I am new to satellites. I have a 7.5' Echostar mesh BUD. It came with the house. Hadn't done much with it since moving in. Got curious, figured out how to hook up original Echostar 600 receiver, (w/out remote). Satellite still moves fully from east to west. Receiver still programed w/old satellites. I have since found all the remaining analog stations, thanks to reading post on this site btw! But all I can control is satellite movement, channel changing, polarity, video and audio mhz. Receiver has cband and ku hookup, but only a cband hookup on satellite. My questions are, what equipment would I need to update it? What would my capabilities be, as far as differnet uses; cband, ku, fta, etc.?
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As a first step (cheap) you might just hook the coax to a modern receiver and let the analog receiver move the dish.
Might get some stuff.
Then, with a realignment of the dish, you would probably get more on C band.
THEN hopefully you'll be hooked, and we can recommend a bigger solution.
Might get some stuff.
Then, with a realignment of the dish, you would probably get more on C band.
THEN hopefully you'll be hooked, and we can recommend a bigger solution.
BTW Welcome to Satelliteguys!!! Ask all the questions you wish, we will help you get it where you want it.
Go to The List at the top of the page here are look at the different birds to get an idea of what you can receive.
Go to The List at the top of the page here are look at the different birds to get an idea of what you can receive.
You will need either a 4DTV receiver (not cheap) or a FTA receiver if you want more than the few analog channels left. The receiver you have is analog only. It will not pick up the hundreds of digital stations out there.
There is an aluminum thing on your dish, and it's called a Feedhorn, this is were the lnbs attach to it.
If the existing wiring is there, it will be best to use the old feedhorn, and put a new LNB on it. If that blue (sometimes black) thing with 3 wires is on your dish (will be in the center of the dish), then your good to go.
I recommend leaving the existing receiver there to use as a mover, and then using a FTA receiver for digital. If your looking for channels like Discovery, Nick, etc, you will need a 4DTV receiver. FTA is mainly for world channels, religious channels, etc.
There is an aluminum thing on your dish, and it's called a Feedhorn, this is were the lnbs attach to it.
If the existing wiring is there, it will be best to use the old feedhorn, and put a new LNB on it. If that blue (sometimes black) thing with 3 wires is on your dish (will be in the center of the dish), then your good to go.
I recommend leaving the existing receiver there to use as a mover, and then using a FTA receiver for digital. If your looking for channels like Discovery, Nick, etc, you will need a 4DTV receiver. FTA is mainly for world channels, religious channels, etc.
So will the 4DTV receiver also pick up fta or does it require 2 different receivers? I kinda got a feel of what are the parts are and where located. I took the dome shaped cover off lnb and feedhorn. 3 existing wires. But I have seen the term lnb and lnbf. What's the difference between the 2?
The 4DTV receiver is for pay TV, there are a few free channels, but not many. You will need 2 separate receivers. LNB is something that attaches to the feedhorn. A lnbf is an lnb molded into a feedhorn. The LNBFs today are made in China and suck.
My first c-band dish was free and it was a 7 1/2 footer.
I got me a new LNBF $ 40, a new mover V-box 7 $40, and a new receiver S10 $80.
I am getting hundreds of channels.
They have LNBF's for C-dishes that receive C-band only and they have LNBF's that are able to get C and ku on a c-dish.
C- LNBF only is much better for receiving C-band.
C/Ku LNBF's are ok but not that great for receiving C and KU since you will not get the best out of those 2 bands.
The new current affordable receiver to get these day's would be the microHD, it is cheap for what it does and you get support for it, it also does HD. About $125
I am still using the S10, but support has stopped and there are many clones sold now .
On a setup like that, the receiver sends a signal to the V-box 7, which moves the satellite dish to the right satellite and you are ready to watch TV. Of course you have to set it up and program it first.
Before you buy anything ask us first, that may save you money.
Folks are great here to answer any questions you may have.
You should go to lyngsat.com to see what you can get for free. 4 digit transponders are for c-band. 5 digit transponders are for ku band. Yellow shaded and marked F are free. Light blue shaded is used for HD channels. White is for analog.
One more thing, if you thinking of getting HBO...Starz etc.. that will not happen with FTA, but you will find plenty of shows..news...and movies.
You can also add a separate KU dish to the system at any time.
