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  1. IA6Newspath

    Ku Linear FTA with 60 cm Dish?

    Sounds good. In terms of size, the 60 cm dish is a little larger than an 18" dish, but I didn't know if it was still big enough to be able to pull in Ku FTA feeds.
  2. IA6Newspath

    Ku Linear FTA with 60 cm Dish?

    Hi everyone. Just curious if anyone knows if there has been any success (or failure) with Ku-band FTA reception with a 60 cm dish. The other day I was browsing Winegard's website and noticed that they have a 60 cm dish, the next smallest dish after their 76 cm dish, so I'm curious if it might...
  3. IA6Newspath

    Anyone Heard of the "SelfSat" Satellite Antenna?

    Hi all. This evening, I stumbled upon a website advertising the SelfSat, a flat, rectangular satellite antenna that evidently can be used for Ku FTA reception. Has anyone ever heard of this thing? Judging from their website, it doesn't look like it's available in North America, but it...
  4. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Analog Ku Reception

    Well, I've hooked up my new analog receiver and have tried tuning in the Ku analog test slate on AMC 2. I was able to tune in the channel, so I'm at least happy to see that my receiver is working, however the video does have quite a bit of snow in it. I did try adjusting the AGC and IF...
  5. IA6Newspath

    Does Anyone Know of any 24/7 Analog Ku Channels ITC?

    Hi all. I just received my new (well, new to me) analog receiver, and I was curious if anyone knows of any analog Ku channels that are ITC and up 24/7, as I'm planning on testing the receiver tomorrow. I'm already aware of the analog Ku test slate on AMC 2 and will probably try hitting...
  6. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Ku Analog Receiver

    Exactly. When I'm using a digital IRD at work, I simply select the proper polarity, enter the downlink frequency, enter the symbol rate (FEC detection is automatic on most receivers), and the receiver then locks onto the signal. No need to "scan a transponder" as we do with the consumer...
  7. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Ku Analog Receiver

    Well, I don't know if I'd call it "a whole lot", but I do work in engineering/operations at a CBS affiliate, so I'm fairly familiar with the details and nuances of CBS' satellite operations with respect to network programming/distribution and their SNG (satellite news gathering) transponder...
  8. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Ku Analog Receiver

    Not necessarily. Although I'm fairly sure that most, if not all, C-band analog transmissions use full transponders, I do know that Ku-band analog uplinks can be done using either a full transponder or half transponder. Actually, for analog Ku news feeds (which are becoming somewhat of a dying...
  9. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Ku Analog Receiver

    Thanks for the quick reply, Iceberg. Here's another analog-related question that just came to mind. Are most Ku analog FTA receivers configurable to receive both half and full analog transponders, or are they generally capable of receiving only one or the other? Many analog Ku news feeds...
  10. IA6Newspath

    Question re. Ku Analog Receiver

    Hi all. I'm thinking about picking up a Ku analog receiver to use along with my Fortec Mercury II. I did a search and read through a number of threads regarding analog Ku reception and found some great information, but I just wanted to confirm something. If I were to hook up an analog Ku...
  11. IA6Newspath

    Using RV DSS Mounts for Ku FTA Dishes?

    Just curious if anyone has toyed with the possibility of using an RV dish mount with a small Ku FTA dish (like the Winegard 76cm.). I know that some RVs have Dish Network/DirecTV dishes mounted on the top, and as such, the RVs are equipped with a mount which appears to allow the azimuth and...
  12. IA6Newspath

    Atention Fortec Mercury II Owners...New Firmware Upgrade

    I was checking Fortec's website this afternoon and noticed that they've posted a new firmware upgrade for the Mercury II receiver (the update is v1.09 and dated June 27th). It was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Fortec may start including revision notes with its firmware upgrades, however...
  13. IA6Newspath

    Fortec Ultra Software upgrade

    Thanks for looking into this, Brian. Does this mean that you'll post version notes here in the forum for each firmware upgrade, or that Fortec will now include a version note document zipped with each firmware upgrade file? I know that a few of us are eagerly awaiting a fix for the Mercury...
  14. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    Well, the results from today's power scan tests turned out to be a little more promising. While my Mercury II still wasn't able to lock in KTEL on AMC 5 in either power scan I tried (one with a frequency step of 4, and the other with a frequency step of 6), on all my power scan tests on AMC 5...
  15. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    Thanks! If you happen to hear of a firmware fix for this problem, it would be great if you could mention it here in the forum, as Fortec doesn't seem to include revision notes with firmware upgrades.
  16. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    Thanks, drhydro, for taking the time to run those tests and report your results. Hopefully once the rain lets up here I'll be able to move my dish outside and try a few more power scan tests of my own. I meant to try a few power scans yesterday using the 6 step setting, as it is the...
  17. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    I ran a power scan on SBS 6 yesterday, and I believe that my Mercury II did pick up ONN in the scan. However, on my initial scan of IA 6, I think my receiver missed the University Channel which is always comes in very strong here. I hope to do more testing today, but it does seem that the...
  18. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    Well, I've done a little more experimenting since my initial post this afternoon. After first updating the Fortec Mercury II's firmware to v1.09 (although I really don't know what fixes are associated with this version...just did it to have the most recent version), I ran a couple more power...
  19. IA6Newspath

    Power Scan Issues with Fortec Mercury II...

    This afternoon I've been playing around with my Fortec Mercury II, and I seem to be running into a bit of a problem with its Power Scan feature. When running a power scan on AMC 5, for example, I found that the receiver skipped over KTEL-TV (Telemundo Carlsbad). Keeping the dish in the exact...
  20. IA6Newspath

    Any FTA on Anik F1R or F2?

    Just curious if anyone knows of any constant FTA signals on Anik F1R or F2. I've tried tuning in signals on both of these satellites but blind scans have yielded nothing. I'm using USALS to aim my dish and have picked up signals from adjacent birds, so I think my dish is aimed properly. I...
  21. IA6Newspath

    Complete Review- Fortec Star Mercury II

    A couple more quick questions about the receiver... I noticed that the language selection comes up each time I turn on the receiver. Is there a way to disable this, or will it go away automatically after a certain number of on/off cycles? Also, I noticed that by factory default, all Ku...
  22. IA6Newspath

    Galaxy16 to launch?

    A few questions... Is Galaxy 16 going to immediately replace Galaxy 4R, or will there be a period of days, weeks, or even months before it replaces G4R at 99 degrees west? Also, what will become of G4R? Is it being retired, or is it moving to a new location? Just curious where this...
  23. IA6Newspath

    Spectrum Analyzers

    My guess is that on account of their relatively high price, your average FTAer doesn't have a spectrum monitor. However, to answer your question, at work I primariy use a Tektronix 1705A spectrum monitor which is generally considered the gold standard for spectrum monitors in the tv...
  24. IA6Newspath

    Transferring Channel Listing from Pansat to Fortec?

    Well, after reading all of the great reviews about the Fortec Mercury II receiver and all of its neat features, I decided to order one and should have it in the next couple of days. Although I probably won't have a chance to tinker with it until this weekend, I'm curious if anyone has ever had...
  25. IA6Newspath

    Complete Review- Fortec Star Mercury II

    I was reading through the Mercury II's user guide and read about the menu setting the enables/disables the audible tone. I'm still curious, though, as to which page(s) that display the SQ meter will sound the audible tone when the menu setting is configured to do so. With the Pansat 3500, for...