replacing a sky satelite dish
Discussion
My sky system has been diagnosed as having a faulty dish that requires replacement, its 10 years old.
Bothe the local sky and an independent installer agree this is the problem.
Given that they have each quoted £180 to supply and fit a new dish, I am thinking of doing it myself.
Any advice????
I do have easy acces to the roof and it is no problem for access/ safety.
Really looking for reccomendations on dish type and anything to be aware of that will save any messing about.
Thanks in advance.
Bothe the local sky and an independent installer agree this is the problem.
Given that they have each quoted £180 to supply and fit a new dish, I am thinking of doing it myself.
Any advice????
I do have easy acces to the roof and it is no problem for access/ safety.
Really looking for reccomendations on dish type and anything to be aware of that will save any messing about.
Thanks in advance.
Worth ringing Sky to cancel your subscription, and seeing if that prompts them to fixing the problem that will but their revenue? Worth a go.
If you do end up replacing it, probably worth going for more LNB outputs, then you can have freesat elsewhere in the house.
All depends whether you need Sky, I suppose.
If you do end up replacing it, probably worth going for more LNB outputs, then you can have freesat elsewhere in the house.
All depends whether you need Sky, I suppose.
Another vote for phoning retentions.Is it in a strange place? For £180 I assume it does require more work than bolting a dish to the wall. Possibly get it relocated if possible - but I imagine there is a tree or a access problem to fixing it lower?
I would agree that calling and saying something like you've had a think and will just stick with Freeview will work. If you are on a low-tier package it might be tricky to get it for free, but even getting it for the standard £60 fee would be a result.
I would agree that calling and saying something like you've had a think and will just stick with Freeview will work. If you are on a low-tier package it might be tricky to get it for free, but even getting it for the standard £60 fee would be a result.
Daylight robbery - i got a quad lnd, dish and 2 double cables installed for £140. The installer told be that as they buy in bulk, they pay £6 for each dish and around £35 for a quad lnd.
if your lnb is okay, it should be straightforward changing the dish - try an independent installer.
if your lnb is okay, it should be straightforward changing the dish - try an independent installer.
£180. Is it on a roof higher than 2 stories? If it is then it gets refered to special heights,which is why it's £180.
If it's not and is easily get to able then your being robbed. When I was a subbie it was £30 or £20 if I could get away with cash. Even a company should only charge £60 max for a new dish install. Dishes used to come free with sky boxes.
If it's not and is easily get to able then your being robbed. When I was a subbie it was £30 or £20 if I could get away with cash. Even a company should only charge £60 max for a new dish install. Dishes used to come free with sky boxes.
Just had Sky reinstalled after a couple of years lapsed with Freesat.
Installer said that the dish/lnb was kaput, along with the cable too (have had some reroofing work near it, may have damaged it).
He fitted a new dish (old dish in a slightly inconvenient position to replace, need to remove this myself) and cable, all as part of the standard installation.
Thinking about fitting the Freesat box to a bedroom, not sure whether to run a cable from the new dish and remove the old dish, or fit an ebay lnb to the old dish and run a cable from that to the freesat.
Is there any other use I could put a second dish to? Can it be repositioned to receive more channels? Read about RTL showing F1 next year, this may interest me.
Installer said that the dish/lnb was kaput, along with the cable too (have had some reroofing work near it, may have damaged it).
He fitted a new dish (old dish in a slightly inconvenient position to replace, need to remove this myself) and cable, all as part of the standard installation.
Thinking about fitting the Freesat box to a bedroom, not sure whether to run a cable from the new dish and remove the old dish, or fit an ebay lnb to the old dish and run a cable from that to the freesat.
Is there any other use I could put a second dish to? Can it be repositioned to receive more channels? Read about RTL showing F1 next year, this may interest me.
Thanks for all the useful comments. I certainly will give sky a call and see what leverage I can exert.
