Newbie Help

[loadmaster]

My wife is from Thailand and we live in Duluth Mn. She heard about some type of satellite where you recieve free signals from Thailand. While doing an internet search, I came to the conclusion that I was dumber than dumb when it comes to this stuff. Each site I visited used so many abbrivations and tach data that I thought Ihad better get some advice or help before I jump into anything

So I am looking for some understandable help. What am I looking for.

Thanks a bunch

 

[skewed]

I sent you a PM.

 

[loadmaster]

Thanks that helped a little. But what I am looking for is where to get started. What do I need to buy, to receive those signals? I have seen all types of units. What type of receiver/dish to I need. As of now, I have no satellite knowledge or equipment. Thanks

 

[skewed]

You will need a FTA reciever, and a 33" dish or bigger and a KU LNB. I suggest that you look at our sponsors page ( sadoun satellites) they sell complete packages in all price ranges. I purchased my dish and motor system from them and I am completely happy with the service and the price. Look at what I sent you for the channels in the language that you want, if they are on more than one satellite then you may want to consider adding a motor to your dish to hit more than one sat at a time.

 

[marco916]

Hey Loadmaster

Hey Loadmaster, what plane are you a Loadmaster on?? C-5 perhaps? You've come to the best place to find your answer, from the West Coast, I don't remember what Sat it was, but one of them I hit was all international with some asian channels from Vietnam, China, I"m not sure about tHailand, but I'm sure it's out there for her.

My wife is from Thailand and we live in Duluth Mn. She heard about some type of satellite where you recieve free signals from Thailand. While doing an internet search, I came to the conclusion that I was dumber than dumb when it comes to this stuff. Each site I visited used so many abbrivations and tach data that I thought Ihad better get some advice or help before I jump into anything

So I am looking for some understandable help. What am I looking for.

Thanks a bunch

 

[concord]

Not sure how up-to-date this is:

FTAList.com - Thai Channel List

 

[loadmaster]

Hey Loadmaster, what plane are you a Loadmaster on?? C-5 perhaps? You've come to the best place to find your answer, from the West Coast, I don't remember what Sat it was, but one of them I hit was all international with some asian channels from Vietnam, China, I"m not sure about tHailand, but I'm sure it's out there for her.

C-141's out of travis and c-130 in the P.I.. Retired Now. I have seen some on the net for around 190. Does this sound about right. I searched thai satellite and that is what I came up with. It seems that channels/signals is not my problem but what equipment do I need and not sure about all the abbrivations on type s of signals/satellites. Thanks

 

[Mr Tony]

My wife is from Thailand and we live in Duluth Mn. She heard about some type of satellite where you recieve free signals from Thailand.
So I am looking for some understandable help. What am I looking for.

Thanks a bunch

Welcome to Satelliteguys from a "former" Duluthian
(lived there for a few years then had to move back to Minneapolis but still get up there a few times a year). Are you in Duluth proper or the surrounding area?

The good news is there are some channels from Thailand on free to air
The better news is they are all on one satellite so you can get by with a fixed dish

Sometimes the picture quality may not be the best as those channels may not put a lot of money into the signal.

From what I have seen these are stations that are in the Thai language

Dhamma Media Channel
Thai TV
Thai Overseas TV
NAT TV
ÅHitz & Health
astvnews1

Radio
94 EFM

What you would need is a 30" dish (36" recommended), a FTA receiver and a KU Band LNB. You would need a good southern view (if you're up on the hill in Duluth then you probably do)

Both Sadoun and SatelliteAV have good deals and are sponsers here. Check out the info and if you have any questions let us know. Otherwise PM me and we can chit chat off line if you want.

 

[Wescopc]

I have installed several dishes in the Portland Oregon area for Thai programing. I would recommend a 90cm (36 inch) dish as a minimum size. The Thai channels are not very strong, so bigger is better for a dish. I would not recommend a motor, you only need to aim at one satellite. You should be able to get a very nice system for under $200.
Bob

 

[loadmaster]

System ordered

Well I did it and ordered a system from Sadoun (great sponsir) I ordered their package No 1, but upgraded to 36" dish.

