Satellite to pick up free channels

ublinia2

is there any satellite that you can buy just to pick up extra channels without having to pay a yearly subscription to a company. ( e.g like the ones in lidl)- how much would it cost?
I would be particulary interested in being able to pick up say the english terrestial channels via some sort of satellite service.

If you have a sky digi box can you pick up the BBC and ITV etc without a viewing card?

Tony

Any free to air satellite receiver with a suitable dish can do this including a sky digibox without a card.

Have a look here, they're in Tallaght.

http://www.zintek.tv/

Pal

Free on Satellite

• BBC 1
• BBC 2
• BBC 3
• BBC 4.
• ITV 1.
• ITV 2.
• ITV 3.
• ITV 4. .
• CNN .
• Fox News .
• Euronews .
• SkyNews
• BBC News24
• Men & Motors
• Playboy One
• Performance
• Classic FM
• Film 4
• Film 4 + 1
• True Movies 1
• True Movies 2
• Golf Channel

plus you will also receive too numerous to list here , a heap of music channels, travel , light entertainment , religion, wine, lifestyle, foreign language, shopping , crap movies, obscure sports , regional BBCs and ITVs etc.,

The best simple setup is a second hand Sky digibox with a FTV card .
That gives you these 'quality' channels as well

• Channel 4
• five
• fiveUS
• fiveLife
• Sky three

Also automated tuning, over a week of program guide and Interactive Sky/BBC/ITV text (not on a ordinary FTA receiver)

If you want to spend some money there are motorised and multi satellite solutions that offer more but that's really enthusiast stuff.

ublinina2

where can you get the FTV SKy box- presume this means free to view ?? . Can you purchase a sky box without having to get a subscription to them .

Pal

A satellite dealer will sell you a new Sky Digibox but because there is no subsidy on it, I believe this makes them expensive.

therefore, you have two options,

Buy a used one on Ebay or here on boards.ie (cost about €50)
Take out a basic Sky sub for a year then cancel ( u keep the box).

the card is called FREESAT.
it is a free to view card called FTV.
the card unscrambles Five FiveUS FiveLife Sky3 CH4
without the card you will not get these.
I bought a card on ebay for €40

watty

You can't really buy them (Sky Cards) at all except from Sky to a UK address, so eBay pull all sales they spot. Of course you might get someone with an UK address to get it for you. They might help lots of people that way.

A murky business.

I wouldn't get on on eBay anyway as there is three kinds of Sky card scam. (You get a card. it either is Irish, obsolete or gets killed a few days / weeks later).

No problem buying 2nd hand Sky boxes, but over 3/4 years old tend to die suddenly or start "missing" channels. The new ones with a years sub is best value. Downgrade to 2 mix packs after a month and cancel after a year and it can be cheaper than 2nd hand. It is cheaper than new without a sub. You own it from day1, and can pay 37 Eur to not have phone line. YOu can swap in a FTV card to watch C4 (the other FTV channels fairly worthless IMO).

byte

This site sells Freesat cards, and is one of the cheapest sites I've seen for these.

zAbbo

byte wrote:

This site sells Freesat cards, and is one of the cheapest sites I've seen for these.

Would you get RTE with that, and would it work in an old sky+ box (obviously recording won't work)

DMC

No, no RTÉ, (Irish Sky sub needed) but you will get Channel 4 and five (plus spin-offs) as well as the UK EPG (BBC 1 on 101 etc)
It will work in an old Sky+ box, but you are correct, recordings will not work.

muincav

Pal wrote:

Free on Satellite

• BBC 1
• BBC 2
• BBC 3
• BBC 4.
• ITV 1.
• ITV 2.
• ITV 3.
• ITV 4. .
• CNN .
• Fox News .
• Euronews .
• SkyNews
• BBC News24
• Men & Motors
• Playboy One
• Performance
• Classic FM
• Film 4
• Film 4 + 1
• True Movies 1
• True Movies 2
• Golf Channel

plus you will also receive too numerous to list here , a heap of music channels, travel , light entertainment , religion, wine, lifestyle, foreign language, shopping , crap movies, obscure sports , regional BBCs and ITVs etc.,

The best simple setup is a second hand Sky digibox with a FTV card .
That gives you these 'quality' channels as well

• Channel 4
• five
• fiveUS
• fiveLife
• Sky three

Also automated tuning, over a week of program guide and Interactive Sky/BBC/ITV text (not on a ordinary FTA receiver)

If you want to spend some money there are motorised and multi satellite solutions that offer more but that's really enthusiast stuff.

