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Upgrading from Sky to Freesat

It takes less than five minutes to replace an existing satellite box with a Freesat one.

It takes less than five minutes to replace an existing satellit
Published on by on UK Free TV

If you have an existing Sky or fSfS (Freesat from Sky) installation and want to go to upgrade to Freesat, it is a simple process.

First, buy the Freesat box from a Argos, Curry.digital, Comet, John Lewes or your local independent shop:



In the box you will find the Freesat box:



Also included will be a remote control, and this model also comes with a SCART cable, a HDMI cable and a stereo-with-composite cable. Unpack the ones you need:



You old Sky box looks like this:



Unplug the mains first from the Sky box, then pull out the SCART (or SCARTs) and then unscrew the connection to the satellite dish.



Remove the Sky box and fit the Freesat box. Reconnect the satellite cable (take care as to not damage the connection) and then the SCART and finally connect the mains power:



The box will look like this:



The box also contains the manual, which has full installation instructions. Finally fit the batteries into the remote control.



The TV screen first displays the box's logo



The first set-up screen allows you to select the TV type, widescreen mode and resolution:



Next the box checks for the satellite signal:



Then there is a check for updated software:



Then you enter your postcode and the box checks it:



The next step is a scan for channels. This takes about 30 seconds:



And that's it. You can now view channels, like 108 for BBC HD:



Or press the GUIDE button for the EPG:



(Apologies for the photos not being of the top quality)







Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom

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Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

h t
Wednesday 29 December 2010 8:49PM
Hi
need a list of freeview, freestat, and free sky, channels
Were would I find a comparison list
Regards H T
H T
Wednesday 29 December 2010 8:56PM
Tarr your a star

H T
Anne Simpson
Thursday 30 December 2010 8:54AM
We have just bought a Humax box and a new HD TV. We have Virgin cable and an old aeiral on the roof. We are not getting HD - how do we do this - do we need a new aerial?
Briantist
Thursday 30 December 2010 9:04AM
Anne Simpson: Not sure which Humax box you have, I'm guessing it is a Freeview+ one.

Can you please tell me your postcode?
benyamin
Friday 31 December 2010 12:24AM
hi
can i use Humax PVR-9150T 160GB Digital TV Recorder with my sky dish or i have to buy an arial
Briantist
Friday 31 December 2010 12:06PM
benyamin: As a Freeview device, you must attach it to your rooftop aerial, as long as you are in an aerial with digital services.
Marilyn Dolling
Monday 3 January 2011 9:34AM
Confused with the last answer. I already have freeview in my tv. I had sky but have cancelled cos of the cost. If I buy freesat then do I just swap the cables from the sky box straight over to the freesat box? without having to touch the ariel on the roof?
karen eadon
Monday 3 January 2011 10:58PM
Hi, ive been reading your posts and wonder if you could help with my query. I have just purchased a hdtv with freesat and freeview. I have a sky subscription with a sky plus box, how do i access the free hd channels as obviously the satelite cable is connected to the sky plus box which is connected to the tv by a scart cable.

I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks,
k.preece
Tuesday 4 January 2011 9:53AM
I have a basic sky package but i want a ,Freeview where i can record also+hd, can i still recieve thru my sky dish if i cancel
with sky,
i currently have my phone ,broadband and basic tele with sky.
what is m best option
thanks
pam
Wednesday 5 January 2011 12:43AM
i have sky downstairs ,can i put another dish up for freeveiw next to the sky one ? and just run a cable to it i have the tv and the box for freeveiw i,m a woman and to save on cost i,m trying to do it myself
Lindsey
Wednesday 5 January 2011 5:27PM
I have a sky box and dish - no subscription though.
I want to get a free sat box+ for my main TV and move the sky box to the bedroom. Do I need an expert to do this? Do I need another dish? Is that a stupid question?
I've seen your instructions for changing over to FreeSat from Sky and I think I'm OK with that, but I can't see how to connect the other TV which is currently on aerial reception and not dish.
I'm not too good on ladders as I would generally be seen as 'past it'!
Thanks for your help.
Briantist
Thursday 6 January 2011 9:39AM
Lindsey: You will have a "single LNB" on your dish, to supply the existing box (as you don't have Sky+).

To add more in, you will need to change that for a quad-LNB. This isn't tricky, but aligning the dish to the satellite does require skills and a satellite signal meter.

For this reason, you might find a professional installer a good value choice.
Beverley Bagnall
Thursday 6 January 2011 6:12PM
I have a sky satalite dish, and Sky Box (no subscription) Can I connect a TV with integral Freeview to that Sky Dish.

In my area I can't recieve TV via an aerial.

I want to do away with a box if I can.

