Hi, I'm a newbie from rural northern Michigan. We have a big backyard dish (c-band only) that we have been using for the last 15 years or so with an EchoStar analog receiver. Right now all we have is CNN - of course, that's about all that's left on analog...With the coming digital changeover, we are thinking of buying a digital satellite receiver for the big dish. I am sure you guys have had this question before, (maybe you can steer me toward some FAQs?) but we are wondering just how difficult it is to switch out an old analog receiver for a digital one? How difficult is it to program the first time? It's nearly impossible around here to find someone to come out and do an install, so we'll have to do it ourselves. I'm also wondering if there will be some new (less expensive I hope) digital receivers coming out, since 4DTV will really be 2DTV after February 17th...Any help you can give will be appreciated.
Help Moving to Digital
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although analog satellite is dwindling away don't confuse the digital changeover in Feb with satellite the digital changeover is for OTA ( Over the Air).
a 4dtv is a digital receiver that can take the place of an old analog receiver ( unless you get a 905 sidecar ) although there are some free channels you can get with the 4dtv, most of the time its used for subscriptions ( which are sometimes cheaper than dish or Directv)
there is also a hobby side usually called FTA ( free to Air) this usually involves adding a digital receiver DVB to your existing system and picking up channels listed on the list and also a wide varity of wild feeds.
there are some FAQ's at the top of the page ( in this C-band forum) also search and read about 4dtv's here there are do's and don't you will need to know before you go hunting to buy one.
i've had several 4dtv's and they are nice to use but had my main subscription from directv so i went with the hobby side . you can probably find a used DVB receiver for less than $50 and it will add a whole new world to your c-band dish....
now don't let me discourage you away from 4dtv it is a good way to get subscription programming ... I just didn't need it and mainly wanted to find stuff for free.
I'm sure some of the other guys with more expirence with 4dtv's will jump in and answer questions
switching out receivers isn't very hard and there is a large group of guys here that can walk you through most any setup and situation.
also
to the group
a 4dtv is a digital receiver that can take the place of an old analog receiver ( unless you get a 905 sidecar ) although there are some free channels you can get with the 4dtv, most of the time its used for subscriptions ( which are sometimes cheaper than dish or Directv)
there is also a hobby side usually called FTA ( free to Air) this usually involves adding a digital receiver DVB to your existing system and picking up channels listed on the list and also a wide varity of wild feeds.
there are some FAQ's at the top of the page ( in this C-band forum) also search and read about 4dtv's here there are do's and don't you will need to know before you go hunting to buy one.
i've had several 4dtv's and they are nice to use but had my main subscription from directv so i went with the hobby side . you can probably find a used DVB receiver for less than $50 and it will add a whole new world to your c-band dish....
now don't let me discourage you away from 4dtv it is a good way to get subscription programming ... I just didn't need it and mainly wanted to find stuff for free.
I'm sure some of the other guys with more expirence with 4dtv's will jump in and answer questions
switching out receivers isn't very hard and there is a large group of guys here that can walk you through most any setup and situation.
also
to the group
Hey Backwoods!
you and I are in the same boat (except that I'm in rural Mid-Michigan)
I am currently in the market for a 4dtv receiver and will use it to resurrect my big dish. (bailing on dishnetwork)
I will also be adding an FTA to the mix just for fun. I always thought that was a fun part of C/Ku poking around through the crazy mix of feeds you could find "up there"
Paul...
you and I are in the same boat (except that I'm in rural Mid-Michigan)
I am currently in the market for a 4dtv receiver and will use it to resurrect my big dish. (bailing on dishnetwork)
I will also be adding an FTA to the mix just for fun. I always thought that was a fun part of C/Ku poking around through the crazy mix of feeds you could find "up there"
Paul...
Welcome! read all the FAQ's you can about FTA before jumping in. If you are kinda handy, and don't mind doing the work yourself, this is a very cool hobby. I get local channels from all over the country, from Vermont to Washington state to Puerto Rico and Texas with a small dish array. This is not what the big providers would call "premium" programming, but I get about 60 stations with 7 working dishes and two recievers. Total system cost for my setup is about $400, you can start out much smaller and grow the system if the bug gets you. If you ask around, dishes will begin to rain upon you...mostly for free or a hearty thank you. Thanks to the internet, lnb's and recievers can be hand delivered to your door by an official government employee in just a few days.
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