Dont know if you have actually seen FIVE US and FIVE LIFE, but quality chanells the sure are'nt.

watty

Perhaps the quotes around quality indicate sarcasm?

I edited Pals post slightly as it originally didn't make clear the channels that need and don't need the FTV card. Hope that's OK PAL.

Despite the exhorbitant cost of Sky Pay TV, esp Sport and the limited nature of the Sky box for anything not on the Sky EPG, for the SkyEPG channels it is indeed best solution as Pal suggests.

I have my cake and eat it:
* Digibox for 2 pay mix packs
* FTV Digibox
* FTA Dual Satellite tuner PVR on 4 fixed LNBs (fast channel change). 320G drive and almost one click transfer from Disk to DVD. (Reelbox)
* FTA Dual tuner PVR setup on a PC with same fixed LNBs

* FTA receiver on separate motorised feed (31 ish satellites).

Just two dishes. One 90/95cm (Four Quattro LNBs on boom arm) and one 100/110 cm (Motek motor) both triax dish.
EMP-Centauri 16 output multiswitch fed from the Quattros. Since 28.2(Sky/Astra/Eurobird) is Quattro 1, the Sky Digiboxes work without a problem as without a Diseqc switch command you get 1st Quattro on Multiswitch output.

Pal

muincav wrote:

Dont know if you have actually seen FIVE US and FIVE LIFE, but quality chanells the sure are'nt.

'quality' post

Pal

watty wrote:

(the other FTV channels fairly worthless IMO).

five have live baseball, Scottish League Cup and UEFA Cup which I like.
My missus loves the House Doctor.

there's Columbo too

it's not bad at all.

watty

Yes and even 20 or so of the channels not listed on this post are someones favorite. Baby channel, Legal Channel, Bonanza, Reality Zone, OBE, Al Jazzeera, MTI etc...

alxmorgan

byte wrote:

This site sells Freesat cards, and is one of the cheapest sites I've seen for these.

Ok so let me get this straight...

1. I get Sky for a year
2. I cancel
3. I buy a freesat card here.
4. Hey presto no more bills

Missing something ?

MenloPete

Fox News is not available on Astra 2.
I'm not aware of it being FTA anywhere.

or am I wrong?

watty

alxmorgan wrote:

Ok so let me get this straight...

1. I get Sky for a year
2. I cancel
3. I buy a freesat card here.
4. Hey presto no more bills

Missing something ?

Fox news on Sky is part of News mix pack. Not FTA anywhere in Europe. Propaganda anyway.


You can downgrade to 2 mix packs after a month = 21 Euro
You can cancel after a year, The Freesat card only adds c4, fives. Sky3 works on cancelled Irish or UK card.

All the BBC, ITV , 70radio Film4 and 30 or so other watchable TV work with no sub and no card.

byte

Yes, Fox News is via Sky subscription only. You need to be subscribing to the News & Events Mix for that.

I'm not sure if it's FTA anywhere else, don't think so anyway apart from maybe a feed or something?

alxmorgan

watty wrote:

You can downgrade to 2 mix packs after a month = 21 Euro
You can cancel after a year, The Freesat card only adds c4, fives. Sky3 works on cancelled Irish or UK card.

Ok why do I have to downgrade after a month...why do I not start on the 2 mix packs ?

Also I do not have a phone line...does this affect things ?

And just to make sure I have you 100% cause I'm planning on ordering within a few days....if I cancel after a year I still get loads of channels including BBC, UTV etc without the need to buy anything else or pay anything else ?

byte

Yes, you may start with just 2 Mixes.

Without a phoneline, an NPL charge applies which is a one off fee of €37.50 which is still cheaper than a 2 month eircom bill!

And, after you cancel, you'll still get BBC, UTV, Sky News, etc etc. Stick in a FTV card and you'll get Channel 4, five, fiveUS and five Life also.

alxmorgan

byte wrote:

Yes, you may start with just 2 Mixes.

Without a phoneline, an NPL charge applies which is a one off fee of €37.50 which is still cheaper than a 2 month eircom bill!

And, after you cancel, you'll still get BBC, UTV, Sky News, etc etc. Stick in a FTV card and you'll get Channel 4, five, fiveUS and five Life also.

Ok last questions ( I swear).

1. Is there any advantage to getting more than 2 mixes at the very start given that I plan to cancel after a year ?

2. Will I be able to get the Irish channels (RTE etc) once I cancel ?

Thanks very much for all the help.

watty

1) Only if they are offering free install and 6 months 1/2 price viewing or some such.

