# Sky - Free to Air channels



## uncorked (19 Jun 2006)

A friend of mine recently told me that if you subscribe to Sky for a year that it is then possible to terminate the contract, keep the box, dish etc and then just receive free to air channels.  

Can anyone tell me if this is the case and if so what are the free to air channels?

Thanks


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## miak (19 Jun 2006)

Hi,
A friend of mine has no contract with sky but she just had to pay €250 for the box and she has all the free to air channels! I'm not sure if she originally had a contract with sky or how she got the box but it seems legit! The free to air channels are BBC 1,2,3 and 4, UTV 1,2,3 and 4, Sky News, and BBC news, those are the main channels, there are also lots of reality channels, true life movie channels and the like. No sport channels, no discovery and a few music channels.


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## Technologist (21 Jun 2006)

No need to subscribe to $ky for those & no need for a $ky box.

They're all available using FTA equipment (i.e. non-$ky satellite equipment). Cheap stuff such as sold by Lidl from time to time will do.

Yes, it's legit.


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## SecurityDoor (21 Jun 2006)

I'm dribbling at the prospect of recieving one of these boxes out here in Ro from a Scottish friend who returns next week. 

Too tight to pay for one although they are available out here.  Obviously!!!!


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## uncorked (22 Jun 2006)

A friend of mine got the lidl one last year and the reception was crap, I guess it depends on the area.

I've looked at the Sky site, it's possible to get Free Sat for £150 in the UK but not here in Ireland.


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## Guest107 (22 Jun 2006)

Its a family pack here , €238 including free install now and free box after a year .

[broken link removed]

€15 a month for 3 months then choose the 2 mixes you want for 9 months for €21.50 a month

3 x €15 and 9 x €21.50 = €238.50


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## Technologist (22 Jun 2006)

uncorked said:
			
		

> A friend of mine got the lidl one last year and the reception was crap, I guess it depends on the area.
> 
> I've looked at the Sky site, it's possible to get Free Sat for £150 in the UK but not here in Ireland.



Much depends on the skill of the installer. The precision of securing and aiming of the dish at the satellite and whether or not there's any trees in the way affects the quality of reception.

That said, assuming it was properly installed, reception from a $ky box in the same place would perform no better. There are more up-market alternatives to the Lidl boxes, depending on what you want. Some have built-in hard discs and can access more than one satellite location. The $ky box can only receive from satellites at one location. Usually this is 28.2 east. 

It's important to know that while the $ky box can get BBC etc without a subscription, it's primarily designed for $ky services and does not allow the full range of reception parameters that can be set in FTA boxes. That is to say: that for FTA, a $ky box is not ideal and could be a false economy if FTA is what you really want. 

Shop around.


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## emul (23 Jun 2006)

I am in the process of getting FTA installed. The basic package (excluding install) costs EUR109. Installation another EUR100. I am upgrading this to:

Twin LNB - receive from one dish two signals
Two FTA receivers - so I can have different sat channels on 2nd TV (this is like Sky Multi-room)
97cm dish

If you go for the Sky FTA package then all TV's will have to watch the same sat channel, unless you can get 2nd LNB and 2nd receiver from them.

I am purchasing from Cork Sat - http://www.corksat.com/ 
who were very helpful by email and phone. 

Eoin


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