Can I use my Sky Dish to get Free French TV

Veronica asks;

With reference to your French Satellite HD package, it states that you need a Sky satellite. We already have Sky, so would it be possible to use our own dish?

Also, upon researching free to air French satellite, all the packages seem to need a 4 to 5 year viewing card. Please advise why this package does not need a viewing card.

Our answer;

firstly we sell the kits with 80cm satellite dishes not sky dishes - I have updated the description the HD French TV Kit to reflect this.

The Kit consists of:

HD Satellite Receiver
HDMI Lead
80cm Satellilte Dish, Single LNB & wall bracket
Satellite Installation Kit

Will a 60cm sky dish do for French TV ?

If you already have a sky dish on your house there are 2 things you need to consider

Size: the sky satellite dish
- will just not be big enough to pick up the signal
- the minimum dish size you will need is 80cm
- for signal from the old Astra 1 satellite, the 60cm dish might be OK on the east coast of Ireland
Dish Alignment: it will be a near certainty that your current dish is pointed to Astra 2 (28.2 degrees East)
- To pick up French TV you will need to have the satellite dish pointed to Atlantic Bird 3 Satellite at 5.0°W
- This will mean that you will have to align you satellite dish perhaps using a Satellite finder

Will I be able to get many Channels ?

The reality is that most of the best channels are being broadcasted encrypted i.e. you need to subscribe to a viewing card to get extra channels (we don't provide these cards).
With French TV there are 2 further complications
- The signal is spread over a number of satellites
  - Astra 1 @ 19.2° East: contains channels such as such as Tele5, TV5 Monde, FBM TV, France 24 still remain on this satellite
  - Hotbird (13.0° East): not much, France 24 etc
  - Astra 2 (28.0° East):
- some channels remain in analogue and can not be picked up by this kit e.g.
  - TF1, Arte Francais, M6, TMC