Satellite dish engineers in Braintree
Satellite TV relies on a narrow beam from a satellite high over the equator, and the dish has to be aimed at it very accurately. A dish that has been knocked a fraction out of line can look fine on a dry day and then lose the picture as soon as a heavy shower passes over Bocking. So we line every dish up with a meter and lock it off firmly, and we spend a good part of our time correcting dishes that have slowly drifted.
Around Braintree our satellite work covers fresh Sky and Freesat installs, shifting a dish when you extend, re-render or add solar panels, swapping worn LNBs and planning multi-room systems for houses and blocks of flats. Not sure a dish is worth keeping now that Sky streams over broadband? Ask, and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Satellite services in Braintree
Sky dish installation
Dishes for Sky Q and older Sky boxes, with an LNB matched to the number of boxes you run. Sky Glass and Sky Stream use broadband with no dish, so if you’re changing over we can remove the old dish or keep it for Freesat.
Freesat installation
Freesat gives you live TV with no subscription. It’s a useful option on the outlying lanes and in valley-bottom homes where the aerial picture is marginal, or simply as a second source alongside Freeview.
Dish realignment and LNB replacement
Pixelation in showers, or one tuner dropping out while the other carries on, points to a dish that has crept off target or an LNB that is wearing out. A meter puts the dish back on the satellite, and a worn LNB gets swapped.
Moving a dish
Loft conversions, extensions and fresh render are the usual reasons a dish has to shift. We pick a wall or chimney that still sees the south-eastern sky, run the cable back tidily and seal the hole through the brickwork.
Multi-room and communal satellite
Multiswitch systems let several boxes, or several flats, share one dish without losing signal. They suit larger homes in Great Notley as well as flats over shops and converted buildings in town.
Foreign-language satellite
We line dishes up on Hotbird and other European satellites for Polish, Italian, Turkish, Greek and other channels, either on a second dish or alongside your current one where the bracket allows.
Fixing ‘no satellite signal’
When the box shows ‘no satellite signal’, look outside first. Strong winds and builders’ ladders nudge dishes, a summer’s growth on a garden tree can block the view, birds land on the arm, and LNBs wear out over the years. Indoors, a loose plug behind the box or a failed multiswitch gives exactly the same message.
Switch the box off at the socket and on again, and give any heavy rain or snow time to pass, since both clear by themselves. If the warning keeps coming back, we can normally find the fault and put it right on a single visit.
Where can a dish go?
Your dish must see the south-eastern sky unobstructed, so a north-facing wall or a garden shaded by tall trees won’t do. Most Braintree homes can put one up as permitted development, but the rules tighten in conservation areas, such as the Braintree Town Centre and Bradford Street area and Bocking Church Street, and on listed buildings, especially where the dish would face the road. We’ll pick a spot that receives well and say whether a word with Braintree District Council is worthwhile first.
Areas we cover in and around Braintree
Satellite installations and repairs across Braintree, Bocking, Great Notley and the surrounding villages.
Braintree, Bocking and Great Notley
- Braintree town centre
- Bocking
- Bocking Churchstreet
- High Garrett
- Mark’s Farm
- Brain Valley
- Great Notley
- Black Notley
- Springwood
- Skyline 120
Villages nearby
- Rayne
- Panfield
- Stisted
- Cressing
- White Notley
- Felsted
- Shalford
- Wethersfield
- Finchingfield
- Gosfield
- Coggeshall
- Silver End
- Great Saling
Nearby towns we also cover
Braintree questions
My Sky picture freezes whenever a downpour comes over. Is that normal?
Only in the very worst storms. Rain soaks up a little of the signal, and a dish that is spot on copes with that easily. Losing the picture in ordinary showers usually means the dish has moved or the LNB is ageing, and realigning it is normally the cure.
Is a dish still needed for Sky?
Sky Glass and Sky Stream don’t need one, as they work over broadband. Sky Q and earlier Sky boxes do. If you’ve switched, the old dish can be kept for Freesat.
Can you move my dish for a loft conversion or extension?
Yes. It comes down before the builders start, then goes back up on a wall or chimney facing south-east, with fresh cable and a meter-checked alignment.
Is planning consent needed for a dish in central Braintree?
Most homes don’t. Inside the town centre or Bocking Church Street conservation areas, or on a listed building, a dish facing the road may need consent, so ask Braintree District Council if you’re unsure. We’ll suggest a less visible spot.
Can you set up a dish for channels from abroad?
Yes. We align dishes to Hotbird and other European satellites, often alongside your existing dish.