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E
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
Hello All:

I just signed up today as last week I was asked why am I paying so much every month for SKY. We live in Panama City, Panama and recently DirecTV was purchased by SKY. Along with the name we also lost reliable service and several of our channels. As it turns out my wife's ex spent about $300 USD and purchased a dish and receiver and he claims he is getting over 100 channels. As he and I are friends he told me where to buy the gear. However the guys at the Chinese electronics store only sort of speak Spanish and speak no English I can not turn to them for answers. I have looked at what they have to offer but do not know which model of receiver or dish is should select. I also need advice on which LNB I should choose. I am sure there is a section here that helps people like me get off the ground so to speak. If anyone has the time and would willing to help me make good choices from the beginning I and my family would be most grateful.

Also does anyone there know a list of satellites that we have available here and can we get Sony, Warner, Fox, etc over the FTA system?
5 Replies · 2225 views
AcWxRadar
Hello All

ElLeonBlanco,

Before anything else, Welcome to SatelliteGuys! It is really great that you selected this forum for your satellite information. Here, you have come to the best spot ever for satellite information - FTA, DN, DirecTV and terrestrial OTA, too.

We are very glad to have you join! :)

RADAR
AcWxRadar
Hello All:

As it turns out my wife's ex spent about $300 USD and purchased a dish and receiver and he claims he is getting over 100 channels. As he and I are friends he told me where to buy the gear.

I am sure there is a section here that helps people like me get off the ground so to speak. If anyone has the time and would willing to help me make good choices from the beginning I and my family would be most grateful.

Also does anyone there know a list of satellites that we have available here and can we get Sony, Warner, Fox, etc over the FTA system?

ElLeonBlanco,

First off, are you contemplating C-band or just Ku-Band? Or both? Do you have any background with satellite technology (setting stuff up yourself) or are you only familiar with using what someone else has set up for you?

FTA television is not a direct replacement for Dish Network or DirecTV or whatever. FTA is fun, it is free (well, sort of) and it is a good learning experience, but you won't find the same programming as you would on the pay stuff. This is all a DIY endeavor and you pay for the equipment and usually you set it all up yourself. I wouldn't pay someone else to set up your equipment for you, that's just nonsense. If you go that route, it defeats everything and you might as well pay for a subscription service and get a good warranty and guarantee.

Recommending receivers and antennas and LNBFs is a tricky business. There is so much available out there and everyone's opinion varies so much.

Not to sway you, but I started FTA (in the Ku-band) with a Coolsat 5000 receiver, an Invacom QPH-031 LNBF and a Winegard DS-2076 (76cm) antenna. That was five or six years ago and I still use that equipment yet today. I have added more receivers and dishes and LNBFs since then, but my original setup is still working fine.

No one can condense what happened since then into a few short sentences to inform you what you should do, what equipment you should select.

I now have added a GEOSAT pro 1.2 meter antenna, an AZBox Premium receiver and an Invacom QPH-031 LNBF.

Other's have totally different equipment. It will be up to you to judge what you can use and what you wish to pay for the equipment to get started. You can get a lot of stuff via salvage for no money involved or for next to nothing if you have the time and ambition to go scrounging.

For what you can receive in regards to channels, check these resources to help you on your way:

Lyngsat.com

SatcoDX.com

Satbeams.com

Also, check "The List" here on Satelliteguys site.

Most all the information you will need can be found right here on this site. Use the search engine or just ask. Everyone will be happy to answer your questions.

And, remember, you cannot learn all the information in just one night or day, there is a lot of information and subjects to cover and it is an everlasting education.

RADAR
Wescopc
Edit :hatsoff::hatsoff: Radar beat me to the reply!
Goto:
FTAList.com - The easy list of North American free-to-air TV channels
You will get an idea of what is available with FTA.
You will NOT be able to get "Sony, Warner, Fox, etc" FTA is not a replacement for subscription TV. But it has some programing that is not available otherwise.
You can also look at "The List" tab at the top of this page.
Welcome and Good Luck.
Bob
E
Thanks for your replies

Hello radar and wescopc:

Thanks for the replies. We have been a little tied up for the holidays with out of town visitors so I am a bit slow on writing back. Over the Christmas weekend I actually had a look at my wife's ex's system. For some reason it is not working at the moment. The equipment we have available here in Panama City comes from a place called MuchoMasTV. They have a website however it is not very informative at muchomastv.com. I will be stopping in their shops in the next couple of days to see what they are recommending. Once I have this info I will get back with you guys for your opinions.

As for my experience level I used to do a bit of cable tv head end engineering a few years ago and we had some earth stations that I helped maintain but we only installed a couple of them. Later I set up my own Dish network in the USA. I also have extensive experience in earth based microwave communication systems for voice and data. I don't think that the satellite stuff should be too much more difficult. Or at least I hope not.

I look forwards to hearing from you again as soon as I have some more info to share.
AcWxRadar
ElLeonBlanco,

We are definitely happy that you chose SatelliteGuys and we look forward to your specialty inputs and information as well as helping you with what we know. This hobby is relatively easy, but not so simple that you would become bored with it, so at least you can count on some excitement and challenges throughout.

Probably the worst or most difficult part is deciding on what toys you want to play with! :) You're going to feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Guaranteed, it's a great deal of fun.

