White Satallite

[Eastender]

What are these white satallite dish'es that the asian community seem to have? are they special ones for picking up asian tv? They are not the normal sky dish'es. Just wondered as I keep noticing them. Thanks

[Buenchico]

Every satellite has a 'footprint' relating to its reception area. Here, for example, is the footprint for the Astra 2D satellite, which provides many UK viewers with their satellite TV services:
http://www.digitalsat...astra2dfootprint.html

You'll see from that illustration that a 60cm satellite dish is good enough for reception across the whole of the UK but viewers in northern Italy, hoping to pick up signals from Astra 2D, would need a massive 3m dish.

Astra 2D and the other satellites providing services to the UK provide hardly any channels broadcasting in Asian languages, which means that those seeking to receive such programming must get them from other satellites. Those satellites don't have their footprints centred over the UK. (Hotbird 6, for example, has its beam centred over France). So that means viewers will require a larger satellite dish than those used by people watching Freesat or Sky. Those dishes could be any colour but, presumably, the most popular models are made in white.

Chris

[jomifl]

To get astra 2A in southern France you need a 85cm dish and very careful alignment

[AlBags]

It's not as simple as that Chris

It is to do not only with the amplifier transmitter power, which is often only about 20w, it is more to do withe the type and shape of the beam.
These may be tightly spot focussed, spot beam, Euro beam, and shaped beam to cover .. say the UK mainland and not Ireland.
The rapid drop off in gain outside these beam coverage areas can only be offset by a larger dish. Prime focus dishes are best for this.
There is nothing special at all with the Asian network dishes .. just use an LNB as normal and pointed at correct satellite.

[Buenchico]

I can't see that we're disagreeing, Al.

All my post really says is that you need a larger-than-usual dish to receive satellite signals if you're quite some way from the centre of the beam, and that people seeking to receive Asian channels have to use such dishes because the satellites providing those channels don't have their beams centred on the UK.

I never implied that there is anything 'special' or 'different' (other than their size) about such dishes, and I fully accept that they can also be used (with dual or quad LNBs) for also receiving Sky or FreeSat. (I could bore for England on the finer technicalities of satellite beams and dishes, but I decided that such points weren't relevant to answering Eastender's question).

Chris

[AlBags]

We're not disagreeing .. In fact we both posted far too much considering the question : )

[Eastender]

Now now guys, i never meant to start a argument. Anyway thanks for the replies, some of the dish'es do seem quite large. I just thought that Sky had the monopoly on the airwaves lol. Thanks again.

[VHG]

>I just thought that Sky had the monopoly on the airwaves lol.

There are hundreds of satellites up there, and Sky are just one company using them.

But the Sky signal mainly only covers UK mainland (which is why the Sky dish is quite small), but if you want to watch something that normally does NOT cover UK mainland you need a bigger dish.