[h3msy]

Hi all,

Hopefully someone can help me out with my Sky setup question....

At the moment i have normal Sky Digital in the living room with RF2 going into Conservatory television with a Sky link. I have just ordered Sky+ and that got me thinking....

When i have updated to Sky+ rather than having the above setup, is this possible...?

Run a cable from the dish (port 3) into my old 'normal' Sky box now sited in the conservatory, and connected to the TV through a scart cable. Then run the RF2 from Sky+ into the sky box in conservatory through the RF in, and out through RF out and into TV through RF in.
So in theory i could select channel AV (Scart channel) and use the old remote to operate the old sky box as a freeview box. Then if i want to watch Sky+, select channel 6 as i do now and Sky+ is shown on the TV. And then hopefully could use the Sky+ remote to operate the tv link which is plugged into the RFin plug on the Sky box.

I know this is alot of RF in / out, but hopefully it makes sense to someone and possibl tell me it will work or not before i ask the Sky installer if he could possibly connect me a third cable to the dish for a 'small fee'

Any info would be appreciated.

[davemurgatroyd]

The idea is certainly feasible BUT I am not sure that the remote signals would pass back through one box to the other - if not you would merely need a Sky link compatible combiner to combine the two RF2 outputs AND switch off the RF power output on one box (which you should do in either setup as the box may not be happy being fed 9V into its RF input from the other)

[rai uno]

You can't use a Sky Digibox as a Freeview Box as Freeview is the Digital Terrestrial Platform.

However, you can use it for Freesat: Either Free to Air only (Lots of Channels without a Card) or Free to Air & Free to View (using an ex-Subs Card or a FreesatfromSky Card).

[Irishdriver]

I have roughly this set-up.

However I don't see why you want to put the RF2 from the sky+ into the old sky box? Put the rf2 from sky+ directly into the magic eye and the TV.

Do not have any RF connection between the old sky box and the TV. Just connect the local sky by scart as you say.

The old sky remote should not bother the sky plus but the sky plus controller might change channels on the local box as well.

as said you need a freesat from sky card or a multi room card if you want to have more channels

[Orry Verducci]

That should work, but if I were you I'd connect the RF from the Sky+ box straight to the TV rather than the RF IN of the Sky box, that way there is less chance for signal degradation. From my experience, the Sky+ remote will not operate the Sky box, and visa-versa.

[h3msy]

Thanks very much for your replies, especially irishdriver and Orry Verducci, that answers my question. I dont know why i was complicating matters with running the rf through the sky box.

Just a couple more questions, the cable from the dish from to the conservatory will have to be 30/35m... this won't be any problem will it, ie with regard to picture quality??

Also if the installation engineer refuses to couple up the third cable to the dish, is it an easy diy job, and where do i get the connector from? somewhere like maplins?

Thanks again for all your help.

[Sam Radford.]

Length of cable will affect the signal level, not the picture quality. (If it's too long, your picture will break up or not appear at all).

Instructions for fitting an 'F' connector:
http://www.satcure.com/tech/fconn.htm

[h3msy]

Thanks Sam.
I didnt realise that the the connector on the dish is the same F connector that goes into the box.

Cheers