What is going to happen to the free-to-view satellite cards?
Archived 10301
According to the BBC:
If you have a Free-to-View (or 'Solus') card or if you have a Sky card, but have stopped paying your subscription to Sky
If your card looks like this:
or
You will still get the BBC channels that are “Free-to-Air”, and the correct regional (or national) version of BBC ONE at 101, and BBC TWO at 102, until September.
The box will then default to BBC ONE London at 101, and BBC TWO England at 102, independent of where you live in the UK. Your local BBC regional output will be available in the 941-962 numbers of the EPG.
However without your viewing card you will lose itv-1, Channel 4, and five. Please see here for your options.
If your card looks like this:
You will get access to all the
free-to-air channels,
and the free-to-view channels.
You will get your correct regional (or national) version of BBC ONE and BBC TWO, plus your localised ITV region, at channels 101, 102 and 103 respectively.
Additionally, if you live in England, a local version of BBC ONE will appear at channel 101 when these variants launch on 29 July 2003.
If you live in Wales you will get S4C at Channel 104, instead of Channel 4. However you can still access Channel 4 on channel 184.
You will be able to get all the other regional and national variants of BBC ONE and TWO in the 941-962 numbers on the EPG from the end of July, regardless of where you live.
Your card will continue to work for between three and five years.
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You Sky digibox will only work with digital video broadcast satellite (DVB-S), not with Freeview which is DVB-T (terrestrial). If you've still got your dish, connect it back to the Digibox (with the power off!) and you will get all the free-to-view television channels that you would get with an expired contract card, with the exception of Channel 4 and five. You will need a Freeview box to receive digital TV though your aerial. Tony WilsonWednesday 8 March 2006 9:10PM
I've just finished with Sky, misplacesed my card, and am now trying to access terrestrial channels on a portable.
I connect aerial wire to digibox, and digibox to tv (Scart). Get the message
"no satellite signal available/found."
Cannot move from this position.
What do I do next?
Tony Wilson, LancsThe aerial connection on your Sky digibox is simply for adding a RF version of the decoded satellite channel for your television to tune into - and the analogue terrestrial (ie, normal) television. Without a connection to a satellite dish, the digibox is quite useless. Power off the digibox and reconnect it to the satellite dish. replace the power. To receive a Freeview signal, you will need a Freeview box. paulSaturday 11 March 2006 7:09PM
hi i have a free view card that was issued by ch4 but was never activated because thay stoped answereing the phone. is there any way i can get it turnd on at the moment it says call brordcaster on ch4/5 ect . thanks . and thanks for site p Have you tried 0870-606 1111? GuyMonday 10 July 2006 5:47PM
Free to view/free to air/
I am confused, I have a satellite dish on the wall of my new flat which was left by the past owner, with cables into the house. I have been reading about how to enable it and there appears to be some confusion. I know you can probably sign up with Sky for a monthly subscription with sky box and card etc. if I wanted to do that I would have. I have read that you can reciever a signal as long as you have a reciever box but no card. I have also seen explanations were you have a reciever as well as a card. I am not a tv or film buff and would rather not sign up to sky, I have a tv that has a freeview box. What I am after is what I need to do get a couple of extra channels.
Thanks very much for any the help.OK. Free to AIR means that the program is broadcast without any encryption and requires no payment to watch. Free to VIEW means that there is encryption is there but the decoding requires no subscription. Only Channel 4 and 5 are Free to VIEW, all BBC and ITV channels are Free to AIR. If you get a satellite box (any DVB-S box) or an old Sky box can be attached. The channels are similar to Freeview (the terrestrial service though an aerial) but not the same. glennSunday 29 October 2006 2:01PM
will i be able to pickup freeview channells by connecting my freeview box to an old sky analouge or digital dish..Catherine HoyMonday 22 January 2007 8:53PM
I have an ex contract skybox - I also have a sky dish at my new property. I have linked it up and it works fine, though I can't get E4, channel 4 and channel 5. Does anyone know what I should do?
ThanksJasonThursday 7 February 2008 9:39AM
Just called sky to buy a FreeSat Card for £20. The woman on the other end of the phone said that the card will be valid for 3 years after activation and then I'll have to buy a NEW card!!! Has anyone come across this before or SKY are just changing the things as they go along to suit themselves?Jason: Sounds like Sky... BBC/ITV Freesat will start later this year, so you probably don't need to worry about using Sky in three years time. DonallMonday 3 August 2009 10:45AM
I had a standard sky box and recently upgraded to a plus box.The guy that installed it put my old box in another room in the house and said that I would be able to recieve the free to air channels,which I did for about two months.
