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Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so can the two servic

Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so can the two services share the same dish?

Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so c
published on UK Free TV

No, you cannot use a satellite box to receive terrestrial programmes.

I don't want to use a satellite box I have a freeview box. I want to know if an existing dish for sky can be use with the freeview box.Can I use a cable splitter and run one end to the sky box the the other to a freeview box and get the freeview channels.

You cannot use a Freeview receiver with a satellite dish, only an aerial.

You also cannot split a satellite signal from a dish, if you want to run more than one box you must use a dual- or quad-LNB on the satellite dish and have a cable to each satellite receiver.



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Comments
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:41 AM

Mandy : A digital Freeview box "has" to be connected into a normal aerial, it will "not" work on a satellite dish.

As far as being able to view Sky around the house on old TV's but have to change channels on the "main set", which is the Sky box, this is inclined to indicate that the coax cable feeding the signal into the various outlet points has been connected into the Sky boxes "analogue" modulators RF1 (or 2) output socket, the modulator sending an "analogue" signal of the programme being viewed on the box along the cable, the TV's receiving the signal having to be set on "analogue" (if Freeview TV's) in order to view the signal, an "analogue" programme button number usually being allocated for this purpose.

Some people with Freeview boxes (via a normal aerial) but who have also retained their old Sky box, use the aforementioned modulator system to enable Sky to also be viewed in other rooms as well as Freeview, this being achieved by connecting the aerials downlead cable into the Sky boxes "aerial input" socket, the Freeview signal then passing through the Sky box and out of the RF1(or 2) socket as well as the analogue signal picked up from the Sky boxes modulator, Sky being viewed by selecting "analogue" on any the Freeview TV's that wish to view it. Note: viewing being restricted to whatever channel has been selected on the Sky box.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Sunday, 22 March 2015
H
Hersha
1:07 AM

I have a sky box still connected to my TV and have just installed a freeview box with Talktalk. Will they both work. I do not seem to be getting the Asian TV boost but can view other TV channels.

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Hersha's 1 post GB flag
Friday, 5 June 2015
B
Bea
3:13 PM

I have just today done away with my sky tv progs in favour of freeview, I have disconnect the sky box and connected the freeview box but it tells me it has no signal, no antenna? any help please, I have used my box in another room and recorded a couple of progs and they are ok but just no channels

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Bea's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:56 PM

Bea: If you are referring to a genuine Freeview box and not a Freesat box?, then the former has to be connected into a normal roof or loft mounted aerial system and "not" coax cables previously used by a Sky satellite box, these only being suitable for use with Freesat devices.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
K
kelly gray
9:39 PM

Hi i have no sky i have just moved in I have a sky dich how would i know if it works befor i by a freesat box please help

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kelly gray's 1 post GB flag
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:09 AM

kelly gray: Unfortunately there isnt any way of knowing if the dish is fully operational or not without testing it out by borrowing someone else's receiver, which of course can either be a Sky or Freesat box,

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Thursday, 11 June 2015
M
MikeP
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

7:24 AM
Trowbridge

Kelly GreyFurther to that said by jb38, it is fairly rare for an LNB (the small box on the end of the dish arm that has the cables connected into it from underneath) to fail, but it does occasionally happen. It would be best to test the signals with either a FreeSat or Sky receiver box, as jb38 suggests. If that should show signals are OK then there is unlikely to be any problem. However, should that test show that all or some signals are poor/non-existant, then it will be necessary for the cables to be checked (a Sky+ or Freesat PVR requires two input cables from the dish). If you have the two cables then it's worth trying them in the input sockets one way round, checking what signal strength and quality are shown on the Signal Test Screen, and the swapping the plugs over carefully and re-checking the signals. The reason for the test being to make sure that both cables and both sections of the LNB are working properly.
If it proves to be that the LNB is not working correctly then replacing the LNB is not terribly expensive but is a job for a professional installer with the right safety and test equipment. The dish itself doesn't go wrong, unless it gets moved, and the only possible reason to replace would be it might be unsightly due to corrosion!
Should the tests show that at least one cable is faulty, they can get water inside the connectors which is not a good thing, then these can be replaced by the professional contractor - though those will be a bit more costly due to the cable cost and the time taken to run the new cables. As a guide, I had a new dish installed when I moved 6 months ago and my contractor charged £29+VAT per cable installed.
Hope that helps?

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MikeP's 215 posts FR flag
MikeP's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 12 June 2015
L
Louise Knight
10:12 AM

I have cancelled my Sky subscription and signed up with BT You-view with extra channel. I'm on the edge of the Crystal Palace signal. I am fitting a high gain aerial. I was going to leave the dish on the side wall in case I want go back to Sky so I will mount the aerial about 10 ft away from the dish. Can I disconnect the Sky dish and connect the new aerial using an extension cable to the existing satellite cabling that runs around the house and into a point next to the TV so I don't have to run 30m of new coaxial cabling.

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Louise Knight's 2 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:55 AM

Louise Knight: We need your postcode to tell what sort of signal etc you might get.

Yes, you can use the existing coax, but its possibly easier to run new coax, so you can use your dish as well - although if you had Sky Plus you'd have one spare coax anyway. Google SatCure to see what sort of fittings they do to join it all together.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:59 AM

Louise Knight: If it's a "high-gain" wideband aerial then it won't be giving "high-gain" on Group A channels, which are those Crystal Palace uses exclusively. For that reason, it should be a Group A aerial.

See:

Crystal Palace Transmitter

Examples are here:

Gain (curves), Again

Along the bottom are channel numbers and Crystal Palace uses 22 through to 35. You will note that the high-gain widebands, XB22WB and DY14WB have much less gain on those channels.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
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