Re: French version of freeview

French Satellite TV, French Internet and Telephone

French version of freeview

tigerfeet 28/07/2008, 9:33

Does any one know the coverage in the Limousin area ?

My location come up as n 45`39.454 e 1`40.687 on the sat nav.

I can see a transmitter mast about 5 mile away , but do not know what it is for.

Re: French version of freeview

Anton Redman 28/07/2008, 9:42

Link to thread with a link to a coverage map

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1295449/ShowPost.aspx

Re: French version of freeview

Martinwatkins 28/07/2008, 11:12
According to my guess you're not far from Domps, the mast you can see might be that of Sussac (at a guess) which is just an analogue relay.

Your area is principally covered for analogue TV by the main station of Limoges Les Cars which for the moment doesn't transmit TNT (French Freeview) because sufficient channels can't be cleared to accommodate the digital transmissions (Les Cars provokes interference as far afield as the north coast of Spain, and fitting in new channels that don't cause problems for existing viewers is extremely complicated).

Les Cars is scheduled for TNT by the end of the year, but I'm not holding my breath as the whole frequency re-allocation project is getting very behind and what has been promised by non-technical people pushing the TNT project is now running very far ahead of the technical reality. And that would rely on your aerial actually pointing at Les Cars and not at some relay whose date for digital upgrade is even further behind.

If you're really keen to get TNT the simplest idea might be to get a TNTparSat box + card (€139) and a dish (orientated on Astra 1); this is the "catch all" for people like you with a delay in prospect for the arrival of TNT via your aerial. It all depends how keen you really are!

All this should be read in the context that I hope I've correctly identified your location and that my estimates for your signal are all done theoretically rather than by an actual site-visit! So do ask your neighbours if they're getting TNT - there is an outside chance that if you're on high ground a signal would come through from "Ussel Meymac Mt Bessou" or the town relay for Limoges (Puy Las Rodas).

Re: French version of freeview

ams 28/07/2008, 12:54

You appear to be an expert on TV's etc, can I ask you several questions.

Current situation

We have a sky box with the standard free stations, BBC ITV etc. In addition we also have TNT through or ariel, good reception, about 15 stations, we also have a recent sat dish that was used for canal plus, box gone back as it was not really used. Out local Sat installer is trying to sell us one of the TNTpar box + card that you mentioned for €170.00. He told us we can get not only TNT but italian, german, spanish and english stations with the system.

Questions.

The information that he has provided, is it accurate and if so do you know what stations in english that you get free. Would CNBC be one of them. ?

Is it possible to obtain a box ourselves at the price that you have quoted. ?

The provider of our Sky box told us that if we wanted to upgrade the system for sky, we would have to pay a one off charge of £150 plus an annual charge of £50 to the provider for the card and an additional annual charge of £85 for our information to be held in a data base in the UK. All of the above costs are additional on top of the sky monthly charge. Is their a less expensive method of getting the standard sky package. ?

ams

Re: French version of freeview

Martinwatkins 28/07/2008, 13:05
How kind, how kind!

1)   Yes, a TNTparSat box works exclusively from Astra 1.   A full list of programmes for that satellite is here

http://www.lyngsat.com/astra19.html     (free channels are marked in pale yellow,   the buff ones are scrambled)

and CNBC appears to be on 11597 MHz and appears to be free to air.   In a minute I'll report back as to whether our TNTparSat box can see it. This box is designed to give you the TNT channels via sat + the FTA channels on Astra 1, but if you already have reliable TNT reception via your aerial then you'd get the same Astra 1 free channels using a €70 digital sat box (DVB-S) from Bricowhatever and connected up to your ex Canalsat dish.   Although this cheaper option would not obviously pick up those TNT channels from Astra 1 as they are scrambled (that's why you need the special TNTparSat box and card).    I really can't see why you'd need the TNTparSat box unless your TNT terrestrial reception was a bit dodgy or it was just for the convenience of having all the sat channels and TNT on the one box.

2)   Yes,   in LeClerc/Carrefor etc.   Be very careful to ensure that you're buying the "TNTparSat" box, not an ordinary TNT terrestrial box (much cheaper). But see 1) above about your current reception of TNT from your aerial.

3)    You're paying (I suspect) for an element of subterfuge to hide from Sky the fact your box is abroad.   Far easier to find a friend in the UK whose address you can use.   It used to be fairly easy to persuade Sky that you already had a box/didn't need installation but I suspect that may have got a lot harder.   Problem now is that to get a new free box they (I believe) insist on installing and insist that you respect the one year connect-the-box-to-the-telephone-line condition.

I don't know how easy it is to persuade Sky to issue a Sky sub to an exisiting box, you would need an address in the UK and it would be easier to phone from said address, although it you use a mobile and/or hide your number when calling I imagine that you will be able to say "I have a box here at 23 Railway Cuttings, bought it second hand, like to have a Sky sub, please issue me a card to go with box number 123456" (have an excuse ready as to why you aren't phoning from the 23 Railway Cuttings landline!) and then take the card to France.    I suggest we see if someone has done this sort of thing recently and if they have similar or better advice....

Re: French version of freeview

Martinwatkins 28/07/2008, 13:12
Just to confirm that CNBC Europe does indeed come through fine on a TNTparSat box.

Re: French version of freeview

ams 28/07/2008, 13:26

Fantastic, what a response, full credit to you and many thanks, fed up with bloomberg off to purchase the box. If ever up my direction give me a bell. email (Saintes 17)

ams

Re: French version of freeview

Martinwatkins 28/07/2008, 16:03
A votre service...!

Re: French version of freeview

ams 28/07/2008, 20:07