New house with sky dish - can i just get a box?

lighty07

Hi all.

I have moved into a new house. Freeview reception is terrible. Hence why i suspect there is a sky dish already there.

Can i just buy an old sky box and use it for the free channels (as like a freeview box). ??

thanks veyr much guys.
N

cte1111

Yes you can, we've done it when we were living somewhere temporarily.

MX5huggy

Yes you can you need a viewing card to get some of the channels (blue with the yellow house) .

Or get a new freesat box it works with the sky dish.

jasonwatkins

i did this as well - don't let anyone tell you that you need it connected to a phone line because with a second hand box you don't.

i even bought a sky+ box second hand as well and that was all fine.

lighty07

I will be giving it a go.

might be an idiots guide question here...but would a virgin media box do the same job? or does it have to be sky?

thanks agin

Freeway

It would need to be a sky box (or a freesat box) the virgin media boxes are just for cable.

MX5huggy

How many cables have you got from the LNB (the dish)? if you have 2 or more you could get a freesat PVR

M4RKM

jasonwatkins wrote: »

i did this as well - don't let anyone tell you that you need it connected to a phone line because with a second hand box you don't.

i even bought a sky+ box second hand as well and that was all fine.

it only needs to be connected to a phone line if you subscribe to sky and your contract says it needs to be connected to a phoneline

if you're getting a sky box for just free channels, there is no need.

M

gaz_jones

jasonwatkins wrote: »

i did this as well - don't let anyone tell you that you need it connected to a phone line because with a second hand box you don't.

i even bought a sky+ box second hand as well and that was all fine.

So do you get the benifit of sky plus just on the free channels you receive? I am currently using an old box with an old card and get a decent amount of free channels but i'd love the Sky+ option if it would work. Sure you can pick sky+ boxes up really cheap on eaby.

lowbrim

gaz_jones wrote: »

So do you get the benifit of sky plus just on the free channels you receive? I am currently using an old box with an old card and get a decent amount of free channels but i'd love the Sky+ option if it would work. Sure you can pick sky+ boxes up really cheap on eaby.

You cant use the sky+ functions without a subscription. the sky+ box will just work like a standard box without a subscription.

If you want a card for the freesat channels Ch5 etc you can buy them for £20 on the freesat site,