BBC CHANNELS ON SKY

[alibubs]

Hi all,
Need a wee bit of advice and help, we share a dish 2.5M with my neighbour who has the same problem that we seem to have lost BBC1 & 2 only, (ITV1, channels 4 & 5 and others all ok) although we can get a sort of picture which is pixilling all the time. We have noticed that some dishes have a metal plate place at various points on different dishes. Do these work and help to regain the picture, if so, where can these be obtained from. We noticed on an old previous post that there were 2 chaps fitting these on a no fix no fee basis, how can we get in touch with them? We live lower Tala if that helps to identify the problem.
Any help much appreciated.

[trevnhil]

A 2.5 mtr dish is certainly on the small size for reception out here in Paphos. The strongest BBC1 for us is 983 on the EPG.

We have the 'metal patch on our 3 mt dish but still have breakup when it is very cloudy ad or raining very hard. I will PM you the details of our sat man.

Regards. Trev..

[Jim]

Trev cure? yes buy the new Amstrad DRX595 the software is so much better, this has been the case for three that I have bought off Ebay for friends, they like me have no break up, unfortunatly the older Sky units are poor in this respect.

You will need a 2.7 meter dish in this area, larger in the East of the island.

[trevnhil]

Hi Jim. I have sent you an email for a few more details. But will these (HD I think) boxes just work with the free to view card. Or do you have to be a subscriber to SKY??

Regards. Trev..

[trevnhil]

Does anyone know for definate if these boxes will work with a free to view card and no subscrition.????

Regards. Trev..

[Sinbad]

Trev , I found this answer on one site .

"See how small it is compared to the standard SkyHD+ receiver. It is slimmer as it does not have the hard drive. It is just a Sky HD digibox.

This is very useful for people who do not have a Sky subscription, but does have a Sky "freesatfromsky" viewing card, as it allows, with the correct size satellite dish, reception of BBC1HD, BBCHD, ITV1HD, C4HD and Five HD."

I am sure Jim will know the correct answer.

[mjw]

Can i use this box without a card? or would i have to purchase a card as well? YES!! Jim.

Many thanks

Mike

[trevnhil]

Hi Sinbad and MJW'

This is the question that I cannot seem to get an answer to.. But as far as I know there is no card comes with the box. However I do have a free to view card in my exiting (old) box.

Does this box that Jim is recommending work with a free to view card and no subscription.

Cheers. Trev..

Trev it is a normal Sky box they now issue in the UK, so yes it works the same with any card, HD facility though has a charge £10 a month..Jim

[trevnhil]

I have sent a message to a UK company with an enquiry about the cost of sending to Cyprus. I will post when I get a reply.

Trev..

[Sinbad]

If people are only looking for the free to air BBC channels , why not consider a freesat box ?

I have used a Bush BFSAT01HD with very good reception in Cyprus.

[micktreviss]

Sinbad, yes and if you have a Humax HD Freesat box, you don't have to go through 'Other Channels' to get ITV1 HD. I will also add that I have the latest Sky+ HD box in the lounge with the Humax box elsewhere and I would say that the Humax box just about edges the Sky box in dodgy conditions-3.2 mtr dish just west of Limassol.

[trevnhil]

Well last night I did indeed order one of the smaller new Sky Amstrad boxes. I have had confirmation that it is on it's way, and I have a tracking number for it. So it may well be here by weekend, but there is no rush at all.

Trev..

[trevnhil]

Well I have the box. But of couse there are no setting up instructions for Cyprus.

Does anyone have the knowlege to put on the forum how to set these boxes up please.

Trev..

[trevnhil]

Anyone. ???

[vic]

hi trev can you give us a clue to what box you have freesat or sky
amstrad or samsung

Vic

[malsue]

Anyone. ???

This is the Pdf manual

http://www.sky.com/helpcentre/export/si ... 843347.pdf

I bought a Sky+ HD box from 'normsat' last dec and I had to phone Sky in Uk to get them to change my card details to the new box with 'call line identification restriction' (ash 31 ash) but I do pay a monthly subscription to Sky via a UK bank Direct Debit. My card address is with my son in North Yorkshire !!

Also forum member 'Pattaya Otter' gave me a lot of info on Sky +HD set up

[trevnhil]

hi trev can you give us a clue to what box you have freesat or sky
amstrad or samsung

Vic

Hi Vic. It is one of the Amstrad DRX 595 Sky HD boxes. I can download the instructions off the internet but of course you need to put a new / different frequency in the box for Cyprus. That is where my problem lies.

Regards. Trev..

[Jim]

Trev the new Amstrad DRX595 HD comes with a preset frequency number 12.402 both of mine never lose this, and it never needs resetting, you use this also to find new channels, the EPG display is completely different now to the old units, it is the same in fact to the Sky HD plus units.

Regarding Sky cards they are the same as older box's, free to view the same, white card of course to get a few extra channels.

One problem I have noticed the ''A'' red button does not work for pre recording and auto channel changing unless you subscribe to the HD service.

