Clarity on UK FTV card.

Kramer

This has been discussed already, but I am hoping for some advice & clarity.
I have a friend with a Sky system in the UK, & he will try to get me a free to view card. But what should he do?
Phone Sky & ask for what? What information will he be asked to give?
If he does get a free to view card, will it work here in my existing subbed digibox (or one I am hoping to acquire soon - unsubbed).
Will my friend need a digibox number? If so, will I have to give him all the relevent info before he makes the call?
Sorry for all the questions, but I want to do it correctly.
Any info appreciated.

bkehoe

He rings the Free-To-View card line at 08702 438 000 , says that he has a sky digibox, and wants a free to view card for it. At most, they will just want the make of the box (usually irrelevent anyway). He should have the card in a day or two, and then when you get it you have two options:
1) Ring the above number yourself, making sure to block your number, give them the viewing card number, and then give your friends name and address when they ask. They will then want the box serial number, and version number. Your card will soon be activated.
2) Give friend the serial and version number, and let him do the ringing, but make sure you know when he is going to ring, as you should leave your box on for up to 24hrs after the call is completed in order to get the card activated.

The free to view card will work with any digibox. Just make sure its not connected to the phone line.

Brendan

<mod edit: Corrected number>

SkySter

Sorry to be pedantic but the above information is not correct..

The FTV card will NOT work on any digibox. When you authorise your card you have to give the serial number of the digibox. The card is then "married" to that box in the exact same way as a regular card from Sky.

SkySter

Skyster-i think thats what Brendan meant!
Strictly speaking the ftv card will work with any digibox in that it will load up the English EPG in any digibox and will give access to Channell four , five and the ITV region where the card is from on the English EPG,without being married to that box.This is the case as long as the card was switched on in a box it was married to in the first place.
So you can put an english ftv card into your Irish box and the only channels blocked are the bbc's, at least that used to be the case!

Brendan can you check this out and confirm.
mm

bkehoe

SkySter, why would I explain how to get the card paired to the box if I was saying that it was unnecessary?

Channels that work on an unpaired card/box (note that you have to get the card activated for these) using a welsh card: HTV, S4C, CH4, CH5. A normal England card won't have S4C by default, but you can ring up and get it activated for free.

Brendan

Excelent Brendan,thats confirmed it for me.
Had asked Irishbyte,that same question in another thread.
mm

rovingrover

I rang to get a FTV card and they have
records as to whether SKY Digital is installed
in the house.

I lied and said it wasn't but I think they are sending the card anyway.

The number given earlier is incorrect. The
number is 08702 438 000 or see www.freetoview.co.uk

Best to use an address where the person has Cable or doesn't want Sky Digital.

I assume it will not be possible to get 2 cards from the same address. It also appears that
they are getting tighter on who gets cards.

tombenjr

Hi I wanto get a English FTV card
But I don`t have any friends in England so will
anyone here get me one and I will pay them
for getting it for me.

rovingrover

A further update.

My FTV card arrived to the UK address sent from
Livingston. Are Sky sending out the cards now?

Anyway when I called to order the card they were able to tell me that the address I have was a UK Sky Digital house.

Now my concern is that if I ring to marry the card to my box here in Ireland will they know from
my serial number that I'm in Ireland have have an Irish Sky Digital sub. I already have an Irish
sub married to my Digibox in Dublin.

Even if they do I assume the worst that can happen is that they'll cancel my FTV card.

Any ideas?????

psychotic mouse

You won't have a problem with activation - the number you ring goes through to a scottish call centre, but their message (played as you wait for half the day !!) - clearly says that they're not sky.

Mine authorised no problem - just make sure you ring from an untraceable number - a mobile is probably best as they'll see the international code come up from most landlines & won't authorise it.

BTW - my card has mysteriously stopped working after 6 weeks & although i pphoned to get it re-authorised, it still does'nt work. Hoping its justa dodgy card

ShaneOC

I am getting a FTV card in the next few days. Just a quick question. Is the EPG full of all the subscription channels of is it just the free ones.

rovingrover

Thanks for the update.

If they are not Sky how did they know about the Sky sub in the address I used. Sky aren't
dumb enough to share info on their subscribers with a competitor.

The card came from the same place that Sky send out their cards.

I wonder are they tracing cards used in Ireland and mainland Europe. Sky have my address and my Digibox code already.

bkehoe

They won't know if you're in Ireland from your digibox serial number. There are so many digiboxes being sold and bought that they'd have no proof that the digibox now belongs to you at all.

In answer to Shane-The ftv card loads up the full UK EPG, not just the freebies.

In answer to Roving Rover:
It is Sky digitals platform-So the FTV BBC Card is a sky card exactly like your Irish one and is sent out by Sky.
The term "BBC Card" is really only a Descriptive term.

If its a case where Sky tell you,the house you are using is already a Sky digital house-tell them its for your Granny.

Heres a tip:
Use your best English accent.
mm

rovingrover

It's not a question of accents though.

