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N
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
Hi. I've been researching FTA TV for some time, and it seems like something I would want to do, but I have no knowledge (at all) with satellites, dishes, bands, etc.
I would like to watch NBC,ABC,CBS feeds, and off-air feeds if possible. I would like to know what I would need to buy to get started, what the approx. cost is to get this up and running, and any other info I might need to know. I would like to keep this as cheap as possible, I don't have a large budget. I would not like to mount the dish on my roof, and I have a very small yard, so I need a small dish. (Not sure how big they normally are.)

Again, I have no knowledge with satellites, so I won't be able to answer any questions relating to them.

Thank you in advance, and any help is appreciated.
:)
18 Replies · 2721 views
KE4EST
Like I mentioned above for Ku you need at least a 90cm or around 3' dish. That is diameter.
For C-Band you would need 8' minimum for a descent signal.
I don't like them on a roof either. Not only is it bad for causing leaks and such, it is aggravating running up and down a ladder, while trying to adjust.
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N
Like I mentioned above for Ku you need at least a 90cm or around 3' dish. That is diameter.
For C-Band you would need 8' minimum for a descent signal.
I don't like them on a roof either. Not only is it bad for causing leaks and such, it is aggravating running up and down a ladder, while trying to adjust.

I think for now, I would opt for the NBC Ku band, only because of the smaller dish size. I will be looking at some dishes. Would you be able to give me an estimate of the total cost the setup be? Just so I can plan it out.

Thanks!
M
In this thread many years ago I explore picking a old C-Band dish and refurbishing it for my use.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/9-foot-mesh-dish-livingston-montana.247423/
I was a new FTA user then also. The end of the thread provides a cost breakdown of what I spent.
phlatwound
Can you not receive ABC, NBC, CBS with a over-the-air antenna at your location?
MosFET77
NickZ in my case I started out with a 76cm dish and moved my way up to a 90cm dish. The advantage of the 76cm is that it's a little easier to install and lighter weight. I would suggest doing what i did and start with the 76cm and move to 90cm once you get used to aiming a dish! Because your a beginner the 76cm and dishpointer.com is a good place to start! You will find that a sat dish can be very sensitive to movement and that's why i suggest the 76cm first. Think of a dish as a magnet, Larger the dish the more strength you can pull from the bird but for me it seems the larger the dish the more sensitive it is to movement. Welcome to the forum! PS. Don't do any testing in the rain! or leave your tester outside! lol. Welcome!
kittyhas1000legs
I think for now, I would opt for the NBC Ku band, only because of the smaller dish size. I will be looking at some dishes. Would you be able to give me an estimate of the total cost the setup be? Just so I can plan it out.

Thanks!

Before I put on a motor, I was using a 36" dish with three LNBF's so I could get 91w, 97w, and 103w. 91w has ABC New One, 97 has a ton of channels (mostly international/religious) and 103 has NBC, NHK, and a couple others.

Off the top of my head:
GeosatPro dish with 1 LNBF: $100
two more LNBFs, 4x1 switch: around $40
cheapo receiver: $25ish
Non-penetrating mount: $40 off of Craigslist

Here's how it looked August of last year:
_8034964.JPG

By now I think I've spent around $500 over two years or so. That's for the dish, stand, two receivers, four LNBF's, a couple different disecq switches (so the receiver can connect to multiple LNBF's), a cheapo satellite meter, RG-6 connectors, two cheapo used satellite tuner cards (one has since died), and a HH-90 motor. I guess you could also include $10 for the cinderblocks that keep the stand steady, even in 60+ mph winds.

Overall, let's say average $25 per month. The hobby is cheaper than pay TV, and a lot cheaper than some other hobbies. As a PBS fan and news junkie, I use the dish pretty much every day.

Whenever I have property instead of an apartment, I plan on having multiple dishes including a C-band or two.

Edit/sidenote: It's barely June and my tomato plants are already almost that big!
KE4EST
I would suggest doing what i did and start with the 76cm and move to 90cm once you get used to aiming a dish!

I will have to disagree here. If one already has a 76cm dish or can get one free, fine. However, spending money on an undersized dish, will only be a disappointment and cause unneeded frustration.
Then you have to spend more money on a larger dish, if you are not ready to give up that is.
Especially true in this case; the OP is wanting to get NBC on 103W. He will for sure need a 90cm and if he can I would go with a 1.2M.
NBC is harder to get on an undersized dish. At one time I had a 1.2M parked on 103 for that reason, I never could get my 90cm to give me a reliable lock.
Of course this will vary depending on location.

