Sky + in Egypt

Robbiewright

I have got my hands on a Sky + box here in Egypt and want to make the big change over, I have hooked it all up and am getting all the free to air stuff but before I make the phone call I want to know if it is just a case of them pushing a few buttons and changing to over for me or will it mean getting a new card sent out? Getting a new card sent out will take a few weeks and I don't want to be with out T.V for that time.

Also at the moment I am going from the box into the TV via a S video cable but no sound. A S video cable dose sound too?,,,,,no?

powel000

Robbie: I am curious what size dish are you using Are you recieving Skyone and Sky mix. I guess calling sky from Egypt will yield no results since they will not issue a card to non UK residents. I will leave the answers for the senior members of the board. I could not agree with you more that Shotime and Orbit are getting worst and worst, especially the damn subtitles, its so annoying with all the old shows runing. Keep us posted.

Robbiewright

I have a 2.4 meter dish, I get sky but no sky mix. I have a friend in London who is good enough to let me use his address and he makes the phone calls for me but if you call on a mobile phone then they won't know where it's coming from. You might be O.K getting it in Jordan, I don't know of any one there but Dahab is another 400k out side the foot print from Cairo and I get almost the same here as I did there.

rolfw

It will work with any Sky subscription card Robbie, but they charge an extra £10/month if you have less than 2 premium channels on your card. A phonecall should activate the card normally.

PS. Good to hear from you, how are things in the land of the pyramids?

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PaulR

I haven't got a $ly+ box so I don't know how it outputs the S-video but if it's coming through the scart socket then there should be sound. If the S-video is coming out of a dedicated socket that looks like the mini-din socket for a computer keyboard then this is video only and you have to make a separate connection for the sound.

PaulR

Robbiewright

Thanks Rolf, Things are fine here although I havn't seen much of the place with work and all. I should be able to take a week or two off now. I will get my mate in london to make the call tomorrow.

Paul, it is a dedicated socket. I've sorted it out now. One other thing, the box is second hand and doesn't have a book with it. What's with the optical audio? is that surround sound?

PaulR

The optical audio is a digital output for amplifiers that can understand it. And yes, it is for Dolby Digital (better than surround) - but only on films which carry this information.

PaulR

powel000

Robbie, just curious how much you paid for the Sky box and what brand is it. Thx, keep us posted on all the good channels that you are recievibg once you get your card. Im assumong ur using 2.4m solid, if so what brand dish

Robbiewright

I don't know what brand it is but it is 2.4 solid. I think it's just a cheep, made in Egypt job, it works fine but the arms holding the LNB anr a bit wobbie, makes it a bit hard to fine tune. The only reason I have this dish is it is all I can get here. If I could find a bigger one I would buy it. A few years ago I had a 3.1 meter mesh dish but I am gettng just as much now on the solid one.

Hang on, baby just woke up. I will finish this later.

Robbiewright

O.K, strange things are happening in my Sky + world. The new Sky+ box started to work as soon as I put in my viewing card, it gave me the same as i had on with the old box, but when i tried to look at somthing like movies i got a message telling me this is the wrong card for this box and gave me a number to call to sort it out.. Also when I tried to record I got a message giving me a number to call to up grade. This has been going on since i got the box, (4 days ago ), Sky was only called yesterday and asked to swop me over to the new box...???
Also,,, when I turn the box off the sound keeps coming through, infact I get the sound from the last channel i was watching when I go to the EPG. Do I have a ghost in my box??

PoloMint

The card will work in any box for viewing the non premium channels, but not for recording, which is why it worked straight away for some things.

The sound thing is strange, so when the box is in standby you still hear the sound from the last channel? Is than via the audio out or on a TV?

You could try a software download, but in a fringe area it might be better just to leave it and live with it, or until it sorts itself out.

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powel000

Robbie, can you confirm what entertainment channels are you recieving. Are you recieving Sky one, E4 and Sky mix and also any movie channels. Please list as much as posssible here as your reception report will be very valuable. Thank you

Robbiewright

With the box in stand by (red light only) the sound of the last channel keeps on coming. Last night I thought it might of neeeded a bit of time to fade out but no, still booming through a good 15 minits after the box was switched to stand by. that is through Skart plug and also optical through surround sound. Over the EPG too. It's not a prob, I can live with it.

Just one more thing, we lost power here quite a bit, (about every day) and some times it can take a while to download the EPG again, until that happens I have to watch tv through "Other Channels". I need the list again so I can put them in. any one got a link??

I will make a list of what channels I recive later on it the day

rolfw

Do you mean http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/skyuk.html ?

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Robbiewright

That's the one, Thanks Rolf, the power went out last night and I still don't have the epg back. might be off the bird a bit.

Robbiewright

Powel000,

have a look at this link Rolf sent me.

http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/skyuk.html

I get everything on S1 and all the south beams and 2b north.
Let me know if you don't understand that and I'll make a quick list of the stuff worth watching for you.

howlanger

robbie ,im just curious ,where did you get the 2.4 meter dish from ,cause i live in egypt and i cant find anyone selling 2.4 meters at the time being in egypt? was it an old dish or what? if not ,do you have an idea where i can get it from?

Dr.Roamtic

Well for me receiving any channels of sky here in Makkah Saudi Arabia would be highly appreciated if possible. I don't know if it would be possible with say a 3m antenna?
Which is better prime focus or offset?

powel000

Dear Howlanger: There is a company in Egypt that manufacture 2.40m, hope this will be a helpful link http://www.aboelazm.com/

powel000

thanks Robbie. I did look at the chart, it was very helpful. If you can when you get a chance, please make a quick list of the Entertainment channels and movie channels taht you are able to recieve. Your help is much appreciated.

Robbiewright

O.K I got my dish in cairo, Down town in the Attaba area. loads of shops all selling ths same stuff.

Robbiewright

Dr.Roamtic,

I don't know eather, as I said before I had a 3.1 meter meash dish in Dahab (Sinai). In fact it was 2 diffrent dishes made into one and not very well, it was held together with string and gaffer tape and no one knew what we were doing. but I did mannage to get almost as much as I do now in Cairo on a 2.4 meter solid dish. (no EPG though), so with a good dish and some one who know what they ard doing you should get somthing, might need a bit bigger then 3 meters though.

Robbiewright

powel000

Living, Bravo, all the UKTV's and the +1's, all the discoverys, all the MTV's, Paramount, Cartoon network, The Biography Channel UK, The History Channel,Sky news, Sky one,

Sky Movies Cinema 1 and 2, Sky Movies 7 and 9, Channel 5, Reality TV UK, BBC Radio 2 and 4, CNN, Fox news, Film Four. TCM. Animal Planet , FX 289. I think thats most of the good ones.

You should also be able to get E4 Irland but unless you box is from Irland the you will have to get it through "OTHER CHANNELS"

NO BBC's or ITV's or Sky mix or channel 4

powel000

Thank you Robbie for your valuable and great Info. I guess we can use your info as a benchmark for this area. I am not sure is Egypt or Jordan closer to the Astra Footprint. I cannot read the footprint maps until now.

powel000

FX channel looks great.