So I found myself with a Sky dish and a LG flat screen television with a satellite connector on the back.
I wondered if I could try out the dish indoors (before going to the trouble of having it installed outside).
It turns out that, yes, I can receive satellite transmissions indoors.
I put my Sky dish on top of a cardboard box (to give it height so I could put it out the window) and a wooden stick to elevate the dish as follows in this photo:
Using a Sky Dish Indoors
Next I tried getting my television to auto-tune the Freesat satellite. The Freesat satellite around London is ASTRA 28.2E. That has the following details:
- LNB Frequency: 9750/10600
- Transponder: 10714,H,22000
- LNB Power: On
I had to wiggle the dish to a position where it actually picked up programs. It seems rather sensitive to being moved either sideways or vertically. Different satellites may be right next to each other – so be warned, the position of the dish is very, very sensitive! But once I got it programs started being found:
Television Finding Freesat Programs
The LG TV has another useful function – after doing the automatic tuning then try selecting the manual tuning facility. It shows the signal strength!
Manual Tuning Reveals Signal Strength
The “signal quality” appears affected by my distance to the dish/cable – dropping from 100% to 70% as I walk towards it.
Questions
Would I Use The Dish Indoors?
Probably not for long. It is unsightly. And you need to be in a South-facing room high enough for a line-of-sight view of the horizon.
What Do I Think of Freesat?
Pointing the Dish Slightly Off-Target
Not many English-language channels. With 300+ to pick from it is a matter of luck whether I land on a channel I can understand – it’s almost not worth the effort.
Pointing the Dish in the Right Direction
There are hundreds of channels to choose from. A lot of them are different regional versions of the same channel for BBC or ITV. But there are a few others, and some high definition (HD) versions of channels that you can’t get on Freeview.
How Do I Flip Back To Freeview/Aerial?
On the LG TV press Guide, then the red button for “Programme Mode” (whichever is required).
Or press the “LIST” button, then the red button for “Programme Mode”.
newspaint 
did your channels appear in the sequence of freesat or random channels as tuned? in my case i have many channels but they do not correspond to the freesat guide.
Often the channel numbers are not associated when auto tuning a satellite. But also check whether you’re picking up the right satellite. There are many in the sky and the slightest movement of your dish may be enough to be pointing at a different satellite.