Question:
Since we bought a digibox with viewing card and dish installation from Sky three years ago, I have been grappling with them on their expensive phone lines as it does not provide the promised ITV1, Channel 4 and TCM channels.
We found the engineer had bunked off when we asked him to tune in these channels and the problem is the missing Sky viewing card.
Sky is really the most awful company to deal with and after holding on for over 30 minutes at a time on their phone lines as soon as we say we don’t have a contract just the installation they are either unwilling or unable to help.
Having spent over £100 in phone calls, together with a great deal of stress, I would be grateful if anyone could please tell me how to get these channels.
pinkcloud
Answers:
have you tried speaking to trading standards?
do you have any paperwork?
Answers:
Hi,
you should be able to get ITV channels, try this,
Press Services > 4 > 4
Input frequency, then use up/down left/right arrows.
Carlton (London)/LWT
Carlton (Central)
HTV Wales
HTV (West)
Carlton (West Country)
Frequency 10832
Polarisation H
Symbol Rate 22
FEC 5/6
Anglia
Border (England)
Border (Scotland)
Meridian
Tyne-Tees TV
Yorkshire
Frequency 10891
Polarisation H
Symbol Rate 22
FEC 5/6 Channel
Grampian
Scottish TV
UTV (Ulster)
Granada
Frequency 10906
Polarisation V
Symbol Rate 22
FEC 5/6
I think channel 4 is encrypted, not sure about TCM.
Answers:
I'm assuming that you bought Freesat from Sky(, for that to work you need a viewing card, which I think costs £20 as a one off cost, did the engineer take it away with him?
Turner Classic movies are not part of the freesat package, you should get Channel 4 movies.
Freephone 0800 051 2595
Answers:
Sky & the whole murdoc empire encompasses all that is wrong with capitalism. just ask the poor guys on virgin media. Sky complain about the BBC getting tax money which is apparently unfair to them. If however they got off their complaining butts and realised that if they made some effort and also some decent progs they wouldn't need to try and bully other companies in the same markets. We do not have cable in the area nor freeview - not even channel 5 . I haven't got sky and I do not feel like i am missing out. It is however a wonder of modern technology that we have Broadband out here albeit 512k.
Answers:
Hi Robnye
Thanks. Trading Standards said it was something I should pursue with Sky.
I have no paperwork except installation flimsy.
I was hoping someone who'd experienced this could tell me how to resolve it without more expense and difficulty which has been very wearing.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi penrhyn
No it was just before Freesat and was a one off purchase of a box, dish and Sky viewing card which Sky told me is not the same as a Freesat card.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi frugalmacdugal
Thanks, I'll try that.
We did have TCM at one point but disappeared after engineer's visit.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi frugalmacdugal
Thanks, I'll try that.
We did have TCM at one point but disappeared after engineer's visit.
pinkcloud
Hi, again,
if you do get the ITV channels loaded, then depending where you live you should get a regional channel on 103, but to watch any of the other regional channels you will have to
>services> 6> and choose.
For film channels you should be able to get Film4 - 315, Zone Horror - 321, Movies4Men2 - 327.
Good luck
Answers:
Hi wakandem
We cannot get Freeview, cable or channel 5 which is why we resorted to the digibox, viewing card and dish package.
We did not buy the Sky service (i.e. no Sky contract) and the problem seems to be that as it was a one off purchase nobody want's to know.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi
Thanks for all of your help with this. I said in a PM to you that I could not do what you suggested before with the frequencies etc.
I have looked at 103 mentioned in your last post and was surprised that it does allow me to look at ITV1 without asking for the Sky Viewing card but says it is ITV1 Central W and I've no idea where that is? We live in the Surrey/London area.
pinkcloud
Answers:
ITV1 Central W is the midlands area, you should be able to get the BBC, ITV, Film4 channels with out the need for a card.
I think Sky replaced all their card less than 3 years ago so and card you had or should of had will now be invalid.
The current cards cost £20 and will only get you Ch4, Ch5, Sky Three to add to the 100 free to air channels - Sky only guarentee the card for 2 years so if they decided after than to change or kill your card you would need to buy another one if Sky continue their rarely advertised offer.
Answers:
Looks like all you need is a new freesat viewing card,
from the website:
already have digital satellite equipment - what else do I need?
All you need to get access to the free channels available on the digital satellite platform is a freesat viewing card which costs just £20.
Order one on 0870 240 5651.
As a prevoius poster said Sky updated their viewing cards less than 2 years ago (probably due to people hacking the old ones) as you were not on contract you would not have received one.
ITV Central is the Midlands channel (north of Watford!) its split into West and East for the local news.
Answers:
Thanks.
Ours wasn't Freesat though but a Sky Viewing card. We have all of the free channels. What we are missing from the original list is Channel 4, ITV 1 and TCM.
We watched TCM for a while in between installation engineers but since the second one fiddled with it it says it needs a Sky Viewing card.
A previous post has told me that ITV 1 is on 103 but is the default setting you mention. So far I've been unsuccessful in trying to change it to London.
The last post advised that Channel 4 in one of only three extra channels provided with the card.
pinkcloud
Answers:
For what its worth, I get ITV Central E on Channel 103, and according to my EPG ITV London is on Channel 993.
Presumably my box knows where it is thus I get the appropriate ITV and BBC versions for the area (Nottingham BTW)
Answers:
Thanks and it all helps.
I've looked at my box and it says there is no channel on 993 (or 994 or 995).
I found elsehwere that ITV1 Central E on 103 is the ITV1 default. I eventually succeeded in carrying out all of the steps detailed by frugalmacdugal above and even did London but having selected it at the end I found it had not stored it so I hope someone will be able to tell me how to do that.
I would very much like someone to tell me about TCM.
Looks like I'll have to pay £20 for channel 4.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi, pinkcloud,
I've just sent you a PM with instructions but you seem to be getting there.
Strangely, London is unavailable for me as well.
The main difference with the regional channels is really only local news, weather forecasts and programmes of local interest.
Answers:
Hi frugalmacdugal
Thanks again. As a result of trying to find out (on Google) what ITV1 Central W is I came across London which is slightly different than the numbers you gave
frequency 10758
Polarisation V
Symbol Rate 22
FEC 5/6
and I had stored it by following your previous instructions. What I hadn't realised was that you had always to go to Services >6 to access it?
Can you not put it on a spare button?
Penryn in the post above seems to have one installed on 993 (which is spare on mine) as well as having the default on 103.
pinkcloud
Answers:
Hi, pinkcloud,
thanks for the update on frequencies, explains why I couldn't get London, though I never watch it, it's just the thought of something for nothing.
That is a more up to date list than mine so here is a to it, might be handy for others.
Answers:
Hi frugalmacdugal
Your link says "ITV 1 London is currenly transmitted on EPG 963 to the whole of the UK (apart from London where its on 103)" but it isn't on 103 on mine and 963 is spare. Penrhyn above has it on 993 in addition to the default on 103. Can I not do something like that instead of having to access it through Services > 6 ?
Can anyone please help me with TCM?
pinkcloud