Have no idea what all the numbers mean but I am sure I will find out. I am also sure that I will be on for guidance and support. Thanks

 

[Mr Tony]

ya picked a good setup and for the extra 20 bucks ya cant go wrong with a larger dish

I am also sure that I will be on for guidance and support

we're here to help
now hopefully we have some good weather for you to install it

by the way. How good is your view dead south? 97W is pretty much dead south for us. Also the lower you can mount the dish the better (but you dont want it to be buried when you get those lake effect snows now)

 

[Buckeye911]

ya picked a good setup and for the extra 20 bucks ya cant go wrong with a larger dish


we're here to help
now hopefully we have some good weather for you to install it

by the way. How good is your view dead south? 97W is pretty much dead south for us. Also the lower you can mount the dish the better (but you dont want it to be buried when you get those lake effect snows now)

+1 on the larger dish. My wife is also from Thailand and I didn't do enough research before I bought a system. I just contacted a local satellite dealer and told him I wanted Thai FTA channels and he bought the equipment and installed it. It's a stationary system with one LNB. It's aimed at Galaxy 19 and has worked pretty well for us but some of the Thai channels have a very narrow range. I have to climb up on the roof every week or two and do some adjusting to keep some of the channels coming in. Here is a list of the Thai channels we get:

TGN (Thai Global Network) - THAI TV GLOBAL NETWORK (TGN)
NAT TV - Nat TV
IPTV Shopping
DMC (Dhamma Media Channel) - Dhamma Media Channel: Buddha Biography, Buddist Teachings, Meditation Technique, Cosmology, Law of Kamma - the Law of Causes and Effects and the truth of life.
News1 (ASTV) - astvnews1 - News1 News Come First

There are some other channels that sometimes have Thai programming and sometimes have Lao programming. These include the following:

ICTV (Indochina TV) - about half Thai and half Lao
Lao Champa - almost all Lao
Lao Star USA - almost all Lao

There is another channel that comes up on the scans (TOTV or Thai Overseas TV) but it went off the air a couple of weeks ago and is now available on a subscription basis over the internet.

Good luck loadmaster, let us know how everything works out for you.

 

[loadmaster]

help

ya picked a good setup and for the extra 20 bucks ya cant go wrong with a larger dish


we're here to help
now hopefully we have some good weather for you to install it

by the way. How good is your view dead south? 97W is pretty much dead south for us. Also the lower you can mount the dish the better (but you dont want it to be buried when you get those lake effect snows now)

Iceberg, Glad I saw your post I had a spot all picked out on the peak of my garage. So some basic placement questions Why as low to the ground as possible How clear of shot do I need to due south (do tree and leaves kill some of your reception/) What should be my max run with the cable Sudan thru in a100ft cable for free? Do power lines/telephone etc effect reception? Will the compass that comes with kit well enough to aim the dish? I found the info for my location degrees etc will I need those also?

Sorry to ask so many Questions but I read horror stories on old forums of people not planning ahead. Thanks

 

[Mr Tony]

Iceberg, Glad I saw your post I had a spot all picked out on the peak of my garage.

garage would work but usually the lower the better

Why as low to the ground as possible

it doesnt have to be on the ground but folks usually have it lower because its easier to aim and also if its in a windy area its better to keep it low. But if its low and in an open area then obviously there is the possible vandalism if you are worried about that. I have one dish on the roof because thats what I originally thought it needed to be. The other 3 are on the deck because its lower and easier to get at if there is ice or snow on the dish.

How clear of shot do I need to due south (do tree and leaves kill some of your reception/)

clear. leaves & trees will KILL reception. For 97W in Duluth the elevation is around 36 degrees (here in Minneapolis its 38) so the best thing to do is check straight south, put your arm out a little lower then 45 degrees and see if there is anything in the area that might block reception.

What should be my max run with the cable Sudan thru in a100ft cable for free?

150 feet I've gone with no issues. Others have gone 200 feet but that is pushing it.

Do power lines/telephone etc effect reception?

telephone lines not really
power lines possibly

Will the compass that comes with kit well enough to aim the dish?

yeah they work pretty good. Just dont be by metal...it will mess up the readings

I found the info for my location degrees etc will I need those also?

I used 55806 for an example and for 97W I get 186 azimuth which is just a smidge west off of center. elevation for the dish is 36 even but beware that some dishes have a bad elevation scale and can be off by a couple degrees.

