We have converted our satellite setup calculator into an online-tool, which will calculate the azimuth, elevation and LNB tilt/skew for Sky digital based on your postcode. This will provide you with all the data you need to quickly setup or re-align your dish but if you want a standalone software there is a selection of freeware available, too.

A very good satellite dish data calculator is SMWLink. It calculates the azimuth, elevation, skew, gain, etc. It's free and might become useful when you don't have internet access to use the calculator on our site. There is even a PocketPC version of the software out now.

The dish data calculators usually don't take the magnetic variations (true North, true South) into account. These variations can be calculated using the free tool from Pangolin Comms.

In order to use any of the dish data or magnetic variation calculators, you need to know the longitude and latitude of your position. For UK locations, you can obtain them from www.streetmap.co.uk, and for almost any other location in the world from www.heavens-above.com.

Setting up your system to receive a UK satellite signal from Spain, France or anywhere in southern Europe through your Sky Digibox isn’t a problem. All you need to do is change a few settings.

Programmes on the Astra 2 cluster of satellites are 'beamed' down to create three footprints: North, South and UK. All of the Free To Air and Sky programmes are received within these footprints. An up-to-date list of programmes that are available on each footprint can be obtained from www.ses-astra.com

In the UK, you should be within all three of the footprints, and with the right equipment, you should not have any problems receiving all of the Astra transponders. Outside of the UK, problems of reception and dish alignment can occur. The default frequency of the Sky Digibox is set to a transponder on the North beam. If you travel southwards and move out of the North footprint, you may need to change the default transponder of the Digibox to match the South beam.

To change the default transponder setting, you will first need to access the hidden INSTALLERS SETUP menu. First press the SERVICES button on your Sky remote and then '4' to access SYSTEM SETUP.

Although it is not displayed, you will need to press '0' then '1' then SELECT to access the INSTALLERS SETUP menu, then select '2' to enter DEFAULT TRANSPONDER.

The following display will then show:

Select 'Frequency (GHz)'. By typing in the relevant numbers, change the settings from 11.778 to 12.129. When the changes have been made, select 'Save New Settings'. Press BACK UP to return to main screen.

This is article about FreesatFromSky and Freeview.

There are a few differences between Freesat and Freeview, including the availability of the service, the TV & Radio channel lineups, the required equipment, and finally costs. All of these factors will have an impact on which system is the best for you.

Availability

The main difference between the two is that Freeview is terrestrial digital TV, whereas Freesat is satellite digital TV.

With terrestrial digital TV, the signal comes from broadcasting antennas positioned at strategic geographic locations. The advantage of this system is that you can pick up the signal from anywhere, even inside the house (although limited) as long as you are within a good signal range. The disadvantage is that the signal varies significantly across the country, even to the point where it becomes insufficient or not present at all. Currently, Freeview covers 73% of the population.

With satellite TV, the signal is sent from a satellite in space. The advantage of such transmission is that it can cover a large area - as big as a country or even a continent - with just one beam. The disadvantage is that there must be a clear line-of-sight between the satellite and the satellite dish, and that the satellite dish must be pointing exactly at the satellite. Freesat covers 98% of the population.

So, what does this mean in practice?

You cannot get Freeview if your area is not covered by the signal. You can check this easily with your postcode at http://www.freeview.co.uk/.

You cannot get Freesat if you are unable to mount a satellite dish, or if the direction in which you point your sateliite (south-east) does not have a clear line-of sight. Any trees, big buildings etc. which are in the way will hinder satellite TV reception. If you are living in a flat and don't have access to the south-east or permission from your landlord to install a satellite dish, the Freesat option will also not be available to you. The exact location for where to point your dish can be calculated with the online-calculator on this site.

If you want to be flexible about where to watch TV, Freeview is the better option as you would only need to take a receiver and a small antenna with you. That way you can watch telly at work, at your mate's house or even on your laptop. With satellite-based Freesat, it's not that easy as you would need to take the dish (large and heavy) with you and then mount it properly (right direction, stable, fixed to something).

TV & Radio Channel Lineups

Although Freesat offers more channels than Freeview, the main channels are available on both systems. The key difference is that on Freeview the following channels are available for free, but not on Freesat:

Sky Sports News
E4
E4 +1
More 4
More 4 +1
ftn
UKTV History
abc1
The Hits
TMF

You can also get Top Up TV on Freeview for a monthly charge and add a few more channels to the line up. On the other hand, Freesat has a lot more shopping and special interest channels as well as more radio channels. 

Note that on Freesat, C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and SKY3 are encrypted and require a FTV card, but more on this later.

Equipment and Costs

Freeview: All you need is a digital terrestrial set-top box (also called Freeview box or receiver), available from high street stores or online at Amazon, Currys, eBay etc., and an aerial. A very good price comparison with user reviews of the boxes can be found here. Your existing rooftop aerial should be fine, unless it's very old. You can also get an indoor aerial but reception might be limited and is therefore not recommended as a permanent solution. You can also get a Freeview PVR receiver to record and pause programmes (similar to Sky+ but without the additional charges). 

