The Astra 2 satellites, broadcasting UK freesat and Sky have a tight footprint around the UK, making it difficult to receive from France, Spain and further abroad.
Working outside the official footprint, it can be difficult to know what size dish is required. Ideally local installers have experience and can guide you, but if not, here are a few pointers
There are a few channels on the Europe beam of Astra 2, like CNN, which are available to all European viewers, with small dishes.
In Capbreton, France, I have a colleague retired colleague using a 1m dish to receive Sky which worked well in all but the worst winter weather. He has now had to upsize to 1.25m.
In Alicante, Spain, 200 miles south of Barcelona, a 1.2m dish is a good size for UK reception, according to a few forums and one well known installer in the region.
In Mazarron, in Mercia, 300 miles south of Barcelona, a typical dish size for UK tv is 1.8m to 2.5m
If you’re happy with just a few BBC/ITV channels, the Intelsat 901 satellite is a great way to get pictures from home on a very small dish, in Spain, France and even north Africa.
For this, you will need a receiver with BISS capabilities, like the Icecrypt or Technomates
For dish size chart click here