Could I do it myself ?
Robin Roy
Thursday 6 January 2011 6:18PM
Please can you give me the frequencies for ASRTA2 28.2 EAST & EUROBIRD SAT 25.5 EAST for my Goodman GFSAT101SD, SD Digital box.And how enter this to my box for better choice. Thanks. Robin, dawnmoor@yahoo.com
Les Nicol
Thursday 6 January 2011 7:36PM
Beverley Bagnall - Your integral Freeview TV cannot eork in this manner. The TV's Freeview tuner can only take digital signals from an external TV aerial source.
Moptop
Thursday 6 January 2011 8:03PM
Hi - sorry if this has already been asked - but cant see the answer anywhere if it has!!

I have 2 lounges - one has Sky+ HD . The Sky engineer was very nice and put the old box in the other lounge although there is no subscription on that I just use it as freeview. I would really like to be able to record etc so can I just buy a sky+ box and change it for the old box?

The reason I ask is that I have seen talk of sky+ needing 2 of something (LNB??) that normal sky only needs 1 of (are you getting the level of my technical knowledge??!) The cable coming into the sky plus box looks like 2 cables joined together. The cable coming into the other box looks like a normal aerial cable.

Thanks in advance for your help!!
David Walden
Thursday 6 January 2011 8:07PM
Can I use a satellite dish aligned for Sky reception to receive Freesat in France.

Thanks, David Walden
Les Nicol
Thursday 6 January 2011 9:55PM
David Waklen - Yes this should be OK. If your in the far south you mave to consider your dish size if its smaller than 80cm.
Les Nicol
Thursday 6 January 2011 10:09PM
Moptop - SKY plus SD or HD require two feeds for each to supply the twin tuners that these receivers have. You would require upgrading of your cabling to the second receiver. However bear in mind that to record with your second receiver this will likely have cost implecations. SKY disable the recording capability when it is used without a subsciption.
Neil Bell
Thursday 6 January 2011 10:23PM
Pam I'm confused but maybe you are too? With a dish you can only receive freesat (or Sky). If you want to receive freesat you don't need an extra dish but you'll need a double or quad LNB to replace the single or double LNB respectively that you have on your dish now and then you'll need to run an extra cable from the LNB to a freesat box or freesat tv. If you want to receive freeview either with a freeview TV or freeview box then you'll need an aerial.
Neil Bell
Thursday 6 January 2011 10:34PM
Marilyn Dolling You may be confused with the last answer but I'm even more confused with your question. If you already have freeview on your TV why do you need freesat? You can certainly receive freesat using your old Sky dish but why bother if you can receive freeview on your roof aerial?
Neil Bell
Thursday 6 January 2011 10:51PM
Karen Eadon You don't say if your TV has an HD freeview tuner or just an SD tuner or where you live. If you have an HD freeview tuner in your TV and a roof aerial and you live in an area which has HD freeview signals you should already be receiving HD programmes. On the other hand If you don't have an HD tuner in the TV then you probably have a dual LNB on the sat dish for your Sky + box. If you swap the dual LNB for a quad one you can run an extra cable from the quad LNB to your freesat TV and get HD programmes that way.
Neil Bell
Thursday 6 January 2011 11:10PM
Beverley Bagnall If you can't receive TV via an aerial then you can't receive freeview. If you don't want to or can't subscribe to cable or Sky then you'll have to use freesat or free to air satellite transmissions to receive programmes. If you don't want to use a set top box then you'll have to get a freesat TV and connect it to your Sky dish. Otherwise you will HAVE to use a set top box for freesat or free to air satellite transmissions.
Moptop
Friday 7 January 2011 7:52AM
Thanks for the answer!

