Free to air tv channels

babystrawberry · 23-01-2014 3:41pm #1

Just wondering does anyone use the SKY decoder boxes in Waterford for free to air channels.
If so who did you get to put up the dish and install? Is the reception good?

wmpdd3 · 23-01-2014 3:53pm

We put one up, but couldn't get a signal, our neighbour went up with a meter thing to get the the right angle and he had it working in 2 mins, perfect signal, 130 channels for free.

The older boxes are better, the line up is easier. Don't have RTE, but don't miss it.

spankmemunkey · 23-01-2014 3:55pm

You dont need to do anything to get free to air channels if youve already got Sky in. You use the sky box and sky satellite. Just remove your viewing card and youll see you get lots of channels. bbc1 and all bbc's utv's channel 4 film 4 and a heap load more. you dont need to do anything if youve already had sky in use the existing dish and box.

I had it with the old sky box dunno what the new sky box is like though shouldnt be much in the difference. I didnt need to adjust my dish to get the channels that were already coming into the box as was bbc utv channel were already being received so no need to adjust unless your dish wasnt lined up properly in the first place. I cancelled my sky before and used the existing set up after cancelling it and got free to air

0rt · 23-01-2014 4:37pm

I use a freeview box connected to a sky dish.. heap of channels free, no RTE but i dont care for irish television.. it was mainly for the missus to watch the soaps!

23-01-2014 4:41pm

as the lads said - point the dish in the right place with the old sky box and your all set - no RTE, you will need the UHF aerial for that and into a saorview compatible box and then flick between aux's on the TV - so if u have an old sky box and ur not too bothered about having RTE, your all set. If you want Rte and have to get a saorview compatible box, then you may as well go for a combo box like a Ferguson Ariva or similar and forget the sky box for FTA channels.

Digital Society · 23-01-2014 7:03pm

Get a combobox from tvtrade.ie

Costs about 70 bucks and allows you to tune in all your Rte and free Sky Stations.

Combo as in aerial and satellite at the same time and able to order as in rte on channel 1 and bbc on channel 5 etc..

http://www.tvtrade.ie/saorview-digital-television/digital-satellite-combo.html

babystrawberry · 24-01-2014 8:25am

Thanks, seems handy enough so! I have UPC box at the moment, that cant be used instead of the sky box?

wmpdd3 · 24-01-2014 10:21am

No that's a cable box, but you should be able to get a second hand sky box for about 20 euro on adverts.

Do you have a dish?

babystrawberry · 24-01-2014 12:52pm

wmpdd3 wrote: »

No that's a cable box, but you should be able to get a second hand sky box for about 20 euro on adverts.

Do you have a dish?

Ah thats a shame

dont have a dish but going to have a look on donedeal to see if could pick one up

spankmemunkey · 24-01-2014 2:41pm

Does your current set up have a dish? if so simply remove your viewing card and cancel your contract. job done. as said already if you had sky you just need to remove your viewing card and youll see what channels you have left. they are free to air. If you had sky and the sky was ok then theres no need what so ever to move the dish.

Digital Society · 24-01-2014 8:56pm

babystrawberry wrote: »

Ah thats a shame dont have a dish but going to have a look on donedeal to see if could pick one up

Might be cheaper just to buy a non sky dish package

126 for the whole lot

http://www.tvtrade.ie/combo-digital-satellite-tv-kit.html

This will get you all the Satellite and aerial free stations (100s). Really worth the investment.

Channel list includes:
RTE 1, 2, TV3, 3e, TG4 & RTE News Channel
BBC 1,2,3,4, BBC One HD, BBC HD
UTV, ITV 2,3,4, ITV1 HD
Channel 4 HD, E4, More 4, Film 4, Channel 5
6 News Channels, 7 Childrens Channels, 8 Movie Channels

Plus a lot more. All free.

looksee · 26-01-2014 12:00pm

Dratted Saorview. You need to rescan. I have rescaned. Well you need to do it again, and again,

joseph79 · 26-01-2014 10:13pm

hi the sky guy does all electrical and tv stuff , he works for sky as an engineer covering waterford etc . his mobile is 0860506591

looksee · 25-01-2016 9:42am

We have saorview and free to air, recently we got a new tv which has the saorview installed but we use a box to get the free to air channels. We keep losing the free to air, and while we have previously got it back by general fiddling and switching off the box etc, this time nothing is working. Any suggestions as to who would sort it for us?

lassykk · 25-01-2016 4:47pm

Not an expert by any stretch but it sounds like the box is either faulty or the cable connecting to the TV is dodgy.

Did you check it connected to a different HDMI port assuming that your TV has more than one? If connected through coaxial cable your TV likely only has one connection so this wouldn't be an option

Did you check it with a different HDMI cable in case your current one is broken

Did you try the box on another TV to see if it powers up. I know you wouldn't have the satellite connection to the other TV but would prove the box is working.

My mother has used Willie Foran (WF Installations) before for stuff like this where I couldn't fix it for her. Only have a landline (which is available online so shouldn't be an issue sharing here) 051 895466

looksee · 25-01-2016 5:54pm

Thanks for the response, I was on to the crowd who sorted it originally and they seem to think it is a problem with the dish. Someone is to come out to me, so hoping its not going to be horribly expensive!

lassykk · 25-01-2016 11:07pm

looksee wrote: »

Thanks for the response, I was on to the crowd who sorted it originally and they seem to think it is a problem with the dish. Someone is to come out to me, so hoping its not going to be horribly expensive!

Hopefully it won't be too expensive for you. It could be the LNB gone on the dish and they aren't too expensive

Free to air tv channels

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