Can I use an AU9S for free FTA?

[justask'n]

I am a newbie to FTA, but I have researched many posts and read all the FAQ’s I could find to keep the following questions from being too naïve, so thanks in advance for your patience. At the moment, I am only concerned with getting the infrastructure setup and want to make sure I have that right in my head before proceeding with anything further. I’m a little new to the terminology but have used it where possible for the sake of the experts. Again, thanks!
1. I have a D* Slimline AU9S-SL5-S (no additional diplexers, splitters, etc). I am not a D* subscriber and I am currently only interested in using this dish for FTA on one TV only (for the moment). I know it has some powerful HD and multiple tuner features that I might subscribe to in the future. Since this dish/LNB combo is both Ka & Ku equipped (Ku 101, 110, 119), my understanding is that I would not need to make any mods or alterations to the dish and can use as-is to receive FTA over the Ku band. Is this correct?
2. I have a detailed FAQ on using the D* Phase III – 3 LNB dish for FTA (just for reference) and have read that re-pointing the dish may be required to get FTA signal. I don’t know that the Phase III FAQ would even apply to the AU9S, so my question is, if I was to keep the dish aligned for a normal D* setup, i.e. no change to tilt, elevation, skew, etc., could I expect to pick up FTA birds, and which ones? Eg. EchoStar 8,10 @ 110, EchoStar 7 @ 119.
3. Because this is a 5 LNB (but really a 3 LNB for my purposes), would I also receive Intelsat 5 @ 82/91 or others like Telstar 5 or Galaxy 10R without having to make any mods to the dish or alignment?
4. An AU9S feature according to the spec sheet is that it is “Integrated for HD Local Reception”. Does this mean that it would act like an ordinary digital antenna and receive local broadcast network signals like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, WTTW, etc without any additional equipment or mods?
5. Do I need to use the PI-21 power supply to power the SL5-S SWM LNB for FTA reception? Is an equivalent power supply built into FTA receivers such that an external power supply is not needed?
6. Assuming proper alignment and signal has been verified at the dish, aside from the FTA receiver and RG6 cable itself, what other equipment would I need in the form of diplexers, splitters? Based on what I think I know, the connection for a single TV should be as follows: AU9S to 8 Channel SWM Multi-Switch to Power Supply to FTA receiver.
7. The FTA receiver would plug into the IRD side of the power supply and the SWM side of the power supply would plug into either the SWM1/2 outputs on the 8 Channel SWM?
8. Is there an alternative to the 8 Channel SWM Multi-Switch I could use for this setup?
9. Does anyone have a diagram of this type of setup that they can share?
10. Can you recommend a particular FTA receiver that would work best for my application?

 

[raoul5788]

Your answer is in the responses. Try re-reading what responder D wrote. These are people who are very much into the FTA hobby. I would listen to them. There is a FTA section here. Perhaps you should post your question there.

 

[jcrandall]

Welcome to Satelliteguys!

I'm moving this to our FTA area to get you some better responses.

 

[Mr Tony]

I went through and removed all the responses form the other sites and fixed the font so we can read it

now onto the post

1. I have a D* Slimline AU9S-SL5-S (no additional diplexers, splitters, etc). I am not a D* subscriber and I am currently only interested in using this dish for FTA on one TV only (for the moment). I know it has some powerful HD and multiple tuner features that I might subscribe to in the future. Since this dish/LNB combo is both Ka & Ku equipped (Ku 101, 110, 119), my understanding is that I would not need to make any mods or alterations to the dish and can use as-is to receive FTA over the Ku band. Is this correct?

The slimline can see 99/101/103/110/119 but unfortunately the LNB's are pretty much useless for free to air. Here is why

99 & 103 are KA Band...free to air is KU Band
101/110 & 119 are DBS which would work for a few freebie channels up there. The issue is 110 & 119 are set up differently (only uses part of the frequencies). So the only LNB that is of any use for FTA is 101 LNB but you'd have to reaim the dish

2. I have a detailed FAQ on using the D* Phase III – 3 LNB dish for FTA (just for reference) and have read that re-pointing the dish may be required to get FTA signal. I don’t know that the Phase III FAQ would even apply to the AU9S, so my question is, if I was to keep the dish aligned for a normal D* setup, i.e. no change to tilt, elevation, skew, etc., could I expect to pick up FTA birds, and which ones? Eg. EchoStar 8,10 @ 110, EchoStar 7 @ 119.

no that wont work. 110 & 119 are setup differently in the Phase III. 110 only uses 3 transponders and it combines the 11 transponders that Directv uses on 119 together. The only LNB that works is 101

3. Because this is a 5 LNB (but really a 3 LNB for my purposes), would I also receive Intelsat 5 @ 82/91 or others like Telstar 5 or Galaxy 10R without having to make any mods to the dish or alignment?

you would have ot switch the LNB and mod something. Also it would need to be reaimed

4. An AU9S feature according to the spec sheet is that it is “Integrated for HD Local Reception”. Does this mean that it would act like an ordinary digital antenna and receive local broadcast network signals like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, WTTW, etc without any additional equipment or mods?

no. It can receive HD locals via DIrectv

5. Do I need to use the PI-21 power supply to power the SL5-S SWM LNB for FTA reception? Is an equivalent power supply built into FTA receivers such that an external power supply is not needed?
6. Assuming proper alignment and signal has been verified at the dish, aside from the FTA receiver and RG6 cable itself, what other equipment would I need in the form of diplexers, splitters? Based on what I think I know, the connection for a single TV should be as follows: AU9S to 8 Channel SWM Multi-Switch to Power Supply to FTA receiver.
7. The FTA receiver would plug into the IRD side of the power supply and the SWM side of the power supply would plug into either the SWM1/2 outputs on the 8 Channel SWM?
8. Is there an alternative to the 8 Channel SWM Multi-Switch I could use for this setup?
9. Does anyone have a diagram of this type of setup that they can share?
10. Can you recommend a particular FTA receiver that would work best for my application?

The rest I'm going to not answer because it doesnt pertain to the situation. In all seriousness, unless you modify the LNB setup and put a KU Band LNB on there, the slimline (AU9) is useless for free to air. The best thing to do is to get a 30" to 36" dish and start fresh

 

[justask'n]

Thanks for taking the time to help me understand 'why' that dish will not work. My gut tells me to just abandon this dish, as you suggest. But just one quick question before moving on, 30" to 36" dish size seems to be the magic number for FTA, and the AUS is 22.5 in. x 32.5 in. First, does the dish have to be a circular version, i.e. 30" to 36"' for any given measurement? And, 'IF' (and I do mean if) I was to entertain replacing the LNB with a Ku Band, would this be as simple as just replacing it, or based on your experience do you suspect some other customizations to the dish would be needed to get it to work correctly that would just make it not worth the effort? By customizations I mean shortening or lengthening the LNB arm for proper focus or rotation of the LNB to favor the 32.5" span of the dish, etc.
Thanks!

 

[Tron]

There have been a couple of members who have modified Slimlines for FTA. This involves removing the entire original LNB assembly and using something like a conduit clamp at the end of the arm to hold a standard Ku-Band LNB. Its a fun little project, but not the best way to receive Ku-Band signals. While the Slimline is wide enough, it is undersized vertically, so its a bit weak compared with a larger dish. Dish Network Superdishes, which are about the same size, will work without modification (with similar results).

 

[justask'n]

Thank you to all for the great feedback. For now, I think I am just going to look into a new dish entirely, but hold on to the one I have just in case I might be able to use it in some fashion down the road when I get more experienced with FTA.