Well here we are in June, half the year almost gone. Where did that go? No real rain this year and the farmers are suffering as is our garden. I water the minimum I feel will keep plants alive, but a hosepipe running for an hour uses a tremendous amount of water. Is this global warming or just a 10 year blip? Next winter will tell, but we all have to get through the summer – use water wisely. Watching Spanish grandma hosing down the pavement outside her house makes me very annoyed, but that is the culture. Just ask yourself – is this patio spray down really necessary? Can the car wait another week for a wash?
All is well in the Rainbow house except we lost one of our dogs to cancer last week. Tasi (the Tasmanian Devil) was with us from a puppy, but the dreaded cancer got her. Yes it is hard when you lose one of your pets.
TV News
Satellite signals are going into their summer low values, so on top of the changes outlined last month, TV watching by satellite is now very limited in Southern Spain. There is no magical answer – we are continually asked to come and adjust the dish to get the channels back, but it is simply not possible. It is not dish alignment or even dish size. Many channels are simply not available here anymore on satellite. If you are ‘struggling’ along with your satellite system, please be aware that the best LNB most have on their dishes is no longer made and just unavailable – the only one on the market to fit the prime focus dishes we use is really inferior in reception quality to the original old Invacom – the best ever made. Do not follow the Facebook advice and dig around in the LNB hole to remove the insect and regain signal. One; you will not regain signal and two; you will almost certainly damage the receptor pins ruining the LNB, with no quality replacement available. If you have absolutely no satellite signal you have a problem, but our 35€ call-out fee can be money so well spent – it will remove the insect and nest without damaging the LNB.
Fed up with just the few satellite channels available now – and soon to be none!? IPTV – TV over the internet – is now the way to view UK TV in Southern Spain. You will need stable internet of 10MBS plus, (most is these days), but it really is the way to watch TV. It will be the only way within a few years. It is an industry really in its infancy and there have certainly been some disasters – still some around! Have you tried it and been disappointed? Give the Rainbow system a try and see what it is all about. We offer a free no-obligation demonstration and the loan of a box for up to a week so that you can fully assess the system before you commit to a purchase. We have a full range of channels, catch-up TV, a huge film and box set library along with radio. Give it a try and if you do take it up after the week we can offer a 12 month subscription for the price of 11 – ask for ‘offerJune 23’.
We do get asked about the Elon Musk ‘Starlink’ internet service – literally thousands of low orbit satellites. It works and it is very good – minimum 100mbs. It works anywhere worldwide. However, the equipment is expensive – €450 self install (but it is quite easy) and the subscription in the region of 80€ per month. If you have fibre available in your street it is not for you, but if you are in the ‘middle of nowhere’, it really is an option. For a business it is not so expensive – for an individual – well it depends on how much you want decent internet. I expect it is not officially allowed (but who will know), but two or three houses in close proximity could share – more than enough band width.
That’s it for June – another edition in July 2023.
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