New Member Free-to-Air Satellite Discussion Thread

[tanka]

If you have one 8ft to 10 ft dish and one mover of 36inch for 8 ft fine to cover from 139 west to 45 west and one 10ft dish better uze one 52 inch mover .And from 139 west to 45 west are same english channels and channels from europe japan china korea arabe countrys from europe mexico and all sud america.Remenber one system like that are expensive need one good box to.If you like only ku band moving from 99.2 west to 12.5 west my advise are 1.2 meter dish and one 36 inch dish for 101 west to 127 west.Butt ku not very good for english channels.From ontario canada only available to have the satellites from 139west to 12.5 west ku. The rest are out of range for ontario canada

[Metallo]

Hi,

I am from Fredericton North and I recently got rid of my cable provider.
Now, I want to find the best option to receive the main broadcasters, like CBC/CTV/Global.

I am evaluating both OTA and FTA.
Regarding OTA I posted already in the specific forum and got lots of feedback, therefore I know more or less what I can expect with a traditional antenna.

Regarding FTA, in terms of hardware, I only have a dish on my roof which was installed by the previous home owner, it looks like being 60cm and I wonder if this could be a possible alternative.

I do not think my TV has got an internal satellite receiver as on the manual it quotes:

This TV is capable of receiving unscrambled digital programming for both cable (QAM and 8VSB) and external VHF/UHF antenna (ATSC).

So I guess I need a receiver if I want to go tor FTA.

I'd like some help given that I am new in NA and have no experience in terms of which satellites are broadcasting what.

Thanks for helping me in taking the right decision.

Cheers
Alex

[57]

I've moved your post to this existing sticky. Please read earlier posts here. You'll immediately see that 60 cm is inadequate, as well as some other answers to beginner questions.

[cyberham]

Only you can decide if FTA is a good idea for you since everybody likes different programming content. Here in the Maritimes, I would recommend a MINIMUM dish size of 1-metre (39 inches) for Ku band. Personally, I wish somebody had told me to obtain a 1.2-metre (48 inches) dish instead of the 1-metre size. The reason for the larger dish is to receive signals reliably even in rain. And the more interesting signals seem to be the more difficult to receive such as the many PBS stations which use DVB-S2 technology. Also buy a very sensitive well-designed LNB for the dish since it is critical in how well your system works.

Start by reading as much as you can. Once you've read a lot about the subject, you can ask specific questions instead of just "Tell me everything I need to know". To discover what is available, refer to this link: www.channels.drsat.ca. It is a great tool to understand what can be seen. In addition to what is shown on this chart, there are lots of wild feeds with news, information, sports content everyday that can be received. For many, these are the most interesting since you never know what can be found.

In general, especially on Ku-band, you will not see the same stations (e.g. CBC/CTV/Global) you can watch via OTA or subscription TV. If that's a problem, then it's best to stick with OTA or pay TV. You certainly can receive CBC on C-band, but that requires a large dish of 6-feet, 8-feet, or larger in size.

For FTA, you will need to obtain a dish of the correct size equipped with a linear (perferably standard) LNB, a (preferably DVB-S2 capable) satellite receiver, coaxial cable to connect the dish to the receiver and the knowledge of how to install and understand these items. You should also consider whether you install a motor to turn the dish so you can watch signals from many different satellites instead of just one. I guarantee you will want a motor eventually, if not from the first day you begin FTA. It is a hobby that requires an investment of time and energy to get satisfaction from it.

I have a hunch that OTA may be more what you're looking for.

[Bunkhouse]

Also if you have highspeed internet, you can watch pretty much all the latest tv network shows online. Go to ctv/global/cbc/citytv ect.. website and you can stream a show that aired the day before. Even some specialty channels offer this like space, comedy central ect... cbc does stream hockey online and i have watched a few tsn ones also.

I use a Playbook and stream the channels onto the bigscreen.

Just another option to consider.

Cutting the cable is getting easier these days.

[cyberham]

Those are good points. However one thing satellite does deliver is quality of video. For me, this is the difference between much Internet streaming and FTA. There are exceptions: for example NHK Japan online is HD and has beautiful video quality. But usually even standard definition via FTA is superior to what is delivered via free Internet video. This is where OTA shines too with its modern digital quality.

[ralph_sinclair]

Metallo, unfortunately Free to Air satellite is not as popular in North America as in the rest of the world. If your Bell mount and cabling are already in place, you might consider a change of LNB (maybe dish too, you Bell dish might be too small) and a standalone receiver to pick up the many state brodcasters on G19 at 97 degrees West. Most other satellites will need a bigger dish or a rotator.