Now all I get when I turn on the box is 'no satelite signal is being received'
Do you have any idea why this is and if I can get the free channels back.Andy ParaTuesday 12 January 2010 8:46PM
How can we stop these pop ups!!
I have a sky box & dish but cancelled to contract about 5 years ago. We have been viewing the free channels but now we keep getting the very annoying pop up's stating we need to upgrade or loose channels. How can we stop these pop ups!!ray-pcSunday 7 February 2010 4:50PM
I have the same annoying popup appearing on the free to air programmes. how to stop please. ray-pcray-pc: Just remove the card, I think that's all you have to do. PepeTuesday 6 April 2010 9:44PM
Sounds like sky have found a way to charge me £6.66 a year on top of the already extortionate BBC licence fee, just charge me to use a card in the box I paid a lot of money to sky for over a number of years.
What a bunch of shysters they really are!!!!
better off investing in a better aerial I think and get freeview (receiver already in my tv).Keith DeanSaturday 15 May 2010 8:07PM
I have an LG freesat TV (LF7700) but I'm unable to get any response about getting iplayer from either BBC or LG, perhaps you could shed some light on it!!Keith Dean: LG will know the date they will be providing the service, you will have to wait until they are ready. I want to watch RTE 1&2 when I'm in London. Can I buy a free to view card that will allow me to do that? If so where do I get 1. Patricia O'Neill: Only cards delivered to an address in Ireland (North or Republic of) will give you access to these channels. RuthWednesday 18 August 2010 5:28PM
Hi!
I've recently been given a white sky card which apparently was activated. when it's inserted into my box I get a message saying that the box and the card to not go together. Is there anyway around this? ThanksLutonFanWednesday 18 August 2010 10:40PM
Sturminster Newton Ruth- You will need to contact Sky in order to register the card to the box.RuthFriday 20 August 2010 1:50PM
Thanks Lutonfan,
I'll do that. Have a good weekend. RuthJaimeWednesday 22 June 2011 1:33PM
Hi,
I have sky HD in the lounge and have sky+ in one of the bedrooms on multiroom.
I've just purchased an octo LNB. Can I connect an old sky box without a card and receive the free channels or will i have to purchase a FTV card from sky?clarkeSaturday 9 July 2011 9:25PM
we have just been given a sky+box but can't get it to work we already have a sky digi box with a viewing card what do we have to do now?Jaime: Yes, just connect it up. You only need a card if you want to watch PICK TV, 5* and 5USA. markWednesday 19 October 2011 4:41PM
hi,
i used to be with sky but cancelled my subscription about a year ago, i have been getting all the free channels but now my sky box has started playing up, if i get a second hand box what do i do about the card,do i use the old one or do i get a new one or try to get box with card,thanks,markSTEPHEN LEEMonday 27 August 2012 10:43AM
Can i get Freeview channels with a sky boxs in my caravan with out a viewing card thanks jb38Monday 27 August 2012 5:00PM
STEPHEN LEE: Yes, on the assumption that you have a dish installed and that you are referring to Sky's "free to view" channels.BrianWednesday 19 September 2012 9:22PM
Hi there,
I no longer subscribe to Sky but still have the working equipment. My Sky+ box will not record without a current subscription card even for the free-to-view channels, is it possible to overcome this problem without re-subscribing to Sky?
jb38Wednesday 19 September 2012 9:35PM
Brian: The answer is no, as Sky permanently retains the access codes necessary to enable the recorder / playback side of the box to operate, and as you obviously already realise will only allow access to them with appropriate payments being made in the form of a subscription, there being no way around this. BrianWednesday 19 September 2012 10:27PM
Thanks jb38. Looks like Sky win yet again.jb38Wednesday 19 September 2012 11:22PM
Brian: Well you could always go with Freesat and especially a Freesat twin tuner PVR, as there are not that may channels that are available on Sky that aren't on Freesat and vice-versa, and of course there are no running costs with Freesat in the same way as there are with Sky. updates
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What can my do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'? | ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002 to restore your channel. If that doesn't work then the dish may have moved or the cable has been damaged. 
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