SKY and motorised dish

[simonsayssaysimon]

Hello all

 

I know TV's on boats aren't everyones favourite combination, but when we are at our mooring we do like a bit. I get frustrated with freeview's choice and the reception changing when boats speed by so I thought it might be time to look into sky with a motorised dish.

Has anyone got this to work.... after some research on AV forums I haven't found much encouragment. And sky wants you to use their equipment.

 

The motorised dish would be something along the lines of this: maplin

I'm aware that the sky box won't receive without being pointed at ASTRA 28.2 and the freeview box won't work with SKY so I'd have to point the dish with one box then change to the sky box.

Ridiculous... hence me asking the question and hoping someone Knows Better.

Edited November 7, 2010 by simonsayssaysimon

[NB Lola]

Hello all

 

I know TV's on boats aren't everyones favourite combination, but when we are at our mooring we do like a bit. I get frustrated with freeview's choice and the reception changing when boats speed by so I thought it might be time to look into sky with a motorised dish.

Has anyone got this to work.... after some research on AV forums I haven't found much encouraging. And sky wants you to use their equipment.

 

The motorised dish would be something along the lines of this: maplin

I'm aware that the sky box won't receive without being point at ASTRA 28.2 and the freeview box won't worth with SKY so I'd have to point the dish with one box then change to the sky box.

Ridiculous... hence me asking the question and hoping someone Knows Better.

 

Not off topic and I hope this encurages an answer to your question too. If I use a portable solution can I connect my home reciever and get the subscription channels?

[Martyn Hicks]

Hi...Bit confusing in your post.....SKY and FREESAT will have to work with a satellite receiver box and a satellite dish... either a SKY receiver that will give you access to approx 200 free chanells and should you wish you watch any pay chanells on a monthly subscription namely SPORTS , MOVIES or say the DISCOVERY type chanells,

 

Or a FREESAT receiver, will as its says on the box free chanells approx 120 of them.....

 

FREEVIEW thats works with a tv aerial.....

 

Lets help you with the satellite side of things...correct in what you say the SKY box wont work unless the satellite dish is facing ASTRA2 @ 28.2 degrees and FREESAT won't work unless its facing EUROBIRD @28.5 degrees, those two satellites are so close together that you can't tell any difference and you can pick up free to air chanells on both of those satellites with either receiver....The SKY receiver without any subscription with give you more free chanells than a FREESAT receiver but you will need to purchase from SKY a viewing card, think its now about £25 to get CH5 and the fiver stuff chanells....

 

Yes you can bring your own SKY receiver on the boat as so to get what chanells you have at home and pay for, sky may not like the idea, as they like the box connected to phone lines and stuff, but if you don't tell them they wont know, so our little secret....

 

Martyn

Edited November 7, 2010 by Martyn Hicks

[Midnight Rider]

Martyn

I assume that the card is linked to the receiver & you can't just take the card to the boat?

 

We used to have Sky on the boat, but now just use the card which acts as Freesat. However, we don't seem to get all of the programmes as listed in the paper. Do I need to get a new card to get them all?

 

Tony

[simonsayssaysimon]

Hi...Bit confusing in your post.....SKY and FREESAT will have to work with a satellite receiver box and a satellite dish... either a SKY receiver that will give you access to approx 200 free chanells and should you wish you watch any pay chanells on a monthly subscription namely SPORTS , MOVIES or say the DISCOVERY type chanells,

 

Or a FREESAT receiver, will as its says on the box free chanells approx 120 of them.....

 

FREEVIEW thats works with a tv aerial.....

 

Lets help you with the satellite side of things...correct in what you say the SKY box wont work unless the satellite dish is facing ASTRA2 @ 28.2 degrees and FREESAT won't work unless its facing EUROBIRD @28.5 degrees, those two satellites are so close together that you can't tell any difference and you can pick up free to air chanells on both of those satellites with either receiver....The SKY receiver without any subscription with give you more free chanells than a FREESAT receiver but you will need to purchase from SKY a viewing card, think its now about £25 to get CH5 and the fiver stuff chanells....

 

Yes you can bring your own SKY receiver on the boat as so to get what chanells you have at home and pay for, sky may not like the idea, as they like the box connected to phone lines and stuff, but if you don't tell them they wont know, so our little secret....