2. Only via a TV aerial. Compalin to RTE. They gave themselves away to Sky.

Pal

Fox News works fine on my Freesat card.

byte

Pal wrote:

Fox News works fine on my Freesat card.

That's odd. It's not supposed to be FTV! I guess you're an exception to the rule

alxmorgan: You could get a higher package, and still get it for half price for the 3 months, then call before the end of the 3 months to cut back to a lower subscription.

alxmorgan

byte wrote:

You could get a higher package, and still get it for half price for the 3 months, then call before the end of the 3 months to cut back to a lower subscription.

Sounds like a smart thing to do but the problem is that no RTE channels after I cancel is a problem...cause the missus only watches those.

So I guess I have to look at another option...is there any Satellite I can buy which I can get RTE free to view ?

watty

Get RTE from Aerial. You can use satellite and Aerial. RTE regard Satellite as Wireless Cable TV, While I can get most of Europe with no subscription, no RTE without Sky sub except via aerial.

I do have RTE on Sky, but usually watch it via aerial, as the Sky Box might be used for Nat Geo or such.

multiformat14

Hello all , I'm new to the boards and this is my first post so I hope I'm O.K just butting in like this . I've been following this and other threads trying to get similar info on getting the basic channels without having to pay for them every month ! I currently have Chorus.

Along with the usual BBC's and ITV's I need to get Channel 4 , I understand if I go the SKY way I would need a dish , decoder and SKY FTV card to get Ch 4 . My question is does it have to be SKY's own digibox or will any satellite decoder do which has a card slot ?

Last question , if I went up North and bought a Freeview box up there would I be able to pick up the signals , I'm in Drogeda , on the south side of the town , and have an aerial attached to the chimney which if I'm correct , is plugged into the freeview box. As much as I know about all this I gather I would'nt have RTE on either the SKY or Freeview system but I'm not worried about that.

Any info would be welcome and apologies if I interrupted and should have started my own thread to ask these questions.

Thanks

alxmorgan

watty wrote:

Get RTE from Aerial. You can use satellite and Aerial. RTE regard Satellite as Wireless Cable TV, While I can get most of Europe with no subscription, no RTE without Sky sub except via aerial.

I do have RTE on Sky, but usually watch it via aerial, as the Sky Box might be used for Nat Geo or such.

At the moment we get RTE using the rabbit ears but the reception is brutal. When you say aerial are you talking about buying an aerial that you can put on the roof ? I assume then that a cable is run down through the house to the TV ?

Also will this aerial allow me to just pick up the 4 (5? now) Irish channels ?

watty

There are only 4 irish channels. There are a few places in West Cork, Kerry & Donegal and Mayo that may not receive TV3.

There is no 5th Irish Channel. (Channel 6 does not count as it is available only on UPC network as part of a Subscription. You might as well call the Wrestling Channel an Irish Channel).

"Rabbits Ears" are useless for decent pictures for over 80% of RTE viewers. At least 80% of people actually need a roof aerial. If you are in an area that uses VHF for RTE1 & RTE2, then TV3 and TG4 are on UHF so two aerials with a "Diplex" VHF/UHF combiner is needed. This would all cost less than extra 50 Euro.

You should get slightly better picture than Sky and a lot better than Cable/MMDS with a proper aerial, but not any true Widescreen (only 14:9 letterbox, occasional 2.3:1 letterbox and 4:3).

Multiformat4:
Some areas in Droghheda can get UK Freeview, but you need a separate big aerial or even three with channel filter combiner. If a neighbour gets Analog BBC1 well it is a good sign.

ANY sky card (UK, ROI or FTV=FreeSat from Sky, only posted to UK Postcode inc N.I.) ONLY works in a Sky Digibox.

tomdk

The aerial doesn't have to go on the roof/chimney/a mast if that puts you off - I have an aerial in the attic picking up the Irish terrestrials and it's absouletly perfect reception... got it here "http://www.zintek.tv/", was cheap and easy to install.

Pal

multiformat14 wrote:

Along with the usual BBC's and ITV's I need to get Channel 4 , I understand if I go the SKY way I would need a dish , decoder and SKY FTV card to get Ch 4 . My question is does it have to be SKY's own digibox or will any satellite decoder do which has a card slot ?

It has to be a Sky box.
Reason : Sky cards use NDS Videoguard encryption system and only a Sky box can read this.
It is potentially possible to use a cam to get around it but not really worth the effort.

multiformat14 wrote:

Last question , if I went up North and bought a Freeview box up there would I be able to pick up the signals , I'm in Drogeda , on the south side of the town , and have an aerial attached to the chimney which if I'm correct , is plugged into the freeview box.

