Forthcoming launch of Astra 2E

Astra 2E
The Astra 2E satellite is scheduled to be launched in the second quarter of 2013. Astra 2E will deliver next generation broadcast, VSAT and broadband services in Europe and Africa at 28.2° East. The Ku-band capacity will allow this satellite to enhance and secure its existing offering to major Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in the UK and Ireland. With a Ku-band payload specifically designed to meet the requirements of some of Europe’s largest DTH broadcasters, the satellites will have spot beam and pan-European beam switching capabilities to accommodate both pay-TV and free-to-air broadcasters, and to provide these customers with increased functionality. SES ASTRA customers in this region include BSkyB, BBC, ITV, Freesat, Channel Four, Channel 5, UK TV, Virgin Media, MTV and Discovery.
The BBC has confirmed their plans to move their services from Astra 1N/2F to Astra 2E in 2013. The over-spill of the BBC’s services will be reduced so viewers outside the UK will find it even harder to receive them. Astra 2E will have the same UK footprint as Astra 2F, so if you can currently view channels from Astra 2F, there should be no problems receiving Astra 2E. Here on the Costa Blanca there has been very little change to the reception from the recently launched  Astra 2F, it appears that the footprint is not as accurate as first projected, there is some loss of signal strength we have noticed a 10dB drop from the reception of Astra 1N which currently supplies 150 Direct to Home services. However this appears to only affect satellite dishes of 1 m or less, especially channel 5 group of channels.  The footprint of the new ( to be launched in the 2nd quarter of 2013) Astra 2E is projected to be the same as Astra 2F. Happy viewing.

Answer to total loss of TV channels

For years now Channels have been transmitting via a satellite based  west of the equator via  BFBS ( British Forces Broadcasting services) they use a BISS encoding system, however, available in Spain are Decoders that are capable of receiving these channels, they are:-

BBC One England
BBC One Scotland
BBC One Northern Ireland
BBC One Wales
BBC Two England
BBC Three
BBC News
BBC Four
CBBC
CBeebies
BBC Parliament
BBC HD
BBC One HD
ITV 1 Central West
Channel 4 HD
S4C HD
STV HD
UTV HD
Radio....
BBC R5L.
BBC R5SX
BBC 6 Music
BBC Radio 7
BBC 1 Xtra
BBC Asian
BBC World Sv
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
BBC Red Button
BBC Alba
Radio Scotland
Radio N Gael
Radio Ulster
Radio Foyle
Radio Wales
Radio Cymru
Channel 5 is also reported to be on this satellite, but as yet not confirmed.

So all is not lost!

Astra 2F TV channel migration update 5th Dec 2012

 We have done tests on the signal strength

1 metre dishes.......
Some have issues with the Channel 5  group  (Transponder 10964 Horizontal) is now right on the edge of reception. Some will get these channels and some may not on this size of dish, we tested it on Entre Naranjos Jacarilla with  Fergusan and Golden Media Decoders, the levels were barely 7dB in the middle of the day, possibly at night this channel may fall off the "Digital Cliff" with pixelation problems.
Also...
Transponder 10.994 H: ITV 1 Granada HD, ITV 1 Central South West,  Anglia West, ITV 1 Meridian North, ITV 1 Yorkshire East and ITV 1+1 Yorkshire, reception is now lower in strength.
Transponder 11.052 H: ITV 1 Central South, Central East,  Wales + 1, Westcountry+1and  Tyne Tees SD also reception is now lower in strength. Transponder 11126 V 4HD  incl. 4seven, reception was low but SD 4 and 4+1 etc were OK. All BBC channels reported OK as with the rest of the ITV channels.

 1.4m. 1.9m and 2.4m Dishes  we have tested the reception and all is OK.

Based on what we tested Wednesday 5th Dec 2012 the signal may move a little throughout the day and evening but it seems to be a minor loss although we are expecting to get calls re Channel 5 group loss as this is now the lowest levels.
There are further changes due, but these are  not clear and it does seem the UK spot beam is weaker than previously, but not disastrous. We will keep you informed  if there will be any other channels  moving from 1N to 2F,  they may be  waiting for another satellite launch, such as 2E scheduled for 2013 even 2G scheduled 2014.
However, presently it is looking  better than the predicted footprint . Satellite footprint maps are usually wrong, when it comes to fringe reception.
Dishes perform  differently in different areas, there may be reception issues especially microwave or localized interference.