Pop in and I will demonstrate for you.

On an unrelated Sky matter, have had several members contact me over this last week to say they have lost some BBC programs, perhaps Norman can give us a clue to the problem.?

[trevnhil]

Hi Jim. Thanks for that information. I have a Sky man calling today and I will pass that on.

Regards. Trev..

[trevnhil]

Well after a call from our friendly Sky man today we are watching via the new HD Box. We also have the older Pace box inline as well at the moment, but of course the card can only be in one box.
We were advised that the card does need to be matched to the box and the UK supplier is taking care of that this evening.

Trev..

[trevnhil]

Hi all.
Well after trying to sort my sky system out for over 2 days I am a little bit gutted. Firstly I had to get my sky man to install my Amstrad DRX 595 box. He quickly did this late on Friday afternoon, and then he put some programmes into other channels. He advised me that the free to view card would need 'pairing' to the box.

I contacted out (good) UK card supplier and he said he would sort that out straight away. I think it has been done now as the BBC1 channel is BBC1 North west. Yesterday I could not access the 'other channels because it was asking for a PIN number. I used the last 4 number on the card but they were not accepted. This has still to be sorted, although I have not checked today.

The reason I have not checked is because I have been trying to sort out the who;e TV system including recording and getting the signal to other rooms in the house.
The problems I have had are why I feel gutted at the moment.
Firstly the new box has no Coax (RF?) out socket. So I can use the new box and see the picture on a TV in the lounge. I thought if I took the scart from the Sky Box into and out of a DVD recorder, that I would also be able to use the Coax RF outlet to connect with the TV distribution system for all the other rooms.
Unfortunately this was not to be as I could not get the DVD recorder to 'see' or tune in to the new SKY box. I also think that the RF out will not work unless I have an RF in. So this is why I am a bit gutted.

At the moment I have the new sky box for the lounge...... Another sky box for the rest of the house. BUT the rest of the house is on the older weaker box and with no card.

I am feeling a wee bit sorrowful at the moment.

Regards. Trev..

[Sinbad]

Sorry to read of your troubles Trev .

I found this info about the Amstrad "It’s worth noting that the DRX595 does not have a modulator i.e. an aerial input and output although it is possible to connect this Digibox to other TVs via coax cable by using a modulator."

I do not know if this is the correct bit of kit , but it sounds hopeful .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Scart ... d_sim_ce_5

[trevnhil]

Hi Sinbad. That could well be a possibility, and I will have a good look after the F1 race.

However it is difficult to tell if the scart goes right through or it just changes to coax. Also Cyprus is not on the posting list.

But I will have a good look later.

Many thanks for that.

EDIT... I have just seen the description..... Channel adjustable and CH21~69
2 seven segment LEDs display
Scart in/ Composite in and Scart Out
PLL control and Antenna input
RF out and Last channel memory


Trev..

[trevnhil]

Hi again Sinbad. I have indeed ordered the item that you kindly drew my attention to. This should at least cure one of my problems, in that I should now be able to feed a coax lead into the system that takes the TV signal to other rooms in the house.

Regards. Trev..

[Pattaya Otter]

Sorry to hear of your problems Trev. Seems the wonder new boxes maybe aren't that great with no RF output. My older box has RF output which I use to distribute the signal round my house. It also has the magic eye senders on the RF so I can change channels from any of the other rooms. I'm guessing your add on RF sender won't be able to do that. Seems incredibly short sighted of Sky to discontinue this very useful feature. I guess they want us all to buy multi-room subsciptions.

[Jim]

Both my Sky HD Plus and my Amstrad DRX595 HD needed ''pin numbers'' my card supplier said the same as you Trev last four digits on the viewing card, and like you it did not work, so I contacted him again and he sent new numbers, both worked, once activated I did not have to use them again in the set it it was added to, a little pain Trev but you will gain....no pun intended.

[trevnhil]

Hi Jim. Yes I am in exactly the same position re the PIN number. I cannot access the extra channels at the moment. But my card supplier has said he will sort out the PIN number.

To be honest I cannot imagine what will be needed via the extra channels. I seem to have all the main ones including ITV which I find very strange... If I put in 178 I get ITV HD. If I go to the next channel it is 178 with no signal, and the channel description is just the same. ????

I am sorted at the moment, I even got a £20 refund off the seller because of a wrong description.

Trev..

[trevnhil]

Well at last we are able to get into our 'other channels' which required a PIN number. The agent in the UK has managed to get one from SKY and has just passed it on to me.

In other channels we have.

CH 4
CH 4+1
ANGLIA ITV
ITV+1
CH 5 ITV 4+1
ITV 1 HD.

If anyone has some other frequencies for other channels then it would be good to see them on here.
Separately my Cyprus Sky Man has just told me that he considers the strongest BBC 1 channel to be 983. This is the English BBC 1 but from a Scottish Frequency.

Regards. Trev..

[Jim]

Was the card agent called Warren Trev?

[trevnhil]

Hi Jim. Yes you use the same Guy that we do in Lancashire.

Trev..