RADAR
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68528 Replies · 2672747 views
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sdfntx
See You in September - The Happenings
long_time_Dish
You Look Like You Love Me - Ella Langley
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dishstaller
See Me Feel Me - The Who
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long_time_Dish
Take It Easy On Me - Little River Band
H
TAKE IT As It Comes-The Doors
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
2 Replies · 37 views
dishdude
They didn't sell many, they were pricey and not out long. Quickly got replaced by the Hopper.
T
They were high-end specialty, somewhat buggy and the 612/622/722 just overwhelmed it in popularity.
Former member 208119
Last reply · posted in SiriusXM Satellite Radio
My year was almost up and we got the new bill for a year of service for $ 360.00 insane sat radio is becoming like cable!!! i logged into my acct and hopped onto chat and told the rep that i wanted to cancel. she understood my concern and went quiet for a few minutes. i figured that she was canceling my service. she comes back and said that she seen that i have been a sub since 07 and then offers me the same package for a year for 120.00 with taxes and fee's!!! i grabbed it. after almost having a stroke :biggrin
237 Replies · 11002 views
B
What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $4.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.
Jimbo
What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.
Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.
B
Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.
I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!
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TRG
TRG
I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!
I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.
B
I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.
yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.
Jimbo
yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.
You get an email every month to let you know they are billing you for the next month.
Foxbat
Mrs. Foxbat reminded me it's that time of the year to do the Cancel Tango💃🏽

The A.I. agent appears to be better than in the past. It got to the acceptable price quicker than previous years, no human operator involved. $5/mo and I still have over $50 in SiriusXM credit from my FordPartner benefits.
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Peter Parker
Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
No idea what improvements might be involved.
19 Replies · 817 views
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bookworm370
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.
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N
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.
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R
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.
My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning. She hit FF and it went to 15x FF.
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Bobby
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.
This has been an ongoing issue. A fix is coming, probably in the next software version.
Foxbat
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Here's the one I need:
1792365258110.webp
dishstaller
Here's the one I need:
Just ordered one....that's great.
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

5552 Replies · 460636 views
Bobby
Regular$5.999​
Premium$6.399​
Diesel$7.999​
at Costco, Rohnert Park.​
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harshness
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.
dishstaller
Regular$5.999​
Premium$6.399​
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

Last night it was about $4.17 gas, $6,19 diesel.
harshness
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.
On the West Coast, a 40-cent differential is common. It used to be 30 cents before the prices rose above $3.

A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic), which is a whole different discussion.
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Foxbat
Here in Indiana, the difference between Regular and Premium is usually a dollar, but some charge even more:
1792374072446.webp
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dishstaller
A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic),
Both non-ethanol and prem run about the same....buck more. When we were up in TN it was a buck more up there as well.
jokeworm
Last reply · posted in What's Cooking?
Ok, I'm bored .... actually - to be more precise - I'm bored of eating the same rotation of 9 or 10 meals that are currently my "go-to" meals. My wife works the long hours - I work from home as and when i feel like it ... which means i generally do most of the cooking ... and so by default - i also make out the shopping list ...

We cook at home 5 or even 6 nights a week - but we always seem to fall back on the same old tried and tested "quick and easy but tastes ok" meals. Week in week out.

Pot Roast - mash and Peas.
Spaghetti
Chicken Pasta in cheese sauce.
Curry & rice
(these are some of mine)

Now it's not that I'm not adventurous in the kitchen ... I'll try anything once or twice ... but we all do it. Unless your name is Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray .. we all eventually fall back on our 8-10 favorite "meals"

So i thought - if we shared some of our own go-to meals with each other ... we might be able to add a few "new" ones to our own arsenal of meals.

So again - I ask you ...

What's for dinner tonight ?

Please give me something new to add to my rotation ... its our weekly shop tomorrow - so i want to pull together a few idea's and try and eat a meal each day next week that I've never had before .. or at least something that is not on my current "go-to" meal plan.

What meal do you always seem to fall back on in your house ? Maybe its something that I've never tried or not had in a while. I need inspiration !! I've got a blank shopping list in front of me - and nothing sounds good .. HELP !
4332 Replies · 331180 views
TRG
TRG
Beef and vegetable stew with buttermilk biscuits. Water.
It seemed appropriate on an unusually cold and wet evening in New Mexico.
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Bobby
Chili Cheesebugers, Tater Tots.
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TRG
TRG
I made shrimp parmesan with spaghetti and a salad.
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S
venison lasagna
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dishstaller
Smoked some salmon on the grill while enjoying some Blue Moon beer. Kinda cool tonight so I fired up the heaters. Here in FL, we fire up heaters once the temps get below 60 :cool As for the salmon, I seared them first, then flipped them off to the side not over the coals and brushed on some lemon pepper marinade followed by some salmon seasoning. Threw some hickory chips on the coals and then closed the vents to about 10% airflow. Yum.
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osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.


:eek


It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.
112 Replies · 905 views
navychop
Servant's problem.
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meStevo

Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.

So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.​
harshness
The EV company to watch out for is SAIC. They seem likely to take over Government Motors at some point.

GM originally struck a JV deal with SAIC to gain access to China. Now SAIC has taken China back with the substantial library of technology GM shared and they're looking to export to Mexico, South America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
osu1991
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 29 views
Ham Radio 2.0
· posted in Ham Radio 2.0
0 Replies · 21 views
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
148 Replies · 1762 views
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Foxbat
They ought to have fun with this… :devilish
osu1991
They ought to have fun with this… :devilish
Was thinking same thing. It should be a good week for sec shorts and roll call
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R
A lot of upsets yesterday, but my LSU Tigers won.
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Foxbat
Best fan sign I saw during the ND-BYU game: "Bear ate your Lucky Charms!" (Bear being the Cougars' QB). I was going to suggest, "Have you or your team been involved in a Carr crash?"
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