RECOMMENDATION FOR SATELLITE TV INSTALLATION COMPANY CLOSE TO LOS ALCAZARES (MURCIA/COSTA BLANCA SOUTH)

Hi Baz

You say

I am of the understanding that all Sky cards are set to the main box you pay your monthly subs to with Sky and can't be changed over without calling Sky to lock the card to the new or second box, otherwise the Sky box becomes only a freeview box.

Why for the last 10 years have I been able to, first take my Sky Blue card and later my Sky White card put them into both of my boxes in the house in Spain and get all the programmes I get back in UK.(Not Movies or Sport) I do not subscribe to them. I am never at my house for more that 2 weeks at a time.

Interesting

When I return to the UK I put the card back into my UK box and it works fine

Hi.

Haven't a clue why, all i know is that i bought a new top of the range Sky box, took it to my house in Spain with my white subsciption card in the UK, plugged it in with the card in place, and after a little messing about with it all i got was the basic free view TV, i gave the box to a friend in Spain, no point bringing it back, he did what i did and got the same, freeview, and he is still getting just freeview on this box.

I got in touch with Sky via the internet and the live chat thing they do and was told every box has it's own locked in card, one box, one card etc, in the UK i have the Sky that costs me about £25ish a month, records, etc. Other then this i know no more about TV stuff, so i got the free channels + dish for Spain which is more then good enough. 

I was told by the Sky chap when he fitted the system in the UK house that i could take the card with me to Spain, but all i know is it didn't work, and that seems to be because it was in a different registered Sky box.

Yes it seems it will work only for freeview but nothing else.

Usually a Sky card will work in ANY sky box for all channels apart from Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky HD channels which are "locked" into the cards "home / paired" box.

So you should be able to receive the "free to air / non sky card channels" like BBC ITV C4 and Fives on any box even with no card,

and, with an active Sky subscription card, along with the standard definition Sky "entertainment and Entertainment Extra" channels - like Sky One, Atlantic, Dave etc...that you pay for.

I can see this as I am currently using my card in another Sky box to test and check this! Even though the clowns at Sky Customer Services still say you cannot get ANY Sky pay channels when using a Sky card in another box. But you can.

With regards to the new satellite and "September" - things are on hold. The new satellite, 2E, was scheduled for launch on the 20th July - but has been delayed for a few months due to a previous rocket launch at the launch site "going a bit wrong" and "returning to earth with its cargo with a bang". Until the problems has been resolved - no more launches from that site for a while. And when the satellite is launched, there will be about a month or two of testing before it is positioned and transmitting channels. So the so called "September switch off date" has been delayed.

Thanks for that satandpcguy.

Perhaps i bought a duff box, always thought the "Made in China" crap was top class though, going back soon so will take another box and the same card, see what happens this time.