Making the switch to Ku FTA

[turbotoy]

Hello, I'm new here, but not new to satellite. I have a 7.5' Perfect 10 C-band dish that I bought/installed when I was 14 years old back in '94. 4-5 years back the actuator died, I had 0 time on my hands, and I went to DirecTV. I recently had a friends father ask if I wanted his 12' Paraclipse classic which got me thinking.. I came upon a free actuator a while back and just got the Perfect 10 up and running on a Drake ESR 1824 again. I was amazed - C-Band analog is DEAD!

Well, I'm about to move into a new house I just built, and I'm trying to decide what to do for TV. The reality is, I don't watch all that much, and I miss the fun of playing around with feeds. I'm sick of paying $80 a month for lots of channels I don't watch. So I've been reading around and want to setup a Ku FTA system. It seems like the channels available FTA on C-band don't justify setting up a BUD at my new house (for me anyway). From what I have been reading, these new Ku systems should be a piece of cake to install for someone who has installed/aligned many C-band dishes.

So here is what I'm planning, and some questions. I would greatly appreciate feedback and recommendations from folks here, as I want to buy quality the first time.

36" Fortec dish (will be pole mounted about 200' away from the house for a better shot at the lower birds)
SG2100 motor
Invacom Quad LNB
Sonicview 360 premier receiver

Looks like ~$360 shipped for everything. I can't believe how cheap all this gear is!

- Will a 36" dish be sufficient for upstate NY? It seems if you go beyond 36" shipping gets expensive quick. However, I don't want to kick myself for going too small the first time!

- Any thoughts on a better receiver? I've heard discussion about the ability to scan one bird, automatically go to the next bird, etc, and that sounds like an awesome feature - start it and let it go all night. However, I haven't been able to identify the receivers with this feature. I do want a receiver that has the option to add recording capability like the Sonicview has. I've gotten too used to my DirecTV Tivo...

I appreciate the help!

 

[Fizbi]

36" Fortec dish (will be pole mounted about 200' away from the house for a better shot at the lower birds)
SG2100 motor
Invacom Quad LNB
Sonicview 360 premier receiver

Welcome to FTA.

I know many folks here will have better answers for you but I can tell you I have your same motor and LNB. Both work well. I have the Coolsat5000 receiver. If I want to blind scan the entire arc, it does it very well. Jumps from bird to bird and it doesn't take all night.

- Will a 36" dish be sufficient for upstate NY? It seems if you go beyond 36" shipping gets expensive quick. However, I don't want to kick myself for going too small the first time!

Your system should work well with a 36" dish.

You gotta start somewhere. Your Sonicview should work quite well.

 

[Anole]

You haven't made any bad decisions on equipment, that I can see.
You've picked the Chevy/Ford/Toyota/Honda of equipment.

I find that LNB overkill, but that's just a personal call.
I might not say that if I had one.

The dish is good (I have one).
Also have the GeoSatPro 90cm which has three LNB support struts, but again, that's a personal call.
One of our Gold Sponsors, Brian of SatelliteAV, has an eBay deal on the dish with a regular LNB.

Have very little info on that receiver, as it is so new.

If you are disposing of your old BUDs, post a few pictures, and maybe someone will go take care of 'em for you.
Always happy to find a BUD a new home.

 

[Larobpra]

The 36" dish should work fine as others have said. I am using a 36" dish and I am "North of Upstate NY".

 

[Tron]

There might not be too much of interest in the analog department, but there are tons of good digital channels up there, both on Ku and on C. I would not get rid of the BUD, your digital receiver will work fine for digital C-Band. Only issue is that you'd either have to move the dish with your old analog receiver or use something like a V-Box or G-Box to translate the DiSEqC motor commands from the digital receiver.

 

[FTABman0]

Hello, I'm new here, but not new to satellite.

To the Satellite Guys!

I have a 7.5' Perfect 10 C-band dish that I bought/installed when I was 14 years old back in '94. …….I was amazed - C-Band analog is DEAD!

