How to make BBC1 my channel 101 by default on Sky?

Conbutts

Hi, does anyone know how to reset my Sky box to its UK default setting so that channel 101 is BBC1?

I've cancelled my subscription with sky so i'm only getting the free view channels and I've removed the viewing card.

I've already done a factory reset as well as a software update but that hasn't made any difference as RTE1 still remains channel 101.

The thing is, it automatically switched to a UK set up before(bbc1=101, itv channels also came up) but someone re-entered the viewing card on my box and it unfortunately re-set to the Irish set up.

Any ideas?

thanks

A trick which worked on the older boxes (but I'm not sure if it still does) is to try booting the box with the card inserted upside down. It definitely doesn't work on HD boxes. Otherwise you may need to borrow an expired UK card from someone.

steveon

If its a hd box then you will need to get your hands on an english FTV card...Sky have all HD boxes locked to stop people using them for the use of viewing fta channels. This is also the case with the new std hd boxes as well.

If its a old std box or white sky plus, remove the card, unplug for a few minutes reboot and voila your done.

Banjoxed

steveon wrote: »

If its a hd box then you will need to get your hands on an english FTV card...Sky have all HD boxes locked to stop people using them for the use of viewing fta channels. This is also the case with the new std hd boxes as well.

If its a old std box or white sky plus, remove the card, unplug for a few minutes reboot and voila your done.

I use a Freesat box instead - very satisfied with results and no messing about.

Conbutts

Hi, thanks for the replies lads.

I should have mentioned that it's a sky+ hd box.

It actually restored itself back to the UK default settings before itself but my nephew slotted the card back in one day and it went back to rte.

Conbutts

steveon wrote: »

If its a hd box then you will need to get your hands on an english FTV card...Sky have all HD boxes locked to stop people using them for the use of viewing fta channels. This is also the case with the new std hd boxes as well.

If its a old std box or white sky plus, remove the card, unplug for a few minutes reboot and voila your done.

Don't suppose you know where one can get their hands on one of those?

Do people sell them?

swoofer

yes, if you look here scroll down, be wary, and if you have parcel motel then you may be good to go. when bought from sky they are either £20.00 or £25.00. I have a few but cant remember what I paid. You need a uk address to order from sky.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B005GCH6R2/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

ps conbutts where are you located

steveon

Conbutts wrote: »

Don't suppose you know where one can get their hands on one of those?

Do people sell them?

they pop up on ebay from time to time havent seen one for a while though, a rough price around €20...but sometimes if u know anyone in the uk, and old card from there (needs to be white) left in a sky box here for a few days will do the trick..

Conbutts

GBCULLEN wrote: »

yes, if you look here scroll down, be wary, and if you have parcel motel then you may be good to go. when bought from sky they are either £20.00 or £25.00. I have a few but cant remember what I paid. You need a uk address to order from sky.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B005GCH6R2/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

ps conbutts where are you located

thanks,

im in Cork, btw

Conbutts

steveon wrote: »

they pop up on ebay from time to time havent seen one for a while though, a rough price around €20...but sometimes if u know anyone in the uk, and old card from there (needs to be white) left in a sky box here for a few days will do the trick..

thanks

cranefly

why do you want bbc 1 on channel 101. i have a sky+ hd box with a free to view card which i got from setanta had to tell a little porky but what the heck, but i realised later that it did not matter when watching the free to view channels, i just put my fifty favourite channels into favourites and press that button when i turn on my box for my epg, so i did not really need the ftv card anyway.

Conbutts

cranefly wrote: »

why do you want bbc 1 on channel 101. i have a sky+ hd box with a free to view card which i got from setanta had to tell a little porky but what the heck, but i realised later that it did not matter when watching the free to view channels, i just put my fifty favourite channels into favourites and press that button when i turn on my box for my epg, so i did not really need the ftv card anyway.

cheers, man.

for some reason i thought that 'favourite channels' option was unavailable if you're not subscribed. I just saved some channels there.

