sky + DIY

[revjames]

yes I know if I was a NEW customer I'd get it all done free but I'm not so I bougfht one off Ebay and am planning to have a go myself (how hard can it be right?)

Bought an amstrad box with 160GB HDD and a kit with a quad LNB with some cables and connectors. Is it fairly straightforward to set it up?

I know you need 2 cables going from LNB to sky box, what I wanted to know was can I run another cable from the LNB to the bedroom and use the old sky box in there?

Your advice is appreciated.

 

[Lurch]

Bought an amstrad box with 160GB HDD and a kit with a quad LNB with some cables and connectors. Is it fairly straightforward to set it up?

Yes. I'd avoid giving Sky any money though, which sort of defeats the point of having the thing in the first place I suppose!

I know you need 2 cables going from LNB to sky box, what I wanted to know was can I run another cable from the LNB to the bedroom and use the old sky box in there?

Yes.

 

[Dane]

I know you need 2 cables going from LNB to sky box, what I wanted to know was can I run another cable from the LNB to the bedroom and use the old sky box in there?

Your advice is appreciated.

You will need a second card to run that box though. Which kind of defeats the object really.

 

[Badger]

also you really need to use a meter to be able to line the dish up to the best signal

 

[BS3036]

Or the old wet tissue trick...

 

[Badger]

Or the old wet tissue trick...

what! ?:|

 

[Dane]

Or the old wet tissue trick...

that sounds wrong ha-ha

Although i think this guy has already got a sky dish up

He is just wanted to change from "normal sky" to a sky plus option.

You would also need to get your card upgraded to sky plus option and yes they will charge you for that unfortunately.

 

[Bacon]

Also your card is actually assigned to the sky box it's self so you won't be able to use any card unless it's assigned to the box by sky themselfs i do believe.

Aswell as that depending on what type of box it is some Sky+ feactures may not available.

I recently had Sky+ and they fit 2 different types of box one a Pace box and the other a Ferguson box.

Basically one has the anytime TV feature and the other doesn't.

 

[revjames]

hum...... I thought just swap boxes, plug extra lead into lnb and swap cards over, wasnt planning to pay anything more - I already pay about

 

[Bacon]

You prob get it from Sky+ Box for nothing if you asked to have Sky+ and a multiroom subscription which is

 

[revjames]

Apart from the monthly subscription prices, Sky used to charge the customers an additional

 

[BS3036]

Originally Posted by BS3036 View Post

Or the old wet tissue trick...

what!

Sorry, assumed people knew it. The usual problem is that the signal is so strong that you can position the dish over a range of directions, and still get a really good picture. So locating the best position is difficult. So you need to attenuate the signal from the satellite. So you get a tissue and wet it and stick it over the front of the lnb which attenuates the signal. If you now adjust the position for the best (or these digital days, any) signal you know you have a strong signal position. Fix the position and then remove the tissue. Attenuation is adjustable with more or less water.

It can be better than a meter, because the meter doesn't know which satellite your're watching and can include several in its reading

 

[Lurch]

just cut and pasted this from a site. loioks like I will have to pay to have the full sky in the bedroom,unless there is some way of just hasving the basic free channels without paying

 

[NozSpark]

If you have a box and a spare port on your LNB then you can connect them up and get the freeview channels.

I have just removed the card from my SKY+ box and while the SKY+ features are disabled you can get the freeview channels.... so no card required!

 

[revjames]

I probably jumped in too quickly - I saw this 160GB sky+ and dived in with 10 seconds to spare and got it for

 

[NozSpark]

It doesn't matter...

none of the SKY+ features will work without a subscription

SKY can provide you with a new card when you take out/upgrade you subscription

 

[Lurch]

Do you think the sky+ will have a card in it then?

If it does it won't do much. It would have just reverted to a Freesat card had you asked me the same question a few weeks ago, they've just updated all the cards and subscription\encryption methods so no idea what happens now, might be the same, might not be.

 

[revjames]

Right, I think because I am already subscribing then I should get sky+ features without paying more. If I want the same package on the old box which I will put in another room, then I will need multiroom. I think I've goit it. Is there a special crimper for doing the coax plugs on sky stuff?

 

[NozSpark]

It's just standard 'F' connectors,, just strip insulation and twist on - leave about 4mm of the core sitcking out.

When you upgrade your package I'm sure that they will send you a new card(s)

BTW a few years ago I had a problem with a standard SKY box (just out of warranty ) they did me a SKY+ & multi room upgrade for

 

[revjames]

Thanks Noz did you have to pay more per month?