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Astra and Eurobird Satellites at 28.2° and 28.5°

All the UK English Channels broadcast by the English Television Companies are transmitted from Astra 2a, 2b at 28.2° and Eurobird at 28.5°. Each satellite has its own beams covering the UKdown to Spain. This group of satellites are 36,000 kilometers above the equator and the fit into an area of 53km wide, 77km high and 19km deep.

The owners of the TV programs are known as the "Rights Holders" and they sell or rent the programs to the Broadcasters on a condition that the program will only be viewed by their audience. This is easily implemented when the program is being transmitted by terrestrial TV. However when the program is transmitted by Satellite the control of viewership is usually by means of a set top box with an encrypted card. However in the case of the BBC and ITV that broadcast free TV to viewers who have already paid with a compulsory TV license, using an encrypted card wasn't an option. Consequently their control is to use the satellite Astra 2d with a spot beam that is tightly focused on the UK.

This is clearly illustrated with the image on the left. The inner circle represents a dish size of 50 cms and the outer circle represents a dish size of 120 cms for the North of Spain. This map presents a clear picture for Spanish viewers of UKTV

There is an additional factor where the signals are transmitted vertically and horizontally. When you reside within the designated footprint there is no difference between vertical and horizontal signals. However if you live in Valencia Province way beyond the footprint then the vertical signals are significantly stronger than the horizontal signals. Fortunately the channels with horizontal signals(channel 4,5 and BBC 2) are also broadcast with vertical signals. Please visit this page for alternatives. Fortunately for the viewers in Spain (at the present time) there is a shortage of transponders (devices on the satellite that transmit signals) on Astra 2d, consequently other satellites transmit UK TV channels with a wide beam.

There are numerous channels being broadcast on Astra 2a via the BSkyB network. The image on the left clearly shows this wide beam. The inner circle represents a dish size of 50 cms and the outer circle represents a dish size of 120 cms.

There are in fact two beams North and South and the North beam is not as strong as the South Beam for viewers in Valencia Province.

The Eurobird at 28.5° also has a wide beam and carries many UK Free to Air channels that are easily accessed by viewers in Valencia Province. To summarize, viewers in Valencia Province can receive a great deal of English TV without a huge dish. Using a Sky "Free to View Card" will give them ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 because they are transmitted via Sky on Astra 2a. Sky subscription cards deliver a a lot more TV. For those viewers in the Valencia Province wanting to view the BBC one and two channels have to invest in a 1.8 to 2.4 metre dish