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from december 2009’s issue...

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The Americas

Freesat Freeview euro tv skyThe best kit, The best programmes

2 What Satellite & Digital TV

Al Hurra is America’s voice in the Arab world

Evangelism may be America’s biggest export

From America to Iran, via Andisheh TV

Live TV – Iran may be right to fear jazz-funk

Nick Jr for Germany, but it’s made in the good ol’ US of A

New Tang Dynasty TV is no fan of the Chinese government

The AmericasThis month Wotsat goes West to find free TV from the Americas

Say what you like about immigration, but the Americas –

south and central America in particular – have become well-represented on satellite TV in recent years, thanks to TV channels chasing far-flung nationals.

some of these channels are on unusual satellites aimed at cable TV providers, but they’re nothing you can’t pick up with an 80cm dish and a good view to the Western skies. And brazil’s record TV is on 28°e for anyone with a sky or freesat system.

The major TV export from Latin America is the telenovela. These long-running drama serials have no equivalent on british or us TV, but they’re hugely popular around the world. Americans know them as ‘soaps’, but they have more in common with romantic novels than the grubby futility of Eastenders. for although they may run for 20 years, there’s usually a start, middle and end to the story, which follows a heroic character in a search for fame, fortune, and, of course, love. There are often fantastical detours en route, which english-language adaptations like Ugly Betty have trouble rendering into anything other than dream sequences.

if telenovelas don’t tickle your fancy, then

there’s lots of news, current affairs and general entertainment channels from the Latin world. for a change of viewpoint, tune into castro’s legendary speeches on cubavision, or look at south America through the region’s secondmost left-wing culture on Venezuela’s Telesur. There’s spirited Latino pop, and Panama’s only satellite TV export is an adult TV channel.

most of North American TV channels fit into two camps: televangelism and channels for expats/exiles from the middle east or china. There’s some crossover between the two, such as the coptic christian channel, Aghapy TV, and islamic anti-fundamentalist salaam TV, but most is of the fire, brimstone and credit-cards-accepted variety. some of the Persian channels are targeted as much at domestic Americans as iranians with satellite TV.

beyond these are a few gems: The Pentagon channel is a fascinating look at the modern military, The sundance channel presents a mix of indie films, arts and alternative documentary series, Nat Geo World music may be the only TV channel dedicated to this thriving scene, and supreme master TV is just totally hatstand.

Cinco dos melhores Five of most popular shows from TV in the Americas

El Chavo Clasico TV (Mexico) The Kid From Number Eight is a cult telenovela. Its 21-year run from 1971 follows the life of an orphan and his neighbours in a Mexican apartment building.

The Grill Sergeants Pentagon Channel (USA) Among the news and military history is The Grill Sergeants, where the US military’s top chefs encourage innovation, nutrition and food hygiene in the mess.

Green Porno The Sundance Channel (USA) Bizarre short nature docs about the reproductive habits of animals from worms to anchovies.

Vamos a Concernos Telesur (Venezuela) Come To Know is a showcase of Latin American culture, people, history and geography.

Bela a Feia Record TV Internacional (Brazil) Ugly Betty, the Mexican telenovela, returns as an animated serial. Ugly Beautiful follows the talented Anabela’s bid to find success in love and her career.

ToolkitWhat you need to receive free TV from the Americasn free-to-air dVb digital satellite receiver n 60cm dish with universal LNb aimed at Hot bird (13°e). see Channel Check for dish sizes required on other satellites

No signaln That’s the end of our world tour of satellite channels you can pick up in the UK. We won’t be visiting Australasia or the South Pacific, because there are no free TV channels from these areas available to satellite dishes in the UK. In the next issue, we’ll take a new look at TV shows from around the world.

What Satellite & Digital TV 3

world spoTlighT

The Taliban can’t close Payam-e-Afghan TV Telesur is an authentic voice from Venezuela

Footprint

8°WFormerly one of the French national orbital locations, later subsumed into Eutelsat, 8°w still hosts the last of the surviving Telecom satellites. After 13 years in orbit, Telecom 2d now has an orbit inclined 3.2° to the equatorial plane, although it still provides occasional use feeds for tracking dishes, C-band TV (in MpEg-4) to the island of reunion, and serves the French military syracuse ii communications system in X-band. The main satellite at 8°w is now Atlantic Bird 2, with footprints in Europe and the Americas, plus a spot beam covering the Middle East. it’s used mostly for transatlantic feed traffic, with an increasing number of transponders switching to dVB-s2 and significantly increasing its capacity and the robustness of its signals.n operator: Eutelsat

