Freesat card stopped working? Help!

bazza

I got one of those freesat cards on ebay some months ago for use with by digibox, one of the yellow house ones that looks like a normal sky sub card. All was working fine, I had ITV, C4, Five etc until today when I checked and those channels are no longer there. All the BBCs are there, the UK EPG is shown and ITV is on 103, C4 on 104 etc. but I get the following messages on them:

103: ITV1 makes compelling high quality programs that entertains and informs millions and provides Granada news and regional programs for the North West of England. Call the broadcaster to upgrade your subscription to receive this channel.

104: Channel 4 (blah blah) Call 0870240402 to upgrade your subscription.

105: etc....

I've tried the regional versions of the channels up in the 900s and its the same deal. I've not used the card for a number of weeks - could that be contributory?

Anyway, its an ancient (4 year old?) Irish sub box (Irish sub is all working fine), EPG ver etc is here:

Make: Grundig
Model: 2.64
Version: 4E0405
O/S Ver: 1.2S4F3
EPG: 3.2.11

Help folks - I want ITV back!!!!

Charles Slane

I believe this happens quite often if you don't use the FTV card for a while. Apparently if you leave the card in for a day or two the missing channels will reappear.

bazza

Thanks Charles, I'll give that a shot and see what happens. I'll post my results.

bazza

Got ITV, C4 and Five back now... Heres what I saw happen:

- Put FTV card in and waited
- After a couple of hours the box dialled up (modem light came on)
- Almost immediately Five appeared back
- Shortly after that C4 reappeared
- ITV took a whole lot longer - had to leave the card in overnight

So does anyone actually know how my card got 'reenabled'? Was the dialling up just coincidental?

B

Colm80

I take it you live in swords. Just to let you know with FTV cards you are not suppose to have your phone connected. Sky can trace where the box rang from and switch the card off. Dont be suprised if they do it.

Mossy Monk

this thing about FTV cards in the box

when a FTV card is in the box surely it will try to dial a UK number. how would the box successfully dial a UK number from Ireland?

Ulsterman 1690

Is it an "0870" number the box dials ?

In the Republic that would probably result in you getting some poor sods mobile

bazza

Remind me to check my itemised phone bill! Good question though - do we actually know where it will dial? Presume the number is coded into the card not the decoder?

I'll be plugging out the phone line for the time being anyway just in case. And of course the fact that it dialled up and channels reappeared almost instantly may just be a coincidence - but sounds very suss to me...

chorus techy

The card DOES hold the number - it could be possible, however, that the viewing will attempt to dal a multitude of numbers held in it's memory in an attempt to connect to sky - possibly an Irish freephone number being one of them...

intersplat

If ITV in the EPG was 103 then the box is in UK mode. It won't dial an Irish number it won't dial your granny it will dial 0800 a UK number .

dts

The number diled is set on the box. Sky had me change mine because the call back wasnt working for the extra sub.

eigrod

I'm not sure that the dial up & the re-establishment of Ch4 & Ch5 are related.

I lost Ch5 on my UK freeview card a few weeks back. I left the card in overnight, with no phone line connected, and Ch5 was back next morning.

bazza

Thanks eigrod - that sounds right. So what I observed was just coincidence.

DTS: How did you change the number the digibox dialled?

dts

It was in the extra hidden install menu.
I cannot remember how you get there. It is something like press 0 4 select.
I think I had to change the number to a 0044 so it would dial the UK.