Albert47

I know there is load of threads on here, ref sky +, but i cant make head nor tale of them.

I have been offered a working sky + box for free, 6 months old, just not used.

I already have sky world package £43/month. The dish was installed about 6 years ago.I was on the verge of cancelling my subscription. I may aswell use it if i can get it for free!

Can I install this sky + box myself or do i need a engineer to do it?

Ive read i need a Quad LNB, how/where is this fitted?

A 2nd length of cable, where/how do i fit this cable? I take it there is second connection on the dish and the other end fits into the quad LNB?

Any advice tips in laymen terms please.

thanks

Adam

The Zohan

Sky will supply an fit Sky+ for free if you threaten to cancel.

Quad LNB is not necessarily required, you need a dual LNB minimum although acording to the engineer who fitted my free Sky+ last week Sky only fit quad LNB's now as a matter of course.

Sbradley

Sky+ is, according to "customer services" now included as standard anyway.

Everything gets a quad LNB now because it means we only have to keep 1 type in stock. There is a new product on the way (perhaps) which will make full use of the quad.

I've also got a new, unopened Sky+ box which I asked them to install when they come to fit my regular service. That's far too complicated for them to get their heads around. The engineer will do it fine, but the trolls on the phone don't have a tick box that says "Wants Sky+ service but doesn't need the box" so they can't do it...

SB

Sbradley

Oh, for information the LNB (Low Noise Block) is the bit that sits on the stick in the middle of the dish and actually gets the signal, converts it to something useful and sends it down the wire to your box...

SB

john_s

iTrader: (1)

You could do it yourself if you wanted.

Length of satellite coax and 2 F-connectors from Maplin, quad LNB from ebay (£14ish), bit of time from yourself, and you're away.

Or, as above, if you can get sky to so it for free, why not?

John.

Shark Man

If you go the DIY route, once all the kit fitted, you may need to call up sky to associate the new box with your existing card.

How easy that is is beyond me...I never got that far

Albert47

Thanks lads.

So the way i see it is,

I get a Quad LNB and replace the exsisting LNB with the quad LNB on my dish.

Run a 2nd length of sat cable parallel to my first (original) cable.

Then plug them both into my sky + box.

Ring sky and ask them to synchronize card to the box

I take it the two cables are for the separate tuners within the box?

I didnt know i could get it for free!! I may ring up now, although my missis has just informed me she reduced the package this morning to 6 mix pack from the world package. Will this make a difference?

Cheers Adam

john_s

iTrader: (1)

Yes.

I think you can pair your box and card from the services menu, but you will need to talk to sky to get them to enable the sky + functions for you.

John.

Sbradley

No, almost certain that this functionality has been disabled to stop stolen cards working. You need to contact Sky to get the car paired to the box, as well as to turn Sky+ on.

SB

Albert47

how do sky take to the news that one of there customers has just installed sky + themselves?

Iwan

Hmmm, Sky are a bunch of to$$ers. I cancelled my subscription as it pi$$ed me off paying an extra £10 a month for Sky+ if I didn't have any premium channels. Of course when my subscription ended they disabled the Sky+ functionality on my box, meaning I couldn't even watch the stuff I'd already recorded.

Bit of a downer considering I paid extra for the Sky+ box and it's now "mine" as I went through a full contract, now I can't even use it to record freeview.

I'm half tempted to re-connect again, but I don't want to be committed to another 12 month contract again. I might take the plunge and get an HD box though, once I have an HD TV. Maybe...

Steve vRS

Sky wrote to me yesterday saying I no longer have to pay the £10 per month for Sky+. Very kind of them! I only recieve the basic channels (no sports or movies).

Steve

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

when you reconnect you dont have to have a new 12 month contract

oobster

Folks - is the Pace TDS470N the best box to have (i.e. least likely to crash and/or go out of sync with the speech?)

Current Amstrad box is going wonky and well out of warranty - thought I might use simplydigital.co.uk for the Pace box @ £139?

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to thread hijack, but it's relevant
I've got a letter from sky yesterday offering me free sky+ box, free installation, no sky+ subs (this is across the board I know) and a 12 month warranty. I cancelled sky a while ago, and when I realised my old sky box couldn't get all the freeview channels, went and bought a cheap freeview reciever. I then found out that I'm in an area where you can't get freeview! So if I want to watch e4 and more4, which I do, then it's back to sky for me, as I've no cable here either!

Are there any better deals out there do you know?