How long have you had C band ?

[tvropro]

Was watching some old C band video tape footage and it made me want to post this to get some input. How many years have you been in C band and what receivers have you had over the years?

I started in 1987 and my first receiver was a Uniden UST-9900, then got a Chaparral Monterey 50, then a Motorola DSR 922, then the Pansat 2700A. The last two I use today.

 

[eurosport]

I first got C-band in 1991 ,after I moved from the northeast to Florida. My first receiver was also a Uniden UST-9900. I had a 12ft dish then, that was hell on actuators! After that (about 1998) I got the 10 footer that I still have today. I used a Drake ESR-1224 receiver with it, then got the Toshiba TRX-120, that still moves it today! It sat idle from 2005, to about 2007 when I fired it back up FTA style!

 

[dfergie]

Around 1983, my boss had one and got me interested, first receiver was a Sat Tec, second was also (lightning) third was a GI 2400... I had already added a standalone VCII before I got the IRD...Have a Uniden 4200? now...

 

[rv1pop]

I got involved with C band in 1986, but I did not do alignment or tuning. I was just a grunt at TBN Tacoma- Seattle. I ran cables and heliax and set up some wave guide for the dishes and microwave links.

I got into FTA in 2007 to get TBN and Daystar, thus I went with Glorystar system. I have quite a bit of C band equipment, right now, but none working yet.

 

[Inno]

Got my first one in about 1990 or 91. It was a Star Trak 6' dish which I still have, a Drake ESR(can't remember the rest of the model #) and separate positioner, Drake LNA and block downconverter. The electronics were given to me by a friend of the family from his old system when he upgraded. I bought the dish, mount, actuator and cable from a local dealer. I subscribed to Cancom (Canadian subscriber service which used the Oak Orion encryption I believe) for awhile but mostly used it for wild feeds etc.
I was 18-19 at the time and very much into electronics (still am) and just reading the manual I got with the dish and feedhorn I was able to get it all going.
The LNA and downconverter were hit by lightning which rendered the receiver useless (or vice versa I can't recall) as they were a matched set.........or at least that was my understanding at the time and I found something else to use.

 

[Mr Tony]

When my dad & aunt bought the cabin up in Northern MN there was a 5 foot fixed (G5) dish and Realistic C-Band receiver with about 6 months of programming left on it...used that until the dish fell in the lake (the lake eroded away the lakeshore for so many years)...junked the dish

got C-Band at the house 3 years ago this March
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/58683-got-c-band-dish-now-some-questions.html

 

[phlatwound]

Since 1995, with a Toshiba TRX-1820, still using it.

 

[ACRadio]

I live in an OTA vacuum so I spent a lot of my childhood with various OTA antennas and learning how they worked...one channel just wasn't enough. I got into satellite TV in 1979 after seeing an 8 ball dish system work (14 ft redwood frame dish with LNA and horn feed mounted on a camera tripod). When I saw those pictures I had to know everything about it and in 1980 became a tech fixing systems that the fly by night dealers couldn't service. Because this area was territory that was only good for 1 or 2 channels at best, satellite system sales took off like a rocket. For many years I would take installs of used systems that the local dealers didn't want to do or wouldn't be profitable to them. After an on-the-job accident and a short stint as a TV/sat/VCR tech for a local dealer, I opened my own business in 1990 selling Drake receivers (or what anybody wanted..I could get anything) and mainly Odom dishes, servicing anything, and repairing TV/VCR's. After a period of declining health starting in 1997 I was able to slow down a bit and begin to enjoy digital receivers and with a little help from my friends started building a dish farm. I remarried in 2005 so I had to build a new dish farm which is still under construction today.

The amount of receivers that I have worked with is way too numerous to mention, but I guess my favorite was an STS MBS-SR Block I got back in 1984...it was my first block receiver. I had it working with a KaulTronics (KTI) Trans 10 dish and a SpaceVision LNB. It had a 27 Mhz wide video bandwidth, all stereo audio modes, and a fully tunable micropressor. It had a 130 Mhz IF (most everything else was 70 Mhz) so it was easy to get it working with analog SCPC and other hidden signals, including long distance telephone... I had a ball with that receiver.

 

[Gray1]

I believe it was in the early 90's. Had a Huston Tracker V and Orbitron C-10. HT V died on me and I went to the dark side. About a year ago I started back with C-band again.

 

[Lynskyn]

I bought my first C-Band system in 1985, right before HBO scrambled - 8.5' Raydx dish and a Drake 424 receiver/positioner set. Got a standalone VC2 in 1986, then went to a Chaparral Sierra II, then a Chaparral Sierra III IRD,
then Chaparral Monterey 50, then a GI 920 4DTV, and finally a Motorola DSR-922 and a Pansat 9200HD. Also had several dishes - Orbitron 12', Unimesh 12' perf, Unimesh 10' perf, and finally a Paraclipse 7.5' hydroform.
After playing with the first system in 1985, I was hooked and started a satellite/home theater business that went from 1988-1999. I sold mainly C-band and C/Ku systems. After the pizza-sized dishes came out in about '94, the C-Band business started dying. By the late 90's, it just wasn't fun any more and there was no real money in it because of all the hoops you had to jump through with the DBS providers. Anyway, I still love the hobby.

