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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 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)



Help with Free satellite?
What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fau1
Can I receive UK TV in Ghana?2
What is a CA module?3
My box says "No Satellite signal being received"4
Is there any way I can get free channels via satellite and have the kind of hard5
In this section
Freesat adds a plethora of new channels in time for Christmas including channel 1
A tale of a two Freesat boxes2
Yesterday, Drama and Really joining Freesat this month3
PBS America joins Freesat for Halloween4
Fixing the Freesat Freetime internet connection problem5
Satellite TV operators FRANSAT, TIVUSAT and our Freesat launch FreeTV Alliance 6

Comments
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
C
clemenzina
2:32 PM
Cardiff

@ceebee - Yes, you can record 2 and watch another recording. However, I'm not sure what the FreeSat situation is with recording 2 channels and watching a 3rd live. With FreeView you can sometimes do it if the 3rd channels is on the same MUX as one of the ones being recorded.

If you have a FreeSat or FreeView TV, then of course you can watch live channels via that while the PVR is otherwise engaged.

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clemenzina's 2 posts GB flag
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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:38 PM

Robert: You do not need to remove the Sky box if you don't wish to do so, it will provide fSfS ("Freesat from Sky") channels.

You can easily swap a Sky box for a Freesat HD box, if you have HD Ready TV set.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:39 PM

clemenzina: Yes, all Freesat+ boxes allow you to watch one thing whilst you record another two.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
Thursday, 3 February 2011
E
Edd
1:06 PM

Hello again,

I forgot to add to my earlier question that i had Sky multi-room - (which was Standard Definition) - so could i just go ahead and hook up two Freesat HD boxs,

I'd be buying the same model HD freesat sets, and i have a HD tv in the rooms where the sky multi-room was connected.

Thanks again.

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Edd's 3 posts GB flag
A
Amy
1:38 PM

Hi there,
I've just moved house where the previous occupier has kindly left a sky dish. I want to get a Humax Foxsat HDR HD-PVR which would require two channels. I am a complete numpty and am unsure as to whether the cable from the dish is compatible. It is a dual cable, split at the end into two. On it it has DIGITAL SAT CBL UK BSKYB TWIN63-001A 02/06 HZ1222032-2 223 M. Would that have been used for Sky+ and therefore, can I use it for FreeSAT+? Many many thanks for any help.

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Amy's 1 post GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:18 PM

Edd: Yes, there is no problem doing that at all.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:22 PM

Amy: Yes, if you have two satellite links, you can use them with the Humax Foxsat HDR HD-PVR.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
E
Edd
2:40 PM

Thanks bud.

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Edd's 3 posts GB flag
P
parsnip
3:24 PM

If I change from Sky to Freesat HD, does where I live have any affect on the number of channels I can receive?
Many thanks

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parsnip's 10 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

4:27 PM

parsnip: Not as far as that aspect is concerned and you are definitely referring to freesat and NOT freeview, and as I think you may possibly already realise that you certainly would have a lot less channels by going freesat etc if you are presently a Sky subscriber.

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jb38's 81 posts GB flag
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