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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.

james
Sunday 6 February 2011 7:09PM Belfast
i have a sky dish but it has two cbbles and my new box has ons is there any thing i can do.
Briantist
Sunday 6 February 2011 8:15PM
james: Can you explain what you mean please?
james
Monday 7 February 2011 2:12PM Belfast
I currently have a sky + HD box and the dish that is connected has two cables which connect it, however the bush reciever has only one connection. Can I buy a connecter and will this work?
Briantist
Monday 7 February 2011 2:24PM
james: If you have another box, you need to run a satellite-grade coaxial cable to one of the two spare outputs on the quad-LNB on the dish.
Sharon
Tuesday 8 February 2011 1:57PM
Hi. I currently subscribe to sky but find it far too expensive. Can I change over to freesat using my current sky box. I understand that once I have cancelled my subscription with sky i will no longer be able to record, how is the best way to get around this because we use that feature quite a lot.
Briantist
Tuesday 8 February 2011 1:58PM
Sharon: Just replace the Sky+ or Sky+HD box with a Freesat+ or Freesat+HD box. It takes about Five minutes.

See www.ukfree.tv link icon All about Freesat | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Martin
Friday 11 February 2011 12:12PM
Hi. I have a Sky+ subscription with one Sky+ box in the lounge, connected to two of the four outputs on a quad LNB (on a Zone 1 Sky Minidish). I have just purchased an additional Sky+ box which I want to put in another room to watch FTA channels.
I've read a few comments on the site and gather that I will not be able to use the Sky+ features without paying an addiitonal £10 monthly subscription to Sky. I'm happy to just watch live FTA channels and not record (although this would've been nice- but not at £120 per year).
I am going to buy the WF100 cable and F-connectors tomorrow and was wondering whether I need to purchase two cables or whether I only require one cable (as the second cable is used for recording etc)?
If I do only require one cable, does it matter which RF input on the Sky+ I connect to? I have the Thomson DSI8210 box if that helps.
Briantist
Friday 11 February 2011 1:20PM
Martin: You only need one cable if you don't wish to record/pause/play.

However it is NOT the RF input, but the satellite input you must connect to the LNB output from the dish.

Use satellite input 1.
Mark
Saturday 12 February 2011 9:39AM
Briantist,

I'm in the process of replacing my SKY+HD Box with a Humax FoxSat-HDR, the thing i'm worried about is this;

Upstairs in my Bedroom I have a second TV that has a TVlink dongle in it so i can use a second SKY remote to change channels on the TV downstairs, enabling me to watch my Sattelite tv in my room, albeit the same channel that is on downstairs. (Hope that makes sense) My question is, will i still be able to use this dongle with my Humax? Thanks for your time.
Briantist
Saturday 12 February 2011 12:17PM
Mark: No, you can't use a "TV Link".

The best choice is to use a spare output on the dish to provide a link to another Freesat box for the bedroom.

If you do this you can watch any channel you want in the bedroom, independent of what is being watched downstairs.
nora
Sunday 13 February 2011 4:37PM
I have an old sky dish which I use to view tv upstairs. Can I upgrade dish to Quad LBD
and add a free sat hd digi box to my main tv in lounge (this is hd).
Briantist
Sunday 13 February 2011 5:32PM
nora: Yes, you can.
Adam
Friday 18 February 2011 2:47PM
Hello,

I have just bought the Humax Foxsat Freesat+ DVR, and I already have a sky mini-dish that was installed with my previous sky digital subscription (not sky+ or hd) that has been out of use for 4 years.

I would like to know if I need to upgrade the satellite cable so I can record and view 2 separate channels.

If so what exactly do I need, how much will it typically cost, how is it done and can I do this myself?

Thanks for your help!
Briantist
Friday 18 February 2011 4:35PM
Adam: You will need to change the "LNB" for a "quad-LNB" package to give you the outputs you need, and you will need to run in a satellite-grade cable for the second tuner in the Freesat+ box.

