Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Yes, but only "sort of".
Freeview is the name of the (BBC-backed) digital TV system that uses hilltop transmitters to rooftop aerials. It is run separately from the "Sky" satellite-to-dish service.
free-to-VIEW is a term for satellite channels that need a viewing card to watch, but not to collect a subscription. free-to-AIR channels are ones that can be received without needing a viewing card or subscription.
The free-to-AIR satelite service backed by the BBC and ITV is called Freesat. The free-to-VIEW service operated by Sky is called fSfS or Freesat from Sky.
As long as you have finished your first year, you can leave Sky when you want.
To do this just give Sky a call and tell them you don't want to subscribe any more.
If you stop subscribing you will be able to watch the hundred or so free-to-air channels listed on free channels list. This service is called Freesat from Sky (fSfS).
Some of the channels on the Freeview service are subscription only on satellite, specifically: 4Music, Challenge, Dave, Dave ja vu, Quest, VIVA and Yesterday . See these links to compare the TV channels on Freesat-from-Sky and Freeview, and to compare radio stations on Freeview and fSfS. Many homes have free satellite and Freeview to get the full range of channels.
You will still need to keep your Sky viewing card. If you stop subscribing on a Sky contract, you can keep using that card to watch 5USA, 5* and PICK TV, the so-called "free-to-view" channels. (All ITV channels are free-to-air).
It is not possible to plug an aerial into a Sky Digibox to receive Freeview channels because the boxes have not been designed this way.
You will continue to get the full Sky EPG listings; you just will not be able to watch subscription channels.
If you want to go for High Definition, HD, you can swap out your Sky box for a Freesat one very easily.
A card is not needed to watch BBC services, but it is needed to get the correct BBC ONE and BBC TWO regions on 101 and 102.
Another option is to disconnect your Sky Digibox altogether and Upgrade from Sky to Freesat - ukfree.tv. If you have an HD-Ready TV and a standard Sky box, this is a good option.
Barry: Please see Upgrading from Sky+HD to Freesat+HD | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice to answer all your questions.
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7:59 PM
Gatwick
Hi. I've moved into a house near Gatwick airport previous tenants had Sky and dish is still here. I only want to live here for six months so don't want to subscribe to Sky. There is no aerial on roof and estate agents said one would probably not work anyway. Bt Vision told me to fit a wide band aerial. Someone else has suggested getting a Freesat box. There are two Sky cables running into lounge and there are loose aerial type cables here and there including in loft. I've been without any TV for two weeks and I'm going nuts! I didn't realise TV signals were bad in some areas. My postcode is RH6 7JD.
Any suggestions please.
Thanks
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Eve's: mapE's Freeview map terrainE's terrain plot wavesE's frequency data E's Freeview Detailed Coverage
11:44 PM
Eve: If there are two cables running into the lounge from the dish then the previous residents must have used either a Sky+ box or a Freesat twin tuner recorder(PVR).
I would be inclined to purchase a simple Freesat receiver box which uses only one of the two leads from the dish, the other being left unconnected to anything as they are totally independent from each other.
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5:41 PM
My Sky subscription expired some years ago, and I have continued to use the dish and "Pace" sky box without any problems, obviously viewing onlt the normal freeview channels. I have now connected a second television, hard wired from the 9v RF out box connection, but when I try to programme that connection via the system setup etc, the "activate the 9v RF outlet" is not available and therefore I cannot get it to work.
Can you be of assistance please.
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11:10 PM
Mr Dennis Talbot: You have to be in the "installers" menu to access these settings, this done by pressing (4) system set up then press in and even flow fashion "0 - 1 - select" and the installers menu should come on.
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3:28 AM
There is a communal sky dish in my block. I have a Technomate mt600 reciever can this to get the free-air channels including all the arabic chanels.
Thx
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7:12 AM
Mukh: You will be able to connect the Technomate to the SKY dish from the communal dish outlet OK, but will only receive channels from the cluster of satellite's and the transmissions from 28 degrees South East. There may be the odd Arabic channel from these Satellites, but most come from eg:- Eutelsat (Hotbird) at 13degrees South East and Nilesatlocated at its position a few degrees West of True South. Some communal flat dish installations have more than the one dish trained on different satellites and you would really need to check if such am imstallation caters in this respect at your block of flats.
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10:29 AM
i have purchased a Monster Power HDP 750G PowerCenter
There is only i in and out for the sat cable but i have SKY HD BOX which has 2 cable connections for recording.
Which 1 of these cables connects to the power center "dish input 1 or dish input 2"?
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4:17 PM
Rob: A Sky boxes LNB 2 input is the one mainly used for recording, the two leads from the dish being identical to each other in the technical sense as well as being electrically independent.
As far as the Sky box is concerned, irrespective of what this device might claim as far as its protective qualities are concerned (in "my" opinion as an engineer dubiously!) I cant quite see how you are going to use it without upsetting the operation of the Sky+ box, as Sky+ boxes require both inputs to be permanently connected for satisfactory operation, as although the tuners as such might well be separate devices the outputs from them are interconnected with each other.
The other problem is, that you will not be able to record two channels at the same time
without the other dish feed being connected, and that somewhat by-passes any safety element that may exist with the single feed going through the device.
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10:21 PM
Hi, I have a Sky HD subscription in my front room and have a twin cable running from the front room to a new back room. Is it possible to feed the sky transmission to another Sky box in the back room in order to watch the free to air channels? Would I need a subscription card or can I just get another sky box and connect the two? Thanks.
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