More news on the new Astra 2F satellite (2nd Dec 2012)

SES posted on their Facebook page:- "SES Services are currently being transferred to ASTRA 2F. BBC (Trp 2.061) has been migrated to Astra 2F whereas Channel 5 (Tp 2.057), ITV (2.059 & 2.063) and Channel 4 (Tp 2.068) will move to Astra 2F next Tuesday 4th December 2012. This will then mark the completion of the transfer" Transponder 61 is new: 11023 H, 23000 2/3, DVB-S2/8PSK, currently testing on 2F and we have tested this on a 1.9m dish and the reception is excellent. The other 1N transponders due to be transferred next Tuesday are: Transponder 57, carries Channel Five, 5 USA, 5 USA+1, 5*, 5*+1 etc. Transponder 59, carries some ITV One regions Transponder 63, carries some ITV One regions and ITV One London HD. Transponder 68, carries Channel Four HD and 4 Seven etc. They have indicated that not all BBC and ITV channels will be moved to the new satellite! BBC have 4 other transponders (45,46,47 and 48) - which indicated by the SES statement, are not scheduled to move to 2F yet (strange?) We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.

More news on the new Astra 2F Satellite

 Astra 2F signal reception
There is no actual detailed information as to the signal reception from Astra 2F for the new UK Spot beam for Spain, however BBC1 HD has been tested on this new satellite as from 22 Nov 2012
and the reception here on the Costa Blanca is excellent on a 1.9m dish. It is now understood that this satellite has a European beam, so the actual dish size of the dish for TV reception of  BBC, ITV, C4, C5 etc can now be received on as seen on the above footprint image on a smaller dish possible as small as 80 cm. This is assuming they will continue to use the European beam.

                                                                   
This is the official footprint from SES ( Astra)

More news will be posted as and when we get it.

Astra 1N & Astra 2F- UK TV reception, Costa Blanca.

Astra 1N is stated as being in a temporary position and is the satellite we currently receive majority of the Free to Air English Language TV, it is reported to be replaced with another satellite
Astra 2F.  Launched in september 2012 it is currently under test- Originally stated this will be in operation by late 2012 or ealy 2013.
Reception strengths in Spain could change!
The new satellite will be in the same orbit at 28.2ºE and is reported to transmit all the channels that are currently on Astra 1N.
It is also reported to have three beams, two of which the footprint indicates will be similar to what we are receiving now, however the third beam  (Spot Beam) could render reception in Spain difficult if they decide to use it to transmit Free To Air channels.
Presently there is no official published information regarding this, we are continuing as we have in the past years until official news is released.
There are no reported changes due to Astra 2A & 2B which we can also receive in Spain, which (currently) contains some English language television - Sky & Free To Air channels, with Radio.

BBC TV and Radio Changes in October 2012

    BBC TV and Radio Changes in October 2012

The BBC have confirmed the changes to some BBC TV and BBC Radio services in October.

BBC Red Button streams to be cut to one. As part of the BBC cost cutting drive the number of BBC Red Button video streams on satellite will be reduced to one - on the 15th October. The lone BBC Red Button video stream will be moved from its current frequency (Astra 2A to 13 11954 H) to a new frequency : Astra 1N to 45 10773 H 22 5/6

BBC TV and Radio Channels Frequency Changes. The BBC will need to shuffle some of their other TV services around, so in the early hours of 15th October 2012:

BBC Three / CBBC and BBC News will move to Astra 1N to 48 - frequency 10818 V 22 5/6

BBC ALBA and BBC One North East & Cumbria will both move to Astra 1N to 47 - frequency 10803 H 22 5/6

BBC Four / CBeebies and BBC Red Button stream 1 will move to Astra 1N to 45 frequency 10773 H 22 5/6

BBC Radio Frequency Changes

Some of the BBC Radio services will also change frequencies and will be split between frequency 10803 H 22 5/6 and frequency 10788 V 22 5/6

Possible loss of BBC Radio stations for Expats??

This will mean the BBC can close Astra 2A to 13, which is a Pan European beam. As the BBC statement says:

"This will also mean that our radio services move from a European beam to a UK spot beam as DSat7 is the last of our European beam transponders. We use a UK beam for our TV services, so the radio services will be as available in the UK as our TV services. But it does mean that the radio services will no longer be receivable across much of mainland Europe. I’ve no doubt that some readers of this blog will be disappointed by this news. But I’m afraid European-beam transponders are not cost effective for us. We broadcast our services for UK audiences “in the clear” or unencrypted (which is what makes Freesat possible) and so for rights reasons we are limited in terms of the services that we are able to broadcast on a European beam. The BBC’s radio station for listeners outside the UK is the BBC World Service, and it is widely available throughout the world. In Europe you can receive the World Service in many different ways including on satellite from Eutelsat Hot Bird 8 at 13°East. It’s also available online 24 hours a day via the listen live link from the BBC World Service homepage."

BBC One HD Regions to Launch

These changes to BBC TV and Radio will also help with the launch of BBC One HD for Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland "over the next few months".

The BBC also confirmed that "BBC HD will be converted into BBC Two HD towards next year".

To allow these further BBC HD regions to be available on satellite the BBC are renting a new Transponder and frequency from Astra.

