Will a Sky dish work with Freesat??

Tigerandahalf

Ok, the above may seem like a stupid question but I'm wondering anyway. If the house has a dish (the sky has been disconnected) could you buy a freesat box to receive digital channels. Or would you need both the box and the Freesat dish??
I've read a few of the posts below but am bit lost.
The guy in the TV shop told me that only a UHF aerial will be able to receive digital channels and if you have VHF aerial (old type aerial that most houses would have had for years) you would not be able to receive digital channels after the cutoff of analogue signal at end of 2012.
So what's the story with this Saorview. Do you need a UHF aerial and box or a dish and box? What are people doing/being advised to do if you only have a VHF aerial?
Thanks in advance and apologies if these questions have been asked before.

Mr. Rabbit

A Sky dish will work fine with Freesat.

The guy at the TV shop is correct.

Sorview will work with a UHF aerial (group depends on where you live) and a DVB T2 box or Freeview HD box, or a TV that can receive Freeview HD.

Saorsat will not work with either a Sky box or Sky dish.

It will apparently work with the Humax Freesat boxesm but you'll need an additional dish,

Tigerandahalf

Thanks for reply.
I'm bit lost as to what to do. House I'm in has a sky dish on wall but the service has been disconnected. There is no aerial on the house so I'm looking to see what the options and price are?
Any idea how much a UHF aerial costs?

Sam Russell

If you only have VHF, then you cannot currently get TV3 and TG4, unless you use Sky or UPC. If you are in a strong signal area, then a simple aerial might do. Any aerial is better at chimney/eaves level. The higher the better.

If you currently have Sky, then a splitter/combiner will allow you to place a UHF aerial close to your dish, and use the same down lead for both, to be split again at your skybox. If you replace your skybox with a Freesat box, you will have everything for no subscription. If you do not have an MPEG 4 digital TV, you will need a STB for Saorview.

You can use the Skybox for FTA satellite channels, but Freesat is better.

Sponge Bob

Just plug the Freesat ( or Freesat HD) box in where the Sky box was and hook it to the dish cable and to d'telly That is all.

Tigerandahalf

Ok lads and what channels would you get...RTE and the UK ones ya??
How much is the freesat box??

johnayo

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Ok lads and what channels would you get...RTE and the UK ones ya??
How much is the freesat box??

You will get the english ones no prob. But for rte/tv3 you will need the uhf aerial, or if in strong signal area an indoor set top aerial may do.

Tigerandahalf

Ok it seems like the UHF aerial is the best bet if you want a free to air system without installing any dishes/extra boxes?
What would it cost?

Capt'n Midnight

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Ok lads and what channels would you get...RTE and the UK ones ya??
How much is the freesat box??

RTE is only available on satellite with a SKY subscription because it's encrypted.


http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html - pale yellow are free to air

Mr. Rabbit

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

RTE is only available on satellite with a SKY subscription because it's encrypted.


http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html - pale yellow are free to air

The RTE stations (along with TV3) aren't available on Freesat.

ROI viewers can get all four on Sky but only with the basic Sky subscription. NI veiewers can receive RTE 1, RTE 2, and TG4 (but not TV3) with the basic subscription. The odd programme and some sport is blocked in NI due to rights issues.

To receive the Saorsat service you'll need to wait until may. An extra dish will be required.

Mr. Rabbit

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Ok it seems like the UHF aerial is the best bet if you want a free to air system without installing any dishes/extra boxes?
What would it cost?

Should be somewhere around the £70 mark, depending on what you want done.

Phone around and get a few quotes.

Bear in mind that Saorview from Clermont Cairn is shielded to the North. It's virtually impossible to get in the Newtownabbey area for example, despite perfect analogue reception.

This should change after Nov. 2012 when the power will be increased and the null towards NI removed.

Virtual

I am in the same situation, the house I am renting has a sky dish but had no sky receiver and I don't want a subscription anyway. Can you tell me what channels I could get on freesat and if there is another option better than freesat?
I was looking on ebay for freesat box and found some panasonic or bush as low as 40 euro. Do you think that would be a good choice? What cheap box would you recommend me, thank you.

watty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_in_the_UK

Just connect a Freesat HD box to the Dish cable. No better option.

Aerial for Irish TV.

cnocbui

Virtual87 wrote: »

I am in the same situation, the house I am renting has a sky dish but had no sky receiver and I don't want a subscription anyway. Can you tell me what channels I could get on freesat and if there is another option better than freesat?
I was looking on ebay for freesat box and found some panasonic or bush as low as 40 euro. Do you think that would be a good choice? What cheap box would you recommend me, thank you.

You will get all the UK Freesat channels BBC1,2,3,4, ITV, etc, etc, plus a whole bunch I won't go into. You will not get any Irish channels.