Nick if you can't get these channels via OTA antenna, start looking around on abandoned stores and filling stations.
You may find you a good 1.2 or 1.8 meter offset for free! :)
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in Movie Talk
Might be worth a watch when it comes out. Looks like typical big corp against the little guy movie BUT....there is a reason this plot type is so oft repeated, it draws audiences.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-f9OGsKHd4
0 Replies · 0 views
T
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
2 Replies · 30 views
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Juan
Not alot of dish customers any more
Foxbat
I'm not a big fan of the new layout, especially on my Apple TV. It used to look like the old Guide layout on the Hopper 3, but they changed parts of that, too.
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meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
110 Replies · 1608 views
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Y
Selfish Drake Maye holds back on giving the ball to Bills unlike Jags game, gets the win on the road.
Y
Selfish Drake Maye holds back on giving the ball to Bills unlike Jags game, gets the win on the road.
A big win for the Patriots, and they are now 3-2.

Browns lose a close one with... The Jets. That is a classic Browns loss (granted, any loss is a classic one it seems). 49'ers, Vikings, and Chiefs remain undefeated. The AFC north have a three way tie at 3-2 for second place. :eek:
osu1991
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M
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
Y
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
After having experienced Gus Ferguson trying to call soccer games, I'm uncertain why NFL football analysts get hate. Even the "worst" of them are pretty good.
meStevo
Jalen Hurts out indefinitely as they treat and monitor a superficial blood clot in his leg.


View: https://x.com/RapSheet/status/2111074303185989663?s=20
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in TV Shows
I had quit watching this show years ago because I ended up more annoyed than entertained. Well......I'm STILL more annoyed than entertained. I DO find it interesting to see how things work behind the scenes at many businesses. What annoys me is how utterly out of touch CEOs are with the companies they run. At the end of almost every episode the head of the company is amazed at how hard the employees have to work and many times have to work around impossible guidelines set forth from headquarters.

I found this one interesting because the new CEO had big plans for this company, Muscle Maker Grill, and it looked like the stores were all pretty busy. Recent history hasn't been good to this company however. I bet the covid lockdowns were the real killer.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIhZm0qkz0o
0 Replies · 2 views
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....
68500 Replies · 2670788 views
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ClarkGable
White Wedding - Billy Idol
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M
White Christmas - Elvis Presley
dishstaller
Dirty White Boy - Foreigner
Bobby
Tickle Me (Dirty, Dirty Feeling) - Elvis Presley
dishstaller
Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
1 Replies · 49 views
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Howard Simmons

Another Tulsa King spin off.🙄
Anony55
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.

They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.

Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.

On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.

It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.

I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
165 Replies · 7366 views
Nebugeater
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Former member 208119
Class action.
a hopper 3 with 6 firesticks and or if you wanna spend even more money apple tv's
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T
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.
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Nebugeater
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.


Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Anony55
Well, after nine months of being on pause, I finally figured out that I was wasting $5 a month. So I cancelled. For the first time since 2010, I no longer have a Dish account.

I do have to say that I did appreciate the account pause option. That just gives a person some time to see what the fallout of cancelling will be... without having to go all the way over the cliff first.

Since I never once had an "oh shoot, I need Dish Network for..." moment, the decision was a lot easier.

Funny enough, when I called to cancel (for real, not playing the pricing game), all of a sudden, they were offering me deals that I was told before that I couldn't get without changing out my VIP211k. Now, I could have had those specials with them just sending me a new card for the receiver. LOL!

Of course, my mind was already made up because of having not missed the service while on pause. That, and the fact that I bet the 211k still kills recordings.

All in all, I'm glad that I had Dish for all those years. I just outgrew the need, and they pressed the issue by deleting recordings. I would have eventually went this route without the deleted recordings issue. But, for sure, that did hasten the outcome.

I'll still pop in at this site from time to time. Believe it or not, I still have a C/Ku BUD that I intend on playing with again if life ever slows down.
dishstaller
Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
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Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
529 Replies · 18016 views
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Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
Foxbat
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
S
zipping right along here
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S
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you :biggrin
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Foxbat
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you :biggrin
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:
IMG_1990.webp
IMG_1989.webp
S
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:
OMG to freaking funny :biggrin
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comfortably_numb
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:

Not likely since that place closed down.
TheRatPatrol
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.

I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
2131 Replies · 214671 views
Jimbo

Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
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Howard Simmons
Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
Tony as the director.🙄
Jimbo
Tony as the director.🙄
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
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dfergie
I liked this episode and a toned down Tony...
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Howard Simmons
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
No. Bring in someone new.🤔 Tony is not serious enough for me. Parker is too close to the team and Tim is too young to take over IMO.