No channel 5 in Spain, Astra 2F/2E, Freesat changes

If you are living in southern Spain you will have noticed the loss of some channels since Christmas. This was due to the new satellite - Astra 2F - being put into service and the transfer of those missing channels being assigned to it. The launch of a second new satellite is expected - Astra 2E - in the second part of this year with most of the other free channels BBC/ITV/C4 etc.. being moved to it. The footprint of these satellites will be very similar and will result in you losing service.

As of yet solutions to the problem of getting the channels back are subject to much speculation and experimentation. My advice to you is not to go out and buy the biggest dish you can find and bolt it to your chimney! Reports on the internet are varied; from suggestions of using 2.4 /3 metre dishes, to one person going around installing 1.9 metre dishes at 1,000 euros a pop with no way of knowing if they will work.

My advice is to wait till all the changes have been made around June/July, and some test installations have been done. As soon as we know a of a reasonable solution at a reasonable price it will be posted here.