The very first channel I brought in on a true fta receiver and dish was irs channel. Before that, when fiddling with an old 18" direct tv dish and an fta receiver, I found gol tv.
First channel you saw when you aimed your first FTA dish?
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CTV news feeds from London, announcing the death of Princess Diana
(Aug 31, 1997). That was the first MPEG-2 signal that I shared with a friend
here in the U.S.
January 1997: Auckland, New Zealand
Assisted in setup of 12-foot Orbitron antennas at a trade show, where we watched free-to-air signals from PanAmSat 2 at 169 East and Asiasat from 105.5 East. The latter was tough with an elevation angle less than 2 degrees, with signals popping in and out due to marginal levels and propagation differences---plus the heat buildup of Scientific Atlanta receivers being stacked four high and having to be separated with some taped-over wood blocks to dissipate that heat.
(Aug 31, 1997). That was the first MPEG-2 signal that I shared with a friend
here in the U.S.
January 1997: Auckland, New Zealand
Assisted in setup of 12-foot Orbitron antennas at a trade show, where we watched free-to-air signals from PanAmSat 2 at 169 East and Asiasat from 105.5 East. The latter was tough with an elevation angle less than 2 degrees, with signals popping in and out due to marginal levels and propagation differences---plus the heat buildup of Scientific Atlanta receivers being stacked four high and having to be separated with some taped-over wood blocks to dissipate that heat.
Installed my fist BUD in early 80's and found Dr. Gene on Westar 5................those were the days..........nothing scrambled..not even HB_!!!
Prime time 24 news somewhere around 87-91 west on ku band. I didn't even know what sat I was on. Here is an interesting thing. I was using an 18" single lnb directv dish but my lnb lo freq setting was 10750 in the receiver. It was still picking up a transponder from an lnbf that had an 11250 Lo freq.
It's pretty amazing that it even worked , but i had no idea what i was doing.
This was probably in 2001 or 2002.
It's pretty amazing that it even worked , but i had no idea what i was doing.
This was probably in 2001 or 2002.
I do, and I liked it the best. I hated it when Showtime/Viacom bought there subscribers (I think I read they had more than 400,000 total). But, it was a Good thing for those subs, so they could finish out there subscriptions.... I guess? At some point Select TV became my favorite. But, I probably watched more movies from CVS (Cable Video Store), than any other service, while it lasted. Everytime I drive by a CVS Pharmacy, I think about Cable Video Store.....Probably the same here... anyone remember the premium movie service Spotlight?
Al
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Oh MAN! SelectTV!
I usta have to drag my sorry butt out in the cold to crank the dish (we didn't have an actuator) when my Mom and Dad wanted to watch a movie....
Thanks for the memories! :up
I usta have to drag my sorry butt out in the cold to crank the dish (we didn't have an actuator) when my Mom and Dad wanted to watch a movie....
Thanks for the memories! :up
my first channel was from the middle east 97.0w I don't remember the name. that was on dec. 26 2007 i was all exited.
--My first channel was the 3ABN English channel on AMC-4 at 101ºW. I ordered a system from 3abn.org, and the FTA bug just spread from there.
First channel...........
Let's see, I had (still have actually) and Elecom analog receiver. It was connected to a Primestar dish with and LNB that had separate connections for H and V.
I somehow managed to set the dish on the ground in the backyard and finagle around with it until I picked up something.
It wa a Chinese channel (I'm assuming CCTV) on Analog. I don't know which sat it was on (this was about 6 years ago).
I've been hooked ever since! I just wish I could put up a C-Band dish.......
JT
Let's see, I had (still have actually) and Elecom analog receiver. It was connected to a Primestar dish with and LNB that had separate connections for H and V.
I somehow managed to set the dish on the ground in the backyard and finagle around with it until I picked up something.
It wa a Chinese channel (I'm assuming CCTV) on Analog. I don't know which sat it was on (this was about 6 years ago).
I've been hooked ever since! I just wish I could put up a C-Band dish.......
JT
Got the dish yesterday afternoon, temporary attached it to the basketball hoop this morning to check out for the first time and received the NASA channel about 15 min ago. WOW!
First channel I saw was a barker channel on expressvu in nov '97(not with a free to air dish) when I bought a new 4500ird with 24" dish for $900+ tax.