Hard to call. Drogheda might work. It's a bit of a grey area for FREEVIEW. you need to borrow a DTT box and test it yourself.

watty

tomdk wrote:

The aerial doesn't have to go on the roof/chimney/a mast if that puts you off - I have an aerial in the attic picking up the Irish terrestrials and it's absouletly perfect reception... got it here "http://www.zintek.tv/", was cheap and easy to install.

You are one of the lucky 50%.

The other 50% DO need it on the roof. It can be tried in attic first.

alxmorgan

watty wrote:

You are one of the lucky 50%.

The other 50% DO need it on the roof. It can be tried in attic first.

ok stupid question time...if I buy something like this http://www.zintek.tv/zintek/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=&product_id=53&category_id=13&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

and stick it in the attic.

Cross fingers and hope I am one of 50% ?

If so drill some holes so cable can go down to tv room and voila.

lucernarian

multiformat14 wrote:

Hello all , I'm new to the boards and this is my first post so I hope I'm O.K just butting in like this . I've been following this and other threads trying to get similar info on getting the basic channels without having to pay for them every month ! I currently have Chorus.

Along with the usual BBC's and ITV's I need to get Channel 4 , I understand if I go the SKY way I would need a dish , decoder and SKY FTV card to get Ch 4 . My question is does it have to be SKY's own digibox or will any satellite decoder do which has a card slot ?

Last question , if I went up North and bought a Freeview box up there would I be able to pick up the signals , I'm in Drogeda , on the south side of the town , and have an aerial attached to the chimney which if I'm correct , is plugged into the freeview box. As much as I know about all this I gather I would'nt have RTE on either the SKY or Freeview system but I'm not worried about that.

Any info would be welcome and apologies if I interrupted and should have started my own thread to ask these questions.

Thanks

Depends quite substantially on what part you are living in. Most of the southside can get the UK channels, outside of the Boyne valley. I haven't heard of anyone with a freeview box in Drogheda. On the other hand, I've seen watchable analogue TV from Divis on a incorrectly polarised aerial with 40 m of "low-loss" cable aswell.

A few houses, though mainly on the northside, have high-gain Hirschmann aerials pointing at Divis, the freeview transmitter, so it would probably work for them. You would almost certainly get the RTÉ freeview trial as it stands now with any sort of aerial.

Tune your TV to channel 21 or 27 in UHF. If you get good BBC2/Channel 4 on those frequencies you have a decent chance. If you get Channel 4 on Ch. 42 you will almost certainly need a new aerial. If you can't get any UK channels, there could be obstacles to the north of you and you will probably have to go with Chorus or Satellite.

watty

alxmorgan wrote:

ok stupid question time...if I buy something like this http://www.zintek.tv/zintek/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=&product_id=53&category_id=13&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

and stick it in the attic.

Cross fingers and hope I am one of 50% ?

If so drill some holes so cable can go down to tv room and voila.

Depends where you live. Then we can tell you what aerial to get. maybe even if it works on Attic or Roof.

Northern Correspondan is good on this stuff.


You have the right general idea. Three Rock and Clermont carn are different Groups. Depending on your location which is best. Some places even get Longford better.

multiformat14

Thanks everybody for the advise . Like I said I have Chorus at the moment but trying to get rid of it to save money for this winters gas bill !

When I use the aerial mounted to the chimney I get very good reception on all the Irish stations , BBC 1 and 2 are alright , likewise UTV ... CH 4 can be a bit hit or miss . I had a look and CH 4 comes in on 42 and I think BBC 2 was on 27 . I was looking at Argos on the WWW and they have a Freeview box for about £25 , as I'm near enough to Newry I might pick one up soon , at that price I hav'nt much to loose.

As soon as I do I'll let you know whether it worked or not.

Thanks again.

alxmorgan

watty wrote:

Depends where you live. Then we can tell you what aerial to get. maybe even if it works on Attic or Roof.

Northern Correspondan is good on this stuff.


You have the right general idea. Three Rock and Clermont carn are different Groups. Depending on your location which is best. Some places even get Longford better.

I'm in Killaloe/Ballina in Tipp. On the Ballina side to be precise.

I completely lost you in the last paragraph....don't know what
"Three Rock and Clermont carn" are and this sentence confused me also : "Some places even get Longford better"

Sorry

Thanks for all the help.

watty

I'm confused talking to other posters.
Bad spot actually.
I have a think about it.