FridgeFTA may be Gone

[gpflepsen]

Just checked fridgefta and amikoalienusa and they seem to be gone, redirecting to suspended page placeholders.

RIP

I do have the A3 reformatting files and directions. They are available for the European A3 too, so all is not lost.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes, several months ago Joe said, his interests are moving to other things. He said the web site would stay up until domain renewal came due, as he had no plans to renew it.
That is about all I know.

 

[gpflepsen]

I knew he sacked the bats, but with the website going dark all that information is now just gone... Sad to see.

 

[KE4EST]

I knew he sacked the bats, but with the website going dark all that information is now just gone... Sad to see.

Agreed! That is the sad part. Maybe one day I can come across him and get him to send me all the files....

 

[bpalone]

I did grab a lot of stuff for the A3 and have it here. So, if someone needs something about the A3, I could possibly help.

 

[gpflepsen]

I did grab a lot of stuff for the A3 and have it here. So, if someone needs something about the A3, I could possibly help.

Thanks for your effort. I saw this day coming and a few months ago started to archive the minimum A3 info and files for recovery. The day of self sufficiency has arrived!

 

[primestar31]

I thought Joe had handed the site over to Tracey, as she wanted to keep it running?

 

[Titanium]

I read on another satellite forum that they were no longer in contact with him and were unable to transfer or renew the domain.

 

[pacificrim]

The wayback machine has some good snapshots.
http://web.archive.org/web/20161010194543/http://www.fridgefta.info/forums/index.php

 

[KE4EST]

Thanks pacificrim.
Here is Joe's farewell message:

Time to say goodbye
Hey guys,

FYI the site is eventually going to shut down. At this point True FTA in North America is seeing a sunset. I shut down the store last year and since I'm not doing anything with FTA it is no longer worth maintaining the Forum. With nothing happening traffic is way down and having Fridge here is not really a benefit to anyone. There is a lot more to it but I'd rather leave those things alone and check out on a positive note.

My thanks to everyone who has supported Fridge over the years.

My only recommendation for places to go for NA FTA is SatelliteGuys since they don't sell or have satellite sponsors. Seems that some of the others I would have endorsed have lowered themselves to selling thinly veiled DISH TPSK pirate boxes. Guess that is where the industry started here, guess that is where it will end.

 

[KE4EST]

BTW that was posted May of last year. I was thinking early summer, but it was right before summer.

 

[chadg2]

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm thinking he is correct. Look at Lyngsat satellite launches planned for the next 2-3 years. I see almost nothing going up to serve North America. I've never seen that before as I always look at what's being launched and when current Satellites are going to retire. Sad

 

[wallyhts]

4K low priced STB's are coming it will be fun.

However with that said. 3 of the 4 STB vendors at CES have said they no longer support DVBs/s2 "people use the Internet now"

 

[gpflepsen]

4K low priced STB's are coming it will be fun.

However with that said. 3 of the 4 STB vendors at CES have said they no longer support DVBs/s2 "people use the Internet now"

The sad part for me is that by today's standard I cannot get a Broadband ISP at my residence. 3Mb/s is my only option and that doesn't support HD streaming.

FTA is my only choice for true HD programming, aside from what DISH provides.

It is hard to be optimistic on the future of FTA. I guess we'll have to live with the "take it as long as you can" approach.

 

[wallyhts]

Well if the CEO at T-Mobile is right Dish will be bought in 2017 so it may really change lol.

BTW who do you have Internet from?

 

[iBoston]

Yea, it drives me nuts to hear people say its all going IP. That's fine and dandy, but before that happens, hows about making high speed internet available to everyone. I'm still locked at 1.2 mb/s with a 80 gig limit. This won't cut it for streaming.

As for FridgeFTA, I stopped using the site long ago. I still use my Amiko, but they stopped updating firmware for the AmikoHDSE so i stopped visiting the site.

It's a shame some people see FTA going away. I see an opportunity. They have proven that channels can survive on Commercial based income only as there are some low budget channels that are based that way now. So, why don't these companies that are interested in that come together and put all their signals on one satellite. Example 97w KU. Then people can put up one simple KU dish and get all these channels. They are not beholden to cable companies and have full control. Many people ditch cable not because the prefer IP, but because they are trying to save money. $100.oo a month is a lot of money. So, people opt for Netflix etc.

 

[gpflepsen]

Well if the CEO at T-Mobile is right Dish will be bought in 2017 so it may really change lol.

BTW who do you have Internet from?

