Can I receive UK free-to-view TV in Southern Spain?
You will only be able to get the services on the Astra 2A satellite (and then only Transponders 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 18, 22, 37) and ASTRA 2B (transponders 14, 17, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, 33, 34, 38):
ScreenShop
Price-Drop TV
TV Travel Shop
TV Travel Shop 2
TCM UK
CNN International
Travel Channel
Travel Deals Direct
BBC Parliament
S4C Digidol
S4C2
You TV
Goldshield Vitality
Create and Craft
Zee Music
Ideal World
ITV News Channel
QVC UK
Bid-up.TV
Sky News
TV Shop UK
Reality TV
TV High Street
The Shopping Genie
TV Warehouse Select
Shop America
TV Warehouse
Vector Direct
JML Direct
Game Network UK
Yes
Shopsmart TV
You will not be able to get any of the BBC and ITVs are all on the Astra 2D satellite:
Channel 4 is on Astra 2A:
You may be able to get five, but you will need a Sky card to decode it.
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Dieter: the only issue is if the dish is an offset dish, in which case any univesal LNB will be OK (the inverto ultra black range are exceptional!), or a primefocus dish (in whcihc ase you will need an primefocus LNB (the invacom c120 range are best for these).
Yes the LNB could be the issue, as could the cable connections or dish alignment. AlfonsoSaturday 19 November 2011 4:08PM
I have bought a Luxor DTR (HDD 250GB) in the UK and am trying to use it in Spain. It has found the challenges well and the main functions (e.g. live pause TV or recording) work well. The problem is that there is no sound. Any ideas? ThanksChristopher PughThursday 24 November 2011 2:01PM
Alfonso: The inter carrier soun frequency in the UK is 6 MHz, and it is different in Spain, if my memory serves me correctly, it is 5.5 MHz there. Your Luxor DTR is therfore not tuned to receive this frequency. I don't know whether it is capable of being re-programmed. Perhaps an email to Luxor customer services would suggest a solutionPhil TilsonSaturday 26 November 2011 12:47PM
Can somebody please explain to me why I still can't get subtitles on ITV HD? I assumed it was a short-term, temporary omission originally, but a year later there are still no subtitles.
Apologies if this has been asked before.Phil Tilson: ITV has not yet got around to providing subtitles on ITV1 HD. VeeBeeMonday 2 January 2012 10:40PM
In Southern Spain we get tv through sky.If I buy a freevew +hd box in the UK and take it there will I get Freeview and be able to record programmes?FreeviewSpainWednesday 4 January 2012 7:14AM
Veebee, you need a Freesat+ box to replace your sky receiver in Spain to be able to record UK TV for free. Try the Humax Freesat+.VeeBee: Freeview boxes are for connection to a tv aerial. If you connetc a Freeview box to a TV aerial in Spain, then you will only receive the Spanish digital chanenls. If you already have Sky, then why not upgrade to a Sky HD box, as recording functionality is available as part of your subscription. Ray ParkerSaturday 28 January 2012 10:58PM
You Can watch all the channels that are on freeview in the UK when you are in Spain on TVCatchup.com, you will need a VPN service that is not blocked to do this. The best one I found was AngloVPN (www.anglovpn.com). Fiver a month for connection. hope that helps!Ray Parker: I am sure there are other site available. the site you mention has only been registered since 2011-12-17 so its not exactly been going long, and there are more establisted one available. And tvcatchup has a good record of blocking VPNs, its just a matter of time before they block this one. manueSaturday 4 February 2012 11:45AM
I own a humax freeview and hardisk top box which ibought in the uk. My question is..can itak it to spain and be able to receive spanish tv programmes.?
thanking you.
