Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ?
Yes, but only "sort of".
Freeview is the name of the (BBC-backed) digital TV system that uses hilltop transmitters to rooftop aerials. It is run separately from the "Sky" satellite-to-dish service.
free-to-VIEW is a term for satellite channels that need a viewing card to watch, but not to collect a subscription. free-to-AIR channels are ones that can be received without needing a viewing card or subscription.
The free-to-AIR satelite service backed by the BBC and ITV is called Freesat. The free-to-VIEW service operated by Sky is called fSfS or Freesat from Sky.
As long as you have finished your first year, you can leave Sky when you want.
To do this just give Sky a call and tell them you don't want to subscribe any more.
If you stop subscribing you will be able to watch the hundred or so free-to-air channels listed on free channels list. This service is called Freesat from Sky (fSfS).
Some of the channels on the Freeview service are subscription only on satellite, specifically: 4Music, Challenge, Dave, Dave ja vu, Quest, VIVA and Yesterday . See these links to compare the TV channels on Freesat-from-Sky and Freeview, and to compare radio stations on Freeview and fSfS. Many homes have free satellite and Freeview to get the full range of channels.
You will still need to keep your Sky viewing card. If you stop subscribing on a Sky contract, you can keep using that card to watch 5USA, 5* and PICK TV, the so-called "free-to-view" channels. (All ITV channels are free-to-air).
It is not possible to plug an aerial into a Sky Digibox to receive Freeview channels because the boxes have not been designed this way.
You will continue to get the full Sky EPG listings; you just will not be able to watch subscription channels.
If you want to go for High Definition, HD, you can swap out your Sky box for a Freesat one very easily.
A card is not needed to watch BBC services, but it is needed to get the correct BBC ONE and BBC TWO regions on 101 and 102.
Another option is to disconnect your Sky Digibox altogether and Upgrade from Sky to Freesat - ukfree.tv. If you have an HD-Ready TV and a standard Sky box, this is a good option.
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Tom FletcherSunday 10 April 2011 9:37AM
Karl Lusby
I need a bit more information to correctly diagnose your fault,when you say not working,is the standby light on? or is it just not getting channels is there any messages being displayed,ie no signal or something like that. simoneSunday 10 April 2011 12:32PM
thanks for the reply tom, just to clarify i wont be able to watch the recorded programs if i cancel?rockinromSunday 10 April 2011 6:22PM
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.
amySunday 10 April 2011 7:23PM
Hi is five usa included in the free channelsamy: Please read the article. BrianMonday 11 April 2011 10:37PM
Hi I have moved into a new house that has a sky dish already attached. I bought over a skybox n card that is used in my sisters multiroom at my parents house. Pugged it in hoping it would work in my new house but it jus says no signal being received. Is there a way around this that would stop me having to subscribe to sky for my new house?
Any info would be a great help.rockinromTuesday 12 April 2011 12:24AM
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.
RogerTuesday 12 April 2011 4:20PM
My daughter wants freesat with broadband and talk.How does she go about it? She has a dish plus sky+ boxHI, i have been using my sat box as a freesat from sky box since canceling, and last week (almost exactly 1 year from canceling) it has scrambled all the channels! does this sound right? All the previously watchable channels just show green and yellow scramble, but you can still hear the sound! carolWednesday 20 April 2011 9:43PM
hi, i have just upgraded to sky hd, i still have my old sky+ box, is there anyway i can use this in another room just to watch the programmes that were recorded on it?carol: You will need to pay for a Multiroom subscription to Sky to allow your box to do that. AlisonThursday 21 April 2011 3:25PM
Guildford Hi just bought a Humax HDR-FOX T2 to go with my HD ready telly. Freeview channels loaded fine automatically but no HD channels. Have I omitted something or is there no HD reception in my area yet?eddieSaturday 23 April 2011 11:12AM
Hi I was give a sky box but i dont have existing sky subscription. However in my flat there is a existing satellite socket, there is a common satellite shared dish.
I just want to know, whether i could plug the skybox to the satellite connection to get freeview channel?
Thanks
eddie: Please read the article at the top of the page. heatherSunday 24 April 2011 1:04PM
London My daughter has just moved into a rented house there is no outside aerial just a sky dish. They cant afford to pay for sky so are they able to buy a freesat box and just plug it in. There is currently no signal in the sitting room although she can get a weak signal using a indoor aerial in her bedroom.
