Ficticious completions and utilities supply

Hi...we are having problems with receiving free channels via our sky satelite tv in our apartment. The apartment is in Guardamar Del Segura. Can anyone offer me advice please

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

Eve

Have you got any more information? What problems are you having and what equipment do you have? Is it a personal installation or communal among a few of you?

Mark

Hi Mark,

             Thank you for your reply. We have a personal system rather than a communal one. In one of the apartments we have a large satelite dish on the roof and in the other it is smaller. II pay a monthy debit from my bank account here in England of £19 for each apartments. When we bought the penthouse the sky satelite system was already installed. Then we had a chap called Emile come along and install the other one in number 40. But for some reason we continue to have dreadful probls. If we have a power surge or cut, the system has to go through the systems set up procedure even though we have a 'power surge thingie' in each apartment. Please excuse the language but sadly, I am a midwife, not a satelite expert!

In the cost of the direct debit we should receive a 'three programme package' plus the 'freebies'. But we have never been able to recieve the 'freebies' in eather of the apartments. The reason this problem has become massive  over the last few weeks is beacuse we still live in England and our managers/cleaners handed their notice in due to ill health causing them to return to England themselves, after being in Spain for 5 years. We now have new managers/cleaners and they are being called on a regular basis due to the TV's playing up!?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

Eve,

The Sky box will always default to the UK transponder frequency during a power outage. This is because the Sky boxes aren't licensed to be used outside of the UK, it is a similar thing to mobiles being locked to a provider. Resetting is quite easy though, but you have to change a frequency setting. Do you have a information folder in your properties? Can you put reset instructions in there for your guests?

If the correct frequency is not being put into the system, this will obviously cause problems with receiving your channels. You also say that the 2nd dish is smaller, could this be the problem? Are both properties next to each other? If so, replace the LNB on the larger dish for a dual or quad lnb and run both systems off of the same dish. I read on another site that a 1.8m dish is needed to receive BBC chnnels.

Can I ask why you pay a subscription to receive free chanels? All you need to do is have a Sky card that is activated for free to air, which means you (may) get C4 & C5 as they are free to view, but encrypted. Your guests should be able to take their viewing cards to use in your system if they have to have the subscription channels on holiday, but they won't receive movies or sports.

Don't know if this helps?

Mark

Hi Rob,

             We had thought about changing to the Spanish 'microwave system' as we have friends who have that who never have a prob. But to be fair, when we bought number 40 (ours) in 1999 then my Mums in 2000 hers had sky already installed and the people who we were buying from said that they had never experienced a problem?! We then decided that since we have longer winter rents in ours it would be a good idea to have sky dish and system fitted to ours on their recommendation. Since we now have the sky equippment including the didgi box thingie already there, I wonder if it would be cost effective to change. I would prefer if at all possible to make the system which we already have installed more efficiant rather than go to another huge cost of having yet another system installed. Number 40 cost us £600 to have sky installed in 2000!?

Do you have any suggestions...now remember that I am a midwife and not very technical whiz-kid so simple terms...would be good!

Thanks again Rob,

Best wsihes,

Eve

Hi mark,

             Thank you for your reply. Both apartments are in the same little complex but quite a way from each other due to the complex being a horse shoe type shape. I pay the subsription which should give me a three pachage deal plus the 'freebies' because we have OApensioners in the apartment during the winter months and i like them to have British prgrams. I am over in Spain for a week from the 3rd to the 10th may and wonder if I could call you when we arrive to get more information? Are you quite close to Guardamar?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

Eve

Sorry Eve, I have to confess I don't knw where Guardamar is . The English channels you can get without subscription of any significance are currently:

BBC1,BBC2,BBC3,BBC4,BBC News 24,BBC Radio stations
ITV1,ITV2,ITV3,ITV4
Channel 4, Channel +1, S4C,S42 ~ 2
Channel 5
BEN
Reality TV
Classics TV
Motors TV
CNN
ITV News Channel
Euro News
BBC News 24

So you can see it is asy to get your Eastenders, Corrie, Jeremy Kyle, etc fix for free.There are many other TV channels that have come on line since the 2003 list I just looked at, about 200 in total. Add to that all the commercial radio stations.

