Everything to Know About Those Old Dishes

Status
Please reply by conversation.
ok most of the questions were answered in the other location, thanks but don't forget to check into it because the thread i started is my central place for all information about this new concept.
 
LNB = Low Noise Block (converter)

The first stage of satellite receiving system, contains the first frequency changer usually mounted on the dish antenna.


DVB= Digital Video Broadcast

DVB stands for Digital Video Broadcast and is a standard based upon MPEG-2 video and audio. DVB covers how MPEG-2 signals are transmitted via satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcast channels along with how such items as system information and the program guide are transmitted along with the scrambling system used to protect the signal.
 
Ah, so a LNB is recquired but a DVB is highly recommended.
Like i said before, is there a way to set this up without digging, i really want to be able to move it easily incase new development blocks the view to the sky.
 
You don't need to dig to set up a Ku-band system. I built a 4-foot-square wooden "sled" to mount a dish, and I can move it around wherever I need it. The important thing is to make the pole perfectly plumb.

And DVB is a technology, the process by which digital FTA receivers decode the satellite's signal into pretty pictures.
 
ok everyone is talking about the pansat 2500a receiver. i looked into it and it seems really good for the noobie (eg auto find satellites and autoconfigure). is it worth its price tho. i mean do you recommend it. also, whats a good dish to start with (cheap price please but its gotta get ku+c; i wonder if i can find one at someguy's farm or flea market)

really looking for a good startup. now i know pansat 2500a can view all fta, but what audio can it receive and it comes with a decoder and i don't need an unscrambler unless i want to pay for subscription services?
 
iXneonXi said:
a. can i pick up c-band or only ku
b. decoding good, unscambling bad?
c. stereo audio with DVB?
d. what size should my dish be if i do want to make it somewhat mobile (leave it for a whilbe but just incase) and also pick both bands?
c. could you answer my questions in the other thread (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=27107)
a) Depends on your dish size. Ku-band is 30" and up. C-band is 6 feet and up.
b) Yes.
c) If was sent in stereo, yes.
d) Both bands? C band requires a very large dish, very difficult to make mobile. (That is, you can't move it from one place to another, but with a motor, you can rotate it to pick up different satellites.)
c (again?) ) I can't find anything new there that's in the form of a question.
 
ah i'm not looking for what exactly would be called portable, but not recquring a big hole in my yard. ;) ;) i better have a motor t o focus at satellites. and anything unscrambled i can pick up is legal? what happens if i'm not using an unscrambler and pick up some commercial channel, is it still free since they didn't take the time or money to encrypt their feed?

i feel i'm learning and things are starting to get clearer, so thanks very much. And what about that pansat?
 
Any channels found in the clear with an unhacked receiver is perfectly legal : ) Pansat/Fortec and Satwork are the most popular DVB receivers here on the forum not necessarily in that order.
They all pick up the same channels.

The added benefit of the Fortec and Pansat is they have an AC3 audio output (used with a handful of PBS channels) and they both have the USALS function that makes the set up slightly easier and less hassle!
 
should i go pansat 2500a (keep inmind i'm a nooby but if i don't have to pay 300 cha ching i'll find a harder model-- as long as i can get the same channels with audio and same quality. if not i'll keep to the good sounding pansat receiver, and i'll probably buy it from skyvision or what is another recommended dealer? does the pansat satellite finder actually communicate with the motor and then documents the locations of the satellites where it then on makes it easier to find your channels. I know i'd love to get the UPS feed and watch voyager for the first time in a long time.
 
I recommend the FortecStar Lifetime Ultra or Pansat for a newbie as the USALS does alot of the setup work for you, I also think you are on the right track buying from a dealer rather than e-bay as if anything goes wrong or you need support the dealer will be there for you, e-bay is fine if you know exactly what you are looking for and you trust and know the e-bay smeller.

One coax cable from the receiver to the motor, then to the LNB controls the motor and it knows (and remembers) exactly where the satellites are !
 
neat, anyone know if g4techtv is FTA? and in your personal opinion, whats worth the price and what should i get, pansat or fortecstar. What are the size recquirements for the bands (ku dish site and c dish size so i'm sure i can get both) and then what are good dish providers i can trust to buy from, or get ideas on dishes and possibly just pick one up at some local junkyard to next to nothing. i know in the south where i am most people think of them as nuisances in their yard (lots of old farms or trailer parks have loads of them, but you can tell nobody uses them because they all have directv on their homes) oops lots of parentheses :eek:
 
noo... they just don't have any info entered for that item (thus not a very useful catalog entry) - notice also the dimensions and weight are all zero.
 
aww *cry* i wish i could get a 2.3 meter or 7 foot dual band dish for a low price. i really don't want to pay over 100 for a dish because there are so many other things i have to get for the setup.

so i saw g4techtv is fta, how about cartoon network?

need good deals on dishes. i mean really good i'll check local slums/farms/country for useless dishes hoping somebody just wants it removed.
 
iXneonXi said:
ah so an illegal unscrambler is bad as it basically can unscramble the encrypted subscription feed (like skyangel christian) and i should not get a system that comes with an unscrambler, but i should be looking for one with a good decoder built into the receiver.

correct. All receivers are sent with factory software. Its the software that some people put into the units that makes them illegal.
 
iXneonXi said:
so i saw g4techtv is fta, how about cartoon network?
Yes to G4TechTV. No to Cartoon Network.

G4TechTV uses AC3 audio, your receiver must be able to handle it, if you want sound.
 
Yes the Pansat 2500a and the Fortec Lifetime Ultra have an AC3 output : )
 
Status
Please reply by conversation.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)