I live in an A Listed building so the dish has to be on the roof (3 stories) and in a specific location to satisfy the conditions of the Listing, so not any choices there.
I did wonder what could possibly go wrong with a dish, seems odd.
I have looked at the cost of buying a dish, they are really cheap, £30 or £40. So worth a go if I can't get movement from sky.
I live in an A Listed building so the dish has to be on the roof (3 stories) and in a specific location to satisfy the conditions of the Listing, so not any choices there.
I did wonder what could possibly go wrong with a dish, seems odd.
I have looked at the cost of buying a dish, they are really cheap, £30 or £40. So worth a go if I can't get movement from sky.
gtidriver said:
Don't bother phoning sky threatening to cancel, my neighbour did that and now he just has free view,after they abruptly said ok we will give you thirty days then cut you off, which they did..
He did it wrong then. whenwe moved they proposed to charge. said cancel, and was put through to retentions. job done.sky man could not do the job because of h&s. another call with retentions saw a discount over and above the cost of an independant installer
davidjpowell said:
gtidriver said:
Don't bother phoning sky threatening to cancel, my neighbour did that and now he just has free view,after they abruptly said ok we will give you thirty days then cut you off, which they did..
He did it wrong then. whenwe moved they proposed to charge. said cancel, and was put through to retentions. job done.sky man could not do the job because of h&s. another call with retentions saw a discount over and above the cost of an independant installer
Job done new box two days later. 
peterzoom said:
I have looked at the cost of buying a dish, they are really cheap, £30 or £40. So worth a go if I can't get movement from sky.
As mentioned it won't be the dish itself, but either an alignment issue, or a kaput LNB. If you have Sky+ you will have a twin or quad-output LNB, but get a quad anyway. There are a few types of LNB fitting for the minidish, this page describes them so check you get the right one, or that it comes with an adapter:http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/quad_sky_lnb.htm
The alignment is pretty easy, it's good if you can have move a TV with within eyesight when you are adjusting the position (have it on the signal strength page). You can buy a tone-meter cheaply too although I've never tried one, but if you can't have a TV within eyesight then get one, I doubt it would be much fun to have somebody shout when the signal gets better/worse!
gtidriver said:
Don't bother phoning sky threatening to cancel, my neighbour did that and now he just has free view,after they abruptly said ok we will give you thirty days then cut you off, which they did..
That is quite unusual, was he on a low-tier package, or perhaps rude? The other possibility is he called just after they had met a target so the call centre wasn't that bothered about retentions.Don't think he was being rude to the operator, just bad advice from his know it all mate. A listed area you say, Get hold of a scaffold pole a couple of bags of postcrete and plant the pole at the bottom of the garden,or if you have a wooden fence post use this or a shed/log cabin,then get sky to install the dish on it. Cable can be run in 2 inch waste pipe buried in a six inch trench.don't forget draw strings or lay extra cable for future use.
I did quite a few installs on st marys island in gillingham/Chatham, at the time (up to 2007)no dishes where to be visible so most where patio mounted in the back garden. I use to Earn quite well putting trellis and planters a few feet in front of the dish to disguise it.
A photo of your back garden with the direction of the dish might help.
Another thing when you've dug you hole before putting the post in drill some holes through it and put some rods or old old drill bits through it, with the dish being like a sail in the wind the pole could shift/rotate slightly meaning no sat signal, and a re-dig.. Good luck..
I did quite a few installs on st marys island in gillingham/Chatham, at the time (up to 2007)no dishes where to be visible so most where patio mounted in the back garden. I use to Earn quite well putting trellis and planters a few feet in front of the dish to disguise it.
A photo of your back garden with the direction of the dish might help.
Another thing when you've dug you hole before putting the post in drill some holes through it and put some rods or old old drill bits through it, with the dish being like a sail in the wind the pole could shift/rotate slightly meaning no sat signal, and a re-dig.. Good luck..
Edited by gtidriver on Sunday 18th September 00:33
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