Windstream DSL is my ISP. 3Mb/s is the highest package they offer. They buried fiber to within 1/2 mile of me, but then turned right... There are microwave carrier ISPs here, but they are about a mile out of range over the hill.

If I need a high speed connection, I activate the Hotspot on my Verizon Unlimited phone plan. But I can't do that too often as it'll probably get me booted sooner than I care for!

 

[KE4EST]

Yea, it drives me nuts to hear people say its all going IP. That's fine and dandy, but before that happens, hows about making high speed internet available to everyone. I'm still locked at 1.2 mb/s with a 80 gig limit. This won't cut it for streaming.

As for FridgeFTA, I stopped using the site long ago. I still use my Amiko, but they stopped updating firmware for the AmikoHDSE so i stopped visiting the site.

It's a shame some people see FTA going away. I see an opportunity. They have proven that channels can survive on Commercial based income only as there are some low budget channels that are based that way now. So, why don't these companies that are interested in that come together and put all their signals on one satellite. Example 97w KU. Then people can put up one simple KU dish and get all these channels. They are not beholden to cable companies and have full control. Many people ditch cable not because the prefer IP, but because they are trying to save money. $100.oo a month is a lot of money. So, people opt for Netflix etc.

FTA is not going anywhere any time soon. Satellite is still the best method for global communications and entertainment. I think Joe just said that for one of two reasons:
Either it was his easy way out, so as to not look so bad for leaving so quickly, or...
He has lived too long in a metropolitan area and thinks the whole country is just like the small box he lives in.

 

[Cham]

The "all going to IP streaming" thing drives me nuts too. No way I can stream HD content, have enough trouble playing 240p you tube videos here. No land-based ISPs anywhere around here will support anything higher than a Mb or two, and with crazy pricing. Satellite is an option but even more expensive and gotta love those data caps. Last time I priced them it was $2200 for the install and $160/mo for 5Mb and (think it was 50Gb data limit), and if you go over that limit its like a dollar per Mb! Of course that is including mileage for the installers who come from Brandon about 3 hrs west of here...

IMHO FTA is as good as it's ever been. The ones that say it's dead are the ones likely dealing in the illegal hack market... It's a fun hobby and pastime to me, no matter what someone else says.

 

[Shicks4]

Id only say FTA is dead when there are no more communications satellites transmitting data/or stop transmitting unencrypted data. I bet they slim down the amount of satellites in orbit though especially since they seem to be able to fit so much more on a transponder now then they used to be able to. Seems to me there is plenty up there to watch for free. And there will always be the random feed that goes clear for a while. I have a couple of folks that work for me that have lived soley on OTA for a very long time. Since i put my dish up at the shop all but one have asked if they find a dish if i would help them put one up. So there is obviously value in FTA satellite especially in rural areas. To be honest i had no idea what was up there until about 2 years ago, and couldnt act on it until late last year. Now once our contract is up with direct, FTA will become a pretty important part of our future television watching plan, coupled with ota antenna and internet provided subs. I think the main issue a lot of people have with cable and satellite is ultimately the cost. I can say that even though i can afford it i still dont feel im getting the value for the amount of money I pay each month. Add to the fact they keep jacking up the price every 4 to 6 months makes it very frustrating.

I think FTA would see a lot more growth if there were more available on ku since the dish sizes are much smaller. The one guy that has no interest in it that works for me cites the big ugly dish as the sole reason he isnt interested regardless of what he can get. While its pretty sad a FTA site has closed and its seems new fta receivers (in north america) are becoming fewer and further between the folks that do offer the stuff geared twards north america sure do stand behind the products.

As far as iptv is concerned I know my locality lucked out big time with the new company that came to town and installed fiber to home last year. I was in the same boat as many of you, stuck at a 5mb limit and a data cap (which in order to get 5mb cost me a pretty penny and only available from AT&T because i was a business) and sure seems that all data in the unites states sure isnt the bargain it used to be. It so irritating now how hungry for data nearly everything is now. whats next toasters that require a wifi connection before making a batch of toast? sure thats a little extreme but it sure feels that way.

So i guess in conclusion is we need to support the american companies that support fta (titanium, linkbox, manhattan to name a few) and the sites that offer them or it really might be the end for FTA in north america. Sure there are lots of chinese boxes, but i have only had limited luck with one brand and it had plenty of problems. and support for em, well luckily the fine folks here have been gracious enough to offer what support they could cause i sure didnt get it from the company that made it.