All posts by Meddling old pensioner
Below are all of Meddling old pensioner's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Jo:(QUOTE)Hello , we are going to cancel our sky package as it is too expensive - I have read elsewhere that we would be able to cancel our subscription with sky but purchase a freesat card from them for around £19-£25 and continue using our sky+ HD box is this right ?????? It also stated that we could continue using the recording part of the box for £10 a month. Any clarification would be gratefully received. Jo)
Hello Jo, you won't have to "Buy" a freesat card from Sky. Just call them and cancel your subs, but ask them to leave you with "Free-sat from Sky" (They will probably ask if that's what you want anyway), you can then get all BBC,ITV,Channel 4,and channel 5, and Five's sister channels (Five U.S.and Five*)all on your HD box. This will include any HD programmes that are transmitted by these providers. You will no longer get ANY HD programmes from Sky.
While you are on the phone, ask if you can still use the record facility for £10.per month, if that's what you want, get them to add it at the same time. It' a good idea to get them to reset your pin, if you have forgotten it! This can be done in minutes whilst you are talking to them.
To get ANY Sky HD channels you HAVE to pay the minimum sub of around £19.+ £10.per month for HD.
Hope this helps,
Rom.
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To Jo, again,
Forgot to mention that if you subscribe to one of the minimum entertainment packs at around £19. This will automatically give your recordability back. To sum up, the cheapest you can do this is: Around £29.00 will give you the Family pack of your choice + recording + HD on the HD channels included in your package.
Regards, Rom.
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Graham,
I only see mention of an aerial, not a dish.
I assume you have the digi-box connected to a dish,as well as an aerial,if you need RF out?
Rom.
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reethy,
From what you say, I assume you are using your sky digi-box, and your dish, to watch the free to air channels.
If NOTHING has changed,ie: high winds, dish alignment, broken cable etc. And you get NO channels, (you should get Sky News and BBC news channel on a piece of damp string in the UK). Then, maybe, the problem lies with digi-box itself. I would do no more than you have already, reboot, check connections etc. Then, perhaps ask a friend or neighbour, if you could borrow their box for 30 minutes, and connect it the exact same way as your box is connected. If their box boots up and works, then that is your problem, and you'll have to source another box. Maybe a Samsung HD box (easily the best) from Ebay, for about £40-£60.
Hope this helps,
Rom.
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simone
[Quote:Sunday 10 April 2011 12:32PM
5 hours ago thanks for the reply tom, just to clarify i wont be able to watch the recorded programs if i cancel?]
Simone, you will lose all the nice bits of Sky, if you cancel down to "Free-sat from Sky"
This includes watching stuff you have already recorded on your box!
The only way round it is to "down-grade" to the cheapest Family pack, and ask them to keep your record facility, cost around £19.50. Sky will do this over the phone.
If you have Sky+ HD, this is the best way, as the amount of HD is pathetic, at the moment, on Freeview!
Total cost £19.50+£10.00 per month for Family Pack of your choice + record facility and HD.
Rom.
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Brain,
Assuming the box worked perfectly, when at your Parent's house, there are 2 things you can check out. And a couple of points you will probably have to get checked for you.
1; The "F" plug at the sky-box end, has it got a little piece of the thin inner cable sticking out, just a little, from the plug so that it makes good contact with the box?
2; Follow the cable-run through the house, and make sure it's not damaged, or cut, or got any joins in!! (You must not have ANY joins in a Sky cable, even if it's one of those ones that look good, with the screw ends, they are CRAP)
That only leaves the LNB and dish itself, LNBs do sometimes fail, and the dish can become misaligned, high winds etc. Depending on your abilities, you may well have to get someone to check these last two items for you.
Just a thought, while you have the remote in your hand:
Press "Services",
4-0-1,
"Select"
In the menu you now see, check:
Default transponder, should be 11.778, with "V" in the line below, (not "H").
Then scroll down and make sure the power supply to the LNB is "ON".
If you need to reset anything in this menu, remember to scroll to the bottom and choose "Save settings" then back-up, back-up twice.
If the box was working o.k. at your Parents, I would think these settings would be correct.
Finally, you should get SOMETHING on the box, Sky News, BBC, ITV, etc, even without a card, however WHAT you get, will depend on the card and subs paid etc. The fact that it's in a different location won't make any difference to the box acually WORKING.
Good luck, hope this helps.
Rom.
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Tuesday 4 January 2011 1:24AM
Michael,
Sky controls your box via signals from the satellite, and use your address to give you regional differences for BBC and ITV via the viewing card.
I don't know where OFFCOM come into this, as Sky invest a lot of money in sending you hundreds of TV channels, you don't NEED record facilities to view TV, so record is an extra, so you pay. Simple!
If you could by-pass this system, you would become very rich!!!!