Sorry to ask so many Questions but I read horror stories on old forums of people not planning ahead. Thanks

dont be sorry. Thats what we're here for. Best to get all the info first so install comes easy

 

[loadmaster]

Now the problems start. Let me ask the big question first. Have dish pointed due south and the evelvation 36o I do have tall trees about 200-300 yards in front of my dish.

After setting it up, I get 41%signal and intermintment 1% quality. I get no channels scanned in. Also both the signal and quality will go to zero for a split second. I must be be doing something wrong. Also, how will the cloudy skies effact the signal. Thanks

I knew this was not going to be an easy deal

 

[Lak7]

Have dish pointed due south and the evelvation 36o I do have tall trees about 200-300 yards in front of my dish.

Shouldn't be a problem.
Though I am a little south of you (Chicago) I have a House 25 feet in front of my dish 2ft off the ground, and I can get my south Sat.

I knew this was not going to be an easy deal

It's not Plug-N-Play. You mentioned that you ordered the No1 Package, Stationary or Motorized?
What do you have entered in the Setup Menu for LNB settings?

 

[glen4cindy]

Now the problems start. Let me ask the big question first. Have dish pointed due south and the evelvation 36o I do have tall trees about 200-300 yards in front of my dish.

After setting it up, I get 41%signal and intermintment 1% quality. I get no channels scanned in. Also both the signal and quality will go to zero for a split second. I must be be doing something wrong. Also, how will the cloudy skies effact the signal. Thanks

I knew this was not going to be an easy deal

You don't exactly want to point your dish due south. You want to point it in the exact direction of your true south satellite. This is the one that is nearest to your longitude. But, since you are not installing a motor, you will not need to line up on true south to begin, you can point directly to 97 W. This should be about 187 degrees. You dish elevation scale might be a few degrees off, so while 36 is correct, it may need to raise it a few degrees as you sweep side to side.

You need to make sure that you are tuned to a live transponder on your dish setup screen. Not every transponder listed in the table will not be a live transponder. Check with Lyngsat or TheList to find a live transponder.

The 40% that you are seeing is just noise. What you want to see the most is quality, this means you are sucessfully pointed in the right direction.

 

[Mr Tony]

OK. Now if all you changed on the order was the dish size, you should have the stock system which has a universal LNB.
Make sure the LNB cable is attched to the "sat in" slot on the back (might be listed as LNB in)

Turn on receiver and lets make sure everything is set up right

-press "menu"
-antenna setup
-select IA5 Ku 97W (should be on there)
-LNB type is Universal
-positioner is OFF or disable
-transponder should scroll to either "12177 V 23000" or "12152 H 22000"
-0/22k should be greyed out and auto
-switch and imput are set to "none"

now that we got the menus set, the elevation on Fortec dishes (from past experience) has been off in some cases so it may not be exactly at 36. Aim dish dead south (hopefully you can see the screen from the receiver...its easier to tune that way then having someone holler) and SLOWLY move dish west a little bit. KU Band takes more time to think then DBS satellites (Dish & Direct). Dont worry about signal strength, its QUALITY that matters.

If you move it west and dont get anything, slowly move back east. Try raising the elevation on the dish a degree and repeat.

Another option is to use the "aim and scan" technique. Aim it around 186 azimuth and hit the "PScan" button on the remote. What that does is scans the active transponders whereever you are and will load the channels in. You may not be on 97 but with satellites at 91,93,95,99,101 etc you're bound to lock on SOMETHING. Then we can go from there on where to move the dish.

(on a side note I'm kinda shocked you got the order already)

Dont let it get to you. You'll get it soon. PM me if you have some other issues and I might be able to help solve them

 

[loadmaster]

Forgot to add last night that I removed the dish from the mount and had my helper walk around the pointing the dish by hand and the settings never changed could be pointing down up east west still 40 signal st. 0 quality. Will make sure all the settings as you indicated. Yes I have Rec and tv close to dish.

Was happy to receive the dish that fast I just wish they would have included the instructions and the cable. Figured out the dish assy, but had to make a trip to Radio Shack for cable

 

[loadmaster]

Do I still want to find IA5-KU-97W even if I am trying to get Galaxy 19/25