Can you also 'favourite' manually tuned in channels like itv etc?

cranefly

I dont think so, to be honest i forgot about itv and other channels you have to manually save, so the card is useful for a few channels alright.

alfreg

Just to add the UK sky card does not have to be a white sky card. An old blue UK card will also change EPG over to the UK one.

kinkafro123

Hi lads have sky hd box subscription to sky. If i get uk card can i put channel 5 hd and itv 1 hd on Irish epg record and pause. have 1 from manchester granada region

jjbrien

If you need a UK address try using parcel motel they have an address in the north should work fine for you

kinkafro123

Ok thanks so it will work???wife wants to record big brother at the moment Have uk card in the house to i need reboot the box???

muffler

kinkafro123 wrote: »

Ok thanks so it will work???wife wants to record big brother at the moment Have uk card in the house to i need reboot the box???

It will work but only via the favourites/blue button. The UK channels wont appear on the EPG. If you get your hands on a UTV card then you would be on the pigs back.

You could have a read at this thread but it is quite long so maybe just read the first and the last 3 or 4 pages.

kinkafro123

Thanks had a read. channel 5 hd still not on epg or blue button will mess around with for the next few days Thanks

swoofer

hi ch5hd is a subscribed channel now so no longer works with a FTV card. save you a bit of bother.

kinkafro123

So cant get??? it in uk you can get on hd pack in england i see

kinkafro123

so basically channel 5 hd you can not get on skyhd box ireland with or with out uk card???

kinkafro123

Hi done card trick today Got channels on the blue button .just One thing bbc3 bbc4 hd are on my epg with uk card but not on blue button with irish card it must be the same as channel 5 subscribe channels

gtg60

kinkafro123 wrote: »

Hi done card trick today Got channels on the blue button .just One thing bbc3 bbc4 hd are on my epg with uk card but not on blue button with irish card it must be the same as channel 5 subscribe channels

No, you cannot tune them into 'Other Channels' so they will not work on the 'Card Trick'

Mr Cumulonimbus

kinkafro123 wrote: »

so basically channel 5 hd you can not get on skyhd box ireland with or with out uk card???

UK subscription only.

muffler

One of the great advantages of living close to the border is that I can get all the BBC channels with 1, 2 & 3 in HD all courtesy of Freeview

Richard

As someone said, a freesat hd box would be better. Have a look on eBay, you should be able to get a decent price for a Sky + HD box, maybe enough (or more than enough) to cover the cost of the freesat box (on eBay)

icdg

Guys just a reminder that while we're happy for the "card trick" itself to be discussed, buying and selling of BSkyB viewing cards is a no-no.

mgbgt1978

Just a quick query.
I have cancelled my sky sub, just disconnected now.
I have an ex-UK Blue card which I put into my Sky+Hd box. I powered it up and still showing RTE at 101 etc. How long before the box normally converts to UK EPG and should I leave it on any particular channel ?

steveon

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Just a quick query.
I have cancelled my sky sub, just disconnected now.
I have an ex-UK Blue card which I put into my Sky+Hd box. I powered it up and still showing RTE at 101 etc. How long before the box normally converts to UK EPG and should I leave it on any particular channel ?

It can take upto 24 hours for card to switch back on but some ex UK blue cards have been switched off as they were not in use.

galtee boy

muffler wrote: »

One of the great advantages of living close to the border is that I can get all the BBC channels with 1, 2 & 3 in HD all courtesy of Freeview

Except that they are NI region, which means NI political and current affairs programmes all over the place, Final Score being interrupted by NI Final Score etc etc. One big advantage of Freesat, is that you can choose whatever region you like.

bk

Actually I was wondering myself. So if you have a Sky HD box and cancel your subscription, which is the best card to get and what will it give you?

At the moment I can access FTA channels through the "Other Channels Menu" only.

But if I get a non subscription UK Sky card, my understanding is that I will be able to get the full UK EPG, with the FTA channels, selectable via the standard EPG?

This will include all the BBC and ITV HD channels then?

What about encrypted channels like C4 HD?

I assume you can't record or pause live TV with this?

Does it matter where in the UK you get the Sky card from?

What is this UTV card I hear of and what is the advantage of it?

gtg60

steveon wrote: »

It can take upto 24 hours for card to switch back on but some ex UK blue cards have been switched off as they were not in use.

This is incorrect, Blue UK cards (with the Yellow house on it) will load up the UK channels no matter what, the same with White UK cards.

