Can an existing SKY satellite dish be used to pick up a FREESAT signal?

Question

I've recently bought a new house, and as a welcoming present the previous owners have taken the terrestrial antenna and all the cabling, though surprisingly they have left me a satellite dish and cables that they have previously used to pick up SKY, can I use this to plug into a FREE SAT box, and receive digital television? If so can anyone recommend a FREE SAT box that would act like a SKY PLUS receiver?

Answer 1

Ok, Sky dish can pick up anything from Astra 2 satellite regardless being broadcast by sky or not so it is perfectly ok for Freesat. As for the Freesat equipment to act like sky plus you need 2 feed (2 cables) from the dish. Sky plus has 2 tuners inside operating like 2 separate satellite receivers when requested by the viewer. Basically this is why you can watch one channel and record another. If you just want to record things then buy any satellite receiver with hard drive memory.  That would do your job... Search for PVR satellite receivers online. Any receiver would do your job as Freesat is not card operated system...

Answer 2

A Sky box with a viewing card will pick up free-view channels even if you do not subscribe. You can buy these from a car boot or Ebay Plug it in and off you go. That's if you don't already have one!