How do I get free channels

[Freddy5]

Hello,

I’m hoping someone here might be able to help. I’ve got an old Sky box (I believe it’s a Sky SD model, it is the same as the attached picture below) and we’ve stopped receiving certain free channels like BBC and some Asian/Punjabi channels such as Sikh Channel.

I reached out to Sky about this issue, and they’ve informed me that resolving it would involve getting a Sky Q box for a £30 monthly fee for a 24-month contract I asked if it was possible to purchase the box alone without any subscription but that is not possible, (would purchasing a second hand sky Q box from ebay possibly work?) My family isn’t keen on paying a monthly subscription or committing to a contract just to get a few free channels working again. 

Does anyone have any advice on how we might be able to restore these channels without incurring high costs or signing a long-term contract? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[xenon81]

Sky SD boxes are obsolete now. Many channels have either stopped broadcasting in SD or are using the "DVB S2" transmission mode that SD boxes can't receive. You will need to try and get a Sky HD box (they are usually available on eBay). This will receive all the free channels. 

[Annie+UK]

Some TVs have a Satellite tuner that can be hooked up to a compatible dish 🙂 My LG does

Note: Satellite TV is coming to its end of life so doing research into alternative methods of reception is advised

[Exiled-in-HH]

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@Freddy5 wrote:

Hello,

I’m hoping someone here might be able to help. I’ve got an old Sky box (I believe it’s a Sky SD model, it is the same as the attached picture below) and we’ve stopped receiving certain free channels like BBC and some Asian/Punjabi channels such as Sikh Channel.

I reached out to Sky about this issue, and they’ve informed me that resolving it would involve getting a Sky Q box for a £30 monthly fee for a 24-month contract I asked if it was possible to purchase the box alone without any subscription but that is not possible, (would purchasing a second hand sky Q box from ebay possibly work?) My family isn’t keen on paying a monthly subscription or committing to a contract just to get a few free channels working again. 

Does anyone have any advice on how we might be able to restore these channels without incurring high costs or signing a long-term contract? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

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Search for DRX890 (has a HDD but that requires a subscription to use) or DRX595 (no HDD) or if you want a new box a Freesat box😉

[nigea99]

@Freddy5 

Note - do NOT buy a 2nd SKY Q box from ebay - these cannnot be legally sold as they always belong to SKY and useless without a SKY subscription

The others have advised suitable boxes for Freesat channels (or as mentioned many TVs have a Satellite Tuner)

[Freddy5]

@nigea99 @Exiled-in-HH @Annie+UK @xenon81 

Wow thank you very much for the helpful guidance. 

It looks like the easiest option will be to purchase a DRX595 or DRX890 from ebay as it will not require any subsciption of any sort. We do not record any programmes and only use free channels. Is either box a better option or would the cheaper option be fine for the future.

I have found the following: 

DRX595: £20 from ebay

DRX890 £40 from ebay

Thank you

[Annie+UK]

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@Freddy5 wrote:

@nigea99 @Exiled-in-HH @Annie+UK @xenon81 

Wow thank you very much for the helpful guidance. 

It looks like the easiest option will be to purchase a DRX595 or DRX890 from ebay as it will not require any subsciption of any sort. We do not record any programmes and only use free channels. Is either box a better option or would the cheaper option be fine for the future.

I have found the following: 

DRX595: £20 from ebay

DRX890 £40 from ebay

Thank you

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DRX595 will use less power as it does not have a Hard Drive which you only need for recording also there is less to fail on you 🙂 This box will have a much older version of the software but I'm not sure this is a negative as the software was mainly updated for extra features a DRX595 cannot use

[Freddy5]

@Annie+UK 

Thank you very much. I will look to purchase the DRX595 soon. 

I really appreicate the help from you all. Thank you. 

[laharna]

freesat 4K recordable