What aspects should we take into account for a good reception of satellite television on the bus? There are three factors that are essential for a correct reception during the trip: the size of the installed satellite dish, the coverage footprint of the satellite and the conditions of the route. In this post, we will analyze each of these three variables.
If it matters. The size of the antenna necessary for satellite reception on the bus or coach route depends on the power of the beams that illuminate the ground (Pire ), which is explained in dBW, and their direction: the larger the diameter of the antenna, the better reception .
Therefore, it is better to install a larger antenna than the one recommended by the manufacturers, thus, we will not have reception problems in case of bad weather . Some broadcasters recommend small antennas for the reception of their signals, and especially in the case of the most powerful satellites that broadcast digital channels (50 cm antenna diameter for the reception of a satellite with an Eirp of 50 dBW), even in this case, it is better to choose antennas with a few centimeters more.
It is important to remember that poor reception caused by an antenna that is too small has no remedy.
The second aspect that must be taken into account to achieve good reception of the satellite signal on the bus or coach route is the coverage areas of the chosen satellite (footprints in English). These footprints allow a perfect identification of the technical characteristics of their diffusion, that is, the limits of the territories by the beams and the power gradient of the latter.
To facilitate the identification of the emission power of the satellites, some satellites can modify the direction of their beams, so these maps are purely indicative. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a satellite, analyze its coverage footprint and check that the technical specifications of the antenna allow reception of the signal with the intensity that reaches the area through which we travel .
We are going to list the 4 coverage footprints of the most important satellites in Europe and analyze what type of antenna we would need:
ASTRA 1 at 19.2 E
Here we see that an antenna with a signal reception capacity of 51 dBW will be necessary
ASTRA 2 at 28.2 E
In this case we would need an antenna with a signal reception capacity of 52 dBW
HOTBIRD 13 B
In this case we would need an antenna with a reception capacity of 51 dBW
HISPASAT 1C at 30.0 W
In this case we would need an antenna capable of receiving a 52 dBW signal.
It is interesting on some occasions to analyze the selected route that the bus or coach is going to take to guarantee this good reception of the satellite signal, because obviously, in addition to the weather conditions (on cloudy days the intensity of the signal decreases), the orography greatly influences on signal reception. Narrow roads with lots of trees, routes through the interior of valleys and mountain routes present some difficulties for the reception of the satellite signal .
Considering each of these three aspects, we will be able to achieve a good reception of the satellite signal en route and our passengers will be able to enjoy live television during the journey.
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