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Fewtrem Europa

Equipment
remember: these are only guidelines and may not apply to all parts of the EU. They are very simple so do not rely on them alone! They concern Free To Air channels.

1.Ensure you can put your dish fasing south

The dish will need to face from South South East to South South West in most of Europe for the satellites listed here. The signal will be best if there is a clean line of site between the satellite/s and the dish (The satellites can be seen at night as they are brighter than most stars). You so not have to have the dish on a wall - it can be on a pole or bricks less than a metre off the ground in most places.
2.Get a Satellite Dish

80cm should be sufficient for receiving most channels that you will be able to receive in you country. A 1m dish may be needed in remote, fringe areas. You can check the size of the dish needed by clicking on the satellite name on the frequency pages.

3.Get an LNB

This often comes with the dish. LNB stands for "Low Noise Block" and is the device that picks up the frequencies adter the dish has focused them on a point infront of it at the end of the dish's arm, where the LNB is placed. Be careful: make sure that the LNB is suitable for your dish and receiver. A different LNB is required for oval and circular dishes, it may not support both analogue and digital and may not receive all frequencies. Check with your retailer, especially if you buy the LNB and dish separately.
for more complex information on LNBs, check out the SatCure site here

4.Get some cable

Most likely you will already have some with your dish & LNB, but you need some coaxial cable that can stand 20V and for most people it will have to be at least 20m long. If you can get a really long one as you may want to move the dish.

5.Get a decoder

You can buy a brand new decoder from your local satellite retailer, but these aren't very common in the UK and other parts of Europe. For those who want new decoders and can't find a shop near them it is best to browse the internet or pick up one when you're on holiday (in the EU, of course). If you are buying from abroad, just check that it receives all free to air channels. US boxes won't work here (they receive diferent frequencies and the voltage change will probably blow them anyway). Most new decoders can cost from £50 to £300. Ebay has a whole section on satellite decoders and you can get some great second hand bargains as well as some cheap new boxes. Special note: If you want Free To Air then avoid Pay TV Service boxes (includes Sky Digiboxes), if you want Free To Air and Pay To View on the same box you'll need a decoder which allows you to insert a decoding device called a CAM from that network.
(Comag DVB-FTAIII shown)

Position The Satellite
If you want to move it alot and it has no motor, it is best to keep it low down on bricks or a pole.