First fta channel on a 10' bud was Deutche-Wella(sp?) in may '98. Can't remember what sat but it was analog. First with a dvb reciever was Dubai sports on T-5 in fall of 2003.
Man i really miss my bud.
First fta channel on a 10' bud was Deutche-Wella(sp?) in may '98. Can't remember what sat but it was analog. First with a dvb reciever was Dubai sports on T-5 in fall of 2003.
Man i really miss my bud.
I had my 1st FTA C-band system back in 1989. It was right after I graduated from engineering school.
I can't remember the 1st channel I saw because after I finished installing the system and aligned the dish, I saw quite a few channels that day.
I can't remember the 1st channel I saw because after I finished installing the system and aligned the dish, I saw quite a few channels that day.
Dr. Gene Scott was the first thing my dad showed me when I went over there to check out the new install. News feeds pouring in as well. That was circa 1993.
When I first setup my own 10 footer in 04, I honored the tradition and went to AMC3 - TP20. Then, switched to TP19 for vertical polarity and watched TVU on the Pansat 2700 slaved to the DSR920. I don't think it moved from that channel for a couple hours.
"I'm analog, 2 inch tape, does it feel, like a trip, back to '96?"
When I first setup my own 10 footer in 04, I honored the tradition and went to AMC3 - TP20. Then, switched to TP19 for vertical polarity and watched TVU on the Pansat 2700 slaved to the DSR920. I don't think it moved from that channel for a couple hours.
"I'm analog, 2 inch tape, does it feel, like a trip, back to '96?"
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FIRST SATT I GOT GALAXY 27 STAR NET AT THE TIME NOW WHITE SPRINGS JOHN WANE MOVIE PLAYING VZE59ZGB
It was a dark and stormy night
Around 9:40 last night. It was cold, dark and damp. It was supposed to snow but it hadn't. Had my Mercury II on a milk crate in the garage, old junky TV on another milk crate, and 3ABN dish bolted to a hunk of 3/4" plywood on a third milk crate out in the driveway. Armed with a list of satellites with compass and elevation from Sat AV (thanks, Sat AV!) and a list of strong transponders by satellite from Iceberg (thanks Iceberg!) I was trying to get 12143 V 2573 on AMC 6 at 72 W. And I was getting nowhere. 40 strength, quality flickering from 0 to 1. Nudge the dish, look, nothing. Nudge, look, nothing. I'm thinking, the bolt on the elevation scale takes up a good five degrees of elevation, I don't know which end to read, I'm on this wobbly milk crate, I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm not getting anything.
And it hadn't been easy getting even this far. At least now I had menus. When the Merc arrived late Dec I was getting fuzzy menus on a yellow video cable and nothing at all on the TV out RF coax jack so sent it back to Sat AV in California. They found a loose wire in the box and fixed it and sent it back. Tuesday at work I kept hitting refresh on the FedEx tracking number. Finally delivered at 3:09 PM. I get home, no package to be found. It's an OK neighborhood so UPS and FedEx just leave packages at the front door. Maybe they left it at the back door by mistake. No dice. AARRRGGHHH!! A lady on Craigslist had advertised she was giving away an old Starband dish, so had to go pick that up. When I got back I called Sat AV just before closing to report the missing package. Then I went outside again for something and someone had mysteriously left it at the front door. Must've been delivered to the wrong address and some kindly soul brought it to me. So I call Sat AV back and leave a message that I got it.
So yesterday after work I tried it out in the house to make sure I was getting menus now. Worked fine on the yellow video out cable but extremely fuzzy on TV out F connector, which is what I need on the crappy TV out at the dish. I am NOT sending this back to California again, I'm thinking and take off the cover and remove the F-connector unit to see what's up. And I see this little switch there, maybe it was turned off or something and I'm like DUH! it's a Ch 3/ Ch4 switch. So I button the thing back up and sure enough if you tune the TV to the right channel you get menus. (Some of you will remember me as the idiot who mistakenly used the stubby little tripod support arms instead of the longer LNB support arms when I first put together the 3ABN dish. Well, go ahead and laugh.)
So anyway I'm out there going nudge, look, nothing, nudge, look, nothing and I looked at the dish and just intuitively thought it looks like it's pointed too low. So I jacked it up a good five degrees and started panning again. Then my heart skipped a beat. Suddenly I was getting 70's and 80's signal strength and quality up in the 40's. I was on it! Probably five degrees east of where I thought it was going to be, but I was on it! Hit the yellow button on the remote and Service1 popped up on the channel list. Suddenly I was watching preacher man from Gospel Broadcasting Network.