Sky have my Irish sub paired with a Digibox serial number. If I try and pair an FTV card with the
same Digibox I'm either

1) In Ireland so I can't have an FTV card

2) Lie and say I'm in the UK in which case they'll
dispute my Irish Sky sub.

When I rang to order the card they had all the details of the householder's Sky sub. That's
no problem as the owner may have been considering
cancelling their Sky sub and keeping the box so they're entitled to an FTV card.

They have sent out the card but I would welcome
any advice on getting it paired.

It is a simple database query to check all serial numbers with an Irish sub and then compare with
FTV cards paired to these boxes.

The only other solution is a second Digibox which is more expense.

ShaneOC

That's a shame. But not really surprising as Sky obviously want you to see what you are missing out on by not having a subscription.

ShaneOC

Can someone confirm that the existing Irish Sky card still works once you have got the FTV card activated?

psychotic mouse

My Irish Sky card works fine & I've used my ftv card for two months now.

Aquos76

Can somebody please sort out all this confusion for me? I got my hands on an ftv card today from a friend of mine over in London. He rang up the number and ordered the card for me. H e does not subscribe to sky digital but did tell the person on the phone that he has a digi-box so she said that there would be no problem and she would send out the card.
She did tell him that when the card arrives he would have to ring up again and activate the card. Now what I am wondering is that if he rings up or (if I do it with him name and address) and give my serial number will they be able to tell if I have an Irish sub or will there be a problem trying to get it activated.

Sky Digi Kid,
When your friend posts you the card-take a note of the phone number on it and add the 0044 and insert into your digibox.
Then ring Sky on that number and "pretend" you are your friend giving their address etc and ask Sky to switch on the card.
Leave the card in the box with the power on untill it works
Regards
MM

rovingrover

The number to ring if you want to order/activate
an FTV card is

+44 8702 438000

You need a UK address, postcode/tel number.

I've just asked them to activate my card and
should know by this evening if it works.

BTW the card did come from Sky. It looks like a Sky card and came with Sky documentation however
it does say it is a BBC FTV card. The UK
number is different to the Sky helpline also.

One thing to note- when calling you must block your number from being sent. Otherwise they'll know you're in the Republic.

ShaneOC

How do you block your number from being sent?

I am going to get a friend to ring for me from the UK. What exactly did they ask for when you rang them? I presume that if I send all of the details (serial number, version number and all the other stuff on that System details screen) he should have enough to get the card activated.

MrAnarchy

You dont have to block your number.
I rang them from my home here in Cork and using my best Manchester accent I had no problems.

rovingrover

This card is not supposed to be used outside the
UK.

Most phones send the number by default. Eircom
will be able to change that for a landline ir
else use a mobile and block your number in the
handset.

If your friend calls from the UK with your details
then it is not a problem.

The 438000 number is the one to use for this-it's the BBC card section at Sky.
however if you ring Sky in the normal way ,you can ask for the BBC FTV card section.
If you use an NI address-theres no need for the posh accent, as Cork or Donegal, it all sounds the same to them.
mm
By the way-I can picture those nice people over in Scotland checking their Call monitors to check where you are ringing from.
I don't think so... they are too busy/don't care as long as you don't specifically give the game away.
Its the same idea where you can have two cards tied to the one box- ie your Irish card and the BBC one.
There are so many of the latter,Sky couldn't be bothered and do not have the time to go checking them all.

Phelim 3:16

Hey,

Can someone confirm if this is what i have to do to get a FTV card to work on my Irish digibox:
I get my sis in London, she doesn't have sky digital, to ring up 08702438000 and ask for a FTV card
She sends it to me
i get her to ring up to activate it using the serial number of my digibox
then i put it into my box and hey presto it works?
do I need to disconnect the phone from my digibox (WHY?)
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
phelim.

rovingrover

that's pretty much it.

The card needs to be in the box for 24 hours after you ring them to activate it.

The phone must be disconnected as the card is for UK residents only and occasionally they ask the box to phone home and you can't dial a UK
1800 number so the card could be deactivated.

No real advantage here in connecting your box to the phone anyway is there?

Phelim 3:16

Thanks,

But, and this is probably a stupid question so I appologise in advance, it is in your contract with sky that you have to have everything connected to your phoneline for a year. Will they cop on if you disconnect it and be pissed off? As this question probably illustrates i am new to this stuff and don't really have a clue.

Cheers,
Phelim

rovingrover

If you are connected to the phone then they
ash the box to phone home occasionally.

This will be a little bit of a pain but best to do the following

1) Connect to the phone when your sky card is
in the box

2) Dosconnect the phone line when using the FTV card.

Gadgie

Originally posted by ShaneOC
How do you block your number from being sent?

Just dial 141 in front of the number being dialed. Similarly, 142 shows your number if it has been permanently blocked out by eircom (e.g. if your number is ex-directory).

chernobyl

Hiding the CLI is being naughty and i though your box was tied to your viewing card.
if we try to order on one number it wont work, only on the number we put on the order form.

pS €ircom still can egt your number from the log.

