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