Many thanks heatherSunday 24 April 2011 1:17PM
London Thanks Brian for that advice can I also ask ( as you can see Im a complete novice at this)will any freeview box do or does it have to be hd. I dont know if their tv is hd ready would that make a difference?
Thanks heather: Not a FreeVIEW box of any sort, but a FreeSAT box. The Freesat HD boxes are slightly more expensive, and you can watch the HD channels on a SD TV if you want.
Freesat (non HD) boxes start at £30. RichardTuesday 26 April 2011 10:15PM
Briantist has the info I require.I wrotr previously about an installation I did using recycled equipment to receive freesat tv.I recently installed another dish to receive signals from Astra 19.2 which works very well.How can I combine cables from both dishes so that I do not have to change cables every time I switch choice of satellite I wish to view programmes on. Tonight I watched Man Utd v Schalke 04 on German channel Sat Eins.Richard: You can't combine the cables. Mike DimmickWednesday 27 April 2011 12:09AM
Richard: You need to find out if your TV or box can do DiSEqC signals. If so, you can buy a DiSEqC switch that automatically switches between the dishes when instructed by the box.
There are also manual switches available, but - like any device inserted in-line - they do reduce the signal level a bit.RichardWednesday 27 April 2011 10:11PM
Thanks Mike and Briantist for your prompt response.My tv box can do DiSEqC signals.Richard: Then see here - Google . RichardThursday 28 April 2011 8:58PM
Thanks,Briantist I got a suitable DiSEqC switch for 20 euros today.Mark LewisFriday 29 April 2011 12:14AM
Bridgend I've just moved into a new house and the aerial didn't work for my old digibox for some reason. The previous tennents had sky and there was a dish left on the house. My mate gave me an old sky box and a card to put in it and it worked great. I had loads of channels for about 2 hours then it told me I had to subscribe? I was left with the BBC's and ITV's etc. Any ideas why this as happened? I've not had sky before so I'm new to all this. Cheers. The aerial is on the roof and post code is CF31 1JS.Richard: Please let us know how you get on with it. chopperFriday 29 April 2011 10:22AM
installed my dish and put a signal meter on turned on sky box my meter lit up and i tuned in for a good signal turned on signal test on tv and nothing it keeps searching but nothing happens.RichardFriday 29 April 2011 7:51PM
Briantist,switch I purchased is satisfactory considering that all equipment installed by me is old and obtained from recycling centres and skips.One dish looks as if it was used for target practise in a shooting range as I had to drill 4 extra holes in it to fit a supporting bracket.Freesat signals are excellent.The other dish is distorted around the rim but signals from Astra 19.2 are excellent.The receiver I use is a siolvercrest. DonaldFriday 29 April 2011 8:36PM
Hexham I retuned the Freeview system earlier in the evening. The aerial is mounted on the chimney.EmmaTuesday 3 May 2011 8:20PM
Hi,
We have just been given a bog standard sky box, not sky+ or hd. We already had a dish up so we just plugged it in and there was a few channels working but the box doesn't have a card. Would it be worth purchasing a card to view the free channels or would it be pointless? Not sure where I would get one though, don't fancy ringing up sky to subscribe.
Thank youRichardWednesday 4 May 2011 11:54AM
People are paying too much for subscription tv in Britain and Ireland. I have seen ads on French and Spanish channels offering Canal+ for 25 euros a month.Package consist of top keague football,films aqnd documentaries.No basic must be purchased to get this premium package.Richard: I'm glad to hear it all works for you. chopper: You are probably aligned to the wrong satellites. RichardThursday 5 May 2011 12:09PM
Briantist,my satellite receiver had to be re-programmed to accept signals from both satellites. It rejected signals from freesat when switch was connected.I had to issue a command to receiver to accept dual reception.Signal loss is only 1%.Reception from freesat is at 78%,from astra 1 it is 75%.Cables are 16M in length from dishes.DannySunday 8 May 2011 4:26PM
Hi, I have a freeview box and a freeview built in tv, all i want to know is if i buy a sky dish will it work with my box and tv for the freeview channels?
many thanksjb38Sunday 8 May 2011 8:11PM
Danny: The answer is NO! as freeview is a terrestrial based system and not a satellite one, a Sky dish would only be suitable if you were thinking along the lines of a using Freesat for reception, which as the name obviously suggests is satellite based.Tim Monday 9 May 2011 8:26AM
We have a sky plus box and are considering cancelling the subscription which is the one you pay for the basic package.
