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)
5:51 PM
Kimbo Silver: Any Freesat box that you purchase will require to be connected back to the Satellite dish used by Sky, and you might be lucky insomuch that the Sky engineer that fitted the dish might have fitted a dual or possibly a quad LNB on the dish arm, as a separate second output is required for the coax to be connected into for your Freesat box.
If there isnt though, then LNB blocks are obtainable for about £10.00 or so from numerous e-bay suppliers and you would only require that plus a cable to be run from the dish to the bedroom.
| link to this comment |
10:09 AM
I am currently a Sky subscriber and am thinking of ceasing this for Freesat. I do not connect to a phone line for Sky TV. I have a Sky satelite dish and Sky box and only have this in one room. If I change to Freesat I have been told that I would need a modem. I have one connected to my PC. If I change to Freesat will I still be able to get all of the Sky Sports channels and what do I need to get to connect. Thanks
| link to this comment |
5:56 PM
No, you do not need a modem unless you want to watch catch up services such as the BBCiplayer, if the Freesat STB or PVR (recorder) supports this service.
You will not receive any of the Sky subscription channels on Freesat (including any of the Sky sports channels or Eurosport).
Basically, Freesat is the same as Freeview, minus a few channles such as Dave and Yesterday. However, Freesat has more channels than Freeview, many of which aren't on digital terrestrial TV.
If you have a quad or octo LNB on your dish you can add multiple boxes (or PVRs) in different rooms.
| link to this comment |
7:59 PM
I wish to take afreesat box to spain and connect it to a 1metre dish in setting it up it asks for a post code do I put my english post code I do not think they have the same coding as Britian
| link to this comment |
9:48 PM
L. Warner: You can put any U.K. Postcode, including your own into a Freesat box.
As far as I'm aware, postcodes from other countries do not work, though you should be able to use the box in non Freesat mode for free to air channels.
I'm not sure how well a 1 metre dish will work in Spain though.
| link to this comment |
7:13 AM
Peter Henderson: The recommended dish size for Alicante and Torrevieja areas is 1.4 metre Prime Focus Dish and for an offset 1.5 to 1.8.
For Valenica, Murcia and Madrid the recommendation for an offset dish is 1.8 metre
| link to this comment |
7:18 AM
P>S> Whilst these are recommended dish sizes you might just gate away with a 1 Metre in a particular area. However this should be checked in using an ex-pat unstaller who knows your area in Spain.
| link to this comment |
4:43 PM
Les: That's what I would have thought.
Must ask my brother what he's using for his apartment in Portugal.
| link to this comment |
Hi, we've got Sky Plus HD and want to change over to Freesat Plus HD as we dont want to lose our pause, rewind and record live TV. Just wondered about the connections as we have a twin cable running from the satellite dish to the sky box so there is 2 connections and the demonstration pics above show only one aerial connection (but granted it was a very old fashioned sky box on the pics above). Do you know if freesat plus hd boxes come with 2 aerial connections or just the one, or do you need a seperate adaptor?
| link to this comment |
5:04 PM
Kevin: If you have a Sky+ box whether it be HD or not, then if you purchase a Freesat twin tuner recorder (PVR) the two leads from the dish thats presently used in your Sky+ box are simply transferred over to the Freesat device, nothing requires to be altered.
| link to this comment |