New TV Channel on Spanish TDT

There is a new TV channel called Xplora recently launched on Spanish TDT, a retune of your Spanish TV listing should pick up this new channel with otheres that have recently been launched, it has a switchable language to English (when available)

To do this view your TV or TDT decoder user manual for instructions.

TV from a 1m satellite dish Including HD

HD satellite Decoder with HDMI output

Pan European Footprint

High gain professionalñ satellite Dish

 

New satellite commissioned early2012  has a Pan European Beam, this means that you can receive most of your favourite TV channels from a 1m satellite dish including HD channels, you can even use a SKY card on it too!
● 1m Dish (Portuguese Famaval)   
● Single LNB
● HD Satellite Decoder
● Installation and cabling
From only

 ●260.00€ (one off payment)

Call Phil on 630 839 793

New Business

 1.8m Satellite dish  with an Invacom Quattro LNB on the roof of an apartment block, Laguna Green
Vista Bella Jacarilla, feeds a 12 output Matrix Multi-switcher system for residents on the top floor of
the apartments.
Full system including facilities to receive SKY card system channels.

Movies 4Men have moved

Movies4 men have moved transponders

Freesat & Sky Digital: Movies4Men  has left 11223.67MHz, polarity Vertical to 11681.00 MHz.  Satellite Eutelsat 28A ( formerly known as Eurobird 1 ) Those communities that have our single cable TV system will now not be able to watch Movies4Men . Speak to your President or TV committee for a solution.

New Business

This installation is a well overdue upgrade to an original Analogue Community
system which supplied poor quality, noisy and audio sync problems, the maximum
channels that were available was 20. The urbanisation approached us with a view
to improving the system.

We completely re-designed the system to purely digital TV with an initial availability
of 61 Channels, imtegrated on the same cable is TDT community Spanish TV, the system is
expanadable to accept various feeds from multiple satellites.
The new system feeds over 100 properties.

Interesting news on illegal antennas on Torresat's building in La Zenia

 News item from  the Spanish newspaper Vega Baja Digital Orihuela. Friday, April 13, 2012
Five antennas/ Transmitters claimed to be of illegal activity in Orihuela Costa
The Town Planning, Antonio Zapata, said today that there has been identified five antennas activities that are illegal in Orihuela Costa, owned by Torresatélite.
Zapata recalled that a few weeks ago, denounced the illegal opening of a trench six miles long in Orihuela Costa and has linked this fact with the existence of these five antennas. It so happens that the owner of the company that owns the devices is councilor of the neighboring municipality of Pilar de la Horadada.
"The trouble is that these illegal activities who exercises a public office," said The mayor of Orihuela has indicated that it will require the withdrawal of these antennas and, if not done, will take other measures to restore legality.
As has been detailed, the antennas are located on buildings or plots belonging to persons other than the owners of the company that  installed them. Thus, the council has stated that the antennas, in addition to lacking licenses and environmental activity, nor has accredited the permission of the owners of the land on which it sits.
The above news item has been translated from Spanish to English and there may be possible errors in the accuracy of it's translation

Paramount Channel now on Spanish TV

Paramount Channel has just been launched on Spanish Digital television network (TDT)
For users  tuning info is
Murcia Transmitter (Carascoy) channel 38
Alicante Transmitter  (Aitana) channel 50
 This increases the lineup with the recent addition of Discovery Max on Channel 69
Don't forget to do regular auto scans of your Spanish TV channels as there are more and more channels being added, many have switchable  language facilities (English)

New Astra 1N satellite at 28.2ºeast is now in operation Astra 2D R.I.P

This may be good or not so good news.....
Astra 1N has temporarily replaced Astra 2D until it's replacement Astra 2E is launched next year, then it will take up a new position at 19.2ºEast to service the German and the Spanish market.
The good news-----
ITV transponders, Channel 4 Transponders, Channel 5 transponders and the latest news is that
BBC transponders have migrated  ( 24th Feb 2012) meaning that with it's Pan European beam  viewers on the Costa Blanca will be able to receive all the migrated channels on  a much smaller dish as Astra 1N here has a signal coverage measuring 50dBW as opposed to some of the recent poor reception channels being only an average of 10dBW
Well the not so good news.......
This could be short lived because Astra 1N has spot beam technology so it is fair to assume that
Astra 2E( to be launched in 2013) will supply all the ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 bouquet
of TV channels and this most likely will have spot beam technology and  we could lose them as the coverage could be lightly focused on the UK.
 Freesat is the main user of  Astra 1N and could be of  the new Astra 2E ( Freesat is jointly owned by BBC and ITV) and thy could use the BBC licence issue to prevent viewer's outside the UK being able to access this new satellite..
Enjoy it while it lasts?

