I am posting this in the hope it might help anyone new to Perth considering Foxtel. May be I didn't research this enough in the first instance but this is what we've found.

In WA your Foxtel will come through either cable or a satellite dish. With cable you will get all channels however, if through a dish you will not get all channels and will be missing at least channels 7, 9 and 10. A bit like not having BBC1 and ITV in the UK.

We got Foxtel installed but by the time we moved in and realised we were outwith the cooling off period. Fair enough.

Tried to tune our TV (UK one) in through the TV arerial but only managed to get Russian news!

Took some advice and was told that we needed a set top box at the cost of $170. Bought it and now have C7, 9 and 10 as well as some HD channels and others. Bit like Freeview in the UK.

The set top box also gives us the sport channel we want for motorsport so basically if we'd been a bit more careful and understood what we were getting with Foxtel we possibly wouldn't have subscribed as the set top box gives us exactly what we need at the moment.

Don't be fooled when anyone tells you that foxtel is just like Sky. It is more expensive (yes I know I shouldn't compare) and you only get a fraction of the channels you do with Sky.

As I said, perhaps we should have looked into things a bit more before deciding but when you are faced with setting up an entire new home you just get on with it. Hopefully this helps anyone else arriving in Perth as I think it only happens in Perth as foxtel in other states seem to give you the channels we were missing.

It happens here too, not just a Perth thing, Cable you get all the free to air channels, and satellite you don’t get the 7, 9 and 10. We have satellite and don’t get them (who would want them – it’s just commercials and infomercials with bits of programs thrown in between) but if we ever did need them we just took out the cable from the back and stuck in the free to air one, no need for a set top box at all.

Oh, the Russian news you got was SBS (another free to Air channel). ABC, which is like BBC is a free to air channel, you get that on the foxtel on both cable and satellite.

Ch7 should be on Foxtel satellite shortly.

We get Foxtel through cable (e-wire) not satellite and still don't get channel 7,9 and 10.

I get all the channels but sadly no decent telly. Will just have to have nookie with the wife again this week....