Thread: New to Satellite TV even newer to FTA.

Hello fellow satellite hobbyists.

I am an Army Combat Veteran and College student. A friend from church got me a job about a month back training as a tech for DirecTV while i go to college. I would not call myself a pro by any means, But i have been on quite a few jobs and can go through the motions putting everything together. As such i have a garage full of old used Satellite dishes and LNBs from customers who wanted the old dish taken down.

I was drawn to FTA because i am a dual major, Studying both nursing and Arabic. I can read and comprehend most Arabic but all the Arabic channels on Galaxy 19 would add to my studies and improve my ability to comprehend different dialects.

I bought a Coolsat 5000 off of ebay for like 30 bucks and hooked up an old 18" dish with a dual LNB. All i was able to get was some french radio channel on Anik F2, but certainly not galaxy 19. I tried to clip a dual LNB on a slimline dish but it really was not the correct angle.

Now i am ready to stop messing around, what kind of dish and LNB is recommended for this?

Also the area i live has a rather large Iraqi population being a military town, lots of Arab immigrants have moved here. I know a few friends who would love me to install something like this for them, as DirecTV does not offer something like this. The sub-partner i work for would like me to be the ambassador to these potential customers.

Thank you so much for your time

Jonathan

A 36" dish (90cm) and a dual output linear lnbf will fix you up with a decent FTA Ku band setup. With your cs5000, you should be able to haul in 97W just fine. Welcome aboard ! If you're going to buy a dsh, this one is a beauty,

Satellite AV, LLC - Satellite Broadcaster Support and Equipment Distribution

. ( I have to plug it, since I won a free one in a contest ) .

Originally Posted by Combat Medic

Hello fellow satellite hobbyists.

I am an Army Combat Veteran and College student. A friend from church got me a job about a month back training as a tech for DirecTV while i go to college. I would not call myself a pro by any means, But i have been on quite a few jobs and can go through the motions putting everything together. As such i have a garage full of old used Satellite dishes and LNBs from customers who wanted the old dish taken down.



I was drawn to FTA because i am a dual major, Studying both nursing and Arabic. I can read and comprehend most Arabic but all the Arabic channels on Galaxy 19 would add to my studies and improve my ability to comprehend different dialects.

I bought a Coolsat 5000 off of ebay for like 30 bucks and hooked up an old 18" dish with a dual LNB. All i was able to get was some french radio channel on Anik F2, but certainly not galaxy 19. I tried to clip a dual LNB on a slimline dish but it really was not the correct angle.

Now i am ready to stop messing around, what kind of dish and LNB is recommended for this?

Also the area i live has a rather large Iraqi population being a military town, lots of Arab immigrants have moved here. I know a few friends who would love me to install something like this for them, as DirecTV does not offer something like this. The sub-partner i work for would like me to be the ambassador to these potential customers.

Thank you so much for your time

Jonathan

Short answer is a 36 inch offset dish with a SL1 lnb,both availabe from sat av sales top of the page!

Thanks, I will be purchasing one shortly.


Might i ask why FTA requires a larger dish?

Originally Posted by Combat Medic

Thanks, I will be purchasing one shortly.

Might i ask why FTA requires a larger dish?

The FSS satellites transmit at a lower power than the DBS satellites (Dish Network, DirecTV, Bell) and a larger surface area is needed to collect enough signal to reflect into the LNBF.

The LNBFs are also different. FSS satellites transmit at a slightly lower frequency in the KU band and use linear polarity signals. DBS typically uses higher KU band frequencies and transmit circular polarized signals.

Since you are installing, you might already have or find a used international Dish Network, DirecTV or an old PrimeStar or satellite Internet dish that could be used without modification.

Originally Posted by Combat Medic

Hello fellow satellite hobbyists.

A friend from church got me a job about a month back training as a tech for DirecTV while i go to college. I would not call myself a pro by any means, But i have been on quite a few jobs and can go through the motions putting everything together.

Jonathan

Jonathan,

What type of meter do you have access to through DirecTV? If you have access to an Applied Instruments Super Buddy you can visit their site for lots of application notes and videos to assist you with not only DirecTV and DISH installations but also FTA, Wild Blue and Hughes Network and more.


Welcome to Applied Instruments

RADAR

meter? do you mean like a birddog? I have one of those.

Anything can be done with these dishes?

Pics too dark too tell much, but one of those bigger ones , the wide-oval types could fit the bill. All depends on the model/type of lnbf they have on them. Some of them have a linear lnb built-in, I believe.