Discovery Max

On Channel 69 of the Spanish Digital Terrestrial TV network, TDT, they have added "Discovery Max", which contains the original sountrack which is ( switchable from your remote control) generally in English, so those of you who are discovery fans, retune channel 69 (Spanish TDT only)

Channel 5 has moved

Channel 5 for some years has shared the same transponder as BBC1 London and BBC2 England, now it has moved to Astra 1N the new satellite on 28.2º East and shares with 5 USA and 5*, those  communities that have our single cable TV system will now not be able to watch channel 5. Speak to your President or TV committee for an upgrade to your system.

Possible interference from an adjacent satellite to Astra 28.2ºEast (on the Costa Blanca)

New added Frequencies to an adjacent satellite with power levels of 50 watts approx. that
may cause interuption to low power  transponders on Astra 28.2º East which are approximately 10 Watts ( the power level on the Costa Blanca).
Because of the difference in power levels the weaker frequencies could get swamped.

This satellite is only  2.2º  away from Astra.

(1) 26.0°E  Badr 4 10714.00 H, is approx. 50 watts
Occasional Feeds, data or inactive frequency
This is the same frequency  as Channel 4, Film 4 etc
The same applies to the following frequencies
(2) 26.0°E  Badr 5 10729.00 V 
Occasional Feeds, data or inactive frequency
This is the same frequency as Channel 4 +1, More 4, E4 etc.
(3) 26.0°E  Badr 4 10906.00 V
Occasional Feeds, data or inactive frequency 
This is the same frequency as ITV3, ITV 3+1, STV, UTV, ITV 1+1 etc

If this causes problems with the above TV channels there may be " picture pixilation" and tempoaray loss,  nothing can be done  to improve the problem.

Cable TV Decoders Set up instructions

Set up instructions for the Cable TV decoders we have supplied in the past 3 years.

Humax Fox CII Cable TV decoder

link       http://connectcom.tv/humax.pdf


CityCom CCR 582 Cable TV decoder

 link      http://connectcom.tv/CityComCCR582.pdf

IPOWNER WAV 1200-C Cable TV Decoder

 link      http://connectcom.tv/IpownerSetup.pdf

Delta Telecom Cable  TV Cable decoder

link      http://connectcom.tv/DeltaTelecomSetup.pdf

Kathrein UFC 662sw Cable TV HDMI/Upscaler decoder

link      http://connectcom.tv/Kathrein%20UFC%20662_%20Setup.pdf

New Cable TV Receiver with Upscaling to HD quality and HDMI output

New DVB-C receiver with Common Interface ( UFC 662 sw)

New HDMI  Cable TV Set top Box with upscaling to 576p, 720p and 1080p
This new box is suitable for the reception of digital cable TV and radio
programmes.
An HDMI interface enables the unit to be connected to an HD compitible flat-screen TV, while a built-in upscaler processes the picture for optimal viewing comfort.
Features include: EPG, guided first installation with national programme
lists, electrical audio output for Dolby Digital (AC 3), a video Cinch output and
videotext with an 800-page memory capacity.
The receiver is available in black.
We have reviewed this product and add that the picture quality is excellent with  HD quality, ideal for the discerning viewer

125.00€ incl IVA

loss of TV signal at around 11.30 am each day for approx 15- 30 minutes

Possible loss of TV signal at around 11.30 am each day reference TV signals on the Costa Blanca from Astra 28.2ºE

Possible cause Autumnal Equinox

We have tested the dishes and at 11.30 am the sun is directly behind the LNB  and causes a shadow to be projected to the "centre" of the dish, this will support the theory below as the LNB will amplify any electromagetic noise that is concentrated on the centre of the dish and cause the LNB to produce a signal that crash it's output, hence signal loss (outage). The LNBs used on the Costa Blanca are high gain, usually coupled to large high gain Satellite dishes  1.8m, 2.4m and 3.1m. Even then the average signal is only 10 watts as opposed to 50 watts in the UK, these signals are vulnerable to any interference.

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. These Satellite dishes (earth stations) at around noon every day will be in a straight line between the Sun and the Earth,  so  strong electromagnetic waves generated by the sun directly shine on the earth station (dish)antenna. 

 Scientific Quote
"The elevated temperature of the sun causes it to transmit a high-level electrical noise signal to receiving systems whenever it passes behind the satellite and comes within the beams of the receiver antennas. The increase in noise is so severe that a signal outage usually results. The length and number of the outages depends on the latitude of the earth station and the diameter of the antenna. A 3-metre antenna, the outages occur over 15 - 20 days, with a duration of  approx. 30 minutes."

