Contest: Enter to Win an Amiko mini HD SE from Titanium Satellite - Ends 5/27/2014
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My first foray into FTA satellite was back in 1983, with a 6ft Danex spun aluminum dish on a hand-built out of angle iron polar mount, with a custom "all-thread" threaded rod hand-crank to move from satellite to satellite! I had a standard polarotor feed and 35db lna (bought from an ad out of Radio Electronics magazine) with a 70mhz downconverter with a huge jumper cable over to the lna. I had a tiny little RS5000 c-band analog receiver (I still have it). I built a controller for the polarotor with a 555 timer chip from Radio Shack.
Good times back then, as just about everything up there was fair game, and it was years away yet before they started encrypting ANY stuff. Sadly, I didn't take the dish with me when we sold that house in 1989.
Good times back then, as just about everything up there was fair game, and it was years away yet before they started encrypting ANY stuff. Sadly, I didn't take the dish with me when we sold that house in 1989.
my first time was 2008, I put up a dish on 97 west at my parents cottage so they could get some tv there. At the time I lived in a apartment and was unable to play satellite from there. So the cottage became a place i wanted to go for playing with the satellite.
I had a lot of headaches starting out learning. I was using a viewsat that was not very good with 97 west it got the wrong transponder frequencies and only read 10-20% when the picture quality was good.
But i eventually found the forums and got lots of help here
I had a lot of headaches starting out learning. I was using a viewsat that was not very good with 97 west it got the wrong transponder frequencies and only read 10-20% when the picture quality was good.
But i eventually found the forums and got lots of help here
I jumped into the FTA addiction in the summer of 2007. Its been a lot of fun and I hope to have many more years of fun with this great hobby.
Thanks for the generous offer, Brian.
Thanks for the generous offer, Brian.
Just last year, 2013, is when I actually got into and tried FTA and owned my first FTA system. Had been wanting to try it for years before that though! I am definitely hooked now, have five dishes setup right now. Well, four, and a fifth small one that gets moved around and experimented with.
Thanks for yet another absolutely great contest, Brian!
Thanks for yet another absolutely great contest, Brian!
I had been looking for a way to do FTA for many years prior, and finally in 2006 got the opportunity. 80cm Fortec Dish and Classic NA. Excellent receiver and dish which I still have installed and use to this day. I'm pushing the limit these days with what I can install on a property I don't own, but rest assured the installation has expanded. Moving soon, with C band plans (dish and actuator already bought; waiting in boxes) - and a new high quality receiver would be a great accompaniment!
I got my first Dish in Feb 1986 an 10ft. 4 panel Fiberglass one, with button hook feed, 100 degree LNB and GI 2650 C/Ku receiver...I thought I might go crazy moving that Dish all over the arc looking for wild feeds. I never wanted to turn it off and go to bed...Still in great shape, and survived many a hurricane in NC close to the coast. Got to love that BUD....
My first FTA setup was in May of 2005. I purchased a used Channel Master 1 meter dish from a local uplinker and a Pansat 2700 receiver from Fleabay. The dish is still in service on 125W, and I occasionally still use the old Pansat for dish aiming.
First setup
I picked up by first dish for $30. The seller threw in two receivers not sure if any worked. Set it up as is and couldn't believe it actually worked. The next day I lost all signal. That is when I begin learning how complex setting up an FTA system could be. It took me a while but realized the pole was not plumb. Bought a new J-pole mount and all went well.
That first setup was a 76cm dish along with a Prosat receiver. I've since moved on and added a 1m dish. I'm currently using an Amiko Alien 2. Still using both set with 6 LNB's. I recently decided to purchase by first C-band setup. God knows where that may take me. This all begin December, 2012. I'm still a novice but eager to learn.
I picked up by first dish for $30. The seller threw in two receivers not sure if any worked. Set it up as is and couldn't believe it actually worked. The next day I lost all signal. That is when I begin learning how complex setting up an FTA system could be. It took me a while but realized the pole was not plumb. Bought a new J-pole mount and all went well.
That first setup was a 76cm dish along with a Prosat receiver. I've since moved on and added a 1m dish. I'm currently using an Amiko Alien 2. Still using both set with 6 LNB's. I recently decided to purchase by first C-band setup. God knows where that may take me. This all begin December, 2012. I'm still a novice but eager to learn.
to the forum ray224000
Put up my own C-band dish in 2002. The dish had been given to me and I was previously using it for ham radio purposes, bouncing signals off the moon and other objects using microwaves. Did that for a while and although interesting I thought it was a good idea to see what was in the Clarke belt so I attached the original LNB/feedhorn and and used analog receiver I had kicking around for a few years; was actually surprised how many signals there was. Tried a Pansat 2500 DVB receiver maybe 2008ish, then purchased a 3500 with the skew control. Picked up a Corotor II and new LNBs somewhere around that time so I could get some Ku.
Turned out to be a really fun hobby!
Thanks for the contest Brian!
-C.
Turned out to be a really fun hobby!
Thanks for the contest Brian!
-C.
It was around 1985 we moved into a new home with a BUD already in the back....it was no smaller than 10ft
First channel I "discovered" was the USA channel on either G1 or G4 (leaning on G1, Channel 4), "Heatcliff" cartoon would play around 5pm weekdays, followed by Mask. Couldnt wait to get home after school....late one weekend night, I discovered Nick at Nite (Mr Ed, Car54, Leave it to Beaver, Munsters etc)..I remember how pissed the old man was when he came downstairs at 5am and I was still up.. "Willllllbuurrrr!"