[jsebean]

Hey folks,
I am looking for ways to get cheaper TV around here as subscription TV has just gotten completely out of hand when it comes to pricing. I've been reading up on OTA, not sure how much of a chance I'd get to receive it or not but would like to try someone. I've also been looking into Free To Air Satellite for a while. I had a 30 inch dish a long while ago (got destroyed in weather no longer have it) and was able to get Galaxy 19 at 97w but that was about it.

Now that I'm coming back to this, I already have a couple receivers from when I messed with FTA before, just need a dish and would also like to have a motor to get multiple satellites.

My couple questions are, does anyone have suggestions as to what type of equipment to get? In regards to dish size, motor, etc. Would 33 inch dish be sufficient for someone who lives in South Western Nova Scotia to get a bunch of satellites, mainly as many as I possible can get that are listed to broadcast english channels on FTA List http://www.ftalist.com/english.php ...
I see some channels there (like PBS HD) are HD so I may need to get an HD receiver.

Any suggestions is appreciated.

[cyberham]

I'm near Halifax. I started with a 1-metre (39") dish. I wish I had started with a 1.2-metre dish. You'll appreciate it when the weather turns foul as it often does. A smaller dish like 33" will receive signals, but a larger dish gets you reliability so you can watch the stations when you want. FTA signals are weaker than the pay satellite TV signals, and the DVB-S2 signals require you to have good reception. Get a sensitive, well-designed standard (not universal) linear LNB. Also get a low-cost ($15 is fine) circular LNB for the occasional in-the-clear signal with circular polarity. Get a motor or you'll get bored with the limited selection on just one satellite. Get a receiver that supports DVB-S2: you need this to receive any of the PBS stations (the best ones up there) on 87W or 125W. Keep your cable run between receiver and dish as short as you can, but be sure the dish can view the satellite arc to receive satellites from 15W through 125W or more. Have fun.

Check the Sticky list (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=153167) to understand what stations can be received. This list is one of the best and quite up-to-date.

I was just in Wedgeport picking up a bunch of C-band equipment nobody wants anymore. Still looking for a 10-foot C-band dish.

[jsebean]

Thanks cyberham,
I see C-Band has a lot of really great channels, I was wondering what kind of dish size you'd recommend to get those channels? They got channels like weather network and CBC which is really nice. I suppose I'd then need two dishes to get C-Band Channels, a Cband dish and a Kuband dish.

In regards to DVB-S2, I think you need an 8psk module for that from what I read? If I got an nfusion HD receiver and 8psk module how does that work?

[cyberham]

Personally, due to the relative ease of installation and not-so-expensive cost of a dedicated Ku-band dish even with a motor, I would prefer to keep C-band and Ku-band on separate dishes. I like the KISS method for most things. Generally, people say a 6-foot C-band dish is minimum, 8-foot is nice, but a 10-foot dish is the way to go. It seems to me if you're going to the trouble of installing a 6-footer, why not go for 10-foot dish unless there's some reason not to go that big (like lack of space)?

I didn't want to mess around with additional modules for my receiver. If you don't mind a computer in your sat area, you can buy sat cards for a computer and get good value that way. I like computers, but not in my living room for sat work. I prefer a dedicated sat box receiver. I got a used Openbox S9 locally from kijiji for $50 to start on DVB-S2 (after having a Coolsat 7000 which has no DVB-S2 support but is great otherwise), and I have never regretted paying that small amount for the S9. However, at this point, I want to now move forward and replace with a newer box. There are only a few newly designed boxes.

[majortom]

Originally Posted by jsebean

If I got an nfusion HD receiver and 8psk module how does that work?

It doesn't. That receiver / module won't work at all for DVB-S2 8PSK.

[jsebean]

Do you have suggestions what equipment I need then?

[Kraven]

What equipement really depends on what you want to watch/receive. My advice is to check out Dr Sat's Channel List and see which channels interest you, and note its signal (C or Ku) and format (DVB, SVB-S2, QPSK etc).

www.satbeams.com/footprints --> This site will tell you the dish size recommendation for any given satellite in your area (some satellites are stronger than others and require a smaller dish etc)

Then get a receiver based on the channels you want etc... Dr Sat's site has a variety of receivers, the Openbox and Azbox being the popular models

Cheers, K

I noticed this hobby is 70% research, 30% installing). Once installed, its awesome.

[fortyninersfan]

Hi... I used to have FTA .. years ago... a viewsat reciever.... we stopped using because we had problems with it. I am really eager to learn about new FTAs.. and which are best etc... and how they are programmed now... any help would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks