Looking to get into FTA

[00V8]

I'm looking to experiment with FTA. I currently have a 30" hughes dish, could that be converted for FTA?

What is a decent, inexpensive FTA receiver to start with?

Not looking to spend a fortune on this because it may not get used much, just wanting to play around and learn other sides of the business.

 

[FaT Air]

to Satelliteguys.
I'd recommend the Amiko HD SE paired with a Titanium Ku PLL LNBF. Would perform better with a larger dish. I use a 1.0 or a 1.2 meter for those satellites my 30 inch can't see very well.
Hughes dish(????) will that accept the LNBF without modifying??? I ask because modifying is better left to when you have some experience aiming and tweaking a dish that's purposed towards FTA.

 

[00V8]

I should have no problems peaking the dish if it's within its limits. I'm actually a pay satellite installer so this is more for fun than necessity.

Really only interested in trying to get galaxy 19.

Has anyone tried the micro SD receivers that amazon has?

 

[ynnedibanez]

what hughesnet dish do you have? is it a Ka or Ku dish?
if it is a Ku dish, (hns7000 and earlier) then the existing lnb will work fine.
and it's hard to go wrong with the amiko mini hd se, it's a great receiver.
you can find it here,
http://www.nc-electronics.com/store.html
hope this helps

 

[danristheman]

Amiko and the micro hd are great line of receivers I have both a nano and a micro hd like them both. 97w is an easy satellite to pick up if you need help just ask welcome to satguys.

 

[fred555]

what hughesnet dish do you have? is it a Ka or Ku dish?
if it is a Ku dish, (hns7000 and earlier) then the existing lnb will work fine.
and it's hard to go wrong with the amiko mini hd se, it's a great receiver.
you can find it here,
http://www.nc-electronics.com/store.html
hope this helps

Thanks for the link, I just ordered a mini hd.

 

[pdnettles]

I've been away from Satellite Guys for a while, so don't laugh too hard when I ask a couple of dumb questions.

My wife has been watching The Texas Lottery drawings on AMC1 with a CoolSat 4000 for years. Now the lottery has gone to HD and I can't seem to receive the video any longer. They have changed the transponder to 12029V, SR13.235, QPSK DVBS 4:2:0. I scanned the new transponder and can get audio only. Is the Coolsat capable of receiving this? Do I need to change from a standard 10750 LNB?
Maybe I need to start a new thread.

Any help or direction will be greatly appreciated.......getting old is tough. :-(

 

[FTA4PA]

I've been away from Satellite Guys for a while, so don't laugh too hard when I ask a couple of dumb questions.

My wife has been watching The Texas Lottery drawings on AMC1 with a CoolSat 4000 for years. Now the lottery has gone to HD and I can't seem to receive the video any longer. They have changed the transponder to 12029V, SR13.235, QPSK DVBS 4:2:0. I scanned the new transponder and can get audio only. Is the Coolsat capable of receiving this? Do I need to change from a standard 10750 LNB?
Maybe I need to start a new thread.

Any help or direction will be greatly appreciated.......getting old is tough. :-(

Since you are still getting the audio, most likely the video format has changed to MPEG4, which can't be decoded by older DVB receivers. An upgrade to a modern receiver which supports the newer DVB-S2 standard and MPEG4 compression should help solve your problem. I would suggest an Amiko Mini HD SE (about $88). They are a very solid receiver with dealers and support right here on the forum. What size dish do you have? Motorized? LNB?

 

[pdnettles]

Since you are still getting the audio, most likely the video format has changed to MPEG4, which can't be decoded by older DVB receivers. An upgrade to a modern receiver which supports the newer DVB-S2 standard and MPEG4 compression should help solve your problem. I would suggest an Amiko Mini HD SE (about $88). They are a very solid receiver with dealers and support right here on the forum. What size dish do you have? Motorized? LNB?

It's a 1.3m motorized dish with an Invacom QPH-031, if memory serves me correctly ( it has 4 outputs for both linear & circular polarity).

 

[FTA4PA]

It's a 1.3m motorized dish with an Invacom QPH-031, if memory serves me correctly ( it has 4 outputs for both linear & circular polarity).

The Amiko Mini HD SE will handle those just fine if you decide to upgrade. Don't know how much you use your FTA setup but if you are using it regularly for tv viewing a new receiver would be a good investment with the change to DVB-S2 and/or MPEG4 compression. You will likely get some additional channels as well with a rescan of the satellites. Here is a link to authorized dealers: http://www.amikoalienusa.com/?page_id=342

 

[pdnettles]

OK, So I guess the Coolsat needs to be retired, eh? I was sort of thinking that.
I guess you guys like the Amiko? I'm not at all up to date on any of the newer receivers.
Thank you so much. Will try to get one ordered

 

[FTA4PA]

OK, So I guess the Coolsat needs to be retired, eh? I was sort of thinking that.
I guess you guys like the Amiko? I'm not at all up to date on any of the newer receivers.
Thank you so much. Will try to get one ordered

Not extinct yet as it will still tune dvb channels like those on 97W but as broadcasters switch over to DVB-S2 (and possibly DVB-S2X in the future) there will be less and less available to older receivers. I purchased my Amiko Mini HD SE from forum member ke4est (Michael Electronics) and am very pleased with it and the support. (Don't know how 'high tech' you want to go but thought it worth mentioning that they also sell an Android capable FTA box called the A3 which is very advanced compared to anything out there. Ability to load apps from Google Play Store, air mouse, etc.)

 

[barleyguy]

Hi. A few questions from another person that's looking to get started. (I can start a different thread if it's more proper.)

I'm looking to get into FTA Satellite. I'm not new to satellites in general, most of my resume is in the satellite industry. But my last home system was a Dish Network system that I quit using in 2008.

I mainly want RetroTV, but will probably just go with a motor and try to pull in everything that's visible from here.

I'm on the front range north of Denver, so I'm in prime footprint, with an EIRP between 48 and 50 for most spacecraft based on the Lyngsat maps. I was thinking of going with a Winegard DS2076, 76 cm dish. And then a motor for it. I also want a DVR, preferably one that I can stream over ethernet from other rooms in the house. Questions:

- Is the Winegard 2076 sufficient if I'm in a good footprint? Or should I go bigger? Will a bigger dish have better isolation between orbital slots? (I notice that the isolation spec for the 2076 is 2.4 degrees.)

- Is the Amiko Mini HD SE a DVR? Does it work as a server for streaming from PCs? Will it record ATSC from a HomeRunHD?

- Should I go with the Amiko A3 instead? Would I be trading features for stability?

- What LNB is a good choice? Are the X^2 LNBs any good?

Thanks.

 

[. Raine]

Hi. A few questions from another person that's looking to get started. (I can start a different thread if it's more proper.)

I'm looking to get into FTA Satellite. I'm not new to satellites in general, most of my resume is in the satellite industry. But my last home system was a Dish Network system that I quit using in 2008.

I mainly want RetroTV, but will probably just go with a motor and try to pull in everything that's visible from here.

I'm on the front range north of Denver, so I'm in prime footprint, with an EIRP between 48 and 50 for most spacecraft based on the Lyngsat maps. I was thinking of going with a Winegard DS2076, 76 cm dish. And then a motor for it. I also want a DVR, preferably one that I can stream over ethernet from other rooms in the house. Questions:

- Is the Winegard 2076 sufficient if I'm in a good footprint? Or should I go bigger? Will a bigger dish have better isolation between orbital slots? (I notice that the isolation spec for the 2076 is 2.4 degrees.)

- Is the Amiko Mini HD SE a DVR? Does it work as a server for streaming from PCs? Will it record ATSC from a HomeRunHD?

- Should I go with the Amiko A3 instead? Would I be trading features for stability?

- What LNB is a good choice? Are the X^2 LNBs any good?

Thanks.

Welcome to SatGuys, Barleyguy!

Bigger would be better for the dish, I'd buy a 90 cm dish. The first dish I'd bought was a 2076 and it works well, I used it for a year or so motorized and still use it now as a fixed dish on 87W, but if I I knew what I do now back when I'd bought the 2076, I'd of gone with the 90 cm instead of the 76 cm 2076. On some sats like 103W and 125W the 2076 will have a hard time, certain transponders here and there elsewhere too.

