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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
Saturday, 18 January 2014
J
jb38
7:44 PM

Nick Pike: You cannot split satellite feeds from a dish as the box sends band switching instructions back to the LNB, therefore if you intend to use a satellite box in another room then the LNB requires to be changed for a quad version and with a cable being run from same to the second location.

Quad LNB kits can be obtained from various e-bay outlets for around £10.00 or so plus the cost of the coax, the kits usually supplied with an additional LNB mounting bracket in order to cater for older dishes.

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jb38's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

7:52 PM

Nick Pike : Meant also to say, that if you intend to use a Freesat twin tuner recorder then that requires two inputs from the dish, as the two tuners involved operate independently from each other.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Sunday, 19 January 2014
P
PJH
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

12:07 AM

"Quad LNB kits can be obtained from various e-bay outlets for around £10.00 or so plus the cost of the coax, the kits usually supplied with an additional LNB mounting bracket in order to cater for older dishes."

You can even get octo LNBs

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PJH's 240 posts GB flag
Saturday, 8 February 2014
M
martin mason
9:50 PM

I currently have Sky + and have a second TV set which used to be with Sky 'multiroom', but now is used independently. I use the sky box on this second set, but no sky card so only get very limited channels.

I want to use my second TV with freeview / freesat and want it to include recordings, pause and rewind, and record a whole series of programmes, as I did with Sky multiroom.

What would you recommend please and what equipment do I need?

Martin Mason

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martin mason's 1 post GB flag
Sunday, 9 February 2014
I
ian from notts
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

9:57 PM
Mansfield

Nick Pike, as jb38 has said but you dont need a 2nd dish

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ian from notts's 253 posts GB flag
ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
I
ian from notts
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

10:02 PM
Mansfield

Martin Mason
If you had Sky+ in your bedroom, then all you need is a freesat+ box, freeVIEW+ needs a working aerial feed

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ian from notts's 253 posts GB flag
ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Sunday, 18 May 2014
M
margaret
12:05 PM

do you have to have a dish, with all free sat boxes?

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margaret's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:29 PM

margaret: Yes!, just in the same way as you do with all Sky boxes.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:01 PM

margaret:

Yes. The dish 'collects' the signals from the satellite in orbit above the Equator and the LNB (Low Noise Block) that is fitted on the front of the dish converts that to be fed down the coaxial cable into your satellite receiver. The same dish can be used for FreeSat or Sky.

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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
A
Amanda
4:26 PM

Hi, I think my sky dish has just been struck by lightning. The box has stopped working although I was no longer a subscriber and I got an electric shock when I touched it! Can I substitute a freeSat box as described above or will the dish be damaged?

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Amanda's 1 post GB flag
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