Upgrading from Sky to Freesat
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV If you have an existing Sky or fSfS (Freesat from Sky) installation and want to go to upgrade to Freesat, it is a simple process.
First, buy the Freesat box from a Argos, Curry.digital, Comet, John Lewes or your local independent shop:
In the box you will find the Freesat box:
Also included will be a remote control, and this model also comes with a SCART cable, a HDMI cable and a stereo-with-composite cable. Unpack the ones you need:
You old Sky box looks like this:
Unplug the mains first from the Sky box, then pull out the SCART (or SCARTs) and then unscrew the connection to the satellite dish.
Remove the Sky box and fit the Freesat box. Reconnect the satellite cable (take care as to not damage the connection) and then the SCART and finally connect the mains power:
The box will look like this:
The box also contains the manual, which has full installation instructions. Finally fit the batteries into the remote control.
The TV screen first displays the box's logo
The first set-up screen allows you to select the TV type, widescreen mode and resolution:
Next the box checks for the satellite signal:
Then there is a check for updated software:
Then you enter your postcode and the box checks it:
The next step is a scan for channels. This takes about 30 seconds:
And that's it. You can now view channels, like 108 for BBC HD:
Or press the GUIDE button for the EPG:
(Apologies for the photos not being of the top quality)
8:03 PM
Hi - sorry if this has already been asked - but cant see the answer anywhere if it has!!
I have 2 lounges - one has Sky+ HD . The Sky engineer was very nice and put the old box in the other lounge although there is no subscription on that I just use it as freeview. I would really like to be able to record etc so can I just buy a sky+ box and change it for the old box?
The reason I ask is that I have seen talk of sky+ needing 2 of something (LNB??) that normal sky only needs 1 of (are you getting the level of my technical knowledge??!) The cable coming into the sky plus box looks like 2 cables joined together. The cable coming into the other box looks like a normal aerial cable.
Thanks in advance for your help!!
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8:07 PM
Can I use a satellite dish aligned for Sky reception to receive Freesat in France.
Thanks, David Walden
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9:55 PM
David Waklen - Yes this should be OK. If your in the far south you mave to consider your dish size if its smaller than 80cm.
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10:09 PM
Moptop - SKY plus SD or HD require two feeds for each to supply the twin tuners that these receivers have. You would require upgrading of your cabling to the second receiver. However bear in mind that to record with your second receiver this will likely have cost implecations. SKY disable the recording capability when it is used without a subsciption.
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10:23 PM
Pam I'm confused but maybe you are too? With a dish you can only receive freesat (or Sky). If you want to receive freesat you don't need an extra dish but you'll need a double or quad LNB to replace the single or double LNB respectively that you have on your dish now and then you'll need to run an extra cable from the LNB to a freesat box or freesat tv. If you want to receive freeview either with a freeview TV or freeview box then you'll need an aerial.
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10:34 PM
Marilyn Dolling You may be confused with the last answer but I'm even more confused with your question. If you already have freeview on your TV why do you need freesat? You can certainly receive freesat using your old Sky dish but why bother if you can receive freeview on your roof aerial?
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10:51 PM
Karen Eadon You don't say if your TV has an HD freeview tuner or just an SD tuner or where you live. If you have an HD freeview tuner in your TV and a roof aerial and you live in an area which has HD freeview signals you should already be receiving HD programmes. On the other hand If you don't have an HD tuner in the TV then you probably have a dual LNB on the sat dish for your Sky + box. If you swap the dual LNB for a quad one you can run an extra cable from the quad LNB to your freesat TV and get HD programmes that way.
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11:10 PM
Beverley Bagnall If you can't receive TV via an aerial then you can't receive freeview. If you don't want to or can't subscribe to cable or Sky then you'll have to use freesat or free to air satellite transmissions to receive programmes. If you don't want to use a set top box then you'll have to get a freesat TV and connect it to your Sky dish. Otherwise you will HAVE to use a set top box for freesat or free to air satellite transmissions.
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7:52 AM
Thanks for the answer!
So could I put a freesat+ box instead of the old sky box? Would it still receive the signal via the sky dish and would it be able to record?
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Yes. I upgraded from standard Sky box to Freesat + HD (a Humas Foxsat HDR) on Boxing day, it took 5 minutes to install and is brilliant. It's SO much better, should have done it a long time ago! In comparison to Sky subscription, it will have paid for itself by March and I think it's actually a bit better.
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