Upcoming Q installation; FTA connections.

[Leonsky]

I currently have Sky+ but after the recent storm the box no longer receives a signal and Sky have said we have to upgrade to Sky Q as they won't service Sky + installations.

My worry is, connected on our current satellite dish, there is the Sky+ connection, plus two other FTA boxes.

When the engineer comes to install Sky Q will he be putting a totally new dish that won't accept the FTA connections? Is there a duty to install Sky Q without disrupting other connections already on the dish? Or can the Sky+ connection be upgraded to Q without affecting the other things connected on the dish.

Should I tell the engineer about this when he arrives?

Can anyone advise?

[nigea99]

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@Leonsky wrote:

I currently have Sky+ but after the recent storm the box no longer receives a signal and Sky have said we have to upgrade to Sky Q as they won't service Sky + installations.

My worry is, connected on our current satellite dish, there is the Sky+ connection, plus two other FTA boxes.

When the engineer comes to install Sky Q will he be putting a totally new dish that won't accept the FTA connections? Is there a duty to install Sky Q without disrupting other connections already on the dish? Or can the Sky+ connection be upgraded to Q without affecting the other things connected on the dish.

Should I tell the engineer about this when he arrives?

Can anyone advise?

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hi @Leonsky 

Unfortunately SKY will no longer install what is called a Hybrid LNB which has both the 'wideband' feeds needed by SKY Q & 'Universal' feeds used by SKY HD & Freesat TVs & receivers

It might be possible to get SKY to install a completely separate dish but this may subject to planning. - this would definitely need to be agreed with the engineer before they start work

You might also be able to get an independent installer to change the LNB to a Hybrid but there is no guarantee that SKY would connect to this - I think official policy is not to connect to an LNB they did not install but I think often engineers are flexible on this  

BTW Even when they did install Hybrid LNBs many engineers would not ask and just change to wideband LNB relying on customers to spell it out before hand 

You may, also, wish to read some notes I have made for people considering switching from SKY +/HD to SKY Q

SKY +/HD to SKY Q 

(although as you may tell this was written when SKY would consider installing Hybrid LNBs)

If your problem is just alignment or cabling issues then you can get a local independent engineer to sort these & continue to use your existing SKY HD box until it fails (but note you can no longer  replace SKY HD boxes with 2nd hand ones as the cards can now only be re-paired with the boxes they were in use with last October)

Hopefully you have not agreed  with SKY to switch to SKY Q yet

[Leonsky]

That's disappointing to hear. Unfortunately Sky Q has already been ordered by the house owner.

As far as I know, only 1 satellite dish is allowed on a property. 

If I were to purchase a hybrid LNB myself and give this to the engineer when he arrives, would it be a solution?

Am really disappointed here as two people (1 elderly, 1 disabled) are about to lose all their FTA channels 😢 

[Godfrey]

@Leonsky  There are still a few Sky EL010 LNBs for sale on both of the large auction sites.

So, you could purchase a Sky EL010 LNB and pay a local independent specialist engineer to fit it for you.

Thus, as this is a genuine Sky component, fitted to a Sky satellite dish, you should then be able to use either Freesat, Sky+ receivers, or Sky Q receivers, fed from any of its output ports.

Godfrey.

[Leonsky]

Thank you. Does it have to be a Sky EL010 LNB or would this generic hybrid LNB from Amazon work (GeoSync Hybrid LNB 6 Output - 2 x Wideband and 4 x Quad - with Sky Compatible Bracket)? 

[Godfrey]

@Leonsky  Technically it does not have to be a Sky Smart EL010 LNB, but if you have a generic non Sky Hybrid LNB fitted then this immediately provides a Sky installer with a reason to replace it with the standard Sky issue Wideband LNB.

My thinking is to provide a Sky Q installer with a situation where there is already a correctly aligned dish installation using genuine Sky components so that they can just confirm the quality of your satellite signal and simply fit your Sky Q installation inside your property.

Godfrey.

[Leonsky]

I think this is the way I will have to try, as I wouldn't have the LNB installed in time before the Sky Q is installed and the dish alignment fixed:

Ask the engineer on the installation day if it is possible that he install the Sky Q and also keep the FTA connections. If that isn't possible then after this engineer has left, replace the wideband LNB myself or alternatively get an independent satellite person to replace it.

Do you think this is feasible?