Next, I moved over to AMC 3 at 87. More channels there including PBS. From reading the boards I was expecting to find one channel with no audio but there were a bunch of channels with no audio. So will have to reread the threads on workarounds for that.
But boy, the first time is exciting, eh?
Around 9:40 last night. It was cold, dark and damp. It was supposed to snow but it hadn't. Had my Mercury II on a milk crate in the garage, old junky TV on another milk crate, and 3ABN dish bolted to a hunk of 3/4" plywood on a third milk crate out in the driveway. Armed with a list of satellites with compass and elevation from Sat AV (thanks, Sat AV!) and a list of strong transponders by satellite from Iceberg (thanks Iceberg!) I was trying to get 12143 V 2573 on AMC 6 at 72 W. And I was getting nowhere. 40 strength, quality flickering from 0 to 1. Nudge the dish, look, nothing. Nudge, look, nothing. I'm thinking, the bolt on the elevation scale takes up a good five degrees of elevation, I don't know which end to read, I'm on this wobbly milk crate, I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm not getting anything.
And it hadn't been easy getting even this far. At least now I had menus. When the Merc arrived late Dec I was getting fuzzy menus on a yellow video cable and nothing at all on the TV out RF coax jack so sent it back to Sat AV in California. They found a loose wire in the box and fixed it and sent it back. Tuesday at work I kept hitting refresh on the FedEx tracking number. Finally delivered at 3:09 PM. I get home, no package to be found. It's an OK neighborhood so UPS and FedEx just leave packages at the front door. Maybe they left it at the back door by mistake. No dice. AARRRGGHHH!! A lady on Craigslist had advertised she was giving away an old Starband dish, so had to go pick that up. When I got back I called Sat AV just before closing to report the missing package. Then I went outside again for something and someone had mysteriously left it at the front door. Must've been delivered to the wrong address and some kindly soul brought it to me. So I call Sat AV back and leave a message that I got it.
So yesterday after work I tried it out in the house to make sure I was getting menus now. Worked fine on the yellow video out cable but extremely fuzzy on TV out F connector, which is what I need on the crappy TV out at the dish. I am NOT sending this back to California again, I'm thinking and take off the cover and remove the F-connector unit to see what's up. And I see this little switch there, maybe it was turned off or something and I'm like DUH! it's a Ch 3/ Ch4 switch. So I button the thing back up and sure enough if you tune the TV to the right channel you get menus. (Some of you will remember me as the idiot who mistakenly used the stubby little tripod support arms instead of the longer LNB support arms when I first put together the 3ABN dish. Well, go ahead and laugh.)
So anyway I'm out there going nudge, look, nothing, nudge, look, nothing and I looked at the dish and just intuitively thought it looks like it's pointed too low. So I jacked it up a good five degrees and started panning again. Then my heart skipped a beat. Suddenly I was getting 70's and 80's signal strength and quality up in the 40's. I was on it! Probably five degrees east of where I thought it was going to be, but I was on it! Hit the yellow button on the remote and Service1 popped up on the channel list. Suddenly I was watching preacher man from Gospel Broadcasting Network.
Next, I moved over to AMC 3 at 87. More channels there including PBS. From reading the boards I was expecting to find one channel with no audio but there were a bunch of channels with no audio. So will have to reread the threads on workarounds for that.
But boy, the first time is exciting, eh?
CONGRATS! That's an AWESOME feeling, isn't it?
I remember well when I FINALLY hit my first satellite. 9:40 pm in the dark, atop my shed roof in the spring of '06. Took me 2 weeks (I was trying to aim like you aim a DTV or E* dish - looking at the meter). Anyway - now your fun can really begin!
I remember well when I FINALLY hit my first satellite. 9:40 pm in the dark, atop my shed roof in the spring of '06. Took me 2 weeks (I was trying to aim like you aim a DTV or E* dish - looking at the meter). Anyway - now your fun can really begin!
Yes, it is. Dish pointing isn't exactly rocket science, but it isn't trivially easy, either. Not everyone has the skills to do this. So I got a tremendous feeling of accomplishment when I finally got a signal.
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