Retuning a Skybox to other sats

[SleepyJohn]

Hi, Whilst temporarily visiting UK, I've acquired a old BSKYB 2200 Pace Model 1.3.36. It came with only a remote; no subscription or ftv card, but I got it working OK on the FTA channels of its home sat Astra 28.2 without much difficulty.

On a previous visit here I brought an FTA decoder with me in my luggage from home overseas, and got that working on Hotbird and Astra 19.2 here OK. I took the decoder back when I left, but stored my 80cm dish and cables here for a future occasion.

So now I've got this BSKYB 2200 set up on my 80cm dish in UK and of course the signal really roars in. Bit of an overkill really

I'm pretty ignorant about Sky and Skyboxes, but I've read on other forums that UK Sky subscribers wanting to stop their subscriptions and watch only the free channels need to get themselves a "Free-to-view" card. Is that right? If so, I'm intruiged to know why my BSKYB digibox works apparently perfectly well without any card at all

What I'd like to do now is try and get my BSKYB box to work on Astra 19.2 and Hotbird and any other sat with FTA channels, simply by turning my dish.

I've tried turning my dish to 19.2 and pressing SYSTEM SETUP - ADD CHANNELS and entering some known 19.2 frequency and symbolrate transponder details. "Find Channels" does then give me a list of valid channels for that transponder and I can go through the motions of selecting some channels and storing them, so I get the impression that a lock on that 19.2 transponder must have been achieved, but when I return to the main menu and look for those new channels, I can't find them. I can only see the Sky channel list previously derived from 28.2. Meanwhile, I see "No satellite signal is being received"

I believe my BSKYB box looks for the default Sky transponder 11778V on 28.2 and it derives its channel listings from that. I've tried entering the details also for 12207V, and 12441V and 11739V which are on 19.2 as well as on 28.2 in the hope that my box would look there for channel listings, but that doesn't work; I only get "No satellite sigal is being received".

I saw a suggestion somewhere that on Sky digiboxes it's possible to alter default settings by keying the secret code "0" after the "4" for SYSTEM SETUP, but 4.0. doesn't seem to go anywhere on my box.

So summing up:

1. Is there any way I can retune my box to Hotbird or 19.2 without totally killing all its saved 28.2 details?

and 2. What exactly does an ftv card do? Would it help me to see other satellites on my BSKYB box?

[Robbo]

Hi,
The Sky digibox will only store up to about 50 'other channels' and can only receive channels that have a symbol rate of 22000 or 27500 (22 or 27.5). Once scanned in, using Add other channels, they don't appear in the channel line up, you have to watch them via other channels too.

Basically the Sky digibox is next to useless for other satellites.

THe FTV card will get you a handful of extra channels, something like Sky 3, Fiver, Five US, and a couple of others that I can't remember. No, it won't make it work better on other satellites.

[SleepyJohn]

Originally Posted by Robbo

Hi,
The Sky digibox will only store up to about 50 'other channels' and can only receive channels that have a symbol rate of 22000 or 27500 (22 or 27.5). Once scanned in, usingAdd other channels, they don't appear in the channel line up, .......

Well you've given a clear reply. Not too encouraging I'm afraid, but at least I got my box free

... you have to watch them via other channels too

Oh that's great! That works; I've just tried moving my dish back to 19.2 and yes, I've now found the channels I saved earlier and can now watch and listen to them. Not too convenient admittedly, but it will at least enable me to save a carefully chosen selection and come back to them at any time with nothing more than a spanner and Lidl satfinder.

Basically the Sky digibox is next to useless for other satellites.

I have to basically agree, but not totally useless; it will do me for this visit, and I'm grateful to you for pointing out the access via "other channels". Thanks.

THe FTV card will get you a handfull of extra channels, something like Sky 3, Fiver, Five US, and a couple of others that I can't remember. No, it wan't make it work better on other satellites.

Right. So I can't see much point in an FTV card at all. Surprising they seem to be quite popular and there's so much mention of them on the net by Sky users.

[Robbo]

That's right, the FTV card is of little worth, unless one of the channel it provides is particularly wanted. It also gets you Ch4 HD on a Sky HD box, or any other receiver that takes the Sky card. Thought there was Sky sports news or something like that as well, not sure as my card has now expired after the card swap.

[SleepyJohn]

Actually I've just found another snag with that BSKYB box. Last night I left it sitting on Astra 19.2 and switched it off after I'd ben listening to a French music channel. This morning when I tried powering up again, it wouldn't let me in to "other channels" at all, instead demanding that I insert a Skycard. The only way I was able to restore my saved "other channels" was by turning my dish back to 28.2 for a while, and then back to 19.2 again.

So as you've said, Robo, it really is pretty useless trying to use it on other sats. Are all Sky digiboxes the same when it comes to trying to watch other sats? Do they all have to keep returning to their mother 28.2 periodically in order to stay alive?

[Analoguesat]

Yes - remember what a sky box is designed for - to give multi channel tv to the technically inept Joe Public - nothing more. Its a great bit of kit for that.

And its useless if you want to use it on other satellites. You would be better off buying a 40-50 quid none sky box and using that for basic access to fta channels. You will save yourself no end of bad temper and high blood pressure!