£26 for a quad-LNB - www.argos.co.uk link icon Buy Quad Output Universal LNB at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Free to air satellite.
 - the cable cost depends on the length of the run.
Adam
Friday 18 February 2011 4:45PM
Thanks! I have ordered a quad LNB package from an eBay store which was about £10 cheaper which has the cable and fittings included. Can't wait to watch digital TV again :)
Briantist
Friday 18 February 2011 4:49PM
Adam: You can watch using your single connection whilst you wait for the delivery.
NJR
Friday 18 February 2011 6:27PM
I have a sky + box, which I wish to continue using and an HD TV with built in Freesat. Can I get a switch (and two cables) so that I can watch either Freesat HD or Sky without having to unplug the cable each time from the Sky box? If so, is this expensive / problematic and where could I get a switch? The alternative would be to upgrade to Sky HD.
Briantist
Friday 18 February 2011 7:19PM
NJR: Your best option is to run a satellite-grade cable from the Freesat TV to one of the spare outputs on the LNB package on the dish.
Ann
Monday 21 February 2011 2:22PM St. Albans
Hi, I have been with sky from the very start, but now find it too expensive. My main TV with sky is downstairs and I have multi room upstairs. I want to switch to Freesat in both TVs. Would it be easier to buy two freesat boxes and install them individually?
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 2:31PM
Ann: If you stop paying Sky, the existing boxes will become "Freesat from Sky" boxes.

Otherwise, yes, you can change them for Freesat boxes - see www.ukfree.tv link icon Upgrading from Sky to Freesat
| ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 2:53PM
so just put the cables from my skyhd box to the sat box
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 2:56PM
nicharm: If you have a Sky+HD box, you can diconnect this and replace it directly with a Freesat+HD box.
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 3:04PM
can i still use my 4way splitter
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 3:17PM
nicharm: No, you can not split a satellite link. You must have a cable from each receiver (and there are two in a "+" box) to a LNB output.
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 3:26PM
what can i do i have 1 in the bedroom 1 in the kichen 1 in the conservative
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 3:33PM
nicharm: Sorry, I'm a bit lost here. What is that you have three of?
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 3:37PM
i have a 4way splitter from my skyhd now i have sky in the bedroom sky in th kitchen and sky in the conservative so what can do if i cant splitter 4ways do i have to get a receiver in each room
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 3:46PM
nicharm: Do you mean you use the RF link so you can watch what is on the Sky+HD box in each place? Or do you mean you have a Sky box in each place?

It is best to use a Freesat box (they are very cheap) for each set with a link to the dish, you can then watch any channel you want independent of each other.
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 3:49PM
yes a rf link but dont wot a receiver freesat in each room
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 4:23PM
nicharm: The analogue RF system is out of date, and is not provided in any recent equipment.

Freesat receivers start at around £30. www.argos.co.uk link icon Buy Bush BFSAT02SD Freesat SD Digital Box - Black at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Freesat digital set top boxes.
 - it would cost much less, and work much better than having an "RF modulator".
nicharm
Monday 21 February 2011 5:42PM
cheers just look at the net and got solution triax tri-link £41.00
Briantist
Monday 21 February 2011 7:04PM
nicharm: Yes, you can pay more for less.
John Gardiner
Wednesday 23 February 2011 1:50PM
I have sky tv downstairs and multi-room in the bedroom. Can I use the upstairs cable, together with the downstairs one to feed a PVR?
Briantist
Thursday 24 February 2011 6:49AM
John Gardiner: Yes, or you can run in another satellite grade cable to one of the spare outputs on the quad-LNB package on the dish, and continue to use Freesat or fSfS upstairs.
Brian
Friday 25 February 2011 3:44PM Swaffham
Hello, I have a Samsung tv le32c580j1k.
This is connected to an old Sky digibox,(Sky/Freesat).Obviously I cannot record with this and so I am considering a Humax HDRfoxt2, (I can get freeview in my area).At the same time I would like to keep my sky box and hopefully switch from one to the other.Would these be compatable or would I be better off getting a Humax foxsat Hdr. I realize that I would have to get a quatro LNB and new cable
Briantist
Friday 25 February 2011 5:59PM
Brian: I would have thought you would be better with just the modern Freesat+HD box, unless you want to watch a third live programme whilst you record two.
Andrew
Sunday 27 February 2011 2:42AM
Hello. I've just woken up (late) to the possibility of Freesat. I've had a Sky+ HD subscription for 2+ years and, somewhere, I have an old FreeSat-from-Sky viewing card.