I would keep a hold of the BUD! Full compatible with the new receiver you’re getting and will make a great addition to the system even if you have to point at one satellite temporary until you get the motor fixed! There are things on the c-band side still interesting enough for you to keep it. Find what’s up there on C-Band by going to THE LIST here on the Satellite Guys!

36" Fortec dish (will be pole mounted about 200' away from the house for a better shot at the lower birds)
SG2100 motor
Invacom Quad LNB
Sonicview 360 premier receiver

36" Fortec dish - Great Choice! My Next One Is Going To Be The 90CM Fortec!
SG2100 This DiSEqC motor - Had Mine For Over 3 Years, Still Going Strong!
Invacom Quad LNB - 3 Year Owner, You Got The Cadillac Of LNB's! Great Choice!
Sonicview 360 premier - Hear They Are A Great Starter STB! USB Is The Way To Go!

I know you’re not new to satellite in general but you know, we all pondered the thought "what would we have started with" receiver wise with the knowledge we have now. If I had to get a good STB to start with going into the hobby “a newbie” again knowing what I know now

.....Hmmm.....

Conaxsat's is a great STB.
Any STB in the Pansat family.
Newer Coolsat's would be a good choice.
Maybe Viewsat, I Loved the 9000 HD I set up for my brother awhile back!
When I started, I am still using all the gear I bought as a newbie minus the Fortec Star Lifetime Classic NA. It is hooked to the spare LNB Invacom outputs on my Invacom Quad inside my out building! It still is a great STB but the scanning is a bit slow! OK, it is a snail!

I am a proud owner of a shiny new Fortec Star Dynamic, It came with a bad remote so I have not had a chance to play with it yet until a new remote comes to replace it! Built better than the NA it is here teasing me now! I can’t say yet it is better than the Mercury II (the Dynamic replaced the Merc II) until I have a chance to get her some channels in it’s memory, we will see!

Guess it is all preference!

Looks like ~$360 shipped for everything. I can't believe how cheap all this gear is!

That is about right for price BUT shipping included! Great Deal! :up
Might want to check out Sadouns Motor Special! *Gold Sponcer plug insert!*
Brian at SatelliteAV has great deals too! *Gold Sponcer plug insert #2!*

I think yes for where you are, you will be just fine with this little set up! :up

Be sure to come back to this post after you up and running and hit us all up with new installation pictures! We would love to see them!

Kevin

 

[turbotoy]

Thanks for all the comments!

I figured you folks would say keep the BUD. I forgot to mention, the 7.5' perfect 10 got in a big fight with a hail storm, and got all dinged up. Dr. Gene Scott and some other feeds I found were still coming in loud and clear the other day though. A couple hours with a body hammer and it would probably be back to decent condition. I've heard C-Band DVB on a 7.5' dish can be a little tricky though. I have a Norsat 13' LNB, so that's about as good as it gets. I remember drooling over that 12' Paraclipse way back when, and I would love to have it in my back yard. Obviously moving and setting up that dish would be a much bigger task than moving the 7.5' Perfect 10.

My real question is, what DVB programming is available that will make it worth the hassle? I see some more NASA channels, then IF I could get Intelsat 805C all the BBC channels. I would consider it worth it for the BBC, however if I remember right that's horizon to horizon territory.

I think I still have a Uniden UST-9000 with a fried RF section lying around that would be ideal for dish moving (along with about 5 other IRDs). My first receiver that I eventually used with a standalone VCII box. I loved that receiver! No menus, everything you needed was lit up with good old fashion LEDs on the front panel, and there was a button for everything on the unit! I also could get a GI 2400 that was the match to the Paraclipse. However I just looked and the DiSEqC boxes are so cheap that's probably the way to go. Or, I would just end up with a 4DTV unit and call it a day

Is there any DVB receiver that stands out in picture quality above the others? They all seem so cheap, well, except for the HD units.

It's funny, back 10 years ago I always thought of Pansat as the cheapest of the cheap, now they appear to be the high priced units! (no disrespect to Pansat users intended)