No, only an antenna designed for satellite signal reception (usually a dish antenna) can receive ASTRA channels.
The size of the dish depends on the channels you want to receive and where you want to receive them. You can see the size of dish required for any channel within its reception area in our Channel Guide. You can also get advice on your dish choice from a satellite TV dealer or installer near to you.
Find the dish size for different channels
The price of the equipment varies with the facilities offered and where it is bought. Low-end models are highly affordable, and you should ‘shop around’ for the best price. If on a tight budget, you may consider buying the equipment second-hand.
Some Pay-TV providers supply the equipment you need. Otherwise, you should purchase the equipment you need from a retailer or specialist dealer in your country. Unfortunately, ASTRA cannot provide reception equipment.
An LNB (or low noise block-downconverter) is the device fitted to the end of the arm at the front of a satellite dish. It collects the satellite signals focused by the dish reflector and converts them into a format suitable to send down cables to the set-top box inside the home .
You need a satellite dish antenna fitted with an LNB, a set-top box receiver and a TV to watch ASTRA TV channels. Some TVs have a satellite receiver built-in.
More on receiving ASTRA channels
While some ASTRA channels are part of the many popular Pay-TV services broadcast on our satellites and require a subscription to watch, many are broadcast for free. The only cost for access to the free channels is the initial cost of the equipment required to receive them.
Discover the Free-TV channel choice available on ASTRA
While many channels broadcast from more than one ASTRA orbital position, some channels are available only from the position most popular in the country or region that the channel is intended for. In particular, a channel available through a single Pay-TV provider will usually broadcast only from the orbital position used by that provider .
The different orbital positions are specified under international agreements and by stationing satellites in several positions, we greatly increase the overall capacity of the whole satellite fleet, allowing more channels to be broadcast. ASTRA’s multiple orbital positions also enable different broadcasters to use the orbital position best suited for reception by their intended audience.
Find the orbital positions used by the channels you want
Although we talk of several Astra satellites at one orbital position, in fact they orbit many km apart and only appear to be at the same point in the sky because they are so far from the Earth. All the broadcasts from a cluster of satellites at one orbital position can be received with a single dish.