BBC NEWS: BBC PARLIAMENT:BBC ALBA HAVE MOVED

BBC 24 Hour News has moved!
BBC News has moved to Astra 2D 10803.00 Horizontal Low  Symbol Rate 22000  FEC 5/6
BBC Parliament has moved to Astra 2D 10788.00 Vertical Low  Symbol Rate 22000  FEC 5/6
BBC Alba  has moved to Astra 2D 10818.00 Vertical Low  Symbol Rate 22000  FEC 5/6
BBC Radio Channels remain on Astra 2A 11954.00 Horizontal High  27500 2/3
For Clients on our Cable TV system if they have BBC 1 and 2 Scotland in their TV schedule list they will be  able  pickup BBC News, those who aren't will have to lose BBC News, BBC Parliament, and BBC Alba, if BBC move the radio channels from the transponder as well then we may look at a retune but at present the Radio channels remain on the existing channel

TDT ( Spanish version of Freeview) going HD

There are more and more HD Television channels being added to the already busy channel listings.
To receive TDT HD you will need either
(1) An HD ready TV that has combined TDT ( Spanish version of Freeview)
or
(2) A HD Set Top Box and a HD ready TV.
If you are on a Community TV system then check with your President to find out if your TDT community TV system will actually process and feed HD TV into the cable TV network.
We regulary check the TV programs for Spanish TDT and find that more and more TV channels have English language as their second Audio track, this is because the original soundtrack was English, Often there are between 5 and 8 with English soundtracks.
Spain is heavily committed to providing HD TV and these are becoming the norm.

Change now.... contact us.

Another successful community TV installation

 Another successful community TV installation, 2 satellite dishes, 1 receiving Dutch TV channels and the other feeding English TV channels, all down 2 cables only ( Dutch on 1 cable and English the other cable) supplying TV signals to 6 x Apartment blocks in Lomas de Campoamor, an added bonus is that Spanish digital TV is available on both cables. All the resident has to do is select which cable they need in their apartment and connect  to either English/Spanish or Dutch/Spanish TV.
Another brilliant idea by ConnectCom.TV

HDMI Cable TV receiver (Set Top Box)

Latest Cable TV Set Top Box for the new generation  LED TV's that have no Euro Connector (SCART) inputs
Specifications
HDMI Output
SCART Output ( Euro Connector RGB)
Video Out ( RCA)
PVR Function via USB ( Personal recording of TV programs)
HD Compatible
Compatible with all TV types CRT, LCD etc.

149.00€ inc. IVA

Additional channels for Spansih TDT Community Television.

Your system may or may not be able to receive and process the latest channels that are available on the Spanish Terrestrial system
If you want to check the channels for your area then follow this link below

www.televisiondigital.es/Terrestre/Cobertura/Paginas/Cobertura.aspx

and enter your Post Code ( Código Postal)
for residents who have a Post Code of 03319 the syems does not recognise it, the nearest is 03187 which is Los Montesinos)

These are the additional Tv channels now available (but check the above website first)

CARRASCOY Canal 55
Teledeporte
TVE HD

CARRASCOY Canal 42
La Sexta 2
La Sexta 3
La Sexta HD
Canal + Dos
Cuatro

CARRASCOY Canal 38
Boing
Telecinco HD
MTV
La 10

CARRASCOY Canal 44
Marca TV
13 TV
Nitro
Antena 3 HD

Most systems for Spanish Community Television use Head End processing equipment, this is capable of combining multiple antennas
balancing and adjusting variable input signal levels and launch the processed signals into the community TV cable network.
The basic system based on TV channels available in 2010 generally use the following multiplexed channels
58/61, 66, 67, 68, 69 this will usually get 25 - 30 realistic TV/Radio programs.
You will notice from the above list that now are available in some areas channels 38, 42, 44, 55, this will process 15 more realistic programs.
To get these the Head End will either need re-programming or more channel modules will need to be installed.
For those on community systems will need to contact their President who should then employ a qualified TV engineer.

Future TV via Broadband

TV by Broadband.... this Video streaming demo is being streamed to your PC via  media web servers, and  you should  see it without  pausing or stuttering. We are developing our own variable bitrate smooth streaming to satisfy the normally low Internet Speeds associated with the Costa Blanca, futher we intend to supply this media via a Internet connected Set Top Box or an internet connected TV.
Your favourite TV channels will be available, Live, Archived or VOD..... We will start trials soon

Spring ( March) and Autumn ( October) Equinox and Relationships with satellites (source Wikipedia)