 

Martyn

 

Thanks for the reply Martyn. Any idea if I could tune the motorised satellite dish with a sky box?

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks for the reply Martyn. Any idea if I could tune the motorised satellite dish with a sky box?

I've got a Camos dish which I find very good. If it can see the satellite,it will find it & you will get a perfect picture.

 

I will leave the technical bit to Martyn.

 

Tony

[Martyn Hicks]

Hi.....to control a motorised dish you will need a receiver with a positioner built into it that will move the dish to the correct satellite then loop through from the positioner box to the the sky box...a sky box doesn't have a positioner built into it....

 

MARTYN

[Midnight Rider]

Martyn

 

Did you see post #4?

 

Tony

[Martyn Hicks]

Martyn

I assume that the card is linked to the receiver & you can't just take the card to the boat?

 

We used to have Sky on the boat, but now just use the card which acts as Freesat. However, we don't seem to get all of the programmes as listed in the paper. Do I need to get a new card to get them all?

 

Tony

 

Hi Tony......If you subscribe to SKY at home the card is paired up to that receiver.....ok..... so the premier channels MOVIES and SPORTS the card going into another receiver will not open them up, it will do all the other channels whats on the basic package eg uk gold, sky 1,2,3 discovery, eurosport, nat geogracial and those types of channels.... the only way to get SPORTS/MOVIES on the boat is to either bring the receiver from home or you'll need to ring up SKY tell then a bit of a blag that there is a problem with the home receiver (been sent away for repair) and you have borrowed a receiver so the card needs pairing up to that one, there shouldn't be a problem with that.... but remember when you put the card back into the home receiver you will have to ring sky again to pair ir back up... bit of messing about but those are the only two options you don't want to be paying two lots of £50 thats for sure....

 

There are some channels that are free with satellite and some that are free with freeview(aerial) with a overlap for one or two of the channels to watch on satellite will need a card either a one off payment £25 for CH5.....sky sports news and the history channel free with freeview but those two on satellite are pay monthly channels subscription only

 

MARTYN

Edited November 7, 2010 by Martyn Hicks

[Bobbybass]

I too..have a Camos dome.....for the past 2 years.

I love it...and its matched to a Sky receiver that I bought on Ebay for £15.

I pay a £20/ month subscription and that gives me the Discovery chanels...History etc...that I like.

The Camos dome only needs a single core standard cable that handles the signal and also the positioning ..and this is controlled by a small 12 volt box that is in our lounge. You can select any one of 8 satellites.....Astra...Hotbird...Sirius..Euterlsat etc.....and it finds it providing there is no tree in the way. THe boat has been well shaken by passing speeders...and doesn't lose the signal...but occasionally in a huge rainstorm it may lose it.

The Skybox will only pick up SKY...but I have a splitter/switch in the lead...and that goes into a cheap (No card) receiver..which allows me to watch the other channels/satellite.

I had to phone Sky when I got the new style card...and they activated it after I talked through with an engineer. He 'told' me that the phone line allows to use to interactive services.....and also..tells Sky (phones them up at night) what channels you watch..and thats how they (the other channels) get paid...hence..they like you to have a phone line !

If you want to watch Sky at home...you really need to take the whole receiver with you...as taking the card out will tend to deactivate it and you have to phone up again and authorise it.

Bob

Edited November 7, 2010 by Bobbybass

[Biggles]

Its so easy to align a small dish why bother with a motorised set up. On my NB I have a £30 setup from Lidl and we take our sky box from home. Set up and watching usually a couple of minutes and it seldom loses signal if the boat moves a bit.

 

Biggles

Edited November 7, 2010 by Biggles

[Midnight Rider]

Each to his own.

 

I didn't find it easy & got fed up of faffing about in the wind & rain to try to get a signal.

 

Ok, it's cost me, but it's saved putting a lot of money in the swear box.

 

Tony

[Martyn Hicks]

Each to his own.

 

I didn't find it easy & got fed up of faffing about in the wind & rain to try to get a signal.

 

Ok, it's cost me, but it's saved putting a lot of money in the swear box.

 

Tony

 

It should be easy Tony.....and once you've done it a few times and got the hang of it just a few minutes

 

Martyn