Satellite TV F.A.Q.
What should I know when I move to a new place, in order to be able to install a satellite dish afterwards?
Actually this is not a frequently asked question, more often we get this question in another form and when it is too late, from people that have already moved to a new place and cannot understand why it is not possible to have a dish installed there...
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First of all, you should be aware that not all sides of a building are suitable for installing a satellite dish! There needs to be a clear view of the southern sky, as all satellites are around the Equator.
If you only have a view to the North, satellite reception will not be possible!
In such situations, you should make sure that the building administration allows satellite dish installations on the roof, where there is always a clear view of the sky in any direction.
Even if you think you do have a view towards the satellite, be aware that even a tree can block satellite signals, so in such a situation you will be able to receive the signal only during the winter, when the trees have no leaves.
You should also make sure that you are allowed to install a dish at the balcony or at a window, as in some new buildings they do not allow any satellite dishes at all!
So again, make sure and ask in advance about that.
The direction of different satellites varies from South-East to South-West. If you are unsure about the right direction to your satellite, please contatct us, and we will try to help. Email and phone assistance is free.
How many TV channels will I be able to receive on satellite?
There are a lot of channels on satellite, but frankly it all depends on which channels you are interested in.
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For example, only on one satellite (Hotbird), there are more than 500 unencrypted channels, but they come from different countries so you might not be interested to watch all of them.
You can see the complete list of TV and radio channels transmitted by satellite here. But be aware that not all channels can be received in Romania, as most channels target a certain area and for example American channels cannot be received in Europe and viceversa. You should also bear in mind that while some channels in that list may have good signal here, they may also be encrypted!
Can I use a satellite dish for more than one TV?
Yes, but the installation gets more complicated and more expensive.
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This is not a simple problem of distributing signals by cable to several TV's, unless you only want to receive the same channel in all rooms. First of all, there needs to be a special LNB with multiple outputs, installed at the antenna, then separate cables directly from the antenna to each room, then for every room you will need a satellite receiver, unless you own one of those special TV's that have a satellite receiver built in.
Fixed or motorized antena? And what size?
It depends what channels you want to receive. In some cases, channels from one country are all grouped on one satellite.
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On the other hand if you wish to receive as many channels as possible, from differnt countries, you should definitely go for a motorized antenna. The good news is that satellite signals are now stronger than they were a few years ago, so at the present time we do not recommend installing a dish bigger than 1 m.
But if you are interested in one particular package on one particular satellite, you may still need a bigger dish here in Romania, for instance for Sky UK you need at least a 1.5 m dish, also some Arabic channels don't have a very strong signal here.
Is it enough if I only bring the viewing card from abroad?
Yes, if you can buy only the card this means that your provider does not limit the use of their cards to their own decoders only.
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We can offer you the complete installation except for the decryption card from your provider in your country.
There are some providers that offer a decoder together with the card, sometimes the card won't even work in another decoder. So in such cases, we will of course provide only the antenna and installation.
In what regards the dish, we strongly advise against bringing a dish from abroad, because of transport charges and also the possibility that you may need a bigger dish here than in the country of origin, as the satellite beam for those channels may not be aimed at Romania.
Do I need a separate card for each TV in order to receive encrypted channels?
Yes, but in some cases there is the option to use one card for more decoders in different rooms. Please contact us for more details.
I didn't find an answer to my question.
Please contact us for more details, we are always glad to help!
