Satellite signals - Germany and France

[iainwiththesterling]

Hi all.
I am going to Germany next week (first Bitbourg and then Black Forest) and stopping at France on the way back (near Paris).
Might I get a signal from the Astra satellite or should I leave the dish at home?
Iain

 

[bertieboy1]

If you don't take your dish you won't get a signal !
Depends on your dish size,the further away form UK the bigger the dish you'll need.
There are plenty web sites out there that will show you the satellite footprint and tell you the dish size(s) you will require to receive signals

 

[Sproket]

Might I get a signal from the Astra satellite or should I leave the dish at home?
Iain

Have a look here @ satelliteforcaravans

 

[PaulT]

If you're not going further South than Paris you'll be ok with the normal dish.

 

[Gafferbill]

I have used a Sky mini dish......45cms down near La Rochelle in July this year with all channels available.

 

[Sproket]

Have a look at this map

This web site will give you the dish settings

 

[BedfordGeorge]

We received a good signal in Bad Liebenzell in the northern Black Forest last year with our Arcon 57cm dish, with centrally located LNB, that performs to the equivalent of an 85cm dish. This year we also got a good signal in Rumilly, which is between Aix les Bains and Annecy, but did not try further south as we were in the Alps.
I use the Compass App on my I-Phone to locate the direction I should be looking for the satellite, then my Horizon NanoSat Finder Meter to lock on to it. I have now added the Free SatFinder Lite App on my phone and this has improved the situation, as it shows you exactly where the satellite is and allows you to move the dish to avoid any trees that are obstructing your view.
As Bertie said, if you don't take the dish, you will not get a signal.

 

[PaulT]

I haven't got a smart phone but can any of these sat.finder apps be used on a Samsung Tablet - it has GPS enabled?

 

[BedfordGeorge]

I cannot give a definitive answer, as I have the Apple I-Phone, but it works on our I-Pad, so I am sure you will be able to find an App that will work on the Samsung System Tablet. Look on your Apps and you should find one. It definitely helped me position the dish on our last site, at Serracourt la Grange near St. Quentin, as I had trees blocking a clear site, when my NanoSat Finder struggled to make a contact, due to the trees.

 

[Gafferbill]

I haven't got a smart phone but can any of these sat.finder apps be used on a Samsung Tablet - it has GPS enabled?

.......yes they can.

If your Tablet has a camera (most have one) then this is a good app and can be down loaded over wifi from Google play store.