I got me a new LNBF $ 40, a new mover V-box 7 $40, and a new receiver S10 $80.
I am getting hundreds of channels.
They have LNBF's for C-dishes that receive C-band only and they have LNBF's that are able to get C and ku on a c-dish.
C- LNBF only is much better for receiving C-band.
C/Ku LNBF's are ok but not that great for receiving C and KU since you will not get the best out of those 2 bands.
The new current affordable receiver to get these day's would be the microHD, it is cheap for what it does and you get support for it, it also does HD. About $125
I am still using the S10, but support has stopped and there are many clones sold now .
On a setup like that, the receiver sends a signal to the V-box 7, which moves the satellite dish to the right satellite and you are ready to watch TV. Of course you have to set it up and program it first.
Before you buy anything ask us first, that may save you money.
Folks are great here to answer any questions you may have.
You should go to lyngsat.com to see what you can get for free. 4 digit transponders are for c-band. 5 digit transponders are for ku band. Yellow shaded and marked F are free. Light blue shaded is used for HD channels. White is for analog.
One more thing, if you thinking of getting HBO...Starz etc.. that will not happen with FTA, but you will find plenty of shows..news...and movies.
You can also add a separate KU dish to the system at any time.
In the early days (not necessarily the beginning), we had Feedhorns with a single C band LNB (because LNBs were expensive).
A servo motor controls polarity change between Vertical and Horizontal.
That's what you have now.
Modern receivers control polarity by sending 13 or 18 volts up the coax (Vert & Horiz respectively).
Most all LNBFs are made in Asia, and some are better than others.
You can expect better performance from a C band only unit, than a C + Ku model.
Though no longer available, the C2 from SatelliteAV was the best I found.
Then, at the top of the pecking order, you have ortho feeds.
They take two C band LNBs, and are generally followed by a multiswitch.
To the receiver, they look just like an LNBF, though you have both polarities available all the time, and the multiswitch can drive several independent receivers.
A servo motor controls polarity change between Vertical and Horizontal.
That's what you have now.
Modern receivers control polarity by sending 13 or 18 volts up the coax (Vert & Horiz respectively).
Most all LNBFs are made in Asia, and some are better than others.
You can expect better performance from a C band only unit, than a C + Ku model.
Though no longer available, the C2 from SatelliteAV was the best I found.
Then, at the top of the pecking order, you have ortho feeds.
They take two C band LNBs, and are generally followed by a multiswitch.
To the receiver, they look just like an LNBF, though you have both polarities available all the time, and the multiswitch can drive several independent receivers.
You guys must be part phsycic. Or have learned the hard way and know what questions are going to come next! After the initial post in the thread I have been searching different sites online for different receivers, hardware such as lnb. Came back to check thread and the last two post hit my questions rite on. Would I be better off just using the 7.5' for c band only, and getting a smaller 36" dish later on for the ku? Is the 36" used for mpeg also? Can anyone recommend some good affordable receivers? Good websites? Will most receivers allow me to plug different dishes into it? Or does each dish require its own receiver?
So, was everything answered?
Or was that your list of unanswered questions?
As you see, this is the best place to get educated.
Lotta nice folks, too.
We have good hardware reviews, and some nice FAQs as well.
I've spent years reading the forum, and if you can find the relevant thread, everything you could want to know has been written.
(not necessarily easy to locate, but we can point you to what ya need) .
edit: it doesn't usually take days to get answers here.
Check back in a few hours and there may be something
hint: to get more people engaged in your thread, pictures help.
Plus, somebody may recognize your equipment and know some secret about it.
Or was that your list of unanswered questions?
As you see, this is the best place to get educated.
Lotta nice folks, too.
We have good hardware reviews, and some nice FAQs as well.
I've spent years reading the forum, and if you can find the relevant thread, everything you could want to know has been written.
(not necessarily easy to locate, but we can point you to what ya need) .
edit: it doesn't usually take days to get answers here.
Check back in a few hours and there may be something
hint: to get more people engaged in your thread, pictures help.
Plus, somebody may recognize your equipment and know some secret about it.
Last edited:
Yes I would go with a separate small dish for ku=many models available, and are made specifically for ku band. KU on a big dish will work, if the mesh is small and surface is very accurate, but I have tried both ways with different c-band dishes and the small ku dish beat almost all of them. Except my 10'SAMI mesh, it was a tie for signal strength and stability. Watch the local ads for old primestar dishes, they are excellent for ku and many of us use them. They can be retrofitted for a motor also. Or check with our sponsors for new ku dish, or dish/lnbf combos.