However, if you have a 'proper' FTV, Freesat from Sky card that allows you to watch the half dozen or so encrypted but 'Free To View' channels that you have not used in 8 + Weeks then it will need it's entitlements refreshed in a Sky box, this can take up to 72 hours.

muffler

bk wrote: »

Actually I was wondering myself. So if you have a Sky HD box and cancel your subscription, which is the best card to get and what will it give you?

At the moment I can access FTA channels through the "Other Channels Menu" only.

But if I get a non subscription UK Sky card, my understanding is that I will be able to get the full UK EPG, with the FTA channels, selectable via the standard EPG?

This will include all the BBC and ITV HD channels then?

What about encrypted channels like C4 HD?

I assume you can't record or pause live TV with this?

Does it matter where in the UK you get the Sky card from?

What is this UTV card I hear of and what is the advantage of it?

Any UK card will do to get the UK EPG if you dont have an active Sky sub as the HD+ boxes revert to the ROI by default once you unsubscribe from Sky but without the Irish channels obviously.

The UTV (and Channel Islands I think I read recently) card will get you the regional BBC and ITV channels and is not worth looking about unless you have a Sky sub. The bonus then is that you will have UTV, ITV2 , 3 & 4, BBC's, Channel 5 etc on the EPG and allows you to record, pause etc. But as I say that will work only with an active sub.

No sub, no record etc.

gtg60

Firstly, discussing how to get these cards on boards is a no no but they are freely available.

bk wrote: »

This will include all the BBC and ITV HD channels then?

What about encrypted channels like C4 HD?

You will get all the UK terrestrial HD channels on a HD box except Channel 5HD.

Channel 4 HD has been FTA for a while now.

You will get BBC 3 and 4 HD which we don't get.

bk wrote: »

I assume you can't record or pause live TV with this?

No, no recording.

bk wrote: »

Does it matter where in the UK you get the Sky card from?

Not really but some regions do not have an ITV HD.

bk wrote: »

What is this UTV card I hear of and what is the advantage of it?

These are for people wanting to do the Full Card Trick which allows people with subs to get the UK channels onto their Irish EPG.

muffler

galtee boy wrote: »

Except that they are NI region, which means NI political and current affairs programmes all over the place, Final Score being interrupted by NI Final Score etc etc. One big advantage of Freesat, is that you can choose whatever region you like.

And all of that suits me fine. May not be everyone's cup of tea but as I live in the province of Ulster I would rather watch the local news. weather, politics shows etc etc.

bk

gtg60 wrote: »

Firstly, discussing how to get these cards on boards is a no no but they are freely available.

That is why I've only asked what the capability of the cards is, not how or where to get them.

Thanks gtg60 and everyone else for the very informative answers.

irishpancake

gtg60 wrote: »

This is incorrect, Blue UK cards (with the Yellow house on it) will load up the UK channels no matter what, the same with White UK cards.

However, if you have a 'proper' FTV, Freesat from Sky card that allows you to watch the half dozen or so encrypted but 'Free To View' channels that you have not used in 8 + Weeks then it will need it's entitlements refreshed in a Sky box, this can take up to 72 hours.

Hi gtg60....

do I remember you from AzBox daze?? And procuring Freesat from Sky card??

You could have actually answered my question, posed in a seperate thread, I didn't see this one, sorry Mods....

So, if I repeat the question here, is that OK, the old thread can be removed...

Ahh, just checked there, and gtg has indeedy answered...

thanks mate, you were always a good one.

This thread

Just on OT here, for gtg60, can I ask an AzBox little question.

I have an old Premium HD model, with twin tuners, Sat and Terrestrial, which I will dig out again now Sky is gone, for my Den/Spare room....

but, I have just the old s/w on it, or at least the latest old s/w I could find, from Canada, this: http://fw.azbox.ca/

No Enigma, no Spaze, no RSI, no nuttin, cos I don't know if they support twin tuners, Sat and Terrestrial.

I think this would be OK and replace the old Pace Sky box, the telly is HD and has HDMI's (2).....

what would be the best way to go with the Azbox, to give me the best experience, as it has been a while, and I gave up on it when I got Cancer 4 years ago, but now, I want to try again, and use it as I had intended originally.

Apologies for going OT, and thanks again gtg60, appreciated!!

gtg60

Sent you a PM.