Unless your apartment complex has piped channels from a central dish, you are into installing a 'Sky' system. This will require at least a 1.3m dish which can be mounted to point at 28 degrees east (of south). This may be against community rules.

If you are content with the BBC, news and travel channels then you can have any cheap digital satelite box installed. If you want to watch ITV, Channel 4, 5 you will need to have a SKY digibox. You can buy these secondhand off of Ebay and take it with you. You then just need the dish installed. You and your friends can then take your/their own card when you go over. It won't allow you to watch movies or sport because the card won't be matched to the box, but any the basic family pack program will work. Watching SKY channels outside of the UK is in breech of the SKY contract but they tend to turn a blind eye to it.

Cliff

Not all Sky digiboxes work in Spain, but, if you get the right one then bringing one over with you from UK is the cheapest way to do it. The following is a link to a discussion of best boxes for fringe areas.
http://www.satellites.co.uk/php-bin/forum/showthread.php?t=6504
most boxe can be bought on Ebay

Hi Quakermass,

I am wanting to do exactly the same as you in May in my apartment in Mojacar. I would welcome some feedback from you about how you got on.

Does anybody know how much a 1.3m dish cost around southern spain.

We were trying to figure out if you could make a permanent mast/fixture for the dish but remove the dish when not needed as our community don't allow permanent fixtures. That said all the brits are putting them up.

thanks Diane

You don't have to be into a Sky subscription.

However if you want UK TV you will need a dish, a digibox and card. You can get a Freesat card from Sky for £20 in the UK, but don't tell them you will use it in Spain.

There are lots of places in Spain who will sell you the dish and box; pick up a copy of Sur in English, free at newsagents, and there are loads of ads.

Alan

quakermass you might like to read this thread re Sat TV

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=23131

Thanks for the info. I go across this Saturday and I'll try and get hold of a sky viewing card before I travel. Another option is to see if I can plug into a neighbours satellite dish as I've heard this is also possible.
The girlfriend is going to love me for this, she thinks we're having a lazy week in the sun, but i'll be spending the majority of the week trying to get hooked up to some British channels.
I'll keep everyone posted with the outcome.
Thanks again.

As I understand it, you can't just take any viewing card with you and simply insert it into any Sky Digibox... I think you will find that once you insert your card into the Digibox, that you then need to phone Sky and give them the serial number of the Digibox so that it will work with the viewing card. And if you do phone Sky, for god's sake DON'T tell them that you are using a card in Spain... they will disable the card and the box from future use! BE WARNED!!!

And if you do phone Sky, for god's sake DON'T tell them that you are using a card in Spain... they will disable the card and the box from future use! BE WARNED!!!

And don't phone them from Spain; they will know and disable tre card. Get a friend in the UK to phone.

Alan

I've heard it said that people with SKY subscriptions in the UK, being able to take their viewing card and using it in the SKY box at their properties in Europe. I assume that's not correct in the slightest?

If you have SKY in the UK, is it possible to purchase a second viewing card and registering that card to a second SKY box abroad?

Thanks for any input, Scoya.

This will require at least a 1.3m dish which can be mounted to point at 28 degrees east (of south). This may be against community rules.

Overruled by EU rulings made last April...
Complexes must provide means to capture ALL public domain signals within the EU. The easiest way to do this is let people install their own satellite. Basically if the complex management refuse to supply you with means to recieve the (recievable) public domain signal you require, then they cant stop you putting up your own dish But this law is new and veague!

If you are content with the BBC, news and travel channels then you can have any cheap digital satelite box installed

You wont need a sky card for this BUT you will still need a 1.3m dish!

If you want to watch ITV, Channel 4, 5 you will need to have a SKY digibox

... AND a sky / solus card....
C4 C5 are not "Free to air" like the BBC and ITV1,2,3, just "Free to view". They still scramble their signal and you need a sky card or the free version (Solus) to unscramble the signal. (any old sky card will do)

It won't allow you to watch movies or sport because the card won't be matched to the box

Its quite simple to ring them (from a uk phone - a mobile will do) and say its a new replacement box and the card needs marrying up. Make sure your out of the 12 month contract if you do this!

Not all Sky digiboxes work in Spain

Some give better results than others. We live in Tenerife and have bog a standard sky issue Pace (black) reciever, a V1 Sky plus reciever and a brand spanking 160 sky plus box - All work fine with a 90 CM for all but Astra D channels (2.4m dish req for that this far out)

And don't phone them from Spain; they will know and disable tre card. Get a friend in the UK to phone.

Use a UK mobile and tell em that your an independant installer upgrading their reciever.

I've heard it said that people with SKY subscriptions in the UK, being able to take their viewing card and using it in the SKY box at their properties in Europe. I assume that's not correct in the slightest?

yes this is NOW true. Sky no longer marry cards to normal bog standard digi boxes for the family package, just for the premiuum channels (sport / movies)

Just to add a little more info to this thread.

I moved here 2 years ago and bought my Sky box with me and my card, there was already a dish on the property I bought so I got the local TV man to come a realign the dish and it works 100%.

The only problem I have is if we have very heavy rain then I loose the picture but all I have to do is fit a larger disk and that would solve the problem, which I will get round to one day I suppose.

I just pay my monthly subs and every now and again my son receives my updated card which he sends to me and Sky are none the wiser.

After weighing up my options I finally went for the basic non subscription package with the add on viewing card to pick up itv etc.
Seeing as my apartment is rented out quite often, I couldn't risk getting anything that would hook up to adult channels as it may give some of the elderly guests a cardiac arrest.
I also wasn't too keen on paying a monthly subscription, as I doubt I'd need a load of channels and most people would be content with the basic british channels.
After pricing it up, most were quoting approximately 600 euros for the dish and the digibox, which would pick up bbc1, bbc2 and the news channels. If I wanted ITV, channel 4 and channel 5 I would have to pay an extra 100 euros for the viewing card, however I'm told that channel 5 can lose the signal on an evening.
The good news for me, was that my neighbour on the next balcony had the same required dish, so I arranged to have my digibox wired up into his satellite dish and it saved me a few quid.
The installation, card and receiver ended up costing 420 euro's but i slipped my neighbours a few quid to keep them sweet.
Before I left Spain, I could get BBC1, 2, ITV, ITV2,Channel 4, lots of news channels, a couple of music channels, a couple fo kids channels and a few others such as travel channels etc.
If I was living in Spain or using the apartment a heck of a lot, I may have gone for a subscription package, but if the purpose is rental, the basic package plus the extra card seems a sensible choice.