+shipping on anything over 1m size will be costly though!
Using your existing dish with analog receiver and FTA receiver will get lots of channels, BUT, you will have to manually change polarity each time you blind scan a satellite, or watch channels scanned already. Analog receivers are very useful for dish-movers, but without changing your dish lnb out to a modern lnbf, you'll be stuck with the manual switching I described.
The fta receiver, when you get one, will move the small dish motor, once you have one in place.
+shipping on anything over 1m size will be costly though!
Using your existing dish with analog receiver and FTA receiver will get lots of channels, BUT, you will have to manually change polarity each time you blind scan a satellite, or watch channels scanned already. Analog receivers are very useful for dish-movers, but without changing your dish lnb out to a modern lnbf, you'll be stuck with the manual switching I described.
The fta receiver, when you get one, will move the small dish motor, once you have one in place.
http://www.satelliteav.com for the microHD, 36'' dish and other items etc.
The owner of this site answers questions here on a regular basis.
I just ordered the 36 ''geosat pro dish with him, he stands behind his products and if you have questions or problems he will help you.
He also sells on amazon and e-bay.
There is also a thread here on site about the microHD receiver you may want to read.
''Would I be better off just using the 7.5' for c band only, and getting a smaller 36" dish later on for the ku?''
I started out with an 7 1/2 foot c-band dish about 1 year ago.
I got a BSC 621 D2 LNBF for it, which can do C and KU on the c-band dish. Overall it is good but not great. The problem is, if you peak this LNBF out on c-band then your ku band will suffer ...or vise-versa...You have to find a median for it , but you may suffer on both bands.
When my 36''dish comes I will peak my C/KU LNBF for c-band only.
Most likley I will use the 36'' dish with an motor in addition of the c-band. All can be used with just 1 receiver.
Some members here have 10 dishes or more.
A KU or C dish/ dishes can be added via a diseq switch/switches at any time using the same receiver.
Be careful of cheap receivers that may be outdated or do not get supported anymore, like my S10 receiver.
Some outdated receivers may not be able to receive HD signal or S2 signals, which more channels are going to this format. That's why I and other members recommending the microHD.
Some receivers are clones and when you try to update them it may kill them.
Some receivers are sold and shipped from china and they give you 1 year warranty, which you actually have no warranty at all since chinese customs will not allow you to ship a receiver back into their country and they will distroy a receiver if it is shipped into china.
That's why you want to buy items from a reputable seller.
Thats why I said before,.... before you buy anything see what we think about it. That may save you money and frustration.
What would I buy today if I would start with this FTA thing like you are planing to do ?
I still would get the C/ KU LNBF, this way you can get C as well KU bands and you can see what c and ku has to offer, since you should be able to get strong transponder in KU .
I still would get the V-Box 7 to move the c-band dish.
And I would get the microHD from satelliteAV, since he provides full support for it and because he is located here in the US and members here have good things to say about this receiver.
Later on if you want to add a KU dish all you need is a KU dish, a LNBF, a motor if you want to go from sattelite to satellite and diseq swith.
E-bay would be another source, but it is hard for an beginner to see and to know what they are looking for without getting ripped off.
The owner of this site answers questions here on a regular basis.
I just ordered the 36 ''geosat pro dish with him, he stands behind his products and if you have questions or problems he will help you.
He also sells on amazon and e-bay.
There is also a thread here on site about the microHD receiver you may want to read.
''Would I be better off just using the 7.5' for c band only, and getting a smaller 36" dish later on for the ku?''
I started out with an 7 1/2 foot c-band dish about 1 year ago.
I got a BSC 621 D2 LNBF for it, which can do C and KU on the c-band dish. Overall it is good but not great. The problem is, if you peak this LNBF out on c-band then your ku band will suffer ...or vise-versa...You have to find a median for it , but you may suffer on both bands.
When my 36''dish comes I will peak my C/KU LNBF for c-band only.
Most likley I will use the 36'' dish with an motor in addition of the c-band. All can be used with just 1 receiver.
Some members here have 10 dishes or more.
