I'd suggest that you budget for both a receiver and a serviceable FTA dish. Starting with a marginal setup may bring more frustration than satisfaction.
OTHER Question about using a Directv Satellite Dish with a FTA reciever.
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Couldn't agree more; you may end up spending more money experimenting than by starting out with proven, quality equipment.
I went through several different receivers before settling on the best of the best- the Amiko HD.265 and the Edision OS MIO 4K.
For a budget receiver, I can also recommend the GTMedia V8 Nova blue model. I use it pretty much as a dedicated audio receiver to stream music to my office.
Really, the minimum size dish required for any C-band services is 1.2m
I've been able to snag a couple of feeds on 91 using a 90cm, but I'm in the "sweet spot" of the footprint.
The reliable minimum size is perhaps more than twice that size.
I finally got the reciever (A GTMedia Nova V8 reciever.) today & the LNB & gearties within the past 4 days, & tried it out today. I was only able to get the reciever to register a weak signal (Between 49 to 72 signal strength.). I think the signal may be weak due to not being able to get the dish beyond 5ft off of the ground (I was using a clothesline stand & approximately a 5ft long PVC pipe.) a few buildings close by & also maybe a bad cable (When I tried removing a kink from the cable, I heard a crackling noise.), Also, the dish & LNB may not be aligned right, as well. I will try to see if I can move the dish & replace the cable tomorrow.
I tried playing around with the satellite & receiver some more this afternoon with a much shorter cable & a old 13" TV I have that I had setup near the satellite dish. After putting in the information for Galaxy 19 into the reciever, I was able to get the receiver to detect five of the Galaxy 19 transponders & for the first time, the receiver did detect something on one of the transponders, but the signal was too weak (After this happened, the TV I was using started acting up, possibly due to having some moisture in it, so I had to go look for another small TV.). I think I may need to move the dish to another location.
Depends on which channels he wants- he lives near me and I can get everything on 91 and many channels on other satellites. This region is sort of a "sweet spot" for satellite footprints.
I've tried moving the dish to another location & it still won't get above 91% signal intensity on Galaxy 19. I've also tried Galaxy 17 with no success.
This is the LNB I am using.
SatMaximum
Single
Model:SM 2010-01
Part No.:300101
N/F:0.1 dB
Input:10,7-12,75 GHz
L.O.:9,75/10,60 GHz
SN: 41160-0512-
This is the LNB I am using.
SatMaximum
Single
Model:SM 2010-01
Part No.:300101
N/F:0.1 dB
Input:10,7-12,75 GHz
L.O.:9,75/10,60 GHz
SN: 41160-0512-
Pay no attention to Signal Intensity meter reading when aiming the dish. That meter reading only indicates that you are connected to a LNBF that is powered on. It does not indicate you are pointed at a satellite. You could point the dish at the ground and get a signal intensity meter reading.
Pay attention only to the Signal Quality meter reading. This SQ meter reading will indicate when you are pointed at a satellite if:
1. The LNBF skew rotation is properly set for the target satellite. See www.dishpointer.com
2 You have selected an active transponder from the transponder list for the target satellite that you are trying to locate. See www.sathint.com for a list of active transponders for each satellite.
3. Have the correct LNB type and LO frequency set properly in the receiver's install menu for the target satellite. See the specs for the LNBF.
Your LNBF is a universal LNB type. The lnb LO setting in your meter must be set for Universal with LO 9750 / 10600.
Pay attention only to the Signal Quality meter reading. This SQ meter reading will indicate when you are pointed at a satellite if:
1. The LNBF skew rotation is properly set for the target satellite. See www.dishpointer.com
2 You have selected an active transponder from the transponder list for the target satellite that you are trying to locate. See www.sathint.com for a list of active transponders for each satellite.
3. Have the correct LNB type and LO frequency set properly in the receiver's install menu for the target satellite. See the specs for the LNBF.
Your LNBF is a universal LNB type. The lnb LO setting in your meter must be set for Universal with LO 9750 / 10600.
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I think the link above for sathit.com needs the "n" added to the address to make it sathint.com.