M. berlangamanue: It may work, but there may be some limitations. For example, some Freeview branded receivers I have seen being used in Spain are unable to select the "second audio" track - that carries uk and USA imported programmes origianal english language soundtrack. Some of the Freeview boxes I have seen here in Spain limit languages to English Welsh and Gealic in the menu system, yet Spanish broadcasters use MUL, DOs, QAA, VO, and a few other labels for this second audio, which some Freeview boxes dont recognise. This is an issue with the Freeview branding and software - a more "gerneric" box will be OK. Brenda SingfieldTuesday 21 February 2012 12:18PM
I currently have a sat dish with a box which receives many free channels in Provence/south of France via Astra Sat. I( want to change to have a twin tuner box that will also record - what do I need to do/buy?tony hurstWednesday 22 February 2012 11:36PM
Hi, we are looking to move to Spain (Murcia area) and we have a Panasonic 46" Plasma Neo TV with built in Freesat. Will we need to buy a Sky box and card to view these channels or will we be able to receive them as normal with a suitable sized dish?
We welcome any help as we have had conflicting reports.
Many thanks,
Tony TomSaturday 25 February 2012 5:32PM
tony hurst: Murcia.-
Dish size, location are very important. Lots of parameters have changed recently. there is a new Satellite (Astra 1-N) which makes UK TV stronger than it has been for a long time, that is until December when it will be replaced with a new 'bird' pointing at the UK. Unknown results until it's launched 4th Quarter 2012. "Sky" branded equipment is NOT needed to view UK TV. However IF you NEED to see movies / sport then that's different. King Rupert bought the lot. SO, here in Murcia. your Panasonic TV will work with Freesat. You will see what you saw in the UK. /depending on the size of dish you have access to!). We live in Murcia, have five dishes, more than six receivers, and a Panasonic TV.....TomSaturday 25 February 2012 6:29PM
Brenda Singfield: assuming your dish gets all available UK channels..... (ie it's big enough and pointing in the right direction) then a twin LNB (the thing on the end of the arm) at least is needed.A Quad LNB is better.... then two cables feed the room where the 'box' is. Then a Humax Foxsat HDR PVR would do what you want. No subscription to SKY. Beware December 2012 when a new satellite is launched. Nobody knows what will be receivable after that date.David TillottTuesday 28 February 2012 9:57AM
We live in Gandia, Valencia, Spain, and our apartment is at the top (9th floor,) as we have a 1.2 mtr dish on the roof, which WAS used for Sky...which we no longer have. Can we use it with a Free Stat Box. Would we have to change the LNB ?.David Tillott: As long as your dish is pointing towards the UK TV satellites at 28 east, then you can use a sky box, a freesat box, or just about any free to air receiver to receive the free to air UK channels.
You may have to change the LNB if it is old, or the plastic cover has cracked in the sun (water inside an LNB is bad!), or if you want to use a PVR like Freesat+, that ideally requires two cables to funtion to its full potential NeilFriday 2 March 2012 11:26AM
Why can't I get radio 2 on my sky hd box in Denia Spain. Near Valencia please.Neil:
The problem is specific to you and your system. It is fine for me now (Gandia) and was fine when I was in Denia this morning at a clients house.
Suggest dish alignment, LNB or cabling problems, or if you have a Thomson HD box, its that box! Neil: have you tried rebooting the box? Are there any other channels youa re having problems with (Radios 1,3,and 4 are on the same frequency - can you get those?). Mark FoxMonday 5 March 2012 10:00AM
Hi I have a home in southern spain. I have a 1. 2m dish and a medion satelite receiver. I had someone install the system and they input a code into the receiver to get british tv. The electricity went off during the winter and the codes have been lost. Do you know of any codes I can try as I can no longer get tv. Alan ByrneSaturday 24 March 2012 10:45AM
Have a sky box no card in our apt in puerto banus Marbella.
Want to put something like Humax box in so we can record bbc and itv channels.
Can you give me an indication of costs please.
Alan Byrnebruce williamsSaturday 14 July 2012 11:54AM
We live in Mijas and receive UK TV through an old Thomson branded Sky DV3 digibox with no card. We have a 1.2 metre dish with twin LMB (just renewed). One Outlet goes to our Thomson box and the other goes to a Spain purchased Antares receiver & a TV in our daughter's room.