 

[turbosat]

early days

I think it was 1986 or 87, I know it was about the time the last of the movie channels bought into scrambling, the last to go I think, was a long-gone channel called SelecTV, bought my first stand alone VC from them. Had a simple 5' dish that stood on a ring in the yard, called the Little Wil system, tunable receiver that used to drift off the freq right in the middle of a good movie lol. Lightning eventually got it and homeowners insurance bought me a new box, from a nice guy named Bob Heil of Heil Sound (Chicago?) ...Echostar, Echosphere I forget, SRD3000 my first real IRD. Then in the beginning of the 87-88 hockey season I discovered hockey on CBC. and NESN of course. My fav sport of all time, caused by my favorite hobby so far. I've wondered if it hadn't been for c-band satellite backhauls and free sports channels (then) if I ever would've developed any interest in ice hockey, being from Alabama lol.
Had a ton of receivers since then, Unidens like the first poster, the 9900, still got it, stored for now. First lna I think was a 120degree, with downconverter on a Janeil BCR5000, still got the Janeil too. Had hail, lightning, ran my first 10' dish down on a ladder and ruined it, I think I've done just about everything wrong at least once, but it's been a great hobby. Kept me off the streets at least ,haha.

 

[skysurfer]

i've been into c/ku band since 1989 and was one of the first hobbyists to check out FTA digital signals when a dealer brought over a receiver to North America to check things out and then eventually sold me the receiver.

 

[jbmiller]

i started in 1996 with a 7.5 foot dish it came with a toshiba receiver then i got ku for it then i went from analog to a 4dtv and a 10 foot kti dish and the 4dtv was slaved to a pansat mpeg2 receiver.install a 3abn dish system for their channels and another 36 inch for pastor scott when he went to ku as well.
but now i live in am apartment and have a old 18"inch dishnetwork dish and 311 dish
receiver fer nasa on 119 and the glorystar system for galaxy 19 and amc4 satellites. i missed the tvro radio shows like friday nite live
john

 

[DK_Sat]

I first got C-band in 1990 , My first Dish was a 8 foot Orbitron with C-KU feed and a Uniden UST-9000.receiver good all times.

 

[Lak7]

Started on a very hot June day after work in 2007, found a nice setup with a 4DTV 920 on Craigslist. Then added a VBox and Diamond 9000. I already had a Motorized Ku system for a few years.

 

[dunnsept]

There was a C-band setup at the house I bought in 1998. 9' mesh dish, Toshiba TRX-80 receiver. Used that for about 5 years until wife decided she wanted Food Network. Couldn't afford to buy a 4dtv at the time so we jumped ship (out of the frying pan and into the fire) to DN.
Gave them the boot about 2 months ago. Still using that same 9' mesh dish, with a DSR922 and Pansat 2500a

 

[tvropro]

Wanted to add Im on my second c band dish. My first one from 1987 to 1989 was a Tee Comm Alpha 10 with a Chaparral polorotor, a 65 deg gasfet lnb and an 18" Von Weise jack. I changed the LNB to a 55 gasfet then a 38 deg hemt all Tee Comm in the first 2 years trying to improve the weak satellites. Then in 1989 I decided I needed better signals from the old f3 and f4 so I got the Unimesh 12XL (current dish) a 40 degree Cal Amp commercial hemt LNB (which put the Tee Comm's to shame) the National ADL RP1C feed a 24 Thompson Saginaw jack that just died and was replaced by a Moteck QARL 3624. In 1989 I got a VideoPal for free from from GI to try out there new PPV services, and upgraded from the VC-2 (0185) to VC-2+ (029) in 1990.

I was going to add ku or put up a second 6 foot dish for ku back in the early 90's but never did. I finally added Ku in 2006 when I wanted to see G-16 (X4) for my 4DTV with a old Primestar 90cm (which now is trying it's best for the RTN feed's on AMC-9). After that I added the 84cm ADTH for G-10 and the second LNBF for G-27.

This hobby has brought so much enjoyment to me over the years but after looking at old Tech Talk tapes I recorded from the Sky store in the late 80's I realized how much things have changed and kind of saddens me how the Programmers, LSD and Cable cartels have put the wrench to us in the past few years to try to destroy the 4DTV and access to subscription channels.

I don't know what the future holds for subscription services and c band but there will always be something to look at on C and ku band with the right equipment. Im a die hard and in it for the long haul

 

[cbandjerk]

My first dish was a 8ft solid with c lnb and the receiver was a uniden ca 1999. I don't know the make of the dish but still using it today. My present receiver is an analog zenith 2500 and I an actively looking for a 4DTV. I've been researching the battery problems
with the 4DTV receivers and it sounds a little scary but still want one.

Never would consider a pizza dish but would like to get some tv to watch besides
pbs

 

[tvropro]

I an actively looking for a 4DTV. I've been researching the battery problems
with the 4DTV receivers and it sounds a little scary but still want one.

As long as the unit ID is intact when you get a used 4dtv you can swap the battery and be good for quite some time. There is nothing to be scared about. If your not up to doing it yourself you can always send it to ATS to get done.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I got my first system about 4 months before HBO scrambled.
I got a 12' dish which was made by a company that had a name like Evergreen or Forest or something to do with trees. It was a nice one. My receiver was a Chaparral Sierra II with a state of the art 120° LNB. The system cost $2000 back then. It worked very well and on some of the hotter channels I got sparklies because it was over driven. I had to put an attenuator in the line to control it.