Hotbird functions as the Eutelsat satellite position at 13.0° East, and three transponders provide useful free-to-air channels for international news. The first, 11727 V, carries DW English, BBC News Arabic, and TV5Monde. The second, 11566 H, features France 24 in both English and French, along with TRT World. The third, 11747 H, broadcasts Al Arabiya and Sky News Arabia. All three use the DVB-S2 8PSK system, so a receiver that only supports the older DVB-S standard will not detect them. The signal on 11727 V also carries BBC News Persian and Arirang World, while the 11566 H transponder includes TRT Arabi, Qatar TV, and Bahrain TV.
Technical settings and scanning
Hotbird 13G carries hundreds of channels mostly for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, with many encrypted services. To receive the free channels, set the LNB to 9750 MHz for the low band and 10600 MHz for the high band. Use 13V for vertical and 18V for horizontal polarisation. Point the dish at 13.0° East, enter the transponder details, and run a free-only scan. Rescan the list if a channel disappears, as line-ups change when broadcasters move. The standard Universal Ku-band LNB is required, and the dish must be accurately pointed at 13.0° East to ensure a stable lock.
Signal strength in West Africa is not guaranteed because the satellite’s beams are designed for northern latitudes. A professional installer with a signal meter can confirm if reception is possible for a specific location.
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For West African content, viewers may need to look at other satellites like Astra 2F or Nilesat, which have beams tailored to the region. For satellites designed to cover the region, see our guides to Multi TV frequencies on Astra 2F at 28.2° East, which carries Ghanaian channels, and Nilesat frequencies at 7.0° West.
Part of the Hotbird lineup is free-to-air, requiring only a dish and a compatible receiver. Other channels remain encrypted and need a subscription and decoder. A DStv decoder cannot access these signals because it is locked to the MultiChoice bouquet and is not compatible with the Hotbird frequency list. Our satellite TV frequency list for Africa compares all the main options, and you should use a free-to-air satellite receiver rather than a DStv decoder to access these channels.