A KU or C dish/ dishes can be added via a diseq switch/switches at any time using the same receiver.
Be careful of cheap receivers that may be outdated or do not get supported anymore, like my S10 receiver.
Some outdated receivers may not be able to receive HD signal or S2 signals, which more channels are going to this format. That's why I and other members recommending the microHD.
Some receivers are clones and when you try to update them it may kill them.
Some receivers are sold and shipped from china and they give you 1 year warranty, which you actually have no warranty at all since chinese customs will not allow you to ship a receiver back into their country and they will distroy a receiver if it is shipped into china.
That's why you want to buy items from a reputable seller.
Thats why I said before,.... before you buy anything see what we think about it. That may save you money and frustration.
What would I buy today if I would start with this FTA thing like you are planing to do ?
I still would get the C/ KU LNBF, this way you can get C as well KU bands and you can see what c and ku has to offer, since you should be able to get strong transponder in KU .
I still would get the V-Box 7 to move the c-band dish.
And I would get the microHD from satelliteAV, since he provides full support for it and because he is located here in the US and members here have good things to say about this receiver.
Later on if you want to add a KU dish all you need is a KU dish, a LNBF, a motor if you want to go from sattelite to satellite and diseq swith.
E-bay would be another source, but it is hard for an beginner to see and to know what they are looking for without getting ripped off.
Thanks to all for the help. REALLY, REALLY a lot of help. Looked up said website and Geosat PRO microhd. Also found reveiw on forum. So this receiver would work good for current (updated) 7.5', and future dishes w/diseq switches as johann12 mentioned? @Anole, I can that was the beginning of a LONG list of unanswered questions lol. Uploaded a satfinder app on my phone. Made it home after being out of town for holidays and tried it out. Crossed referenced where the dish was pointed on app to satbeams.com of the satellite viewed. I have a clear sky from AMC8 139west, to about Echostar 1 77W on the 7.5' dish. Am I correct on coordinates? But I also have a 80-85% clear sky from there to about Telstar 12 15W according to the app. Could I also set up a small dish to try and pick up those satellites? And how do smaller dishes pick up cband if I were to try and pick up past 77W?
For the Ku birds a 36 inch will work on many. (1.2 meter used by many) For the C band a BUD is needed as they are usually weaker than a domestic satellite. (30W is a very popular Ku satellite)
6ft is the minimum recommended. They will quite often experience adjacent satellite interference. Some domestic transponders can be had on modified Ku offset dishes (1.2m down to .9m). But is considered an experiment in what is accomplished.
Post some pictures of the dish and mount, there may be.
Before you get carried away, I suggest slowing down, and taking small steps.
If you are going to order the microHD receiver, check to see if it is cost effective to get his 36" dish & LNBF at the same time.
You can move the BUD and change polarity now, using the analog receiver.
If it has C & Ku LNBs, order a diseqc switch ( didn't someone already make that suggestion in this thread?)
That's enough to sample both bands.
If you get the 36" dish, install it fixed out back about chest-height and get your feet wet.
You can wire it to the receiver as input-3 in your switch.
. . .
Later on, you can decide your next move.
It would be a bit too soon to recommend additional equipment at this time.
Keeping focused on the reasonable goals right now, should relieve stress, and not paint you into a corner.
If you are going to order the microHD receiver, check to see if it is cost effective to get his 36" dish & LNBF at the same time.
You can move the BUD and change polarity now, using the analog receiver.
If it has C & Ku LNBs, order a diseqc switch ( didn't someone already make that suggestion in this thread?)
That's enough to sample both bands.
If you get the 36" dish, install it fixed out back about chest-height and get your feet wet.
You can wire it to the receiver as input-3 in your switch.
. . .
Later on, you can decide your next move.
It would be a bit too soon to recommend additional equipment at this time.
Keeping focused on the reasonable goals right now, should relieve stress, and not paint you into a corner.
Thanks to all for the help. I know im prob gettin way ahead of myself Anole, but I don't like starting ANY project w/out trying to think ahead, and make sure im not getting in my own way for future projects. Definitely plan on trying out suggestions on existing BUD b4 anything else. Just wanted to make sure whatever equipment I bought could be used for future dishes. And thanks to all the excellent help, I believe I have a good starting game plan. Thanks again, will give an update when new equipment gets here. Im SURE I'll have MANY more questions lol.
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