Help wanted from someone in ireland

patwallace

I desperately want to get a sky card based in the Republic of Ireland. I'm
tired of having to go to smoky, depressing, irish bars to watch Gaelic
football, and seeing as setanta don't seem to want to bother providing the
games for home PPV, I've decided to take matters into my own hands.

Is there anyone out there who would be interested in getting a basic Sky
subscription in Ireland for me? In exchange, I'd get a basic subscription
in the UK and we would exchange cards. That way, you'll get the Uk
channels you're missing, and I'll get GAA! Everyone's happy.

Email me on patwallace05@hotmail.com if you're interested.

Pat

Greenman

Would it not be better to make contact with someone like this guy. It might be less complicated .I used my mothers AD for my Irish sub, are you sure you do not have a relative in ROI?

swoofer

Pat

Be careful about your Irish Subscription. U wont get the Irish channels on a BASIC sub, u have to take out family pack about 27 euro and when the hurling/GAA is broadcast u get a blank screen on satellite because of SETANTA.

gb--

watty

Also swapping existing sub cards won't work (easily) as RTE (and some other channels) is "married" to the Digibox serial number.

The way round that is to ring Sky with all old details and all new details of boxes etc. Certinally I was able to move a ROI sub card from one box I have to another box I have.

Obviously if the same call center bod took both phone calls on same day it might look bad

Don't make a fuss and allow a gap between one box and the other box, they are busy

Ludo

Originally posted by GBCULLEN
Pat

Be careful about your Irish Subscription. U wont get the Irish channels on a BASIC sub, u have to take out family pack about 27 euro and when the hurling/GAA is broadcast u get a blank screen on satellite because of SETANTA.

gb--

emmm...GAA matches are shown on RTE now on Sky as far as I know. They used only be blacked out when they first went onto Sky

Greenman

Yes Ludo you are right.

Genghis

Pat,

Ideally you want:

1. Both parties out of contract
2. Similar aged / quality digiboxes
3. Subscribe to roughly the same package (Family Pack, for e.g)
4. Both willing to physically swap BOTH card and box
5. Trust that each will pay the others bill / mind their equipment etc.

Why?
1. No need to connect to telephone line, no service cut-off if no response for 'phone home request'. New subs are not advisable for this reason - if either party is not a subscriber for over 12 months, then buy an unsubbed / second hand box
2. You need to swap digiboxes, possibly forever. Each party will want to be sure that the box they receive is similar to the box they give away
3. It is simplest if you are both on the same package - you simply pay the UK sub, and your friend pays the Irish sub as before. If there is a difference in package, then one party must send additional funds to the other to cover the difference. This needn't be awkward with a clear understanding between both parties. I recommend the Family Pack - from this pack up, the UK party gets the Irish terrestrials, and the Irish party gets ITV2 and E4.
4. As the boxes are married to cards, it is not good enough to simply swap cards. While it may be possible to re-marry cards to each others boxes, this cannot be done 'manually' - i.e. you need to ring Sky. While they may not cop on, by arranging to switch complete systems, Sky will NEVER know. It costs about €50/£30 to post digiboxes, all you do then is hook up to your dish cable.
5. Trust is obviously important. You also need to remember that any time you need to speak to Sky, you effectively have to go through your friend - i.e. to change package, etc.

While you won't be able to order box office events, or check your e-mail, or vote interactively, you will enjoy each others sub. And if both parties have a terrestrial option for picking up their 'native' channels, this means that both parties have the full range of Irish and UK channels.

watty

I agree, that is the safest way.

I'd get my UK based Dad to swap, only I don't need too for BBC/ITV and he has NTL cable as well as Digibox so as to get RTE.

patwallace

Thanks for all the advice.

I've done the research, and already know most of what you guys say, but I've picked up a few good tips.

My plan, at my end, is to pick up a cheap second hand digibox, and run both in parallel. I know it'll cost a little more, but it'll be good to have two systems anyway.

Lots of emails in the inbox already!