Satellite dish engineers in Hornchurch
On a lot of Hornchurch houses the chimney stack is crowded: an aerial, a dish, an old dish nobody uses and a tangle of cable. Each working dish still has to hold its aim on a spacecraft parked in orbit far out above the equator, with almost no room for error. A small knock from a roofer, or a bracket that has worked loose, and the signal falls away whenever a heavy shower passes.
We fit and align Sky and Freesat dishes using a meter, move dishes for loft conversions, extensions and re-roofing, swap worn LNBs, and set up multi-room systems for houses and small blocks across RM11 and RM12. We can also take down old dishes you no longer need and tidy up the cable.
Our satellite services in Hornchurch
Sky dish installation
A new dish and LNB for Sky Q, matched to the number of boxes you have. Going over to Sky Glass or Sky Stream? Those two stream through your broadband, so Sky no longer needs the dish, but it can stay up and feed a Freesat box instead.
Freesat installation
Freesat gives you the main channels and HD with no subscription. It’s a good choice for a garden room or annexe far from the aerial cable, or as a back-up if the roof aerial ever fails. Freesat boxes with a recorder let you pause and record without any monthly charge.
Dish realignment and LNB replacement
A picture that drops out in rain, or one tuner that keeps losing channels, usually means the dish has shifted on its bracket or the LNB, the small unit on the end of the arm, is failing. We set the dish back on target by meter and fit a fresh LNB when the old one is at fault.
Moving a dish
Dormer loft conversions and rear extensions are common here, and they often leave a dish in the way. We move it to a spot that still sees the south-eastern sky and re-run the cable neatly.
Multi-room and communal satellite
A multiswitch feeds several boxes, or several flats, from one dish. It suits family homes with TVs in most rooms and converted houses split into flats.
Foreign-language satellite
Channels in Polish, Lithuanian, Italian, Greek and many other languages come from Hotbird and neighbouring European satellites. We put up a second dish, or a dual-feed one, aimed at them.
Repairing ‘no satellite signal’ faults
That message is usually caused by something outside. Dishes on chimneys get nudged by roofers and sweeps, wind loosens the bracket, a tree in a neighbour’s garden grows into the line of sight, and LNBs wear out. Inside the house, a loose plug behind the box or a failed multiswitch can give the same result.
First, turn the box off at the wall for a minute and rule out heavy rain or snow, which pass by themselves. If the warning keeps coming back, we trace it from the dish to the box and fix it, usually in one visit.
Where to put a dish on a Hornchurch house
The dish has to see clear sky to the south-east, so a north-facing wall or a garden shaded by tall trees may rule out some spots. On most houses here no planning permission is needed. Havering’s conservation areas are a different matter, and Hornchurch has three of them, Langtons, St Andrews and RAF Hornchurch, where dishes on walls and roofs facing the road are more tightly controlled. Listed buildings need consent. We look for a position at the side or rear that still gets a signal, and tell you if it is worth asking the council before we drill a hole.
Areas we cover in and around Hornchurch
Satellite installs and repairs throughout Hornchurch and the nearby Havering suburbs.
Hornchurch neighbourhoods
- Hornchurch town centre
- Emerson Park
- Nelmes
- Ardleigh Green
- Harrow Lodge
- Hylands
- Elm Park
- South Hornchurch
- Hacton
- Upminster Bridge
- St Andrew’s
Neighbourhoods nearby
- Upminster
- Cranham
- Corbets Tey
- Gidea Park
- Squirrels Heath
- Romford
- Harold Wood
- Rainham
- Rush Green
Nearby towns we also cover
Hornchurch questions
Why does my Sky picture fail in rain?
Thick cloud and rain soak up part of the signal on its way down from the satellite. A dish set up with a meter has margin in hand, so one that drops out in every shower has usually moved or has an LNB on its way out.
Do I need a dish for Sky Glass or Sky Stream?
No, both get their channels through your broadband connection. It is Sky Q and the older Sky boxes that rely on a dish. Leave yours up if you switch, because Freesat can use it with no monthly fee.
Can you take down an old dish I no longer use?
Yes. We remove unused dishes and cable, fill the fixing holes and tidy the chimney or wall.
Is planning permission needed for a dish on my Hornchurch house?
For most houses, no. Inside the Langtons, St Andrews or RAF Hornchurch conservation areas, or on a listed building, it is a different story, so we keep dishes to the side or rear and point you to Havering if needed.
Can you fit a dish for European channels?
Yes. A dish lined up on Hotbird brings in hundreds of channels from across Europe, and it can usually sit beside your Sky or Freesat dish.