sky dish

Telecommunications, Broadband and networking questions in this forum please

Moderator: Moderators

handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

sky dish

Post by handyman »

going to be fitting a sky dish at my friends bnb, for his own accomadation, in a few weeks. He has the dish and box.

So, i need cable, the end bits for the cable, a crimping tool, a sat finder........anything else? (i have screws/drill ect!) Where do i get all this from for a decent price. I see screwfix has the cable, and the finder.

also, how do you go about splitting a sky signal to 7 rooms? One option is one extra channel set to bbc news 24........the second is all the freeview stuff. The area isnt in a land based freeview area, so satellite is the only way to go, unless you know different? How do you go about this second job?
User avatar
Hoovie
Borders Bodger
Posts: 8168
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:06 pm
Location: Scottish Borders & East Devon
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 4 times

Post by Hoovie »

Handy - you still need the low down on this?

I think the only way to do this is to get 7 Sky Boxs using a FreeSat service - one for each room. Otherwise there will be no control over the channels.

Depending on the layout of the B&B, you may be able to use video senders and have all the boxes in one place, or alternatively run the sat cable to each room and put the box in each room (which is a better option - more reliable)

He should also get a BIG dish - the standard dish probably is borderline for Scotland.

The best way to split the LNB signal into seven boxes is another matter! don't know about that, but must be possible as plenty of hotels and the like have pay TV
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

What we did was got a sky dish with a LNB with 4 ports on it. Then wired that in to 4 rooms. Got 4 second hand sky boxes off ebay. Dish was £30 and boxes were £10 each.

Not bad for getting 4 rooms with perfect freeview in them.


Will be getting another dish and doing the rest of the rooms and owner accommodation next time I'm up.
User avatar
Bludall
Forum Chatterbox
Posts: 10665
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:19 pm
Location: East Midlands
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Post by Bludall »

Handy,

I know absolutely nothing about Sky boxes or dishes, I think your set up would work well for us. Do you need to decode the boxes or insert a card to be able to use them? Are Sky dishes a standard size and what do you look for in a box, are some better than others? :scratch:
Failure means you just didn't get it right yet!
Louise
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

60cm sky dish in most places, apart from the highlands upwards.

Any sky box will do off ebay I'd say, but maybe someone knows more about the box quality?

You will get all the freeview channels with a £20 one off card from sky............or, all the channels apart from channel 4 and 5 with no card.

It was very easy to set up, just used a sat finder and got the general direction from the neighbours dish, whacked it up on the chimney, and got the satellite easily (well, i did have it on the wrong satellite for a while till i realised :oops: )
User avatar
Bludall
Forum Chatterbox
Posts: 10665
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:19 pm
Location: East Midlands
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Post by Bludall »

handyman

That would be all we needed then. :thumbright: I've just seen a £15 Sky dish and kit on eBay. That looks like it'd be easy to set up.
Failure means you just didn't get it right yet!
Louise
User avatar
skiking
Senior Member
Posts: 3842
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:02 pm
Location: Cheshire
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 4 times

Post by skiking »

Have you found a reliable seller for Sky boxes. I need a box for my '2nd' home. I can take the card from home and place it in the other box as I won't need it at home as I won't be there.

Are cards configured per box or can genuine cards work in any box ?
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

as far as i know, they say it only works in the 'area' the box is :scratch:

It can be used in any box as far as i know, and anywhere in europe.




As for a reliable seller, my friend just bought the dish and boxes off the cheapest on ebay, and all was well
User avatar
Bludall
Forum Chatterbox
Posts: 10665
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:19 pm
Location: East Midlands
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Post by Bludall »

There are so many really cheap second hand boxes on eBay. Does much go wrong with them? They even sell the cards on there.
Failure means you just didn't get it right yet!
Louise
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

wouldnt think the cards would be much use :scratch:


The boxes are fine with the prices on ebay, just buy another if it goes wrong........I have never had a sky box go wrong
User avatar
Bludall
Forum Chatterbox
Posts: 10665
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:19 pm
Location: East Midlands
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Post by Bludall »

I've just been reading about Freesat, you can't get channels 4 or 5 then. That's a pain!
Failure means you just didn't get it right yet!
Louise
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

unless you get sky and pay a one off £20 for a card, no subscription after this, then you get freeview plus 4 and 5
User avatar
skiking
Senior Member
Posts: 3842
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:02 pm
Location: Cheshire
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 4 times

Post by skiking »

Just buy a freeview box, as low as £15 these days and for £30 you can get one including 1 months Setanta
User avatar
Bludall
Forum Chatterbox
Posts: 10665
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:19 pm
Location: East Midlands
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Post by Bludall »

We've got freeview boxes already but even with a high gain aerial the signal is rubbish as we live at the bottom of a hill. I don't want to subscribe to Sky, just get a box and all the bits to go with a satellite dish because I reckon that may be a success as we'd be able to see Freeview channels. We seem to watch Channels 4 and 5 more just lately.
Failure means you just didn't get it right yet!
Louise
handyman
Senior Member
Posts: 4404
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Post by handyman »

and for the third time...........


just pay a one off of £20 for a card and you will get 4 and 5
Locked

Return to “communications and broadband”