(If I can find the viewing card) can I expect to be able to simply insert it into the Sky+ HD box and then receive and record fSfS channels, including HD, without needing to buy another FreeSat HD receiver/recorder? Thanks for your advice.
Briantist
Sunday 27 February 2011 5:14AM
Andrew: No, you can't record/pause/play with fSfS. You must pay Sky a subscription for a Sky+ or Sky+HD box to record/pause/play.

If you don't wish to pay a subscription, change the Sky+HD box for a Freesat+HD box.
ROBERT MCPHEE
Sunday 27 February 2011 6:47AM
Can you help mm,i have lived in Cyprus for 4 years,up until Wednesday past ,i recieved BBC channels plus channel 4,now they are gone,i use a sky free to view card.
Robert
Andrew
Sunday 27 February 2011 1:17PM
Thank you for the advice Briantist.
Away with the +HD box; my thoughts are now turning to the 1 JollyByte Humax Foxsat as a fairly future-proof option.
Thanks again - yours is a great service.
Fred Innes
Sunday 27 February 2011 4:14PM
I have the following set up. Sky HD in Living room, Sky+ in bedroom and kitchen. I wan to replace sky subscriptions with fsfs and also subscribe to Lovefilms (netflicks in the USA, amd retain the abilty to record on the Living room connection. How would I go about this ?
Briantist
Sunday 27 February 2011 4:19PM
Fred Innes: You can just swap the Sky+HD and Sky+ box directly for a Freesat+HD box each. You just power off, unplug the power, the two satellite connections, the HDMI connection.

Take the Sky box away, put in the Freesat+HD box, reconnect the HDMI, satellite and power and off you go.

The www.lovefilm.com link icon LOVEFiLM | Watch Movies Online - DVD Rental - Video Game Rentals online service uses either a PC or PS/3. www.lovefilm.com link icon www.lovefilm.com link icon LOVEFiLM on TV | Watch movies on demand on your TV - LOVEFiLM has detains.
Fred Innes
Sunday 27 February 2011 4:41PM
Brian, you are a star ! Thanx for the rapid response.....much appreciated.
Briantist
Sunday 27 February 2011 4:43PM
Fred Innes: Thanks. I always try to be as quick as possible. I need to do a Sky+HD to Freesat+HD page like I did for www.ukfree.tv link icon Upgrading from Sky to Freesat
| ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Andrew
Sunday 27 February 2011 6:37PM
Briantist: an updated Sky+HD to Freesat+HD update would be brilliant. Very helpful indeed.
Briantist
Sunday 27 February 2011 7:22PM
Andrew: I'll see what I can do.
Karl P
Thursday 3 March 2011 5:25PM
I currently have Sky+ installed but wish to buy a Freesat+ HD recorder and cancel my subscription with Sky. Is it as easy as just putting the satellite cable from the dish and putting into to the Freesat+ HD box? Will I be able to receive the HD channels this way and will the box be capable of recording one channel whilst I watch another, or do I need some more cabling?
Andrew
Thursday 3 March 2011 7:41PM
Karl: I've just done exactly that: bought a Humax FoxSat HD recorder and cancelled my Sky subscription.
The box came at 1pm today. By 1:20, it was connected (so simple) set up and downloading its list of channels. Yes to HD, yes to recording while watching, and no to cabling.
Go for it - and think what you're going to spend your old Sky subscription on each month!
Jak
Friday 11 March 2011 1:24PM
Hey,

I have an Sky+ box which im not using, but i am using a freeview box (via the aerial) which isnt a too sharp (keeps jumping now and again, missing rec etc.) can i just plug in my sky+ box(via the sat dish) and watch the FREESAT channels with out paying or upgrading any thing? i have the sky card. and will i it still act at a recorderable box?

thanks
Briantist
Tuesday 15 March 2011 7:11AM
Jak: Basically no, you can't. You must use a Freeview+ box with an aerial or a Freesat+ box with a dish. Please see www.ukfree.tv link icon Upgrading from Sky+HD to Freesat+HD | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
mike
Saturday 19 March 2011 6:50PM
my TV (Panasonic) has a freesat socket on the back. I plugged my sky dish lead (single cable) into it and tried to auto tune but it says it cant find the Astra satellite and won't do it. suggestions please



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