Virtual

Ok, so i got a used amdtrad drx280 box and it seems to work good but channels like bbc 1 and 2 and channel 4&5 and horrorchannel work fine from the list while others likr all the itv channels say thst here is no signsl beeing received and i shold unplug my box and try back in 5 min.
Any idea? Thank you

Peter Rhea

Virtual87 wrote: »

Ok, so i got a used amdtrad drx280 box and it seems to work good but channels like bbc 1 and 2 and channel 4&5 and horrorchannel work fine from the list while others likr all the itv channels say thst here is no signsl beeing received and i shold unplug my box and try back in 5 min.
Any idea? Thank you

You'd be better off in the Satellite Forum with this (whole thread should be moved).
Start a new thread there.

Boro

I plugged my tv (with built in decoder) into the sky dish and moved it, I picked up the DTT channels but they were very broken up (like watching a scratched DVD). I went out and moved the dish again but stupidly changed a setting on teh tv which wiped the stored channels. Now I cant pick it up again! It worked (once) so presumably I can get it to work again. Trying to pick up Collins Barracks from by UCC in Cork city because the dish is on the wrong side of the house for Spur hill. Doing my head in though!

Peter Rhea

Boro wrote: »

I plugged my tv (with built in decoder) into the sky dish and moved it, I picked up the DTT channels but they were very broken up . . .

If it was indeed the Saorview channels (what kind of 'built in decoder'?), they were being picked up on the (probably poor quality) cable from the dish.
You need an aerial.

cnocbui

Boro wrote: »

I plugged my tv (with built in decoder) into the sky dish and moved it, I picked up the DTT channels but they were very broken up (like watching a scratched DVD). I went out and moved the dish again but stupidly changed a setting on teh tv which wiped the stored channels. Now I cant pick it up again! It worked (once) so presumably I can get it to work again. Trying to pick up Collins Barracks from by UCC in Cork city because the dish is on the wrong side of the house for Spur hill. Doing my head in though!

Satellite dishes pick up signals from Satellites, not from masts on hills.

Get a Sat finder and use nearby dishes for an initial hint as to where to point the dish then using the finder move it around until you get a strong signal then scan the channels. If you get a lot of German channels you are pointing at the wrong Sat.

Boro

Peter Rhea wrote: »

If it was indeed the Saorview channels (what kind of 'built in decoder'?), they were being picked up on the (probably poor quality) cable from the dish.
You need an aerial.

I tell ya im not an idiot

I have a samsung 6 series with built in freeview hd or whatever. I moved the dish around for the laugh and I picked up all the Irish digital channels. They were very broken up though but had moments where you could watch it. Seriously! Im not making it up.

Peter Rhea

Boro wrote: »

. . . I picked up all the Irish digital channels. They were very broken up though but had moments where you could watch it. Seriously! Im not making it up.

If you have a strong enough signal the cable from the dish will pick it up, there have been other instances posted here.

watty

In my living room an indoor aerial doesn't work at all.
In the kitchen it does work.
In my outdoor workshop Analogue TV gets poor picture with NO aerial.

I have a 10 element aerial on side of house with Distribution amp. That of course gives near 100% Digital Quality bar and perfect Analogue.


I'm sure I said earlier it wasn't the dish but signal leaking in on Cable and connections.

tiesto507

hi i have a question that I hope someone can help me with in my girlfriends house she has freesat box and iv moved in and brought my sky plus box when its plugged in its telling me iv no signal there is a cabble coming from the dish to the telle and another to the back of the box but im getting no signal when I plug my sky box in can anyone help with this ??

The Cush

tiesto507 wrote: »

there is a cabble coming from the dish to the telle and another to the back of the box but im getting no signal when I plug my sky box in can anyone help with this ??

Which cable are you connecting to the Sky receiver, the one connected to the TV or the one connected to the Freesat receiver?
Is the cable connected to the TV coming from an aerial for Saorview or the satellite dish?

tiesto507

im connected my sky plus box to the cable that was in the freesat receiver and am getting no signal been received message on my sky box don't understand what the problem is any help would be great thanks

tiesto507

oh and the cabble going into the telle is coming from an aerial

The Cush

tiesto507 wrote: »

im connected my sky plus box to the cable that was in the freesat receiver and am getting no signal been received message on my sky box don't understand what the problem is any help would be great thanks

Is the Freesat receiver working OK with the cable attached?
Are you connecting the cable to the LNB 1 input of the Sky+ receiver?

tiesto507

yes the free sat seems be working fine off it the only thing is there is free music channels working from it and sometimes the signal gets poor from it and yes iv connected to the lnb1 in sky plus box is it a problem with the signal coming from the dish but it was working fine on the freesat when itried the sky plus box and got no signal on the sky plus that's what I don't understand??

tiesto507

sorry I meant to say the free music channels are not working on the freesat

The Cush

tiesto507 wrote: »

yes the free sat seems be working fine off it the only thing is there is free music channels working from it and sometimes the signal gets poor from it and yes iv connected to the lnb1 in sky plus box is it a problem with the signal coming from the dish but it was working fine on the freesat when itried the sky plus box and got no signal on the sky plus that's what I don't understand??

Dish may require realignment or the LNB may be faulty.

tiesto507

ok thanks

winston_1

The Cush wrote: »

Dish may require realignment or the LNB may be faulty.

95% dish alignment, 5% LNB faulty.

icdg

Moved to Satellite