How long have you had your FTA setup?
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I've had an operational FTA system since April of this year. Before January of this year, I had no idea that there were free-to-air digital signals available on Ku. I thought that the only two signals up there for anything other than a BUD were D* and E*.
Back in the late 80s, I collected some BUD parts and intended to put up a dish for analog C-band. I never got around to it, mostly due to dish size issues. I still have those parts, and may someday complete a BUD project afterall.
Back in the late 80s, I collected some BUD parts and intended to put up a dish for analog C-band. I never got around to it, mostly due to dish size issues. I still have those parts, and may someday complete a BUD project afterall.
This year, just getting started, but I have been doing OTA HD stuff for a few now. That is the ticket.. By the way truly enjoy getting the wild stuff.. Seems like your seeing something no one else can.. 
I started looking into FTA last October after becoming increasing irritated with Dtvs prices (had them for 5 years). Someone was offering a BUD for free in the local paper, after finding this site and reading every post on it I picked up the BUD (c band only at that point) and planted it.
Since then i have upgraded the BUD to c / ku capability, picked up a better reciever, mounted a 76 cm winegard and a 40" p* dish, repointed my 18" dish to that audio satellite, and run LOTS of rg6 cable.
FTA is so addictive it should carry a warning label on every reciever
Since then i have upgraded the BUD to c / ku capability, picked up a better reciever, mounted a 76 cm winegard and a 40" p* dish, repointed my 18" dish to that audio satellite, and run LOTS of rg6 cable.
FTA is so addictive it should carry a warning label on every reciever
Realization doesnt help with this addiction, you are doomedquestic said:I am starting to realize I have a problem.
Isn't that the first step?
Just like any other junkie your habit is going to get larger, soon you will need a 10 metre dish to appease your addiction.............Almost one year. Last August I got the Dishnetwork "Super Dish" to get the Sioux City locals, and the installer insisted on putting it on a new pole. So I replaced the Dish 500 on the old pole with a Winegard 76cm and hooked up a Pansat 2500.
That was followed by some frustration... a lot of learning on this board... and even more fun!
That was followed by some frustration... a lot of learning on this board... and even more fun!
Sorry to bring up this thread that's going on 2 weeks old, but... I didn't think this really deserved its own thread.
I just realized, today (well, technically last night) marks the completion of my 1st year in the FTA hobby. A year ago last night I caught my first FTA space beam, specifically PBS Kids off AMC-3. I wasn't too upset when there was no audio (being AC3) on that channel because I got audio on some of the other channels on that bird afterward. Then I was able to check out many other sats that night as mentioned in my celebratory post here: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showpost.php?p=183677&postcount=41
ok, as you were...
I just realized, today (well, technically last night) marks the completion of my 1st year in the FTA hobby. A year ago last night I caught my first FTA space beam, specifically PBS Kids off AMC-3. I wasn't too upset when there was no audio (being AC3) on that channel because I got audio on some of the other channels on that bird afterward. Then I was able to check out many other sats that night as mentioned in my celebratory post here: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showpost.php?p=183677&postcount=41
ok, as you were...I voted less than a month before realizing C-Band was included. C-Band BUD with Ku I have had for over 10 years. I wanted a big dish for many years but it was my brother finally got me started "by accident". He bought a bunch of satellite stuff in a garage sale for me in the summer of 1994. One of those items was a brand new, never used Drake ESR 324. It was "old" even back then. The LNA and BC he got with the pile of parts were separate items, not even an LNB! But I had no dish. I tried buying a dish from satellite stores but they didn't want to sell used UNLESS they installed it. A few weeks later my other brother found someone selling two dishes but no receivers. He just wanted them off his Christmas tree farm and I was the first to inquire about them. So I lucked out. Pulled them down, cleaned them up and installed one, sold the other. I still have one of those (Winegard 10') dishes. (Planted the pole a week before Labor Day weekend and installed the dish Labor Day weekend.) My friend still has the other. My positioner box was all "manual" with no indicator except looking out the window or watching the satellite TP as the dish passed by. I built it using a project box, DPDT Center Off switch, bridge rectifier, transformer, line cord and terminal strip. All parts except for the transformer came form American Science and Surplus. (Any Amer Sci fans out there?) If you want to talk about a "true" scrounged system, mine certainly was.
