I've ordered sky over the net and the dude who came round to install it all says he can't because I'm on the fourth floor and the dish that is already up needs an extra wire attaching to it so we can have sky plus.

He says I need to go independent but I have no idea where to go and if this is now going to cost a lot more.

Can anyone advise?

Do you have a communal dish, or your own??

If it is, you might be stuck.

Sky will work fine on its own however, and you can actually partly use Sky + without installing a 2nd cable.
You will be able to record programs if you are watching them or are out of the house, pause live tv, rewind etc.

The only things that you wont be able to do are record two things at once, or record something and watch something else.
That is what the 2nd cable is for - so you can get 2 signals (2 different tv programs) at once.
Its nice to have, but not essential.

Without it all you will have to do now is plug it in, connect it to the tv and phone line, hook your existing satellite cable into the back of it and it will work.

But if you do want full functionality (and be able to record 2 things and once, or watch one and record another) then you will have to connect a 2nd cable to the dish.

If its a communal dish, its difficult.
Blocks of flats are usually run by Estate Management companies and you would have to contact them. If enough people in an apartment block want it, the cost can be shared. But its not cheap.

My own, already up on the wall. I live in a block of 8 flats, 4 high 2 across and the sky dish is up and working fine already.

I live in a bungalow, surrounded by trees.

Because it was not a straightforward installation no one wanted to do it.

You could try new channel at Handsworth.

All I need is another wire attaching to the dish that is already there...

Surely, someone will be able to do that for me. I haven't got the box or anything to connect it up to use the normal sky. We've moved into the property and the lady who lived here previously left the dish so we could use it.

So I need full installation to the existing dish with an additional cable.

If someone's already had a sky dish there it shouldnt be any problem to replace it with a sky+ dish and run 2 cables through the wall rather than 1.

He was probably just trying to get some more money out of you.

I live in a bungalow, surrounded by trees.

Because it was not a straightforward installation no one wanted to do it.

You could try new channel at Handsworth.

Thanks for the advice.

Called this afternoon and I have them coming round next week and not as expensive as I thought!!!

Fingers crossed it will all go to plan this time

All I need is another wire attaching to the dish that is already there...

Surely, someone will be able to do that for me. I haven't got the box or anything to connect it up to use the normal sky. We've moved into the property and the lady who lived here previously left the dish so we could use it.

So I need full installation to the existing dish with an additional cable.
And you will need an additional multi output LNB fitting to the dish
Nowadays they are fitting four output ones.

Just out of interest, how much should Sky+ cost?

my friend works at new channel n they are sorting me out my sky this week they've been brill x

Just out of interest, how much should Sky+ cost?

If you order direct from Sky the box is £99 and installation £30.

The box is £99 anywhere you get it from I think

As a related issue, does anyone know of someone who takes down satellite dishes? When I moved into my house a year ago they already had a dish for Telewest but I decided I wanted Sky instead. When the Sky installation guy visited I asked him if he could take down the Telewest dish but he refused. In retrospect I should have offered him £20 for himself if he'd have done it.

I've now got two dishes on my house and I'd like the other one taken down. Are there any companies out there who do this and, if so, what sort of price would they charge?

If you order direct from Sky the box is £99 and installation £30.

The box is £99 anywhere you get it from I think

Or if you say you are thinking of cancelling you can get it for £49 all in, although I have heard others say you can get it free.

I got mine for £49 installed about 2 months ago :D

As a related issue, does anyone know of someone who takes down satellite dishes? When I moved into my house a year ago they already had a dish for Telewest but I decided I wanted Sky instead. When the Sky installation guy visited I asked him if he could take down the Telewest dish but he refused. In retrospect I should have offered him £20 for himself if he'd have done it.

I've now got two dishes on my house and I'd like the other one taken down. Are there any companies out there who do this and, if so, what sort of price would they charge?

Why not get a ladder and unscrew it from the wall yourself?

I’m confused though, you have a telewest dish :huh: telewest is a cable supplier not satellite.

Why not get a ladder and unscrew it from the wall yourself?

I’m confused though, you have a telewest dish :huh: telewest is a cable supplier not satellite.

It could be from the last-but-one occupants then. All I know is that there's an extra dish at the back of my house that isn't connected to anything and does nothing. :(

Odd, when I had Sky+ installed the engineer replaced the dish for me without question. He didnt stick a 2nd one up next to the old one (from the previous occupent).

Just pull down the old dish if its still up in that case.

I've been informed that to get anything done by the installers you need to give them backhanders. So guess I should have offered him more yesterday..:(

Most installers won't take "backhanders", more than their job is worth.

There is almost always a way round it, pm me.