I haven't had good luck with the X2 LNB's myself, I bought two and both died within a year. Right now I have five Avenger PLL LNBs setup for quite some time now and they've been good. I can't say about the Amiko receivers, I don't have any myself, though I am planning on getting a A3 in the future.

 

[. Raine]

I should have no problems peaking the dish if it's within its limits. I'm actually a pay satellite installer so this is more for fun than necessity.

Really only interested in trying to get galaxy 19.

Has anyone tried the micro SD receivers that amazon has?

Welcome to Satguys, 00V8!

If you mean the GeoSatPro MicroHD receiver, that is a nice receiver. I have one and it works well and has been dependable, easy to use. The only thing I have had issues with on it is recording, but if you're not looking to do a lot of recordings, it's definitely a good receiver.

There is also a bug that can cause it to go into a boot-loop [do a search on this site for Micro HD boot- loop] but it is easily avoided by making sure that if you delete a sat out of the sat list that all channels/transponders are removed first. Out of the five or six receivers that I have, it is my favorite.

 

[barleyguy]

Thanks for the info.

Are the GeoSatPro 90 cm dishes good? There is a vendor on Amazon with free shipping on them, and shipping can be tangible on dishes, so I was thinking that might be a good choice.

 

[. Raine]

Thanks for the info.

Are the GeoSatPro 90 cm dishes good? There is a vendor on Amazon with free shipping on them, and shipping can be tangible on dishes, so I was thinking that might be a good choice.

You're welcome, that one's a good dish, a lot of people on here have it and recommend it. If it's the one from SatelliteAV with the SL1PLL LNB included, that's a good LNB too.

 

[FTA4PA]

Hi. A few questions from another person that's looking to get started. (I can start a different thread if it's more proper.)

I'm looking to get into FTA Satellite. I'm not new to satellites in general, most of my resume is in the satellite industry. But my last home system was a Dish Network system that I quit using in 2008.

I mainly want RetroTV, but will probably just go with a motor and try to pull in everything that's visible from here.

I'm on the front range north of Denver, so I'm in prime footprint, with an EIRP between 48 and 50 for most spacecraft based on the Lyngsat maps. I was thinking of going with a Winegard DS2076, 76 cm dish. And then a motor for it. I also want a DVR, preferably one that I can stream over ethernet from other rooms in the house. Questions:

- Is the Winegard 2076 sufficient if I'm in a good footprint? Or should I go bigger? Will a bigger dish have better isolation between orbital slots? (I notice that the isolation spec for the 2076 is 2.4 degrees.)

- Is the Amiko Mini HD SE a DVR? Does it work as a server for streaming from PCs? Will it record ATSC from a HomeRunHD?

- Should I go with the Amiko A3 instead? Would I be trading features for stability?

- What LNB is a good choice? Are the X^2 LNBs any good?

Thanks.

barleyguy! The Amiko Mini HD SE is a great receiver, very stable with good support. It will work as a DVR to record satellite content if you hook up an external hard drive to the usb port (I have even used a thumb drive in a pinch). It can stream satellite channels to a pc/laptop using the program Sat2IP that iBoston (a member here) wrote. As far as streaming from a pc to it, I have gotten it to function as a DMR (Digital Media Receiver) using Linux to push files to it but you can't actually look at the contents of your pc from the Amiko and select something to play. It must be pushed to it from the pc. Hope that makes sense? Agree with A Raine, get the 90cm (or even a 1.2m) - bigger is better. When you buy a motor, I would recommend a Stab. They are made in Italy by the company that developed USALS technology. Great build quality and rarely hear of a problem with them compared to the SG's. Warranty is also 2 years vs 1 year for the SG's.

 

[Titanium]

Welcome Barleygiy to SatelliteGuys!

To watch and record ATSC from a SiliconDust tuner you would need the A3 with the SiliconDust $1.99 Android app. The mini HD SE or microHD cannot work with the SiliconDust tuners. If you plan on streaming often,definitely go with the A3.

The A3 provides a very refined experience and a stable machine with regular updates an a very cool new feature that will be announced soon!

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to the Site @barleyguy !!!!!!!!!!!