Newbie here

[Kris Marsh]

My husband has been trying to convince me to do this for quite a while now. I've done some research and am very interested in a Sonicview 360 Premier for $139. Seems like a good deal, seems like everything we need.

My question is: what do you all think? I'm scared to spend money on something only to find out it's crap.

Please advise.

 

[Mr Tony]

welcome

what other equipment do you already have?
(Dish size, motor, LNB type, etc)...is it for a fixed system or motorized?

 

[Kris Marsh]

For fear of sounding like a true blonde!!!! We have nothing, but know a guy that can sell us the dish and install it for about $150. As far as fix or motorized - I don't even know what that means.....

 

[Anole]

Not a problem.
Everyone is new here some time.
We can educate you as much or as little as you like.

What satellites or what programming are you trying to get?
Also, what attracted you to the Sonicview 360 Premier?

 

[Kris Marsh]

I have no idea what satellites or programs I'm trying to get. The guys willing to hook me up has that information.
I would have to say, I like the Sonicview 360 Premier because it has parental locks, allows for SDR (recording) and it's relatively cheap ($139.)
Are those crazy reasons?
I really feel blind on this topic. Sorry for sounding so dumb.

 

[Fizbi]

I have no idea what satellites or programs I'm trying to get. The guys willing to hook me up has that information.
I would have to say, I like the Sonicview 360 Premier because it has parental locks, allows for SDR (recording) and it's relatively cheap ($139.)
Are those crazy reasons?
I really feel blind on this topic. Sorry for sounding so dumb.

Welcome Kris!

You are not dumb.

I have a family with two boys and we all like to watch Montana PBS.
In case you didn't know, it features a full range of shows for all ages of children through teens. That can be found at 125W.

At 123W, you can find satellite Galaxy 18 and has educational shows up through college level. In addition, there is a learning channel geared towards training precollege courses.

At 97W, you can find excellent documentary travel and animal type shows on Ebru TV.

Then, there is NASA on 119W. Chocked full of educational content aimed at children and adults alike.

Last but not least, many spirtual channels too numerous to list.

See http://www.ftalist.com/ for a complete list of what's available.

 

[Mr Tony]

have the "guys" pop in and let us know what they are trying to do...because a newbie getting just a receiver and no new dish etc....hmmm..........

 

[Cadsulfide]

Look at Sadoun's motorized starter pack, a good deal for the money. A little tricky to set up , but well worth the effort.

 

[AudioFox]

For fear of sounding like a true blonde!!!! We have nothing, but know a guy that can sell us the dish and install it for about $150. As far as fix or motorized - I don't even know what that means.....

Motorized. One thing that seems to shock people about this hobby is just how many satellites there are. You can have a fixed dish permanantly pointed at one satellite, or you can have a motorized dish that can point itself automatically at any satellite in the sky.

If you don't know what programming you want, there is a list of all of the satellites currently orbiting America at LyngSat. The satellites coded green are the ones you can pick up with a small dish, the ones coded yellow also have some signals for small dishes, just scroll down until it says "Ku" in the "Beam" column. Some worth checking out are Galaxy 25 and Galaxy 18. TV channels are listed in bold, every channel that has a light tan colored background is free to air, everything else is scrambled.

As for what to buy, I agree with Cadsulfide. Sadoun's Motorized FTA Bundle includes just about everything you need to set up a system for $245.

 

[rv1pop]

I would tell my 4 daugthers (all blonds) to tell me more of what they want to do before they spend any money on what some "guy" wants to sell them... "Gentlemen" prefer blonds - there are easy to fleece. (Debbi said that!)
As is said in many place on this site, FTA is not "captured subscription" service.
Let us know the programs/ channels you are looking to watch and we will help you know the right questions and therefore the right answers.

To answer your question, the way I would answer my girls, "No, at least not yet. That might be like buying a 20 Ton side dump gravel truck to go to the grocery store to get a dozen eggs!"