No the freeview box wont work because it doesn't connect to a satellite dish. It uses your aerial and tenerife is about 2000 miles out of range!

What you need (assuming the dish has been set up to receive BBC / ITV) is a sky receiver and possibly a viewing card.

The best option would be to buy a "freesat" package in the UK (under your UK address and don't tell em your bringing it out of the country!!!!!!!!!) then bring it out. The community will provide the feed from the large dish and you simply plug that in to the sky receiver then scart it to your telly. (areal coax from receiver to Spanish telly may result in no sound!)

This will come with a Free to view card which will get you BBC's ITV1, C4 and a lot of boolixx as well.

If you want you could subscribe to sky at home and bring the card and receiver out and get a lot more stuff like sports and movies but as you must keep the receiver connected to a UK phone line you need an additional gadget called a "sky dialer" that masks the Spanish phone number.

Or you could just buy a reciever without card and get bbc and ITV (no C4)

I still think your best option is the "Freesat" package available from INDEPENDANT satellite shops or sky. All you need is the receiver an 'F' connector (aerial type plug from B&Q) and your freesat card, which is posted to your UK address.

One point to remember is not all sky receivers are the same. Some are bad at "fringe reception" whereas others are really good like the widely available Pace D30/40N. Believe me this receiver continues to give a clear picture when most of the other receivers have frozen long before in bad weather etc. (remember with digital broadcasts there is no middle ground... Its either a perfect picture or... No picture at all!) Get a Pace D30/40N

Hope this helps

Thanks Makum for a very helpful reply
We are going to buy the reciever in the UK. We are not bothered about a card just yet.
Could the card be bought at a later date. We don't want to be paying any subscriptions at the moment.

you don't pay a subscription for a "Freesat" card. they lump £20 on the receiver price to cover "administration" and no monthly payments. It just like freeview but via a satellite dish instead of your aerial.

Yes you can get a card later. The receiver on it's own will get you all the BBC's 1 ,2 ,3 ,4 Ceebeebies etc. (depending on the weather and the professionalism of the installation of the dish).
ITV 1 Yorkshire region. (you need to manually select this channel if your not from Yorkshire, but I can PM you simple instructions).
A load of boolix channels like "shop till your skint" & "Auction your wife(.com)"

you need the freesat card for C4. you cant get C5 or E4 / more 4 here as were outside its coverage footprint.

Don't forget. Its Vital that you get the PACE D30/40N receiver or your telly will go off after 6pm!

Thanks again Makum,
Do you recommend any particular retailer in the uk.
We have found a pace ds430n, £89.99 is this the one.
Cheers Dianne & Colin.

Makum,

I read your post about the sat-receiver what is needed.

Don't forget. Its Vital that you get the PACE D30/40N receiver or your telly will go off after 6pm!

Does this mean that almost all other receivers will not work after 6 PM?
I am Dutch and I want to see the Dutch channels via (ASTRA) satelite in my apartment in Palm Mar.

The above is only applicable to the UK Sky (Astra 2) platform.

As you want to watch Dutch channels you will be pointing at ASTRA 1, not 2.

It's a whole different set of satellites and equipment for Dutch telly/ Astra 1. If I remember rightly you can get the Astra 1 bird with a 90cm.

Colin & Dianne...

We have found a pace ds430n, £89.99 is this the one

Yip thats the one, and its a good price. there so scarese out here the local companies charge up to €285 for one!

Thanks Makum, I got a little bit worried.....

Cheers Makum. It's on order. Comes with a card in for that price too.
Will try it out next month

If you have a freesat card... Register it before you leave or if you do it here use a UK mobile phone!

Mark
You do realise that Makum's post was made over 11 years ago.