Installing Freesat

beachlou

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone could help or advise me. We have just moved to a new area and can't seem to get freeview. All the houses around us seem to have satellite dishes so I'm presuming thats the way we have to go. We don't want to get tied into a contract so though freesat was the way forward.

The people here before us had a dish (the bracket and cable are still there but the cable has been cut) but they've taken the dish with them. I've been having a look around at getting freesat installed and wondered how big of a job it would be if my DH tried to do it himself? Has anyone done it? Also am I right in thinking that once the dish has been installed we can use an old sky box to get freesat?

Thanks in advance.

soay_2

A few months ago we bought two" Free to Air " satellite kits from B&Q for £24.50 each.[Consists of Dish, Box,Remote, Cable & fittings ]

Husband bought a satellite finder for a few pounds off Amazon & has installed a dish to each of our TVs.

There are over 300 channels including all the regional BBC & ITV programmes.

My husband did not have any problem installing them but he can turn his hand to most things.

I don't know whether you can still get them at B&Q but the manufacturer is Ross & I can highly recommend them as exceptional value for money.

Freesat is not actually free but "Free to Air" is.

There is plenty of installation help on the Internet

macman

It's perfectly possible to DIY, but can be tricky to align-mainly depends what height you are working to.
Buy a quad LNB and run a twin feed to the TV point if you want to use a PVR on it at some point in the future.
NB: you can't get Freesat on an old Sky box, you can get the Sky FTA channels (what Sky call Freesat From Sky). Similar channels, but a different platform.
Freesat will require a Freesat digibox or PVR.
And the previous poster is incorrect-Freesat is free, the only cost is the equipment. An FTA satellite kit will give you the Freesat channels and others, but will not give you the Freesat EPG-it's not Freesat.

TEDDYRUKSPIN

AS above.... The standard Ross satellite freesat box is'nt that good. We have one and is actually quite irritating but cheap. For £50 quid you could go for the HD model. This dropped in price from £150 quid to £50quid in your local B&Q.

As for the installation, it is a pain in the backside to install and the added cost of purchasing the cable and alignment, you could get someone to do it for you for around £60-£80quid. You can bargain. I got my parents done for £60quid. My LNB recently was broke and got the whole house recabled, new LNB, alignment for £65quid.

beachlou

Thanks for the advise everyone. My line of thought was to get someone in but hubby thought he could do it himself.

After talking to a guy in currys about their freesat instillation packages he said that we should be getting freeview without any problems as the area is known to be fine for signal so not sure why we can't. He said to buy a digital tv signal meter-is that the right advise do you think?

ariba10

We have Freesat and Freeview and tend to view more Freesat. (Better picture)

There are some channels you will get one and not the other and vice versa.

macman

beachlou wrote: »

Thanks for the advise everyone. My line of thought was to get someone in but hubby thought he could do it himself.

After talking to a guy in currys about their freesat instillation packages he said that we should be getting freeview without any problems as the area is known to be fine for signal so not sure why we can't. He said to buy a digital tv signal meter-is that the right advise do you think?

Have you got a proper roof top aerial (a set top one probably won't do the job)?
A signal meter is only of any use if you are going to realign the aerial yourself.

beachlou

We do have a roof top aerial and he said it might be because its been knocked out of alignment with the weather. We did have signal on freeview for a couple of days before it just went out so I'm guessing it could be that?

ankspon

Have you tried retuning freeview?

macman

It could equally be a cabling issue-get an aerial installer in to check the whole thing.