Will we still be able to watch and record channels such as BBC 1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 etc, using the Sky satellite dish. Do we need to keep the card ?
Thanks,
Tim Mike DimmickMonday 9 May 2011 2:16PM
Tim: All variants of BBC One and BBC Two, and all other BBC channels, and all Channel 4's channels except 4Music, are free-to-air and do not require the card to decrypt. There are some regional variants of ITV1 that are soft-encrypted and require the viewing card to decrypt: this continues to work even after you stop subscribing. I don't think it's possible to put a free-to-air variant at 103 with Sky - the variant selected is the variant ITV consider most appropriate for the postcode your card is registered to.
Channel 5 has four regions for advertising purposes, of which one is free-to-air and the other three are encrypted. Again, Sky map the appropriate one to 105.
A number of other channels are also available as Free-To-Air or Free-To-View (soft-encrypted). See 
All free-to-watch channels | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for a comparison.
If you cancel your subscription, Sky will disable all recording and timeshift functions. You will also not be able to play back previously-recorded programmes. It is possible to just buy the recording features but since it's £10 per month, and you have to get someone who understands what you're talking about, you may as well just keep subscribing.
If you want to keep recording and timeshift features, you should look into a Freesat+ box. The initial outlay is higher but there is no ongoing subscription. You can watch any free-to-air channels. Jonny5Tuesday 10 May 2011 11:25AM
I am moving into a new house with a Sky+ dish.
I want to purchase a good Freesat+ recorder for my main living room (see no issue with this).
What do I then have do if I want to put standard freesat in other rooms.
I do not mind laddders or running cablesLes NicolTuesday 10 May 2011 2:44PM
Jonny5 - As you have a SKY dish as you say for SKY+ then the dish should have an existing quad LNB fitted. If your connecting up a "Freesat" DTR recorder for your lounge than that will leave you two feeds st the LNB to which you can run an additional two feeds to other locations. Should you require more than two feeds then you would have to purchase an octo LONB which has eight outs on it, this may require you also requiring a 40mm collar adapter to suit the current SKY dish. Adapters are inexpensive at under £3.00 and are push fit. Afore mentioned can be had at satcure or CPC. Satcure may be the better of the two as cable can be had in whatever lengths you require.(whom ever you go to make sure the cable is satellite grade) If you have a number of outlets then the neater option but certainly more expensive is in purchasing a multiswitch that's compatible with a quad LNB and utilise your existing one. "What Satellite" recently reviewed as best in category for a domestic installation the Optima MS508 at £80 - Note multi-switches can be located in the loft or a convenient cupboard - if that's the route you take.Jonny5Tuesday 10 May 2011 3:23PM
Les-Nicol
Are you telling me that at the dish I have a futher two connection points as well as the two currently used for Sky+.
If so then can I use two for the new FreesatHD+ and the other two (one for each standard Freesat box) for two other rooms.
I already have some shotgun cable from my current house when I had to extend the sky cableLes NicolTuesday 10 May 2011 6:34PM
Jonny5 - Yes you can do that which is quite straightforward. I was a bit long winded with my initial response but wanted to give you all the options not knowing the size of your property.Les NicolTuesday 10 May 2011 6:43PM
p.s You will need to acquire if you don't have - screw on connectors for shotgun cable and some self amalgamating tape to seal after you've made good the cable connections to the LNB. You may have the LNB type that has a sliding weather cover in which case push up to expose the connectors being carefull not to stress your dish knocking it off it's current configuration. That's all there is to it.Jonny5Tuesday 10 May 2011 8:58PM
Many Many Thanks, you have been more than helpful and saved me paying sky a small fortune. now looking forward to a new house and HD tv. Thanks againLes NicolTuesday 10 May 2011 9:22PM
Jonny5 - If you log onto the Satcure online site, if you browse you will see an illustration of how to properly fit these screw on Shotgun cable terminations to the cable for a secure connection. I would have advised a local reputable rigger rather than SKY particularly as you plan on getting a "Freesat" receiver. Good luck with your installation- Pleased to help and hope you manage OK. RichardWednesday 11 May 2011 8:12PM
Every time Canal + is advertised on French and Spanish tv channels I realise the big ripoff and overpricing of tv packages offered by Sky.Modern films,documentaries,sport and family entertainment offered for the price of a Sky basaic package.Also factor in the added cost of dubbing or subtitling some programmes.What a great product at a reasonable price on offer in these tv markets.It must be the overpaid and underperforming football players that suscribers are asked to support their blifestyle. 
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