Subscribe to sky without installing dish etc!

[neilwillis]

I just give my dad a digibox and dish, he is having problems setting the dish up but that’s not the reason for the thread....

He called sky and said he got a second hand dish and box and wanted to get a card for the box, to which he was told "No Sir, you need to subscribe to one of our packages and have the dish & digibox installed by one of out installers!"

This can’t be right? Can it?

As far as I know all he needs to do is call them with the serial number of the box and sign up and they will post out a card for him to put into the box. Would this be correct?


Cheers

Neil

p.s: If anyone has any info on installing a dish I would be grateful (I have given him the info that is on another web site about installing sky with a caravan! BUT he is installing it indoors! With a window facing the right direction (140 degrees according to my dish)

 

[installer09]

Yes he can just subscribe , i fit alot of sky digital for people that buy the equipment or get given it, usually to avoid connecting to the phone line. The sky digital satellite is 28.2 degrees east of due south , its quite easy to see which way to point it if you have a compass , he could find it tricky without a meter though. Ive never fitted a dish indoors so i cant help you with that one , cant see why it shouldnt work through glass though.

 

[Chris Muriel]

! BUT he is installing it indoors! With a window facing the right direction (140 degrees according to my dish)....

There will be some losses through that window , therefore, you may find you need a larger dish, especially during heavy rain.
Of more concern, the Astra satellite radiating $ky digital is at 28 degrees East of south. That would be 152 degrees (180 minus
28 in your terminology) - not allowing for magnetic deviation.
140 degrees would be 40 degrees east (of south) in normal sat-speak ; there you will find a much weaker satellite as well as there being Turksat at 42 East nearby. Try it (in the correct position) & see what results you get before recontacting $ky.

He called sky and said he got a second hand dish and box and wanted to get a card for the box, to which he was told "No Sir, you need to subscribe to one of our packages and have the dish & digibox installed by one of out installers!"


That sounds like $ky ensuring that the installation meets their minimum spec.
Try phoning them & saying that it an existing setup , believed to be $ky-installed , and left in situ by the last occupier !

Chris Muriel, Manchester. (author of Digital Satellite FAQ)

 

[jim.rae]

Some years ago, I got analogue Sky through a single glazed window, but the signal loss was significant.

Haven't tried digital but I would guess it's no better.

Why can't the dish go outside - is it a landlord thing - it would be the best solution.

 

[gIzzE]

have you upgrded your digibox ??

what i am getting at is you could ring sly and ask for a second card for your box in the bedroom

the whole package would be £50

£37+£12 for second card , thats £25 month each, just a thought.

in fact i may do that with a mate thinking about it.

 

[neilwillis]

Thanks for all your help!

My dad got the dish lined up (he got hold of a meter/ sat finder from a mate. He was also pointing it in the wrong direction!!! LOL)

The second card option is intresting! but would they know? because I live in wiltshire and he lives in Kent! Is there a way of Sky knowing where you are viewing from?

But on the other hand if my dad likes to watch all the Box Office under the sun i will get the bill for it!

anyways i think he called sky and TOLD them, This is the digibox number, I want this package, here is my C/card number, SEND ME THE VIEWING CARD!


Thanks again


Neil

 

[Chris Muriel]

$ky have no way of knowing from where you are viewing - there is no return path (unless you have the phone line connected to the box).

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

 

[Starburst]

Originally posted by Chris Muriel
$ky have no way of knowing from where you are viewing - there is no return path (unless you have the phone line connected to the box).

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

If you have a cut price second subscription (Mirror) then both digiboxes have to be connected to the same phone line, that is an integral part of the T&C's for that offer.

If you pay full price for a subscription without any of the subsidised installation offers no phone connection is required.

 

[gIzzE]

i have never connected my box to the phone line.

i ahd a problem with it dialing the wrong number when i first got the box, the shop where i bought it closed down and sky said i had to return it to the shop , but obviously i couldn't, pace said they could not repair it as sky had to deal with all repairs, and so I rang sky back and told them this and they said it would be chargeable.As the box was a week old I said i was not going to pay and would not connect it to the phone line, there reply was that i had signed an agreement for 12 months saying it would be hooked to the phone.

no problem, if they wanted to take futher action that was fine and i would wait to hear from their solicitors.

never heard a thing.

to much hassle and they want all the subscribers they can get.

I moved house 7 mnths ago and have never given them a change of address so i dont think they follow each account to carefully.

 

[DaveP]

I have a Mirror sub and recently moved the box to the other side of the room. The phone cable wasn't long enough to re-connect so I left it disconnected. After about 6 months I got a letter from $ky saying they were aware that the phone line wasn't connected and that if I didn't re-connect immediately they would de-activate the card!

Needless to say I bought and extension lead!

DaveP