Armed Forces Network AFN

[slonneck]

I've been searching the internet for a bit, and can't seem to come up with an answer to something.

Does anyone know if I can receive AFN (the Armed Forces Network) in the United States? I'm Active Duty Army, and just transferred from overseas back to the US. It looks like we're going to be living in a rural area in Virginia, and are kind of used to AFN. So, we're trying to determine whether or not we can receive AFN within the continental US.

Thanks for any replies out there!

 

[thebaggins]

According to Lyngsat (AMC 1 at 103.0°W - LyngSat) it is, AFN is on AMC 1 at 103 W Cband so if you still have our subbed receiver you will need a 6 foot or bigger dish and an Cband LNB and Welcome to Satellite Guys!!!!!

 

[Mr Tony]

Welcome to Satelliteguys and THANK YOU for what you do
Armed Forces Network is on 89W C-Band
SatelliteGuys.US_TheList - 89.0°W Galaxy_28 C

a 6 foot dish or larger will work. You need the AFN receiver and card which is a Scientific Atlanta D9234 receiver. The military needs to activate the card in the reciever and from what I have read if you are in the states they may not activate it.

I know goaliebob99 has AFN and was in the military too so he might have some better info on the "rules and regulations" of it. Hopefully he jumps in

I know you can get the Pentagon Channel free on a couple sats. (89W C-Band and 103W KU Band)

 

[goaliebob99]

Yep I have it off of Cband, You need to get a Cband dish and point it to Gal28. From there just change the freqs in the receiver to match your LNB settings 5150 and from there, your programming should pop in. No additional authorization needed. I want to get me one of those HD boxes they are coming out with! If your box is working now (authorized) and you can receive the sat signal you should be good to go!

 

[jsattv]

Yep I have it off of Cband, You need to get a Cband dish and point it to Gal28. From there just change the freqs in the receiver to match your LNB settings 5150 and from there, your programming should pop in. No additional authorization needed. I want to get me one of those HD boxes they are coming out with! If your box is working now (authorized) and you can receive the sat signal you should be good to go!

Goaliebob99, good to hear from you, I have a question. I am getting a very strong signal on Galaxy 28 - 89.0W including the Pentagon Channel. But I do NOT get a bunch of those other channels which as IceBerg noted says that it looks like you need to suscribe to them. Are you saying that these channels can be gotten without a subscription? Not sure I understand your Post re: " From there just change the freqs in the receiver to match your LNB settings 5150 and from there, your programming should pop in". I had to select LNB Freq = 5150 to just to receive Galaxy 28. Also I am in Canada & not a member of the Military - does that matter?

 

[Mr Tony]

Jsattv
You need the D9234 with the card in it to be authorized. Otherwise all you get is Pentagon

 

[goaliebob99]

Goaliebob99, good to hear from you, I have a question. I am getting a very strong signal on Galaxy 28 - 89.0W including the Pentagon Channel. But I do NOT get a bunch of those other channels which as IceBerg noted says that it looks like you need to suscribe to them. Are you saying that these channels can be gotten without a subscription? Not sure I understand your Post re: " From there just change the freqs in the receiver to match your LNB settings 5150 and from there, your programming should pop in". I had to select LNB Freq = 5150 to just to receive Galaxy 28. Also I am in Canada & not a member of the Military - does that matter?

Yes you have to be a member of the US Armed forces in order to get this or be a guest of the armed forces. (very few people can obtain guest status) With the right equipment and a subscription is the only way to get the other channels. As far as changing the freqs in the receiver, you have to change it in the equipment AFRTS gives you (powervu and cisco models) as overseas some sats to receive AFRTS programming are on KU and others are on C band.

 

[Elchucko]

This is not only for the original poster but for others who are interested in the facts about AFRTS. This subject seems to come up once or twice a year and the facts get forgotten or twisted but is readily available with a google search (http://afrts.dodmedia.osd.mil/tech_info/handbook/pdf/section02.pdf)

Access to AFRTS programming is restricted by DoD regulations.
You are eligible to receive AFRTS programming if you meet the following criteria.
• Active Duty US military stationed or deployed overseas and their accompanying family
members.
• DoD civilians assigned or deployed overseas and their accompanying family members.
• Direct Hire US Government State Department employees assigned overseas.
• DoD Direct Hire Contractors who are US citizens and directly sponsored by the host
command.
• Retired US military members may purchase decoders from military exchanges or directly
from AFRTS.

So if you are back in states, you are, in theory, no longer authorized. You might be able to continue receiving the signal for a while but:

Reauthorization of decoders
Authorizations expire three years after the date of the initial authorization
request. If you are remaining overseas more than three years, you must resubmit
the authorization request to https://xxxxxx.xxx/. To avoid a break in service,
submit your reauthorization request at least a month before your current
authorization expires.
If your authorization expires you will be automatically switched to a channel
telling you to update your registration. Then you must log on to
www.xxxxxx.xxx and update your authorization information.

What about my own 9234 that I bought on eBay?
Been there, done that! No, it must be a decoder that was sold through AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange System). They can identify them by serial number and won’t authorize anything else, even if you are “in country” and otherwise eligible.
If you have a decoder that is working in the US, my advice is to keep quiet about it. If it is still working after three years, it has slipped through the system. If you had a Dish or DirecTV decoder that slipped through, would you be telling everyone about it?

Elchucko

40 years with US government (20 mil/20 Civ) 20 of it overseas!

 

[jsattv]

Thanks for the info IceBerg & Goaliebob.