IIRC, some of the satellite names programmed were G1, F1, F2, F4, S1,E1, E4 etc...of course, being a boy.. didnt take too long to discover American XXXtasy on S1. The old man, who never was the genius, put a parental lock on "1-2-3-4" on the receiver to lock it out.
Those were the days...80s Mike Tyson fights w/ Trump at ringside, WWF PPVs/Close Circuit (Summerslam when the Ultimate Warrior beat the Honky Tonk Man in seconds). Remember watching WWF house shows from MSG (MSG Channel) and Boston Garden (on NESN)... those events were carbon copys events of one another (Hulk Hogan vs Rick Rude in a steel cage, same script... just identical). All our friends came over for the Donny Lalonde/Sugar Ray Lenard fight since PPV, or "Close Circuit" wasnt in our area....Also, countless hours watching out of market Hockey, Baseball and basketball....and porn...also, I'll never forget seeing Dan Rather pick his nose during a commercial break.
Out of sheer boredome, I use to do a factory reset on the receiver and reprogram all the sats (by memory) one by one... took about 10 minutes.
Once the signals became scrambled one by one...then came our new receiver, GE w/videocipher2... cough cough purple chip. :dev
Win, lose or draw... thanks Titanium..this brought back some awesome memories.
Cheers, K
First channel I "discovered" was the USA channel on either G1 or G4 (leaning on G1, Channel 4), "Heatcliff" cartoon would play around 5pm weekdays, followed by Mask. Couldnt wait to get home after school....late one weekend night, I discovered Nick at Nite (Mr Ed, Car54, Leave it to Beaver, Munsters etc)..I remember how pissed the old man was when he came downstairs at 5am and I was still up.. "Willllllbuurrrr!"
IIRC, some of the satellite names programmed were G1, F1, F2, F4, S1,E1, E4 etc...of course, being a boy.. didnt take too long to discover American XXXtasy on S1. The old man, who never was the genius, put a parental lock on "1-2-3-4" on the receiver to lock it out.
Those were the days...80s Mike Tyson fights w/ Trump at ringside, WWF PPVs/Close Circuit (Summerslam when the Ultimate Warrior beat the Honky Tonk Man in seconds). Remember watching WWF house shows from MSG (MSG Channel) and Boston Garden (on NESN)... those events were carbon copys events of one another (Hulk Hogan vs Rick Rude in a steel cage, same script... just identical). All our friends came over for the Donny Lalonde/Sugar Ray Lenard fight since PPV, or "Close Circuit" wasnt in our area....Also, countless hours watching out of market Hockey, Baseball and basketball....and porn...also, I'll never forget seeing Dan Rather pick his nose during a commercial break.
Out of sheer boredome, I use to do a factory reset on the receiver and reprogram all the sats (by memory) one by one... took about 10 minutes.
Once the signals became scrambled one by one...then came our new receiver, GE w/videocipher2... cough cough purple chip. :dev
Win, lose or draw... thanks Titanium..this brought back some awesome memories.
Cheers, K
First receiver was the Taylor Howard home built receiver along with a home made 12 foot spherical antenna. Had a lot of help building that system and still remember the very first images and the program. Happened to be CBN and it was George and Gracie making us all laugh. That was back in the early 80ies and then moved on to a Steel Parabolic which is still standing out in the country and to much hassle to move and went with the new receivers that collected the monthly fees. We have move to town now and I just got back into it, with a 90cm motorized mount with a MicroHD. Just set my pole for a new 8 foot parabolic last weekend and will be setting it up before long.
Cut the cord here a while back and have set up a OTA antenna and subscribed to netflix via a Roku box. Then I saw something about FTA on the internet and dove back in. Have enjoyed it greatly. Look forward to many more years of it.
Thanks for offering the contest.
Cut the cord here a while back and have set up a OTA antenna and subscribed to netflix via a Roku box. Then I saw something about FTA on the internet and dove back in. Have enjoyed it greatly. Look forward to many more years of it.
Thanks for offering the contest.
I'm just a pup when it comes to FTA. Started in October 2013 with a motorized KU system (90cm Fortec Offset, Stab HH100 motor, Strong LNB). Currently tweaking 2nd system, a motorized 8' mesh C Band. Loving it so far! 
I started FTA in 2007 (I was in 6th grade) with a 1 meter channel master I dug out of the dumpster at a Menards store. Got a coolsat 6000 and was hooked. Got my first c band in 2008 which was a 10' Orbitron. Just can't get enough!!
I started out in 1996 with a 10' dish (Orbitron with spinclination!) that's still in service today. I've been through many receivers in that time, but the first one was an old Macom. Don't remember the model number. My first purchased c-band receiver was an Uniden SQ-560. My first digital receiver was a SatCruiser DSR-101.
Good times.
Good times.
I put in my first satellite system in 1988 and the 10' Unimesh dish is still in use today. Much of the programming was FTA back then and continued with several different C band receivers and to 4DTV in 2002. In the Spring of 2004, I purchased a Viacast DVB receiver and later a Fortec Lifetime Ultra receiver for blind scanning. Enjoying the hobby ever since.
Thanks for the contest, Brian.
Thanks for the contest, Brian.
I got my first BUD in 1991, an 8ft Home Cable Concepts dish and a GI 450i analog receiver. I had heard about FTA but never tried it until 2011, bought an Openbox S9 and a new WSI LNBF and a used Motorola DSR920 (my analog receiver went bad) to move the BUD and the rest is history, been hooked ever since.
I think the first satellite system I owned came to me in 1987, I remember being able to see the NHL hockey games for the first time in my life (they didn't show them on OTA tv around here back then). I was a Bruins fan, and a Devils fan, and a Blackhawk fan, then an everybody who plays hockey-fan, haha. Best hobby I've found yet!
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