Freesat: You'll need a satellite dish with an LNB and a satellite receiver to watch all channels except C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and Sky3. If you want these channels as well, you will need an additional FTV card, and the satellite receiver must be a Sky digibox (though there is an exception for the tech-savvies). The FTV card can be obtained from www.freesatfromsky.com for £20. They also offer a complete package with dish, LNB, Sky Digibox and standard installation for £150. If you don't already have many of these items and are also not keen on getting them second-hand and doing a DIY installation, it's well worth getting the whole package. Having said that, it might be better to get a basic 12 month Sky subscription with free installation for about £180 or even less with a special offer (e.g. £5 off when you buy online) . The benefit would be additional channels from the Sky Entertainment Mixes and the option to order pay-per-view movies and sport events from Sky Box Office (this is not possible with just Freesat). You must not forget to cancel your subscription ahead of time within the year. Once the subscription has ended, the Sky card will automatically be converted into a Freesat FTV card.

Again, what does this mean in practise?

Freeview is the cheaper option. It also allows for more flexibility. For example, if you want to watch different channels simultanously in different rooms, you only need an additional receiver. With freesat, you would need a multi-LNB such as Twin, or Quad LNB, and additional receivers. Using a Freeview box is also more convenient, as you can delete channels from the EPG you don't want and re-order the lineups. You can also record programmes with a PVR box. In order to do the same with Freesat, you would need to get a non-Sky receiver but then can't watch the encrypted C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and SKY3 channels unless you are getting a special NDS cam. As you can see, it's getting quite complicated. 

Overall, there are some differences between the two systems. The key is, though, the availability of the service in your area. If you can get both, then getting both might be an option. This way you would have the best of both worlds.

Properly aligning your satellite dish may seem a job reserved for the professional installer but with this guide, anyone with basic DIY skills can achieve the same. Once done, the reward will be a troublefree TV experience.

To receive a clear satellite picture, the dish must not only have a clear line-of-sight to the satellite but also the correct vertical (elevation) and horizontal (azimuth) alignment. The vertical alignment is the dish angle of elevation, and refers to the angle at which the satellite signals hit the Earth's surface. In the northern hemisphere, they are flat - about 15° the further south you go i.e. nearer to the equator, the steeper they become. On Sicily they have an elevation angle of 45° and right on the equator of 90°. Horizontal alignment refers the position of a satellite relative to where you wish to receive the signal, and requires the dish to be turned towards the east or west until the correct satellite is pointed at. Thus, the elevation and azimuth angles vary depending on your location and the satellite. You can get your dish setup angles calculated for Sky UK by just entering your postcode with our online-tool. Once you have this data, you can proceed.

Step-by-step 

The following steps assume that you have a handy and inexpensive tool called a satellite finder/meter. This little helper is a real time-saver and takes out the strain of the trial-and-error (also known as trial-and-anger) procedure, and all this for only about £10. You can obtain a satellite finder from Maplin, Amazon and eBay . Alternatively, this price comparison site will give you the best deal.

If you don't have a satellite finder, the following steps can still be followed by ignoring the parts with the satellite finder but, again, purchasing a satellite finder is highly recommended.

So, let's get started.

First make sure that the receiver is switched-off. Now disconnect the cable from the LNB (at the dish) and connect it to the finder at the socket labelled TO REC. Then connect the other end of the finder to the LNB using a patch cable.

Now switch on the receiver and make sure that your television is tuned to the output channel of the satellite receiver. Next, use the 'Signal Test' menu built into the Sky digital decoder. To access this menu, first press the 'SERVICES' button on the remote, then in the 'SERVICES' menu, access the 'SYSTEM SETUPand then 'SIGNAL TEST' as shown below:

The display will look like this:

This information will make sure that you lock at the right satellite and will help adjust the polarisation angle of the LNB (sometimes referred to as the LNB skew or LNB tilt) in order to get the best signal quality.

Back to the dish, keep the finder behind the dish face. The sateliite finder's backlight should go on, indicating it is receiving power from the receiver. Start by adjusting the elevation first. Take the elevation angle you obtained before and subtract the offset angle of the dish (usually 20° but this varies from dish to dish). For example, if your elevation angle is 25° and the dish offset angle is 20° then you will need to point the dish up by only 5° from the horizontal. How much is 5°? If you have a wrist watch, look at 1 o'clock, that's 30° (3 o'clock is 90°); i.e. 1 minute is 6°. This will give you a rough idea of how much to move your dish upwards.

Now move the dish slightly time towards the East or West according to your azimuth angle. Use a compass, or look at your neighbours dish, or use your wrist watch to roughly point it in the right direction and then move it only a bit at a time. As you move the dish, the needle of the satellite finder will oscillate, indicating a change in signal strength. If the needle hits the maximum point, turn the sensitivity knob on the finder so that you have a reading of no more than 5. Keep moving the dish very slightly to the left or right and see if the needle goes up or down. If the reading goes up, turn the knob back so that you again have a reading of 5. Keep repeating this to try and keep the reading at 5. You have found the perfect alignment if the reading does not increase by moving the dish either to the left or right.