Satellitesn Atlantic Bird 2Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, September 25, 2001Launch mass: 3,600kgManufacturer: Alcatel Space Spacebus 3000B2Transponders: 26 Ku-bandEIRP: 54dBWBeams: Europe, America, Steerable

n Telecom 2dLaunched: Ariane 4, Kourou, August 8,1996Launch mass: 1,380kgManufacturer: Matra Marconi Eurostar 2000Transponders: 10 C-band, 5 X-band, 11 Ku-bandEIRP: 54dBWBeams: France (C-band), Indian Ocean (C-band), Syracuse II (X-band)

Free Bolivian TVChannel Genre

Red AD Venir Internacional Religion – ChristianNOTE: All channels on Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free Brazilian TVChannel Genre▲[E Record Internacional Europa EntertainmentRecord News News✝ Rede Internacional de TV Religion – Christian✝ TV Cancao Nova Internacional Religion – ChristianI TV Novo Tempo Religion – Christian NOTE: All channels on Atlantic Bird 1, 12.5°W, except:I Intelsat 10, 68.5°e ▲ Eurobird 1, 28.5°E,[ Astra 1x, 19.2°E✝ also Hot Bird, 13°eE Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free Costa Rican TV Channel Genre

Enlace TBN Europa Religion – Christian NOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free Cuban TV Channel Genre

Cubavision Internacional Entertainment NOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free Mexican TV Channel Genre ❤ Canal de las Estrellas Europa Entertainment ❤ Clasico TV Classic series ❤ De Pelicula Europa Mexican moviesE Mariavision Religion – Catholic Christian❤ Ritmoson Latino Pop music❤ Telehit Pop music & entertainment❤ TL Novelas Europa Drama serialsNOTE: All channels on Intelsat 905, 24.5°W, except:E only Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W ❤ also Intelsat 3R/11, 43°W

Free Panamanian TVChannel Genre

Porn Me Adult entertainmentNOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E:

Free Peruvian TVChannel Genre

Bethel TV Religion – ChristianNOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, and Atlantic Bird 1, 12.5°W

Free USA TVChannel Genre I 3ABN International Religion – Christian♣ Aghapy TV Religion – Coptic Orthodox ChristianAlhurra Europe News in ArabicAndisheh TV Expat Iranian entertainmentI Apostolic Oneness Network Religion – ChristianAriana Afghanistan TV Expat Afghan entertainmentAssyriaSat Assyrian entertainment

Channel Genre ▲ BET UK/+1 Black entertainment▲[ Bloomberg TV Europe Financial news♣ BYU TV Religion – MormonThe Church Channel Religion – Christian[ CNBC Europe Business news▲[♣ CNN International Europe News[ Comedy Central Deutschland ComedyI▲[E Daystar TV Religion – ChristianDidar Global TV Expat Iranian entertainmentEBC1 Expat Iranian entertainment▲[ EWTN UK/Europe Religion – Christian✙ Foxlife Greece US TV series▲ Gems TV 1-3 Shopping✪♣ GunAz TV Azerbaijani entertainmentThe Healing Channel Religion – Christian[ Hope Channel Europe Religion – Christian▼ Huntington Beach Webcams Live beach cameras▲ Inspiration Network Europe Religion – ChristianIPN TV Persian & Arabic entertainmentIran TV Network Expat Iranian entertainmentJCTV Religion – Christian✪ Live Channel Expat Iranian entertainment♣ MSNBC News✿ MTV Russia Pop music♦ Nat Geo Music World musicNejat TV Religion – Christian[ Nick Deutschland/Osterreich Children’s entertainmentNTD TV Expat Chinese entertainmentOmid-e-Iran Expat Iranian entertainmentPars TV Expat Iranian entertainmentPayam-e-Afghan TV Expat Afghan entertainment✪ PEN TV Expat Iranian musicPentagon Channel Military news▲ Rural TV Country news Salaam TV Religion – IslamSmile of a Child TV Christian children’s entertainment✪ Sundance Channel Europe Arts & culture▲[ Supreme Master TV Religion – Quan YinTapesh TV Expat Iranian entertainment▲ TBN Europe/Italia/Russia Religion – ChristianUlibka Rebyonka Christian children’s entertainmentUS Armenia Expat Armenian entertainment♣ VoA TV/Europe/Persian News✪ Washington International Network Religion – Christian▲ The Word Network Religion – ChristianYahweh Prophetic TV Religion – Christian

NOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, except:I Intelsat 10, 68.5°e; ✿ express Am-1, 40°e▲ Eurobird 1, 28.5°E, [ Astra 1x, 19.2°E♦ Eutelsat W2, 16°e ✪ Eurobird 9, 9°e✙ Atlantic bird 1, 12.5°W ♣ only Telstar 12, 15°W▼ Nss-7, 22°W E Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free Venezuelan TVChannel Genre

Telesur EntertainmentNOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W

Free TV from the Americas

More footprints at www.eutelsat.com

Note: There are no free TV channels from Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands available in the UK. See Channel Check page 56 for frequencies