ShaneOC

Got the card today. Have asked my friend in the UK to ring and get it activated. I have left the BBC card in the digibox on Sky News. Hopefully will not have any problems.

Can any of you with FTV cards tell me how long it took before the channels were activated?

Aquos76

I got my ftv card last week and when i rang up to get it activated the operator told me to leaave the card in the digi-box for 24 hours and not to turn it off. However after an hour or so i had all the channels in on it except BBC one as this is region set so it takes the longest..

Charles Slane

Does the person who rings in the UK need to have a TV license, and if so, do they ask for a license number ?

Aquos76

yes they need to have a licence but they do not ask for the number just name,address, phone number and post code for region purposes.

ShaneOC

All channels now working perfectly. BBC 1 took the full 24 hours to come through, the others were clear much faster.

parsi

I got a friend in Edinburgh to get me my card. When it came I rang up to activate it giving my "address" in Edinburgh... thing was the guy at the other end had been to school down the road from my friends address and was dying for a chat about the area the school etc... I mumbled that I had only just moved in and got my card activated but it was somewhat co-incedental..

Phelim 3:16

That is unbelievably unlucky, Parsi!! What a coincidence but at least you were able to spoof your way through it.

My sis in london rang up a few mins ago to get the card activated! God I hope it works.

Phelim

Parsi,
I've had a few conversations like you have had.
It's not co-incidence.
I get the feeling that they know this card switching is happening.
Whether they do anything about it or tighten up procedure remains to be seen.
mm

PacMan

I must be one of the few people on this board to Not have any family, cousins etc living in the UK. How can I possibly obtain a UK FTV card?????
I have checked e-bay, and being honest although the digibox & card combination is about 80 to 100 pounds sterling, this works at approx 150 euros.........
Any other options????

Phelim 3:16

Get a pen-pal ? You must know someone who knows somebody in england, scotland wales or the North. Annoy them until they do it! Thats what i did!

Phelim;)

Our man in Havana

What i did was get an accomodation adddress in London. I just ordered the card gave that address in london. They sent the card there and the people then forward the mail direct to you.

Then just call up and activate the card. Cost me about £50 to setup.

I can give you details if you wish.

trevormcdonald

On the subject of FTV cards, I last watched channel four last week using my FTV card. I then put my sky on back in, but when I went to watch something on channel 4 on Sunday evening, both channel four and five were displaying the 'call broadcaster to update sub' message. All the BBC channels and ITV1 London, (101, 102, 160, 507, 855 and 103), were working fine. Would channel 4 and 5 have had their codes updated over the weekend? I know that it is recommended that the card stays in the box to accept upgrades, but short of calling the free to view number again, any ideas of what I should do, or will it remedy itself over time. I have read on either this forum or digital spy that this has happened with channel 5 to someone in the past. Surely if it was a code upgrade the BBC would have been the first to go.

Any ideas??

Not necessarily,
Once you have the BBC's, your card has not been blocked.
Sometimes it's ch4 and 5 that will take time to come back.
Don't fret-just a nuisance-leave the card in,box on(all day) and they will be back
mm

trevormcdonald

Left the card in the box all night, and they're back.

Thanks,

Trev.

PacMan

a message to : Bond-James Bond
What a good idea.... I would like the information regarding the accommodation address in London.
Can you forward to petera@eircom.net
Thanks

irishgeo

i have a question. I have got an FTV card on the way. i have a small money matter to sort out. when i get the card and activate it and its married to the irish sub box.

i want to buy another box and use it for non bbc card viewing in another room.

I wonder can i get the bbc card reactivated on a new box when i get it. or will i have to get another card.

1. Current Irish Sub Box (Going to activate BBC card on this)
2. Future digibox no sky suB (Can i get BBC card above reactivated on this new box when i get it.)

could i say that bought this new house and the previous owner said i could have the sat equipmant. But the digibox is broke. I have my own digibox so can i get the card re married.

Thats one of many excuses i am sure i could make up.

Thats all i am wondering. How much is a dual LNB and where can i buy cheap 2nd hand digiboxes in Ireland.

ITV2

Hi guys

i just recieved my Second-hand digi-box and card, the problem is that i get BBC1/2/4/wales & HTV/S4C no problem but no C4/C5 ???

Is there a problem recieveing these channels with a welsh card????? or do i just leave it in the box as stated earlier????

Cheers in advance

tony murray.:rolleyes:

ShaneOC

In Wales (or on a welsh card) channel 4 is on the EPG at 184. Channel 5 should be on 105 the same as everywhere else.

ITV2

I know they are there on 105/184 but a message "call the broadcaster" thing is on the screen, I thought they would just appear or does the card have to be activated???

Cheers

tony....

ShaneOC

If the card has not been activated the only channels on the EPG will be the FTA ones (such as TCM, Sky News, etc).

If you have only just got the card working, it may take a good few hours to unlock all the channels. What channels are working at the moment?

It is possible that the card has been activated in another box. This would enable you to receive ITV, Channel4 and Channel 5 but none of the BBC channels.