topic Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q in Sky Q

New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

KKsun — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:14:54 GMT

I have an existing Sky Q on a communal mast system that is coming to the end of it's life, so the signal is becoming poor. It seems to be impossible to get Sky out to fit a dish as an existing customer. I have been calling for 2 months and they don't seem to offer this support. It seems I can cancel my contract and start a new one and be treated as a new install but I don't understand the lack of tech support as an existing SkyQ customer. It seems to me that SkyQ is therefore no longer being properly supported and I should just switch to streaming.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

Daniel0210 — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:20:01 GMT

@KKsun
If you are connected to a communal dish you need to liaise directly with your building management company / landlord who are responsible for the maintenance of the system.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

nigea99 — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:39:57 GMT

@KKsun wrote:

I have an existing Sky Q on a communal mast system that is coming to the end of it's life, so the signal is becoming poor. It seems to be impossible to get Sky out to fit a dish as an existing customer. I have been calling for 2 months and they don't seem to offer this support. It seems I can cancel my contract and start a new one and be treated as a new install but I don't understand the lack of tech support as an existing SkyQ customer. It seems to me that SkyQ is therefore no longer being properly supported and I should just switch to streaming.

hi @KKsun

If your property is marked as having a Communal system, I doubt if coming back as a new customer (which requires a break of at least a year I think) would still get them to install a dish.

If you do not wish to switch to stream, if your building company would allow it & there are no planning issues (multiple dishes etc) , you could arrange for an independent installer to install a dish and we can advise how to switch the box over to use a dish - although there is a slight risk that SKY would still prove difficult for support in case of problems.

(This is assuming that the buidling management will not deal with the problems - we do know that some companies are loathe to spend on their communal Satellite systems with only a few years left before Satellite TV in the UK is likely to end)

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

KKsun — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:57:46 GMT

No, the communal system serves 80 detached houses - it is not an apprtment building. It's an unusal set up but not unique. I just need a dish installed at my house. I can get a dish if I cancel my contract and start a new one but not as an existing customer. It's crazy.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

KKsun — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:04:09 GMT

I think an independent can definitely install a dish and I may have to go this route. However, Sky themselves have been to the house and said it can be done by them, but the communication between the Sky technician visiting and Sky internal systems is not working. The technician visiting says I request a DAT (difficult access team), however the person I speak to on the phone does not have the option to request this for an existing customer. This means to me that Sky Q is to longer supported by Sky and I wish they would just say that instead of wasting everyones time. However, they maintain Sky Q is still supported. They just can't order a dish unless I am a new customer.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

KKsun — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:05:28 GMT

There are no planning issues for my installation - neighbours have been able to get dishes installed by Sky but in the past - I don't understand why I am having so much difficulty.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

Godfrey — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:26:54 GMT

@KKsun Alas, Sky agents have never had the ability to mark installations that require 'two man' teams for difficult access and installations that are higher than the single extension ladder normally carried on Sky vans.

Sky have always used the initial engineers visit to decide whether it would be viable for a 'two man' team, and then expect their engineers to pass this information to their local area management, who with a lot of luck, will then remember to schedule a 'two man' team for the next visit.

I strongly suggest that you contract a local specialist engineer to install your own dish at a time that is convenient to you.

Then all you will have to change in the configuration of your Sky Q receiver will be to return it to use the 'default' Wideband LNB option, instead of using the SCR LNB option that is presently required to receive satellite transponder signals from your communal distribution.

Godfrey.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

TimmyBGood — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:56:10 GMT

@KKsun wrote:

This means to me that Sky Q is to longer supported by Sky and I wish they would just say that instead of wasting everyones time. However, they maintain Sky Q is still supported.

Clearly Q is 'still supported': it currently remains available to new customers starting a two year minimum term (although no longer advertised on the front page of the website) and is in use at many millions of UK addresses.

As @Godfrey indicates, difficulty in arranging an installation which requires more than a lone worker with a ladder is unfortunately nothing new.

Re: New dish installation for Existing Sky Q

KKsun — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 18:31:37 GMT

Thank you, this is the advice Sky should have given me from day 1 instead of being lead a merry dance for 2 months! It was good to have the discussion on this forum. I guess I wanted to know also if it is still worth the install, or switch to streaming now.