equally broken / encrypted / not visible, just as was the situation with previous box.
E 160 down the drain, unless somebody has a solution ??
many thanks

snaps

Connacht wrote: »

Update :
Got the Fransat and installed today.
Cr*p !
TF1, ARTE and other channels I really wanted to watch are equally broken / encrypted / not visible, just as was the situation with previous box.
E 160 down the drain, unless somebody has a solution ??
many thanks

Has the smart card been activated, what set up are you using?

Connacht

Snaps,
Yeah, yeah, the card and machine work fine (I guess). The thing is that the channels I already had on the previous box off AB3 are fine on this Fransat system too. But the only reason I got it was I was told I could get back the channels lost off the other, especially ARTE and that I could also get TF1 in addition.
Not so.:(

craoltoir

ARTE is available FTA on both Hotbird 13 and Astra 19.2 (plus TV5, Demain, France 24, BFM, Direct8 and a few others)

keithclancy

Connacht wrote: »

Lads, job done a while back.
I found the French stations fairly easily actually.
To find Atlantic Bird 3 from Connacht, point the dish at 5 W and at 28.4 degrees up in the sky.
Beautiful clear picture - better than picture of Irish terestrial tv via aerial.
All was great for a few days, but now I'm getting jagged / poor reception sometimes - not always.
The sound is okay but the pictiure gets broken up and horizontal lines of picture loss of sync.
What could this be ?
Does weather affect sat reception ? Is it passing aircraft ? Is it dodgy connections in my coax cables ?
It doesn't last, but is annoying when it's happening.
Thanks again people.

Is where you joined the cable outside ... if so I'd say make sure you seal it, even some duct tape for the moment until you can get shrink wrap, those connectors ain't waterproof.

carbsy

keithclancy wrote: »

Is where you joined the cable outside ... if so I'd say make sure you seal it, even some duct tape for the moment until you can get shrink wrap, those connectors ain't waterproof.

Yeah...get yourself some self amalgamating tape, great stuff.

ftakeith

carbsy wrote: »

Yeah...get yourself some self amalgamating tape, great stuff.

france 2 is showing the 2010 fa community shield between chelsea and man utd on sunday 8th August fta

slicedpanman

ftakeith wrote: »

france 2 is showing the 2010 fa community shield between chelsea and man utd on sunday 8th August fta

nice one keith... ta

slicedpanman

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy the cheapest available SD Fransat box and to take the card out of it and plug it into a viaccess cam in a decent HD PVR?

Will it work at all? And/or will I need to keep the orig Fransat box to do an occasional keep-alive?

Connacht

hi Keith,
No nothing is connected outside.