There is another forum where expats talk about the problems of Sky. When I get to my other pc, I will pm you the link, there is some quite interesting information there.

Mark

Allo Allo has just been sold to Germany . Who wants to be a millionaire, The weakest link and others have been franchised around the world. I'm not a great lover of the huge amounts of US grown TV, but we don't really have a lot of choice if you don't want to watch sport!

Mark

Eve - At the moment some of the Microwave installers are doing special deals in certain areas.  They install new systems for 1e and you pay 6 months rental in advance.  It may be worth contacting the companies when your next over.

I'd also complain to the company you're paying at the moment, tell them you're considering going with another supplier if this problem isn't sorted out.

We like the American programmes and when we're over in Spain we enjoy watching Calle13, they have more up todate episodes of our favourite programmes than Hallmark.

Hi...thank you for your information. Do you have the name of any of the installers who are doing good deals at the moment. I was at home this afternoon and telephoned a company who has quoted 490 euros for the set up system in our apartment and 160 euros for the extra box for Mums apartment. Then 20 euros direct debit a month.

I can't really complain to the chap who fitted our system as he no longer trades. I tried telephoning him when we were over in January but the company is trading under a different name and they tell me that he doesn't work there any more. So I haven't got a 'leg to stand on'!!

I like to watch some of the British programmes when we are over, especially in the winter but really I need to get this sorted out for our elderly guests who go to the apartment without fail for 4 months during the winter. The urgency hasresulted in them just returning home having had an awful problem with having to keep re-setting the system on a regualar basis. We do have a welcome information folder in each of the apartments which clearly tells the guests how to reset the system, but it is difficult for some guests. Especially as you have to follwo a really strict system involving un-lugging, plugging back in , pressing service button and much more...oh dear I can feel a 'headache coming on' just 'thinking about it', thank goodness we don't have the system here in Norfolk. Good old Anglia television will do nicely!?

Mark asked me earlier in one of the links below what  frequecy we have the system on? I have that information now as I asked my friend Jan who loks after the apartments for us to check it earlier today. The chap who we had fit ours origionally set this up for us and its as follows:-

• input number 12129 opposite frequency
• pol is on V
• the next symbol reads 27.5
• Fed reads 2/3

...is this right?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

Eve

Hi Eve, It's only certain areas which have that offer.  The last time I saw it mentioned it was for Orihuela Costa.  I'll do a search for you later, probably tomorrow as I'm out all day.

A friend has an house she rents out an she had to install a tv package because her of winter renters.  She paid a similar amount to what the others charge for installation but doesn't pay any monthly payment.  I'll email her for details and pm you once I have all the information.

You are still paying a monthly direct debit, is it to the same company that told you they have changed names.  What company name is appearing on your bank statement?  Someone's getting paid for a service you are not receiving and if they won't come out and fix it then you should take your money else where. 

The direct debit is now 20 euros as they have added 4 extra channels. 

Hi...I have just got home from the hospital and attempted to re-open a message which I recived from semijubilada earlier today but for some reason I am unable to. semijubilada could you please re-send the message to me...sorry to be a pain!

Best wishes,

Eve

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Hi...thanks for the info, I look forward to receiving the company names from you.  I did have a man come round to have a look at the system and he said the problems we are experiencing is due to the tall mast which we have on the Guardamar Hills. It would be good to change the system as onlt this morning I received a call from Jan our friend who looks after the apartments for us re the one in our apartment not working. Aparently the chap who is in there at the mo 'fiddled' with the wires and made the problem worse, as a consequence Jan had to go over and re-set it for him...its all just a bit of a nightmare really!

Thanks again for your help,

Best wishes,

Eve