WILDSAT
Wild Pete's Frequently Asked Questions

I'm happy to try to help with any questions you might have - contact me on pete@wildsat.com - but please check to see whether the answer is already proved in the list below.

Also, I get sent quite a lot of things that look suspiciously like viruses and if you send me an e-mail with an attachment I'm likely to delete it immediately. If you do have something you'd like to send me, let me have a plain text e-mail to tell me about it first. And please give your e-mail a subject name. Thanks!

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Can I receive the German channels I used to get with my old Sky analogue system? Or channels in Spanish, French etc?
Currently the only European channel on the Sky EPG is the French channel TV5 Monde on EPG channel 799, designed for an international audience. There are no domestic European channels available. To get foreign domestic channels you really need a bigger dish pointing to another satellite such as Astra 19.2E or Hotbird 13.0E, where there are many channels in German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic etc. A digibox is particularly inflexible when it comes to receiving such channels, so another free-to-air digital receiver is recommended.
For your guidance, I have one 80cm dish with three LNBs. One is connected to my digibox and the other two to a non-Sky receiver, allowing me to view channels from the satellites mentioned above.

I follow your instructions for adding channels but only get a message telling me 'No Signal Found'.
This seems to happen most often when trying to tune in the ITV regions and other channels in the lower frequency range. Rebooting your box usually fixes the problem - turn it off, leave it for a minute or two then try again. Sometimes boxes behave oddly and it is worth leaving them unplugged for longer. Taking out the leads and the viewing card has also been known to help!

Does manual tuning allow me to get subscription channels for free?
No, this is not a way to avoid subscription charges!

Where can I get a complete listing of the frequencies for all channels?
Have a look at Lyngsat, specifically www.lyngsat.com/28east.shtml and www.lyngsat.com/packages/skyuk.shtml

Do you have a list showing which channels are broadcast free-to-air?
I keep a list available at www.wildsat.com/freetoair.doc but cannot undertake to keep it as up to date as the rest of my site. I usually update it every few months.

Can I receive domestic UK channels in the Republic of Ireland (and elsewhere)?
All viewers can receive the BBC and most of the ITV channels (subject to being within range of sufficient signal) as they are free to air. However, signal strength will likely be a problem for those in continental Europe as most of the channels in question are on the Astra 2D satellite which has a foorptint tightly focussed on the British Isles. BBC News, Parliament and Alba transferred to Astra 2D in September 2011.

In Ireland, BBC1 & BBC2 are on the EPG, others can be added via manual tuning - use 10773H 22.0 5/6 for BBC 3, 10803H for BBC 4 and BBC News, also 10788V and 10818V for various regions. All the ITV channels (1-4) can be found on 10758V, 10832H, 10891H and 10906V 22.0 5/6. The exceptions are some ITV1 regions on 12402V 27.5 2/3, which need a viewing card.
Channel 4 is on on the EPG in Ireland on channel 135 but otherwise it is free to air on 10714H 22.0 5/6. See also 10729V for Channel 4+1 and other channels in the C4 family (E4 etc).
Five is also available free to air on 10773H 22.0 5/6, but not Fiver or Five USA.
The settings for BBC HD and BBC One HD changed in June 2011 and it is no longer possible to add them to a Sky receiver by manual tuning.

General 'Help, I have a problem!' queries
Although I will offer guidance where I can, I am not a satellite engineer or installer so I am limited in what I can tell you when things get too technical. I recommend the following websites for further assistance:
Digital Spy Forums for general news, chat about rumours etc. Includes a sub-forum for technical help
Astra 2D site - offers help to those wishing to receive British channels from abroad