Sky Box for freeview abroad?

rach29

Hi. I wonder if you lovely people can help me. My Parents are living abroad & currently have Sky ( a subscription which I pay on their behalf) We have recently aquired them a Sky+ box which they will be taking back home with them.

If possible they'd like to use the old Sky box to recieve freeview but , of course, they wont have a card for this. Can I ask Sky to provide me (them) with a card for free? Or do I need to get a different kind of Box??

will-in-estoril

Relatively straightforward. Just to be clear you want your parents to have pay TV through their $ky+ box and use their standard digibox for Freesat from $ky. (Freeview is a service through an aerial so I don't think you mean that.)

You need to be sure that the tuner in the $ky+ box is sensitive enough to receive a signal wherever it is your parents live. Whilst I can tell you which standard boxes are ok, others may have a better idea about $ky+ than me.

They will also need an LNB with at least 3 outputs. This means having a quad LNB installed.

There are now 2 ways of getting the set up you want. You can cancel the subscription they (you) currently have and take out a new subscription for the $ky+ box. The standard box will continue receive the free to view channels, including FIVE, FIVER, $ky3, Liverpool FCTV etc. and the EPG will continue to regionalise on channels 101-105. $ky will send out a new card for the $ky+ box, which can be activated in the UK prior to your parents' departure.

Alternatively, you can get $ky to pair the existing card to the $ky+ box and activate the recording feature of the box. This can happen at home or abroad, but the phone call (an 0844 number) will need to be made from the UK. $ky will need the box's serial number, version number etc. Separately, you can get a Freesat from $ky card, which will cost £20, to be used in the standard box. Again, a call to an 0844 number is needed to activate the card, for which you will need the details of the standard box.

Inactive

will-in-estoril wrote: »

You need to be sure that the tuner in the $ky+ box is sensitive enough to receive a signal wherever it is your parents live. Whilst I can tell you which standard boxes are ok, others may have a better idea about $ky+ than me.

I, like you, do not have first hand experience of Sky+ abroad, however my mate in Spain tells me that Thomsons are the best for weak signal reception.

macman

Isn't it the dish size that is more important in fringe reception areas though?

Inactive

macman wrote: »

Isn't it the dish size that is more important in fringe reception areas though?

Both, the dish size/LNB and the receiver, Pace 2600 and the Thomson 4212 have very good sensitive tuners and work better than almost all other Sky receivers in weak signal area's in Spain.

Pace 2600's attract a premium price on eBay for this very reason.

will-in-estoril

macman wrote: »

Isn't it the dish size that is more important in fringe reception areas though?

Yes, but assuming that this is not a variable as OP's folks already have a set up. Would recommend an Inverto Black Ultra quad LNB if this needs to be changed from a single, though.

http://www.inverto.tv/products/product.php?section=1&id=78&cat=4

rach29

Thanks all for your replies. They are in South West France & currently get a pretty good reception. There is a local guy who specialises is setting up Sky for expats in the area who will organise the set up, I was most interested in how to get the card etc to work which Will-in-estoril has answered beautifully thankyou.

I can make the calls necessary to get the existing card paired with the new box, so if I understand correctly all I need to do is call Sky & buy a Freesat card them call them when the setup is completed & get the cards paired with the boxes?

Inactive

My understanding is that once you contact Sky and get the " FreesatfromSky " card, you need to activate it in a Sky Receiver here in the UK, then forward the card to your parents, it will work in any Sky Receiver once activated.

Unless anyone knows different?

rach29

Inactive wrote: »

My understanding is that once you contact Sky and get the " FreesatfromSky " card, you need to activate it in a Sky Receiver here in the UK, then forward the card to your parents, it will work in any Sky Receiver once activated.

Unless anyone knows different?

Ok cool. I could do that. Would be good if someone could confirm this is the case please.

Inactive

rach29 wrote: »

Ok cool. I could do that. Would be good if someone could confirm this is the case please.

It certainly works, I have activated about 5 Freesatfromsky cards in this way for friends in Spain, I just didn't know if there was another way.

rach29

Ok cool, that works for me.