Freeview problems

[rebby]

We live in an area where Freeview is not available as we're in a valley and we cannot get a signal. My other half reckons that if we buy a satellite dish and connect the Freeview box to it, this would give us a good enough signal to get the channels we want. Do any tech. minded people out there know if this is correct ? Sounds a bit iffy to me :-)

[simsfreq]

You can buy an aerial extension which would be cheaper than a sattelite dish!

My firiend has something which she plugged into her computer, and she can watch freeview on that.

My other advice would be to buy a box anyway and see what you can get, because the postcode system of guessing if you'll have the channels isn't always right. Even if you can't get channels now the signal is getting better all the time so try it every month or so and see how it goes!

[Buenchico]

The signals sent by satellites are in a completely different frequency range to those used by terrestrial digital TV, so you can't just connect a satellite dish to a Freeview box. You require a Sky (subscription free) system. The cost of the dish, receiver and set-up is �150. Details are here:
http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/
(You can use equipment provided by other companies but they're unlikely to offer a better price than Sky. Any decent aerial installer will know of the options available).

Chris

[adi400]

Your other half sounds well "iffy" to me... Get Sky!!

[dodgyshirt]

Look at this site for digital satellite receivers.

[rebby]

I've thought of buying a box just to see what happens - and am not sure if it will be a waste of money or not. The freeview postcode checker says that 'no way' will we get any channels BUT: We live in a flat - the main aeriel for the building is way up on the roof, is it logical to presume that there'd be more chance of getting a signal (with it being bigger and higher) than a house with a normal aeriel ? xx

[Buenchico]

Without a map showing just how deep your valley is, where the transmitter is and knowledge of the height of your building, it's not easy to answer your question.

The postcode checker said that I'd only be able to get the same digital channels as I could already get via analogue (i.e. I'd receive BBC1 and BBC2 but not BBC3 or BBC4). Knowing that I've got a good quality aerial (with equally good quality cabling) I thought I'd buy a box and give it a try. (I assumed that, even if the box didn't work straight away, it should eventually work when the local signal improved). I plugged it in and found that I could get all of the digital radio and TV channels. So it's possible that you might be able to do the same but, if the postcode checker says that there's no signal at all, I'd be rather apprehensive.

Have you got a friend or relative with a Freeview box. If so, why not ask if you can borrow it to see if it works at your location?

Chris