ExpatSat FAQ

How much does it cost to have satellite TV installed?

Typically for one TV with a digital Freesat receiver about €350, 00

How can I get Freesat/Sky TV if I am not allowed by my landlord to mount a satellite dish?

In Germany you have to have some sort of a dish to get Freesat & Sky UK. If you have a south facing balcony or patio then you can mount a dish on a free standing mast secured with a concrete slab. Generally if the dish does not protrude outside the boundaries of the balcony then any reasonable landlord will find this acceptable, especially if you put a few plants or bushes around it.

Can a satellite dish be mounted inside?

Yes! If a dish was placed in front of a window facing in the right direction and the window glass was replaced with Perspex glass then it would be possible.

Can I get Sky TV in multiple rooms?

Yes! But it could get expensive for you. For each receiver you need a Sky viewing card and each viewing card is registered to a particular receiver, so to watch each TV independently you will need a separate viewing card. Many of our customers settle for having just one viewing card and have Freesat in other rooms.

Will a Sky viewing card work in a Sky receiver that it is not registered to?

Yes! But you will not get the premium channels such as Sky Sports or Movies.

Can I get Freesat/Sky TV as well as AFN?

Yes! But generally you will need 2 satellite dishes because the signals come from different satellites (Astra 2 at 28.2° East and Eurobird at 9° East). It is also possible with just one multi focus satellite dish but then one or both of the signals will not be optimal.

What other languages are available with satellite reception in Germany?

German of course as well as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese and Danish to name just a few, some of these will be free and some encrypted. To find out more about what is available and what you need to get it then feel free to send us a mail or give us a call and we will be happy to assist you.

How can I use the Sky receiver Interact functions such as “Box Office”?

Currently you can’t, for these functions to work then a telephone connection is required for the receiver to call a preset UK toll free number. Because you are outside of the UK and the country code for the UK does not precede this number then it would only work if you had the receiver connected to a UK telephone line.

Why won’t my new AFN decoder work?

If you are sure that you have a good satellite signal from the Eurobird satellite at 9° East then it could be the settings on your receiver and you may find this link useful: http://www.afneurope.net/Portals/main/docs/AFN%20Satellite%20System%20Setup.pdf

Some programming on Sky requires a pin number, what is it, why am I being asked for it and can I deactivate it?

This mainly affects the Movie channels and is a feature that allows Sky to show movies with adult content during daytime hours that normally by UK censorship laws they couldn’t. The pin is the last 4 of your Sky viewing card number and because it is required by law then you can’t deactivate it, annoying as it is it does at least allow you to view adult rated movies before the watershed.

There is a lot of adult content on Freesat and Sky that I don’t want my kids watching, can I block these channels.

Yes! Nearly all Freesat receivers allow you to block individual channels with a pin or even delete them. Sky receivers also allow you to block any channel with a pin but not to delete them.

How many hours of TV can I record with a hard drive receiver?

With a Freesat 320 gig receiver you can record 237 hours of standard definition or 77 hours HD content. A Sky + 250 gig gives you 185 hours of standard definition or 60 in HD and the same again in “Anytime”, and a Sky + 1 TB will give you an impressive 740 hours of standard definition or 240 hours of HD content and a further 100 hours in “Anytime”.