using 2 cards

dgbr

Can anybody advise. I have been signed up to the english sky package for last 3 years. Recently the box has become very slow.
I have recently got my hand on a FTV card and have cancelled my english subscribtion and have taken out a new Irish subscribtion (complete with new box). Can anyone advise what is the best way to use these cards. Should I get my FTV card married to new box and switch cards when I want to watch english terrestrials or
can I use both boxes off the same dish. I know I'd probably need a 2nd LNB. Can a second LNB be fitted to the regular sky dish or would I need a bigger dish.

Also would switching cards on a regular basis damage cards.

Thanks.

Yeah, use two boxes, but can be a headache if both in the same room remote-wise.
The option of marrying the ftv card to the box that already has an irish sub and card will also work, provided of course, you are using a UK address and postcode with you*second hand* box.
mm

Greenman

This guy will have what you want. http://www.satellite.ie/

dgbr

Thanks for your replies but I still need to know if

1, My current standard Dish will support 2 LMB's or will I need a larger dish

2, If I go the other route and use the same box will constant changing damage cards.

Thanks again.

Your standard dish is fine, just change the lnb to a dual and hook in the two cables.
If you want to splash out and buy a sky plus box, they are reduced to stg £ 250 at the moment, you will get a quad lnb with that, ie allows 4 cable connections to either one sky + box and 32 others or 4 digiboxes .
Yes constant card swapping is rumoured to damage the card and reader, but I've done it constantly(2yr period so far) and no problems.
mm
p.s just re read your question, it's not a case of your dish having Two separate lnb's attached , just one that has a dual or quad output.

watty

If you put two LNBs on one dish, one will "see" Sky and the other something else.
Next time you look in a mirror, move sideways and you'll see what I mean.

So either use two dishes, or get an LNB with 2 or 4 separate outputs.

Unlike a TV aerial, you can't "spilt" an LNB signal sensibly, an LNB has two "wavebands" each of which can be horizontal or vertical, giving FOUR operating *MODES*.

If you *DID* manage to split the signal, as one as one digibox needed a different LNB setting you would risk damaging on or both Digibox power units as the cable voltage tries to change from 13V to 18V or Vice Versa and the other box tries to keep it the same. Or if one Digbox switched to "high" band, it would win, and the other digibox would lose it's low band channels.

Note that *SOME* LNBs with multiple connectors are either analog communal LNBs (2 connectors) or Digital Communal LNBs, where each LNB connection is one of the "modes" permenantly. You want a dual or Quad where each connector works like a separate LNB.

Because I and my neighbours don't mind, I have 3 dishes with 3 cheap ordinary single o/p LNBs to give 3 Sky signals. A single Quad LNB would be less dishes, but they cost about £70stg.