Busbyadams Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Our sky card that we inherited with our motorhome has been scorched and want to know what the best way of getting another one is as we are not with sky and unable to get any channels through the sky box via the oyster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 You used to be able to purchase a viewing card for £20 direct from Sky. We originally had a blue card then exchanged it for the latest white viewing card. In the past, most of the channels were encrypted so you had to have a viewing card. I thought that most of the BBC/ITV channels these days were not encrypted. I haven't used my Sky box without a viewing card so don't know whether they are still required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Before you spend much on a Sky Card consider buying a new satellite receiver most are programmable to other satellites if you travel outside of Astra 28's smaller footprint look for 12 volt something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Edision-Progressiv-HD-c-Nano-Free-TV-HD-Compact-Satellite-Receiver-12-Volt-PS-/191577817748?hash=item2c9aed8294:g:794AAOSwqu9VULAv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veletron Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Hi Using a sky box and viewing card gets you BBC, ITV etc from the PAN-EURO Astra 2 beam. These channels are encrypted, the sky box and viewing card is required to decrypt them. Using an FTA (free to air) or Freesat receiver gets you the unencrypted BBC,ITV etc on the UK beam. The UK beam is fairly tightly focused over the UK, and requires a much larger dish to receive in southern France than the same channels received on a sky box with viewing card on the PAN-EURO beam. Folks often also get muddled up between Freesat and FTA (free-to-air). FTA: Has a now/next EPG - there is no 7-day EPG, when you scan for channels it will pick up all the BBC, C4, ITV regions hundreds of them, you then have to run through the channel list, delete the ones you dont want, and sort out the channel numbers. When channels are shifted or new channels added/deleted, you need to manually rescan and then sort out the mess again! The advantage of FTA is that you can point it at any sat and just hit auto-tune - eg Hotbird when you are too far south for Astra2. Freesat: requires the person manufacturing the reciever to pay freesat a fee for each unit sold (the end user pays no fee), this fee is why so many (all?) Caravan telle's with built in Sat tuners are FTA, not freesat. The prime advantage of freesat is the 7-day EPG, channel selection by postcode entry, and auto add/delete/channel ordering. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenkothewanderer Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Hi you should be able to view all the freesat channels through a skybox without a viewing card as they are no longer encrypted. Why has the viewing card been scorched? , was it in the skybox at the time ? has the skybox overheated? I have a 12v pace skybox in my motorhome and I can receive all the freesat channels on Astra 2 without a viewing card. You can also tune in the box in settings (google will explain how to do it) to receive your local news service in my case Yorkshire TV although this will not appear in the epg, you have to select from other channels on your remote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 veletron - 2016-08-16 6:41 PM Hi Using a sky box and viewing card gets you BBC, ITV etc from the PAN-EURO Astra 2 beam. These channels are encrypted, the sky box and viewing card is required to decrypt them. You're going back many years. There are no BBC or ITV channels encrypted (apart from pay ones like Encore or HD versions) and the free ones are all on the spot beam. There is no real need for a viewing card apart from getting regional programmes matched to the postcode the card is registered at. If like us, you have a Sky subscription at home and a different box in the motorhome, you can swap the card over and pair it online and re-pair it to your home box on your return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veletron Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Aye, just looked again my info well out of date, sorry! Up to date channel list here: http://en.kingofsat.net/freqs.php?&b=302&pos=28.2E Switch between the three spot beams and 3 euro beams using the drop-downs astra 2e,2f and 2g. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 About 6 years ago I had a sky subscription with a card went to France and after a short time no picture and had a message on screen saying card out of area phone customer service. Now sky customer service from France on a mobile sounded expensive, So I stopped the direct debit to sky bought a new satellite receiver as my sky box wouldn't work with out a card then. I haven't bothered with sky since since. So if taking a sky box to Europe hope it works out better for you than it did for me. One plus point the new box was a lot easier to find Sat's with than the pace sky box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 What would be really useful sometimes is good quality information, set out in a jargon & 3 letter acronym free way that numpty's like me can follow. I know its probably me, but most of the above meant very little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 witzend - 2016-08-17 8:04 PM About 6 years ago I had a sky subscription with a card went to France and after a short time no picture and had a message on screen saying card out of area phone customer service. Sorry, but there is no such message and no way that Sky would know where a box is (satellite data is only received). You might have had a standard 'no signal, call for help' message, but that's generated by not having a signal for whatever reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 witzend - 2016-08-17 8:04 PM About 6 years ago I had a sky subscription with a card went to France and after a short time no picture and had a message on screen saying card out of area phone customer service. Now sky customer service from France on a mobile sounded expensive, So I stopped the direct debit to sky bought a new satellite receiver as my sky box wouldn't work with out a card then. I haven't bothered with sky since since. So if taking a sky box to Europe hope it works out better for you than it did for me. One plus point the new box was a lot easier to find Sat's with than the pace sky box I have been receiving Sky in France and Spain with a UK viewing card since 2003 and have never received such a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 derek500 - 2016-08-17 11:33 PM witzend - 2016-08-17 8:04 PM About 6 years ago I had a sky subscription with a card went to France and after a short time no picture and had a message on screen saying card out of area phone customer service. Sorry, but there is no such message and no way that Sky would know where a box is (satellite data is only received). You might have had a standard 'no signal, call for help' message, but that's generated by not having a signal for whatever reason. I know what I saw and Honestly reported it here if you wish to call me a liar thats your choice and indicates to me what sort of person you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 witzend - 2016-08-18 8:26 AM derek500 - 2016-08-17 11:33 PM witzend - 2016-08-17 8:04 PM About 6 years ago I had a sky subscription with a card went to France and after a short time no picture and had a message on screen saying card out of area phone customer service. Sorry, but there is no such message and no way that Sky would know where a box is (satellite data is only received). You might have had a standard 'no signal, call for help' message, but that's generated by not having a signal for whatever reason. I know what I saw and Honestly reported it here if you wish to call me a liar thats your choice and indicates to me what sort of person you are I'm not calling you a liar, just that you're mistaken. There is no such 'geographical' message. Sky have no idea where you are. How could they know? There is a 'no signal' message, but that could pop up if you're in France, Timbuktu or blocked by a tree in your front garden. BTW the 'sort of person' I am is one who knows what Sky's error messages are and that there is no return satellite signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 BTW the 'sort of person' I am is one who knows what Sky's error messages are and that there is no return satellite signal. I know Exactly the Type of person you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Derek wrote: "If like us, you have a Sky subscription at home and a different box in the motorhome, you can swap the card over and pair it online and re-pair it to your home box on your return". Derek. Could you please provide a link to do this. I've logged on to my Sky account but can't find the section that allows you to pair your card online? In days gone by you had to phone up Sky but eventually they twigged and refused to do it. I hadn't realised you could do it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Mike88 - 2016-08-18 9:31 AM Derek wrote: "If like us, you have a Sky subscription at home and a different box in the motorhome, you can swap the card over and pair it online and re-pair it to your home box on your return". Derek. Could you please provide a link to do this. I've logged on to my Sky account but can't find the section that allows you to pair your card online? In days gone by you had to phone up Sky but eventually they twigged and refused to do it. I hadn't realised you could do it online. Here you go:- https://activatemychannels.sky.com/activate Make sure you've got the card in the box and a signal. It should/will happen instantaneously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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