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator
One effect of equinoctial periods is the temporary disruption of communications satellites. For all geostationary satellites, there are a few days/weeks around the equinox when the sun goes directly behind the satellite relative to Earth (i.e. within the beam-width of the groundstation antenna) for a short period each day. The Sun's immense power and broad radiation spectrum overload the Earth station's reception circuits with noise and, depending on antenna size and other factors, temporarily disrupt or degrade the circuit. The duration of those effects varies but can range from a few minutes to over an hour.
................................................................................................................................................................................
In Laymans terms,  The immense radiation from the sun since it is directly behind the satellites during these periods, it is focussed  on the centre of our receiving dishes, this radiation is not just light frequencies but a mass of others and a lot within the frequency range of the LNBs of the satellite dish and is seen as electrical noise. This causes the LNB's to overload, causing loss of amplificaation of the genuine Satellite frequencies, hence derterioration of the already low signals for your TV system.
Whilst we are on the subject another reason for loss of quality signals here on the Costa Blanca.
Your system looks at several satellites at 28.2 º East called Astra, some are northern beams and some are southern. Most of the  Free to Air TV channels are on Astra 2D which is a northern beam and  has a very weak and scattered coverage on the Costa Blanca, some signals are less than 10 watts (hence the dish szes) in the UK these signals average 50 watts.
To get these signals  especially for single cable community system we need a very large dish, a 2.4m dish has an average
gain of  47 dB and the LNB  a gain of 50 dB. We need this high gain to try to get the low level signals.
However, there is a problem and that is... at 28,5 º East we have a another satellite called Eurobird 1 and this is a European beam. It has an  average output power of  50 watts which is 5 x the signal power of Astra 2D ( Costa Blanca).
It is not difficult to see that whilst we are trying to get las "last drop" of signal from Astra 2D, the signal from Eurobird 1 is    " over the top" for our high gain equipment causing the LNB to be saturated  and subsequent deterioration of the alraedy weak signals.
We have to remember that English TV  from Astra 2 D is intended for UK use only, that is why it is broadly focussed to Northern Europe and not Spain, due to late 90's technology ( that's when the Satellite was constructed) the beam is not tightly focussed and some of it's footpring covers parts of Spain albeit  much weaker. Loss of signal quality is something we all have to accept.

New business

ConnectCom have just been commissioned by another urbanisation for a communal TV system for English  expats and to combine with Spanish TDT plus Dutch TV  for residents. The system is to feed 6 x high rise apartment blocks on Lomas de Campoamor Orihuela Costa.

Future of TV

ConnectCom are looking at the way you will watch TV in the future.  By Broadband! This technology has been around for sometime now, but quality TV from the Web is dependent on your broadband speed. Acceptable bandwidth is tolerant only if you have one device connected to your ISP. What happens if you have more. PC and TV, then this starts off a new story.

We have looked into all the very latest technolgies of providing the end user with a constant dynamic feed to satisfy their demands.
Soon we will be launching a service that provides Live TV, Catch up TV, VoD ( Movies) and Archive TV, NOT to your PC but direct to your Internet connected TV.
Keeping your armchair viewing in tact. Look at our promo at
http://connectcom.tv/StreamInfo.html

TV for Communities.


36+ TV channels and 8 Radio Channels fed into the communities TV cable system to feed mutiple homes in apartment blocks, communities homes up to 300  properties and more, Example:. 100 homes connected equals 29.95€ for each property.    One off payment no monthly bills.
All TV channels are Free to Air and as selected by majority of Expats on our systems as their favourites.
Channels include BBC1, BBC1 HD, BBC2, ITV1, ITV1 HD, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CITV Channel 4 +1, E4, More 4, Movies4 Men, True Movies, and much more.

The future for suppling multiple TV channels to urbanisations

ConnectCom are looking to the future for suppling multiple TV channels to urbanisations either by coaxial cable or telecom cable....

The New B-Nova Compact & Modular Headend Platform for Cable TV and IPTV networks.
Features a Fully modular platform from a compact ”headend in a box” to a multisite, distributed headend solution using the latest stream processing technology.

Capable of multi-tasking with different mixable TV formats, from Satellite (DVB-S) to Terrestrial TDT ( DVB-T) to transport in IPTV ( ISA) (Internet Protocol) via telecom lines to QAM via Coaxial lines.

This compact system as a single unit can accommodate up to 12 multiplex receivers with descrambling capability all in one chassis. A fully loaded single unit without descrambling increases the multiplex receiver count up to 24 in the chassis. This inceases the number of viewing channels dramatically from a single unit.

Fully contollable via software on site or remotely.

A Thankyou

In this business, you generally are only contacted when there is a system problem, it is nice to see that some say thanks for a job well done, this is a copy of an email we received recently from Lomas de Campoamor. Orihuela Costa.
"An owner telephoned today (13thJan) as he is going home at the weekend, to thank us for restoring the signals in the Vallesols the day after my visit to him. Well done.

I know you have to follow up on this job as per your recent email but he was very appreciative of our speedy response. Cheers, Tony C"

Recent loss of BBC2/Five/BBC1 channels

Recent loss of BBC2/Five/BBC1 channels


There seems to be a loss of signal strength/quality on Astra 10773 MHz Horizontal 28.2º East, this is reported to be interference from 26º East BADR Arabsat,. In November 2010 they fired up a new transponder on 10770 MHz Horizontal, which is frighteningly close to the Astra Transponder frequency.

BADR transponder 10770 MHz is a very strong signal but the Astra Transponder on 10773 MHz is very weak ( less than 10 watts), and it is feared that interference from BADR is causing loss of signal strength/quality for the following channels.

