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Upgrading from Sky to Freesat

It takes less than five minutes to replace an existing satellite box with a Freesat one.

It takes less than five minutes to replace an existing satellit
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)



Help with Free satellite?
What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fau1
Can I receive UK TV in Ghana?2
What is a CA module?3
My box says "No Satellite signal being received"4
Is there any way I can get free channels via satellite and have the kind of hard5
In this section
Freesat adds a plethora of new channels in time for Christmas including channel 1
A tale of a two Freesat boxes2
Yesterday, Drama and Really joining Freesat this month3
PBS America joins Freesat for Halloween4
Fixing the Freesat Freetime internet connection problem5
Satellite TV operators FRANSAT, TIVUSAT and our Freesat launch FreeTV Alliance 6

Comments
Sunday, 3 March 2019
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:23 PM

ROY TAYNTON:

Yes to all of those. You need a Freesat PVR to do it, connected to a suitably aimed dish and LNB. The LNB must not be a SkyQ type as they do not work with a Freesat unit.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts PT flag
Friday, 13 December 2019
K
Karen
1:43 PM

HI
Is it possible to record programmes with the box you recommend?

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Karen's 1 post GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:42 PM

Karen:

PVR means Programmable Video Recorder, so it can record programmes. There are many satellite receivers that also have a recording feature.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Friday, 19 August 2022
R
rosi morris
1:33 PM

we are pensioners struggling with finance like everyone else. we want to cancel sky as we find it hard to find the subscription monthly what is our best option

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rosi morris's 3 posts GB flag
R
rosi morris
1:37 PM

is it easy to get rid of sky subscription and find an alternative i.e. freevies

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rosi morris's 3 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:04 PM

rosi morris:

Hello rosi. HopefullY StevensOnln1 will be able to offer some further information as well.
We're going to need a little bit more information to enable us to give you some constructive advice.

As far as cancelling your Sky subscription, it will depend on whether you are still in some sort of minimum term contract with them as to how easy this is. If you aren't, it should be quite easy.

The next question is what sort of Sky box is it? If it's a more recent SkyQ box, things get more tricky and probably a bit ,more expensive because the LNB (the sort of aerial part) on the satellite dish isn't compatible with most standard satellite receivers as I understand it.

If it's an older Sky box, how long have you had it? Depending on the contract, some Sky boxes would have to be returned, if not, some of them allow you to watch the "free-to-air" channels, others will require a viewing card which may come with a small cost, BUT I'm not the expert of those.

Some modern TVs have in-built satellite tuners so you wouldn't need a box, roughly how old is yours? As long as the dish and LNB are standard, you can connect it direct to the TV.
Do you know if your TV has an in-built satellite tuner? Is there an F-connector socket on the back of the set (similar to the one of the back of the Sky box) which will be in addition to the standard socket for a TV aerial? Do you have a TV aerial at all,?

If you don't know about these things, tell us the make and model of the TV - there'll be a label on the back of the set with such information.

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Chris.SE's 4,365 posts GB flag
Monday, 22 August 2022
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:07 PM

StevensOnln1:

Whilst it's a shame that so many posters don't come back to say how they got on, or provide extra info, perhaps you could still add some info about sky boxes and free-to-air viewing for my edification if for no-one else"!

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Chris.SE's 4,365 posts GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:29 PM

Chris.SE: Sky+/HD boxes will continue to receive the free to air channels if the subscription is cancelled (viewing cards are only required for a handful of free to view encrypted channels). Sky Q boxes are rented and must be returned to Sky when the subscription ends (with a hefty penalty for non return) so aren't suitable for FTA reception. The Freesat 4K boxes currently on sale are able to work with either the wideband LNBs used with Sky Q boxes or the older LNBs used by Sky+/HD boxes. Older 1st or 2nd generation Freesat boxes (made by Humax, Panasonic, Manhattan and others) will only work with the older LNBs used by Sky+/HD boxes. I've never used any generic FTA satellite receivers so have no idea if there are any out there which are compatible with wideband LNBs.

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StevensOnln1's 3,672 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:38 PM

StevensOnln1: Thanks for that.
Can you list the encrypted free to view channels for future reference?

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Chris.SE's 4,365 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 23 August 2022
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:09 PM

Chris.SE: I don't think there are many, just London Live and any other local TV stations still broadcasting on satellite, the STV HD North and Central East regions (STV Central West HD is FTA) and maybe a +1 channel or 2. I don't think there's anything else of any significance.

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StevensOnln1's 3,672 posts GB flag
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