I can still remember the first image I ever saw using this receiver and dish. It was a still image of a photo finish at a race track. It was blind luck that I managed to have the dish pointed dead on a satellite and have the tuner on an active transponder. I just turned the monitor and receiver on and there was two horses at a photo finish. It was so interesting finding all the free channels that were available back then but no longer exist, even for subscription on cable.
Does anyone remember a short lived TV show called "Weird TV" with the "Space Bass Medicine Hour"? It was on Galaxy 7 TP10 on Saturday nights the summer and fall of 1994. At that time it was ONLY on C-Band satellite. How about The B-Movie Channel? I still remember watching the launch of "The Fox Movie Channel". It was Halloween night and their first movie was the "Rocky Horror" show. How about Ollie? I believe that was his name. This was the Egyptian guy that sold C-Band satellite equipment and had a woman (his daughter?) that would work with him. It was many times live and he would take phone calls and give repair tips on the air. If I recall it was the "High Tech Channel" that he called his show. (If anyone can correct me about this guy or remember his name, please post.)
Then there were the Canadian, CBC and CTV channels. And Much Music.
Can anyone tell me what ever happened to:
Channel America
America One
Network One (this was on F1/TP 11 for a long time and was the "Girls Gone Wild" network.)
America Independent Network
MOR Music
Nostalgia (did this become Hallmark?)
FamilyNet
Z Music
The Box
BASSET BINGO
And, of course, all the "temporary" networks that popped up from time to time. Does anyone recall the Science Fiction (and I'm not talking the SciFi Channel) network that would only be on Friday nights? Most of the time this transponder was "paid programming" but on Fridays they would show the low end (sometimes lower than B level) SciFi movies. There was also a "Western" channel (not STARZ) for a short time that showed very old westerns.
Also, the huge listings of "wild feeds" that used to be available.
I can still remember the first image I ever saw using this receiver and dish. It was a still image of a photo finish at a race track. It was blind luck that I managed to have the dish pointed dead on a satellite and have the tuner on an active transponder. I just turned the monitor and receiver on and there was two horses at a photo finish. It was so interesting finding all the free channels that were available back then but no longer exist, even for subscription on cable.
Does anyone remember a short lived TV show called "Weird TV" with the "Space Bass Medicine Hour"? It was on Galaxy 7 TP10 on Saturday nights the summer and fall of 1994. At that time it was ONLY on C-Band satellite. How about The B-Movie Channel? I still remember watching the launch of "The Fox Movie Channel". It was Halloween night and their first movie was the "Rocky Horror" show. How about Ollie? I believe that was his name. This was the Egyptian guy that sold C-Band satellite equipment and had a woman (his daughter?) that would work with him. It was many times live and he would take phone calls and give repair tips on the air. If I recall it was the "High Tech Channel" that he called his show. (If anyone can correct me about this guy or remember his name, please post.)
Then there were the Canadian, CBC and CTV channels. And Much Music.
Can anyone tell me what ever happened to:
Channel America
America One
Network One (this was on F1/TP 11 for a long time and was the "Girls Gone Wild" network.)
America Independent Network
MOR Music
Nostalgia (did this become Hallmark?)
FamilyNet
Z Music
The Box
BASSET BINGO
And, of course, all the "temporary" networks that popped up from time to time. Does anyone recall the Science Fiction (and I'm not talking the SciFi Channel) network that would only be on Friday nights? Most of the time this transponder was "paid programming" but on Fridays they would show the low end (sometimes lower than B level) SciFi movies. There was also a "Western" channel (not STARZ) for a short time that showed very old westerns.
Also, the huge listings of "wild feeds" that used to be available.
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