If this is the case then it will not improve.

We have tested several dishes and adjacent transponders 10803 MHz Horizontal and 10744 MHz  Horizontal levels have not changed, this seems to indicate interference from BADR.

BBC One England
BBC Two England
CBBC
BBC Three
Five
BBC One West
BBC One Cambridge
BBC One Channel Islands

 We have tested the signal levels again  Feb 2011 and it has not changed, this frequency is still low in strength. Although the levels have been lowered in the UK, it does not affect their stronger signal and since UK TV is only intended for UK residents then we suspect nothing will be done to correct it by the operators in  northern Europe. We will have to wait and see the outcome.

SKY TV channels

SKY TV,

For all the urbanisations that have their TV via a single cable system either providing Spanish or English TV can now access some SKY TV channels.

We are supplying the infrastructure to enable these channels.

The user will need a SKY box and a suitable SKY subscription.

The channels basically are....

Sky Sports 1, 2, 3
SKY Sports HD 1, 2, 4
SKY Sporets News HD
British Eurosport
Living HD
TCM 2 UK
Most Discovery channels
National Geographic wild
TCM - Turner Classic Movies
Five group of channels. Five, Fiver, Five US etc
SKY one
Home + 1
Gold +1
Eden + 1
Dave Ja Vu
Yesterday +1

..... and many more depending on the signal strength from your dish.

The above channels are subject to availability.

Future of TV

The future of Live television on the Costa Blanca, Spain, France and Germany is under review by our technical department, we are preparing for available TV and we strongly believe that Broadband television is the way forward.. There will be no large dish, you will be able to access TV channels via your broadband connection.

Connect Communications are now in the process of developing such a system that will provide smooth Streamed TV for fast and slow Broadband speeds.
We will be able to provide 720p SD & 1080p HD,
SD at low speeds of 700kbit/s and HD at 1.2Mbit/s. Most users now have bandwidths of 2.5 - 4 Mbit/s, this will enable surfing and watching TV at the same time.
Technology has advanced tremendously and we are at the forefront to provide you with TV well into the future.

Our plan is to provide subscribers with Their favourite Live TV channels

Access to archive television programs, all the favourite soaps, sitcoms, reality shows past or present,

Movie rentals as well, to access 100`s of Movies, blockbusters,, modern and old movies.

We are developing a unique Set Top Box ( Decoder) to provide easy access to all these favourites and surf the net as well all from your armchair.

Moving into new areas

Connect Communications are now adding to their portfolio by installing IPTV systems to Hotel complexes and urnbanisations. The  future is TV on demand streaming, archive TV streaming and VOD movie rentals.

These systems are being developed as a joint package for transmission in HD quality 720p and above resolutions so on offer will be live TV, Video on demand, ArchiveTV programs all with smooth streaming through  broaband connection all to a uniquely developed  set to box (STB) via the subscribers router direct to the TV. Watch this space for further announcements, this system will beat all competition locally or internationally.

San Miguel TV Transmitter

San Miguel de Salinas new transmitter is now working properly according to the Valencian government Telecommunications dept. so in and around the area we have started to  change the polarity  of the antennas and retune some of the urbanisation's community Spanish digital TDT TV services to this new transmitter. We are experiencing good reception and quality-

Sports Channels

Anyone who is connected to the Albanian Supersports system may have have noticed the lack of Live matches, ( 3pm Kick-offs etc). If you have such a system and you have lost the above facility then contact us as there is and alternative with Tring Sports.

Change of BBC channels line up

19th October 2010
Satellite talk


Channel Movements

BBC 4, CBeebies and BBC Nothern Ireland have been moved from the Satellite Transponder ( 10773 H) in their place they have addedBBC One West BBC One Cambridge and BBC One Channel Islands

For  our Single cable Community TV systems the new line up will be......

BC1 London
BBC 2
BBC 3
CBBC
Channel 5
BBC One West
BBC One Cambridge
BBC One Channel Islands

A retune of your Set top box on this channel will be required
This is out of our control, however, if you would prefer to have BBC 4 then you will have to lose Movies 4 Men, Movies 4 men 2 (If these are on your system) and we will replace them with the following line up....

BBC Four
CBeebies
BBC One Scotland
BBC Two Scotland
BBC One North West
BBC One Yorkshire & North Midlands
BBC One South East
+

Radio Channels

BBC R5

If your are on our MultiSwitcher (SKY etc) system then you will have to refer to your SKY guide for the new channel numbers

IPTV Installation

IPTV comes to the Costa Blanca

Another quality Installation

After initial communication with the president of two apartment blocks in Cabo Roig we have installed two community Satellite dishes 1 x 2.4 m and 1 x 80cm dish for their non English speaking residents,
Individual connections for a one off payment of 260 Euros for each dwelling,
Using the latest technology IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) we delivered all the TV signals via the communities existing telephone cable system, each apartment block contained 90 apartments,

This sytem is for use with SKY, Skyplus, Sky HD or Freesat with or without PVR facilities.