We view through our Sky box and a Mitsai DV3 HDready TV with in-built DVD player, HDMI & VGA sockets.
We would like to change our Thomson receiver, as it is forever giving us problems, for another which still receives BBC & ITV channels and others, as my wife likes her 'soaps', Daybreak etc. and we would like to be able to record broadcast programs from time to time. We do not want a subscription service, such as Sky or BBCiPlayer, just free-to-air.
Am I right in thinking we need a Freesat receiver for our purposes?
Is there a website that I can use to see what channels are available in our area?
If we changed to a 4 channel LNB with two channels going to each receiver, would this improve the signal quality, as noted in a response to Brenda Singfeild earlier. Could you give me an indication of the cost of a 4 channel LNB?
Do all receivers have two 'RF in' sockets to take two coax cables from the LNB?
By having two RF-in sockets does this automatically mean that one would be able to watch one channel and record another at the same time through the one receiver?
Would you go as far as to suggest, or recommend, an appropriate receiver for our requirements?
If we buy a receiver online, say from Amazon.co.uk, can it be set up for the region in which we live in southern Spain? Or, is it necessary to purchase a receiver in Spain?
Sorry for there being so many questions.JamesMonday 16 July 2012 5:56AM
Hi, I life in a appartment within a community and receive a lot of Digital channels BBC 1 etc, I wish to take a HDD recorder with dual tuner out with me from the UK, will I be able to recorder on this in Tenerifebruce: Yes Freesat+ receivers allow you to record. if you want to kwno what channels your Freesat receiver will gte, simply take the sky card out of your sky receiver - the sky box will then receive just the "free to air" channels - ie the same channels as a freesat box would receiver. Or simply look at the hcannels on your daughters box! Only those reciever with twin tuners for recording will have two inputs for connection the LNB. The twin input would llow you towatch one channel and record another at the same time. Humax Freesat HD+ are ideal. For best "deals" on Freesat boxes in the UK, go to joinfreesat.co.uk, and look at the right hand side of the screen, with all the receivers and the best prices from UK stores. James you will only be able to use the twin inputs, if you have two cable feeds from the community system. Les NicolSunday 22 July 2012 1:07PM
Bruce - Just to add to Satandpcguy's response. You can put in any UK post code to a "Freesat" receiver. A Spanish or other Euro postal code is of no use. Choose the UK regional code that suits your preferred viewing. The Humax has one of the mosts sensitive tuners and is ideal for Spain with the correct dish setup but if you have some break up try a Channel Islands post code.Paul ListerMonday 3 December 2012 5:06PM
Shrewsbury When I clicked The Wrekin - my nearest transmitter - the little icon was bouncing up and up and down up and down... Has the volcano erupted or is there something else I should know? When we first got digital tv, I had Film 4, then I didn't, then I did, now I don't. This would seem to be related to the icon bouncing up and down up and down... I'd be grateful for your thoughts on this but with zero jargon, please. I'm an old man and can only understand old-fashioned plain English. Thank you.LindaFriday 7 December 2012 12:46PM
I have been hearing that we are going to loose UK TV in Southern Spain soon is this true ?normanThursday 21 February 2013 9:19AM
Hi
like many expats i read in the uk spainish papers that we are about to lose uk tv in spain, due to the upgrade in the astra satilite, how true is this and if so what other alternative do we have to get uk tvLes NicolThursday 21 February 2013 1:47PM
norman: You may still be able to receive UK TV in Spain, dependent on your locus and existing equipment - particularly the size of your current dish. I would keep a check on the English language press for comments and also the ads there-in from ex pat installers living and working in your area.peterSunday 17 March 2013 9:42PM
Sky shares will crash. There are over 500000 people & bars illegally paying (using UK addresses). Amazed that that Sky hadn't spotted that it will lose £150,000,000 per year revenue!updates
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Eutelsat 28A & Astra 1N/2A/2B at 28.2°E - LyngSat which lists the UK T V satellite for frequencies. 
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