Satellite TV

[AnneG]

Hi, we have just bought a holiday home in Tarn et Garonne which has a

satellite dish (that works) and we took down a box we bought off Ebay

and the card from our box at home.  It worked perfectly as a

Freeview card but with no Channel 4.  My question is, is there

anyway that we can get a fully working full Sky service using our paid

for subscription at home?  We aren't going to be there that often

at the moment and therefore it isn't worth taking out a second

subscription.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Anne (Derbyshire)

[Dick Smith]

We got a local company to fit a dish for us, and each time we go out we take our Sky box and card. Works fine, but may not be strictly legal. If you use the search facility here you will find long arguments about that, but no evidence that anyone has ever had their Dinky Toys confiscated for doing it.

[alnmike]

As Dick says there have been many and varied observations on the

above!! The issue with a 'subscription' is that often the Terms &

conditions state it must be connected to a working phone line to

benefit from the package costs. I know to my cost that they check this,

as they wrote and told us if we didn't plug it in, they would cut us

off. (Turned out faulty sky-box) Any way, sorry to ramble, but you can

buy a card/box from Sky that does not have phone connection in its

conditions. Prices vary as there are often offers. But it does mean you

can leave box/card in France.

[Dick Smith]

Here we go! I'm pretty sure that the connection requirement is only for one year after first signing up - but I'm sure someone will tell me I'm wrong! I've never had a problem with taking my box over, but I did once get a letter from Sky when I disconnected it in England. Of course, you can't use any interactive services.

[AnneG]

Thanks for all the answers guys.  I think our problem is that we

are not taking our own skybox over that the card is registered to but a

new one that we bought on ebay.

It won't always be practical to take our own box - sometimes we will

fly !!!  So was looking for a way of getting the card to work with

the box we bought.

Anne

[BLTflyer]

My sky box has not been conected to a phone for over 5 years with no problem.

I think that your card should only work with the box it is rejestered to.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

You can have my card that has channel 4 on it, but only until Big Brother has finished:)

[Dick Smith]

There is a process of pairing between the box and the card - you have to phone Sky (I've lost the number) and they will check that you are phone-connected at that point. That is for a live account, of course.

[AnneG]

I love your sense of humour, I thought I was the only one who hated Big Brother !!!

Anne

[jehe]

We used our sky box and card in France for about 6 months until they found out and then were cut off !!

It seems that the new occupiers of our U.K. home applied for a sky subscription and were informed that there  was already one listed for the premises. They very soon 'turned us in' and the disconnection was the result.

[sharkhunter]

you can get a sky box fitted here with a free view card with it that doesn't run out but wont get you anything else, however a friend of mine says that you can have a second box registered to your first box, at home in UK, which is at half price with full functions. He said that you will get letters from Sky re the telephone connection but can bluff your way out of it because you are connected to phone line with your first box and the 2nd box is for your kids bedroom !!!!!!!!!    please,dont start coming back at me with all your opinions about what i have written here, it is second hand info and i cant guarantee it, but hey, it sounds good eh, hugh.

[retread]

In the U.K you can purchase a SKY box and dish for C£150.00 including free installation, that does not require telephone connection, with this box will come a card which gives all the free to view stations incl Channel 4 & 5.

plug it in and register in the u.k and then transfer the box and card to your alternative address. which is of course against the terms of your agreement, mais c'est la vie!

alternativly there are a number of web based suppliers specialising in cards, dishes etc in France but at such a price only the Anglais could afford.