Another quality Installation proving our technical background, many years in the trade, is essential for projects like these.

Smart MXO4 HDCI Satellite receiver DVB-S2

HDTV-CI-Receiver / DVB-S2 / Common Interface Digital satellite HDTV receiver for high-resolution television with Common-Interface.

HDTV-CI-Receiver / DVB-S2 / Common Interface

This device is designed to bring High Resolution TV pictures on your HD ready flat screen. Thanks to a variety of connectivity options, this unit can be connected via SCART, Y/Pb/Pr or HDMI cable with a suitable device.
USB connection included making it PVR ready

Only 135.00€

Moves to improve Spanish Digital television in local areas

The Balcones and surrounding areas area have serious problems to receive the TDT digital terrestrial television signal.
The regional secretary for Public Administrations, Rafael Peset, has announced an order has been given to duplicate power of the DTT repeater installed at the top of the Casilla de Torrevieja.
Since the analogue blackout, some ares on the costa have been suffering problems to receive the signal from the digital terrestrial television reception and a new board will be installed inside the repeater, which will extend the coverage area.
From the Generalitat they are considering to install a new TDT ( Digital Terrstrial Transmission) repeater in San Miguel de Salinas to improve the reception of this signal in the municipalities. This new location would also improve the DTT signal in the province of Alicante Pilar de la Horadada and Orihuela, especially on the coast, in areas of housing estates.

60 TV channels all down a single cable feeding 177 houses

60 quality digital UK TV channels, including 5 MBC TV channels and 4 Sports channels feeding 177 houses,  excellent picture quality and beleive it! all down a single coaxial cable.. it was not needed to install a 4 cable system as for SKY TV. All the required channels chosen are delivered to each property.
True Cable TV for the community, Oh and  25 Spanish TV  TDT digital channels as well... how about that!
Proving once again that Connect Communications are professional system designers and installers.

Channel 4+1 group of channels breaking up

If you are experiencing channel breakup on Channel 4 +1, E4, More 4, it is occuring all over the Costa Blanca, and apparently in the UK too. There does not seem to be an official explanation but it is definitely not your receiving equipment!

It could be that its a fault / persistant interference on the uplink from the service providers but is a broadcast issue, not a reception issue, it occurs before shot changes on these channels. Our guess is they are either using new video encoders, with poorer shot detection. Or possibly reducing the bitrate to fit in E4 HD or likely that they have just added another C4+1 channel (c4m) and overloaded the transponder

Set top Box ( STB) price increase

We have tried to keep the price of a new STB (set top box) for the cable TV receivers as low as possible, we have had a fixed price of €65.00 each since October 2008. However with increasing costs and a price increase from the manufacturer. As of the 1st of May 2010 a new STB ( cable receiver DVB-C) will be €80.00.including IVA

Sony TV en Veo Spanish TDT TV channel missing... Replaced by AXN

Spanish TV channel Sony SET has been replaced by AXN.( Pay TV channel)


Spain's version of film and action thematic channel AXN will replace Sony Entertainment Television en VEO (SET en VEO) on Spanish digital TDT. The channel is now distributed as a "Pay channel", adding a second pay-TDT channel for Spain, joining Mediapro's sports channel Gol TV.

The channel will use the TDT frequency that was used by SET en VEO.

AXN will be available to all Gol TV's subscribers.

Those encryption cards necessary to decode Gol TV will also be able to be used for AXN without any additional cost until August 31 as a promotion.

Another successful Satellite TV community installation

Another successful Satellite TV installation.. We have installed a system for 36 quad properties on the Costa Blanca, suitable for free to Air TV channels over 200 of them, plus facilities for the property owners to install SKY, SKY+ HD television if they wish.

Proving that Connect Communications are always at the forefront of TV technology, not for one resident, 4 or 8 but for hundreds... all from one centralised satellite dish...... it just gets better.

All new cables to satisfy the Satellite TV polarity issues, hidden in deep underground ducts, no cables at all visible in the streets, or to the properties.

All TV down 1 cable

We can supply a community or urbanisation with English Television Free to Air direct from the satellites at 28º East. Hundreds of houses can be connected.

All your favourite Free to Air English TV channels approx 50 of them

Plus.................

Sports channels (4 of them).
MBC Movie channels ( 5 of them).
German TV.
French TV.
Spanish Terrestrial TDT digital TV. ( 20 to 30) on average
Documentaries (3 of them).

And the best bit is... we can send them all down 1 cable.................... THAT'S AMAZING!!.

Connect Communications 25 years in the business, we are simply the BEST!

and that's not all.... Install security cameras and we can send the images down the same cable as well... it just gets better.