Going to play with FTA @ home...

[Splicer]

All this FTA talk has me excited to get in on the fun!

Some more questions...

1st is what is the difference between a LNB and a LNBF?

2nd question is about the dish itself. I have a buddy that has an old DirecTV/Hughes net (I know it says 'Hughes' but not as sure the second is 'NET') little round dish with one LNB(F). Would a dish like this be able to be used? Or can it only be used for DirecTV/Hughes programming? It would only be to get my feet wet until I decided to move up. :up

 

[Anole]

It really -IS- a lot of fun.

2). see the first thread in the FAQ section, What can I get on an 18" dish?
That's with a circular LNB, as is on your DirecTV dish.

With a linear LNB, and a little bracket to mount it, you might get a few other channels with a small dish, on some of the linear birds.
Iceberg mentioned in an old thread, that some of the hotter transponders could be received pretty well:
129º W Whitesprings old movies
101º W KUIL, 3ABN, Hope Network
.95º W CCTV
.93º W Doc Scott
See my pictures on page 3 of this thread for an example.
Obviously, a 30..36" dish is required for all the rest of the programming, but if this whets your appetite, it serves its purpose

1). LNB = Low Noise Block converter.
It's actually the front end of your satellite receiver.
It converts the Ku-band 12ghz frequency down to a manageable range (1ghz) to pass down the coax to your receiver.
It converts a wide band (block) so it doesn't need to be tuned.

LNBF = LNB with Feedhorn.
Technically, this is what -most- all the Ku LNBs really are.
The term LNB is just short hand or slang for the proper term: LNBF.

The feed horn is located under the white cap on any Dish or DirecTV LNB(F), so it's not visible.
If you had a real LNB with no feedhorn, it'd have a flange to bolt it to the feedhorn.
The feedhorn collects the reflected single from the dish, and funnels it down the throat of the LNB.
Round feedhorns are for use with round dishes; oval feedhorns (and other strange shapes) are for oval dishes.