Satellite TV

[shanagarry]

Thanks EMM - keeping the UK address is not a problem - what I want to avoid is the current pixelation and sound interference we get from 9.30pm onwards - is that to do with the dish size?

[EMM]

I think it would be a combination of dish size, lnb and orientation. A good installer should make a difference.

We lost our signals completely during the recent wet weather but its fine for the rest of the time.

[steve]

If it applies to all channels it has some generic cause as EMM suggests. If it only applies to BBC1 or ITV it could be realated to the strength of the location from which your signal comes. For example ITV London is poor but ITV West Yorkshire is very strong. You could try tuning in other areas on additional channels. There has been previous discussion about this or google it. The only problem if you have Sky+ is that the box will not record from additional channel settings although you can view them in real time. If this is the source of the problem you will need to get a different address for ITV as Sky have to set the channel according to your post code, although an alternative BBC1 is available on the EPG at 974

[shanagarry]

Hi Steve

That's great thank you. The problem we have at present is not with Sky+ - that's here in the UK. It's the box we have in Carvoeiro an old Pace model and the card only receives the free channels. We find in Vale do Milho that our best BBC1 is on BBC London, even though our home address is on the South Coast - closer to Portugal than London?

I am planning ahead to see what we need to get - thanks again.

[md 600 driver]

a free sky dish would be useless in the algarve as it would be too small sky supply 2 sizes to installers in the uk 43cm and 58/60cm but if you are moving out to the algarve if your box is old try for a upgrade before you leave especially if you want hd or std skyplus dependent on your supplier it could be free i work for a uk based install compaany and i know that there are good deals on upgrades to hd at the moment some are free

[shanagarry]

We have Sky HD downstairs and Sky+ upstairs - that's where they put it when the installed Sky HD. Both will work - won't they?

[md 600 driver]

yes they will but you are proberbley on a special tarrif called multiroom its a condition of this tarrif that you connect both boxes to the same working phone line, when you move you will be asked to connect to the same uk phone line and when you cant they will charge you 2 full subscriptions [not £10 for the second box ] it can get very pricey then over £100 per month for a full package

[shanagarry]

Do I terminate one and retain the HD?

[EMM]

Can confirm the " multi room " problem, contacts ran into this issue with Sky as the bought one box to PT leaving the other in the UK.

[maccasa]

There are several options available and I have tried them all. However the first priority is a dish of at least 1.35 m dia. (this is one of those where size really does matter!) So either get one of the suppliers to do it or buy a "satfinder" off e bay (~£12) and do it yourself. The criteria is GOOD FIXINGS to stop the thing going offline in high winds,otherwise get the whole deal from one of the local suppliers of dish+box+setup etc from ~ €400
Then you have all the options below:-

1 you can have a freesat box - gives you all the main UK channels - best to buy one in uk for £40-60 (as long as the dish has been aligned to Astra 28).
2. you can use any old Sky box for the basic channels as with freesat
3. You can use a new operational sky box to get ALL sky subscription channels (that you have subscribed to) but you will need the uk address for the billing (if u pay by direct debit it has to be from a uk bank)
4. If you want sky+ the same applies as 3 but you will need a twin output LNB on the dish (e bay ~ £12) as it needs two inputs - one for the viewing channel, one for recording.
5. You can use a sat receiver box (humax, fortec, techno, manhattan etc etc) - dozens available on e bay from ~ £20 -300. This will give you ~ 1500 channels (unfortunately most are rubbish but you do get more movie channels) and some of the receivers have a recording output facility.
6. If you use a twin or quad LNB off the dish you can put inputs to several rooms so can have up to 4 freesat (or above combinations) in any of 4 rooms (unless its Sky+ as that needs two inputs).
7. If you use an "offset" LNB with twin outputs (£15-40) and a satellite receiver you can receive Astra on one output and Hotbird on the other - which gives you about 3000 channels (including a lot of rubbish). At the moment I have only found offset LNB's with one output from each satellite so you cant use it in more than one room (unless you have astra in one room and hotbird in the other)

I have also been told that you can use a non subscription sky+ box with (twin LNB inputs) and record channels as before - but only on the freesat channels. I have not checked this yet but will be doing so shortly and will advise.

[martin.cork]

Emm
I would not say that it is illegal, otherwise approximately 3 million people in Ireland are breaking the law.
Without the income that sky receives from outside the "UK" i would assume that the charge to those resident in the UK would be a lot more.

[EMM]

If Sky find out that you are receiving their signal in Portugal ,they will switch you off. ( it has happened.)
Its all to do with international broadcast agreements and use of satellites.

There is SKY,IE so in Ireland you are not "illegal ".
Sometimes our sky service switches to the Irish adverts.

[shanagarry]

Macassa - that's very helpful - thank you but will I be able to get all the HD Channels (as I do have a Sky HD and box subscription)?

[steve]

I would recommend that you keep the Sky+ box as the facility to record one channel while watching another is useful out here. Also there are occasions when you might want to record 2 channels at the same time. You cannot use the Sky+ box to record anything without a subscription to Sky. If HD is important to you I suggest that you upgrade the Sky+ box to an HD version and retain this subscription when you move here. It looks as if there are some good deals on this upgrade at the moment. I presume that you would be able to use the old HD box in another room as a free to view box b ut I have no experience of this. Obviously you will need an LNB with at least 3 outputs. I have one with 4 outputs. I use a Sky+ box in the lounge and separate non subscription boxes in 2 of the bedrooms.

[steve]

Macassa
I have just reread your post and I will be interested to hear whether you can use a non-subcription Sky+ box to record free channels. I was told by an installer in the UK that you could not do this.