A satellite TV system basically comprises four elements:

• a dish that focuses the signal from the satellite on the LNB
• the LNB, the microphone-shaped bit that collects the signal
• a length of cable that carries the signal to the receiver
• and - a receiver which converts the signal into something your TV understands.

Size does matter

Logically the bigger the dish, the better the signal, although the dish's "gain" will also affect quality, e.g. Triax, Attisat and Cybertenna dishes have higher gain than some more traditional dishes. A 60cm dish will receive signals from about six satellite positions in the South East of England. Some weak satellite signals need a very big dish. Larger dishes require planning permission - check with your local council's planning office. Arrange an architect's drawings in support of your planning application if necessary.

Choosing an LNB

The LNB decides which frequency range you receive. Most broadcasts to Europe are in what is called Ku-Band (9. 750GHz to13GHz). Many broadcasts to more tropical regions are in C-Band, which uses a much lower frequency range, almost invariably requires a prime-focus dish, and a much larger LNB. A "universal" LNB should allow you to receive most, if not all, Ku-Band transmissions to Europe. The LNB will have a "noise" measurement. Look for one with a lower "noise", i. e. 0. 7dB will perform better than 1. 0dB. The most powerful we stock is the Humax Universal Single 0.3dB LNB which has a noise level of 0.3dB. Note that in some parts of the world the calculation to determine LNB noise level is different from the way we calculate it in Western Europe. Seriously though, don't be worried by technicalities when you are starting. It is, however, best to be sure that the LNB will accept digital signals, as digital is now largely replacing analogue transmissions on satellite.

Choosing cable

Surprisingly enough, the cable that connects the LNB to your receiver should be carefully chosen. Look for Raydex CT100 or CT125 digital ready cable, with a bandwidth of at least 36MHz , and avoid anything that is unsuitable for digital. Analogue signals will happily pass along a digital cable, but many digital signals will fail using old cable. If you are installing the cable yourself, don't allow it to be "kinked", seal the joint with the LNB using self-amalgamating tape (available from any good hardware store or chandlery), and limit the cable length to 25 metres. Digital signals will not normally carry satisfactorily over 30 metres and there is an overall signal loss of about 1dB for every 10 metres cable run.

The receiver

Receivers come in all shapes and sizes. A basic analogue receiver with a fixed dish can cost as little as £100 complete, and will allow you to receive about thirty free channels in English and German if aimed at the Astra 1 group of satellites at 19. 2 degrees East, or a similar number in English, German, French, Polish, Italian, Arabic, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Greek, Farsi and Dutch if aimed at the Hot Bird group of satellites at 13 degrees East. A number of other analogue satellites offer free channels in Turkish, French, Arabic, Flemish, English, Norwegian and Spanish. See the section about making your dish receive more than one satellite, and the section for receiving subscription channels.

A basic digital receiver with a fixed dish can cost as little as £200 complete, and will allow you to receive about a hundred free channels in English and other languages if aimed at the Astra 1 group of satellites at 19. 2 degrees East, or over two hundred in English, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Slovenian, Polish, Turkish, Serbo-croat, Mandarin Chinese and Thai (amongst others) if aimed at the Hot Bird group of satellites at 13 degrees East.

There are a few hybrid receivers on the market, capable of receiving both analogue and digital signals, though these are becoming increasingly rare as more and more channels are being converted to digital.

Remember that a digital satellite receiver is NOT a satellite receiver. It is a computer that receives a data stream which happens to be delivered through a satellite dish. Everyone just calls it a satellite receiver for convenience.

Paying to watch analogue

There were a number of analogue scrambling systems used in Europe. BSkyB broadcasts from Astra 1 using Videocrypt, (the service closed at the end of September 2001). Many analogue receivers sold in the U. K. have a built-in Videocrypt decoder. BSkyB's analogue subscriptions are no longer available.

There other relatively common analogue scrambling methods in Europe were.

• Syster (also known as Nagravision) used to be used commonly in France for its services from the Telecom satellite at 8 degrees West, although these are now down to one channel, and some Spanish, Turkish, Polish, German and French services on the Astra, Turksat, Hispasat and Hot Bird satellites. Note there are several different Syster standards, so for example a Turkish Syster decoder would not decode French Syster signals and vice-versa.
• D2MAC, (which is a transmission standard, not a scrambling method as such), is still used (as at 31 July 2001) for some services from Scandinavia, of which a good proportion broadcast substantial amountsof programming in English. In both cases you need a decoder to receive such programmes, and for D2MAC services you will also need a viewing card if the transmissions are also scrambled in Eurocrypt. These are largely unavailable in the U. K. due to legal restrictions, and are now fully duplicated in digital format.