Newbie to FTA has question on new setup before purchase

[jmcmahon]

Hi,

I'm new to the FTA world,

I'm appalled by Directv and Dish network prices and would rather invest in the best FTA setup possible,
upfront the cost would be high but in the long run it would be cheaper.

A few questions I have:

Is there a motorized option for finding satellites rather than moving the satellite dish by hand?
Do I need multiple receivers to receive different satellites?
Is it possible to pre-program a favorites list on a receiver that might include different channels from different satellites, maybe have the satellite dish
change automatically to the correct satellite?

In peoples opinion, what's the best most versatile receive/satellite dish set up possible? what site would that setup be available from?

I would like to be able to receive all the FTA channels that we would normally see from a Directv /Dish subscription without the monthly fees.

Is it possible to purchase subscriptions directly from HBO, Showtime, Starz, NFL network and so on (you get the idea) and buy a receiver that
is capable of receiving those channels? i'm talking about paid subscriptions to those not hacking them I just would rather pay them directly.

Thanks,

John

 

[FTA4PA]

Hi,

I'm new to the FTA world,

I'm appalled by Directv and Dish network prices and would rather invest in the best FTA setup possible,
upfront the cost would be high but in the long run it would be cheaper.

A few questions I have:

Is there a motorized option for finding satellites rather than moving the satellite dish by hand?
Do I need multiple receivers to receive different satellites?
Is it possible to pre-program a favorites list on a receiver that might include different channels from different satellites, maybe have the satellite dish
change automatically to the correct satellite?

In peoples opinion, what's the best most versatile receive/satellite dish set up possible? what site would that setup be available from?

I would like to be able to receive all the FTA channels that we would normally see from a Directv /Dish subscription without the monthly fees.

Is it possible to purchase subscriptions directly from HBO, Showtime, Starz, NFL network and so on (you get the idea) and buy a receiver that
is capable of receiving those channels? i'm talking about paid subscriptions to those not hacking them I just would rather pay them directly.

Thanks,

John

Welcome to Satellite Guys jmcmahon! The best place to start here is to clarify the difference between FTA and Directv/Dish. There are certainly a large number of channels available via FTA satellite but the majority of them will not be the ones you receive using Directv/Dish. Pay channels like HBO, Starz, etc are not available legally using FTA equipment. Have you looked into what is available with an Orby TV subscrption? They have $40 and $50 packages (all taxes and fees are included with that price) and you will still receive many of the channels you do now as well as having the option to get paid movie channels like HBO, etc. Check them out here.

OrbyTv – Satellite TV

orbytv.com

If you are still interested in FTA please consider going to these sites to see what channels are available.

North & South America - LyngSat (click on each satellite, the channels with a red F in a white box are available FTA)

Satellites - North & South America (click the column marked clear, those are available FTA)

If these channels are of interest to you then you need to decide what type of system you need to receive them. The best FTA setup is subjective based on your likes and dislikes and what your view of the arc is. To get everything that is available motorized ku and c band dishes are generally the way to go as you can move the dishes to any satellite that you can 'see' and watch what is available. This may not be the best choice if you want to watch different channels in different rooms at the same time. In this case it is usually better to set up several stationary dishes on the satellites of most interest to you and feed them to a multiswitch. This allows each receiver to tune any channel that is available on the satellites your dishes are pointed to. Also, keep in mind that most FTA channels do not have guide data so you need to get creative when determining what is on. Here is a website that shows listings for quite a few FTA channels. It is not all inclusive but is still very useful.

http://www.ftalistings.com/

Another option for a guide involves setting up a personalized list on TitanTV.

Sorry for the large amount of info thrown at you but as you can see FTA is not a plug and play type of system. There is quite a bit of set up involved as well as continual work to keep things in order. Even so, it is a great option for tv viewing and once you purchase your equipment there is no monthly cost involved. If you proceed there are many great people here willing to help you along the way.

 

[delta_charlie]

Let me add if you main interest is simply saving sub cost and you have broadband internet you might want to look into Sling TV.

If you want to learn about how satellites work and how to setup to receive them then FTA may be for you.

Orby TV is a good way get many sub channels if you do not have broadband or if you want to save bandwidth.

 

[jmcmahon]

Let me add if you main interest is simply saving sub cost and you have broadband internet you might want to look into Sling TV.

If you want to learn about how satellites work and how to setup to receive them then FTA may be for you.

Orby TV is a good way get many sub channels if you do not have broadband or if you want to save bandwidth.

I was at Satbeams and looking at all the satellites and their degree position and what channels
are on each.

I marked a few I think might work:
AMC 4 at 135 degrees
AMC 11 at 131 degrees
Gakaxy 13 127 degrees w
Galaxy 14 125 degrees w
Galaxy 18123 degrees w
Galaxy 23 121 degrees w
AMSC 1 at 107 degrees
Galaxy 17 at 91 degrees w

I read about a type of dish that can receive multiple satellites at once, and I was told here about using a Multiswitch .

How many satellites can the "oblong or eliptical" dish receive?
If I use a multiswitch, can a receiver be set up to automatically tune to a station on whichever satellite I want as long as my dish tunes it in, this assumes the possibility of needing multiple dishes as well.

I'm in North Dakota, is there a way to see which degree angle a dish or multiple dishes on my roof will see?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, i'm trying to look before I leap

 

[Titanium]

Study the list again.

Transponders with frequencies between 3.xxx - 4.200GHz require a 8-10' dish.

Transponders with frequencies between 10.7-12.2GHz will use a smaller 90cm or larger reflector.

Also, note if the services are encrypted or transmitted in the clear without encryption.

 

[Brct203]

And actually forget about Satbeams for the channel charts. That site is very valuable and mostly accurate for the maps, and is almost worthless for the channel lists. I just looked, and found more wrong information than accurate information. It is mostly a European site, and its lists might be accurate for that region, but for North America, you'll find better info on Lyngsat.com (and that's imperfect too, but a lot less imperfect). Sathint.com is worth checking too. A basic rule of thumb is that if you find a channel listed on one site and not on others, either the info is very new and likely to be true, or it's very old and completely obsolete. Always take it as "maybe it's there but maybe not"

 

[jmcmahon]

I don't know where the frequencies are listed I only have to sat location from satbeams,
this is one link Satbeams - World Of Satellites at your fingertips maybe someone knows where the Frequency is listed?

Thanks

 

[FTA4PA]

I don't know where the frequencies are listed I only have to sat location from satbeams,
this is one link Satbeams - World Of Satellites at your fingertips maybe someone knows where the Frequency is listed?

Thanks

AMC 11 at 111.1W - LyngSat

Only the channels with the red F in the white box are Free To Air.

Full list of NA/SA satellites on Lyngsat is here, click each sat to get to the frequencies/channels:

North & South America - LyngSat