So could I put a freesat+ box instead of the old sky box? Would it still receive the signal via the sky dish and would it be able to record?
Alex
Friday 7 January 2011 9:10AM
Yes. I upgraded from standard Sky box to Freesat + HD (a Humas Foxsat HDR) on Boxing day, it took 5 minutes to install and is brilliant. It's SO much better, should have done it a long time ago! In comparison to Sky subscription, it will have paid for itself by March and I think it's actually a bit better.
Les Nicol
Friday 7 January 2011 9:29AM
Moptop - Yes - But you will need a twin feed for the "Freesat" box. It will work with a single feed but this will limit it's full recording capabilites. ie: You will only be able to record one channel while watching other. If your happy with that seeing as you also have SKY HD then a "Freesat" Technisat receiver is likely to suit your needs but requires an external laptop Hardrive. Both together would be less expensive. This receiver can also stream music photos and videos from your PC and was "Freesat" receiver of the year 2010. It's horses for courses so If you would prefer a twin tuner receiver - record two watch another - then that's what to go for and modify your cable feed from the dish to give it feeds to the two tuners.
Les Nicol
Friday 7 January 2011 9:32AM
P>S Freesat recivers are available on the high street, but good deals also online.
Moptop
Friday 7 January 2011 6:52PM Bournemouth
OK - thanks for that. If I was to decide to modify the cabling from the sky dish how complicated would that be? Could I do it or would I need an engineer?
Les Nicol
Friday 7 January 2011 8:57PM
Moptop - If you have a reasonable grasp as far as DIY skills and the dish is easily accessed without putting yourself at risk then it's straight forward enough. However If at any height at all and if in any doubt it's worth asking a local installer to do this for you. Shouldn't be that costly to do this as you only require a twin cable run and should not need the LNB upgraded as your existing LNB should suffice.
Les Nicol
Friday 7 January 2011 9:06PM
P>S If going ahead your self - You can either acquire a single run of cable (Satellite Grade) or New twin core Shotgun SKY type cable suitable terminations and roll of self amalgamating tape. Suggested supplier "Satcure" - online.
Dave
Sunday 9 January 2011 12:35PM
Question. I live in the northeast of Spain.
If I buy a Humax foxsat HDR freesat receiver from Amazon, how can i install it without a post code number, or do I use the original Sky post code number.
Briantist
Monday 10 January 2011 6:48AM
Dave: The postcode you enter configures the BBC and ITV regions. You can use any postcode you like.
Dave
Monday 10 January 2011 10:07AM
Dear Briantist.
I find your answer very helpfull.
It may also help others.
Thanks
Dave.
Frank
Sunday 16 January 2011 10:45AM
I just had Freesat installed by my local electrical shop (Claridge Walsall).They used a Humax hd freesat box. I found the box easy to use and well set out.I like the genre sorting method ie music,cooking,film ect choices,saves the chasing and chan/hopping. Stunning picture and sound quality and not intrusive in size.Great move getting freesat.I had freeview but the repeats are horendous.I have been told you can add a lot more free to air so will look into that later
Briantist
Monday 17 January 2011 7:38AM
Frank: Thanks for that.
philup
Tuesday 18 January 2011 12:48PM
i have a sky dish but am not using sky, can i just buy a freesat box connect it to the sky dish cable and be up and running
Briantist
Tuesday 18 January 2011 12:51PM
philup: Yes.
philup
Tuesday 18 January 2011 12:54PM
thank you very much getting this sorted has been such a ball ache. much appreciated.
philup
Tuesday 18 January 2011 2:07PM
i have bourght a freeesat box and it is all plugged in and wired up but its not picking up any signal through the satalite. any ideas why thismight be?
Dan
Tuesday 18 January 2011 3:52PM
Hi.

My folks want to upgrade from a Humax Freesat box to a Humax FOXSAT-HDR Freesat+ 320GB HD Digital TV Twin Tuner HD Recorder. They are told they'll need a different ariel cable, is this correct?

Many thanks.

Dan
tony
Tuesday 18 January 2011 5:06PM
i have basic sky fed through one tv and then back to 8 way powered splitter in the roof space.TV's in 5 different places all fed through tv outlets.
Have to watch the sky output on all tv's but can change channels ok.All sets can watch terrestrial channels .
Can i buy a freesat box to replace the sky box?
Will the tv sets around the house be able to watch channels independantly?
tony
Briantist
Wednesday 19 January 2011 11:23AM
tony: No, Freesat boxes do not have analogue RF outputs (as this system is now discontinued).

The idea is that Freesat boxes are cheap and you can put one on each set - so you can watch any channel you like.

You can easily attach up to eight devices to a dish, you just need an 8-output oct-LNB for the cables to connect to.
Briantist
Wednesday 19 January 2011 11:25AM
philup: Did the connection work before?
Briantist
Wednesday 19 January 2011 11:26AM
Dan: The cable is the same, but you need two connections to the dish for a recorder (and also a quad-LNB on the dish for the connections to go to).
Dan
Wednesday 19 January 2011 4:38PM
Cheers Brian.

They're gonna be charged £90 for the new connection etc so I presume that's about right.

Briantist
Wednesday 19 January 2011 4:41PM
Dan: Yes, as you will need a new LNB, this is about right.
Anne
Wednesday 19 January 2011 5:20PM High Peak
If I purchase Freesat to replace my Sky box (I am a non-subscriber) approximately how many channels will I be able to receive?
Briantist
Wednesday 19 January 2011 5:46PM
Anne: See the list on the All free-to-watch channels | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice page please.
Sarah
Wednesday 19 January 2011 9:15PM
I'm sure this question has been asked before, so many apologies! I have just cancelled down my sky+ account and am looking at getting freesat+. Will anything else need to be done to my existing dish and cables? I noticed comments about "quad lnbs" earlier and am confused!
Briantist
Thursday 20 January 2011 5:41AM
Sarah: If you have Sky+ you will have the two connections to the dish required for Freesat+.

To upgrade Sky+ to Freesat+

1) power off Sky+

2) disconnect the SCART and two satellite links

3) remove Sky+ box

4) install Freesat+ box

5) connect two satellite links and SCART

6) connect the power
Sarah
Thursday 20 January 2011 10:32AM
Wonderful, thanks Briantist - I'll try this tonight!! Sorry for asking obvious questions, but the LNB bits had baffled me!



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