You still need to check that you have found the right satellite as the finder will pick up any satellite. On the TV screen, there should be at least a quarter of the 'Signal quality' bar displayed, the 'Lock indicator' should show 'OK', and the 'Network ID' should read '0002'. If the 'Network ID' is showing any other details, you have locked onto the wrong satellite and will need to keep moving the satellite dish. Note that Sky digital is located on the third strongest satellite coming from South towards East and on the first strongest satellite coming from East towards South. If everything displays correctly, fix the dish horizontally and do the same for the vertical alignment. Take care when tightening the dish mounting bolts not to move the dish position.

Note that when using a compass you will need to subtract about 2-3 degrees from the azimuth angle for the magnetic variation in the UK.

For satellite reception, the 'skew' angle of the LNB is also important. The 'skew' angle represents the horizontal/vertical plane of the LNB. When a satellite dish is facing towards a satellite at due South, the plane of the LNB will be vertical (straight down). As the dish is moved around either East or West to receive other Satellites the LNB will need to be tilted (rotated), clockwise for West and counter clockwise for East. Use the calculated LNB skew angle only as a starting point, but since some LNBs (especially for the mini dish) are already internally tilted and also some satellites send the frequencies somewhat rotated, it cannot be fully relied on. So, the best way to adjust the LNB skew is to set it at zero degree and then to rotate it in very small steps both ways while keeping an eye on the signal quality bar on the TV screen. Once this is at maximum, fix the LNB.  Note that on some LNBs, the rotation is achieved my moving the cable socket at the bottom of the LNB laterally.

This is all ther is to it - not really rocket science. Now you can enjoy your favourite channels. And should you still have some problems, check out the troubleshooting reception problems section. 

Have you just spent ages setting your system up, but all you're getting is a pixelated or even no picture at all, or is your display showing a strong/high signal strength bar but a weak/low signal quality bar? Make sure you haven't overlooked some cruicial steps and requirements for good reception.

With digital reception, a weak signal will cause the picture and sound to block or disappear. You should check the following (in order of priority):

• Is the dish pointing at the right satellite? Check that under 'Services > System Setup > Signal Test' the Network ID reads 0002 (for Sky UK).
• Is there a clear line-of-sight between your dish and the satellite? If not, you need to consider moving your dish.
• Is the dish size large enough for the satellite you are aiming at and for your location? Check that your location is within the footprint of the satellite transponder.
• Is the dish aligned correctly? A slight misalignment will cause a large reduction in signal strength.
• Is the skew angle of the LNB correct? A wrong skew angle will cause low signal quality even though the signal strength is high.
• Are the F-connectors fitted correctly? If the copper insulation touches the inner copper wire, or if the F-connector doesn't touch the outer shielding wires, strong interferences  can occur which result in a reduction in signal quality.
• Is the coxial cable suitable for digital satellite reception? You should only use high-quality cables with proper insulation.
• Is the cable run too long? With cable runs of over 20 meters, some signal loss will occur. This can be compensated with a signal amplifier/booster.
• Is your digibox or LNB faulty? Try borrowing one from your neighbour's/friend's.

Update: There is a new version of the dish alignment calculator here.

Need to know what your compass bearings and alignment data are for your dish at your specific location? With the new alignment calculator you can obtain the azimuth, elevation and LNB skew for Sky Digital on Astra 2 for any location in the UK. All you need to do is to enter your postcode to obtain all the details on where to point your Sky satellite dish.

Azimuth is measured from the South and is positive westwards.
Elevation is measured from the horizontal and is positive upwards.
LNB skew is positive clockwise when facing the dish.

Until the 14th of September, Sky charges only £30 instead of their regular £60 for all new installations. In addition, the activation fee for broadband is dropped.

When ordered online , there is also a further £5 discount.

UKSatellitehelp is migrating to a new server. For this reason, there will be a small disruption to the service, with most articles not being accessible. But by the end of this week, Sunday, 05th August 2007, everything should be up and running.

Sorry for any inconvienence.

Sky is dropping the  Sky+ £10 charge for all Sky digital subscribers from 1st July. This is great news for all basic package subscribers (sports and movies as well as HD subscribers had the charge waived a long
time ago).

All subscribers will be notified by letter and the charge will be automatically dropped from the bill. The £10 charge for multi-room will be unaffected.

From 1st July, new subscribers can get a Sky+ box for £99 with a £30 installation charge. More on Sky.com.

Sky has an offer currently (January/February 2007) which presumably targets potential Freesat viewers. For £10 a month you get all the Freesat channels but on top of that you can choose two mixes plus a free digibox and installation. It's a 12 months contract so in total you pay £120 but you need to remember to cancel 30 days before it finishes. Then it will automatically be converted to Freesat only.

If you were to get Freesat only from www.freesatfromsky.com you would pay £150 for the card, installation and digibox. So, the deal from Sky is one not to miss…