Seeking Advice on Installing FTA Satellite Dish for International Programming in RV

[dw88]

Hello Everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm new to this forum and excited to join this knowledgeable community. I am currently contemplating installing an FTA (Free-to-Air) satellite dish/antenna on my RV, with the goal of accessing international TV programming from both Asia and North America.

I have been exploring various options and am presently considering the Winegard G3 antenna along with the GTmedia V8 receiver as a potential combination. I would be incredibly grateful if any seasoned members or experts in this area could offer insights or advice regarding the current best practices for my specific use case.

Any recommendations or suggestions on equipment, setup, or tips would be immensely valued.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Warm regards,
David

 

[N6BY]

$500 is a lot of money to spend on a satellite dish, and the Winegard G3 is designed for DIsh, DirecTV and Bell, not FTA. If you get the G3 you will need one of the above 3 company's receivers. The GTMedia V8 will not receive Pay TV -- only FTA.

If you are looking for a FTA (free to air) setup how about starting out with a 90 cm dish on a tripod and aim it at 97W to see if the international programming on it is what you want?

And instead of the GTMedia receiver I would suggest a better FTA receiver. Here is the link: Amiko HD 265

 

[FTA4PA]

Agree with N6BY. Pick up a true FTA dish, lnbf and tripod and you can aim for the satellites manually. It really isn't that difficult once you get the hang of it.

You can get an affordable 90cm FTA dish here: GEOSAT PRO 90cm/36" Offset Ku Band Satellite Dish

A ku band lnbf here: LNBs/LNBFs

Get the receiver he mentioned along with a good tripod and a length of quality RG6 coax and you are in business. Good luck!

 

[cyberham]

I have a built-in Winegard (I think) dish on my RV. It is designed for pay TV so it's small. It cranks up on the roof so it's very convenient. Problem is...when I park the RV in a typical campground, there always seem to be tree obstructions. So I've never used that built-in dish.

Much better is a short stand-alone tripod about 3-feet tall that I can position in the campground in the exact location that is best to see the satellites. I'm using a 1-metre dish (with a motor). I can receive every Ku satellite available on the arc from 139W to 67W. Without a motor, you could have the system up and running quickly. The motor is great but takes more knowledge and effort. I'm even playing with a C-band LNBF on it, but that's another story.

I also have a Shaw Direct 60e dish for pay TV on a separate tripod. That dish is even simpler to point.

 

[dw88]

N6BY FTA4PA cyberham
Thank you immensely for your informative response. It has indeed shed light and I'm beginning to gain a clearer understanding.

I am contemplating installing a semi-automatic motorized dish, accompanied by a dome, atop my RV for the convenience it offers, akin to what Dish Network provides. However, I have concerns regarding its feasibility, particularly if there is a small moterized FTA dish with a doom (ideally less than 24") that will make it work.

I am open to investing a little extra for the convenience and utility this setup could offer. If anyone could provide insights or guidance on how to achieve this, it would be tremendously appreciated.

Warm regards

 

[FTA4PA]

N6BY FTA4PA cyberham
Thank you immensely for your informative response. It has indeed shed light and I'm beginning to gain a clearer understanding.

I am contemplating installing a semi-automatic motorized dish, accompanied by a dome, atop my RV for the convenience it offers, akin to what Dish Network provides. However, I have concerns regarding its feasibility, particularly if there is a small moterized FTA dish with a doom (ideally less than 24") that will make it work.

I am open to investing a little extra for the convenience and utility this setup could offer. If anyone could provide insights or guidance on how to achieve this, it would be tremendously appreciated.

Warm regards

Sadly, there is no domed, motorized FTA dish setup available. FTA signals are much weaker than DISH and DirecTV signals so you really need a minimum dish size of 90cm (36 inches), anything less than that and you will be disappointed.

 

[KE4EST]

to SatelliteGuys dw88!!!!

Correct you will need the minimum of 90cm or you will do all that work and spend money and be fruitless.

 

[dw88]

Thank you for your informative response.

This is truly disheartening as I thought I had previously seen someone done it with a small dish which I presumed to be 24 inches. I am going to reassess my options, but if anyone has tailored or alternative suggestions that can circumvent these constraints, it will be very appreciated.

Once again, thanks for the invaluable guidance!

 

[dw88]

For a follow-up inquiry, would a 24" dish suffice for receiving Ku-band signals? Any insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[a33]

I believe a "minimum size" advice has been given a few posts above...

Greetz,
A33

 

[KE4EST]

For a follow-up inquiry, would a 24" dish suffice for receiving Ku-band signals? Any insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Then minimum size for ku is 36".

 

[iBoston]

Trust us when we say 36" is the minimum. Otherwise, you are just setting yourself up for grief, and disappointment. Over the years, it has only gotten worse, as they seem to always opt for money savings transmitting signals over satellite, which translates to a bigger dish on our end to make up for that. Will you get some signals with a smaller dish?? Yes, but not what would be considered the quality channels that are actually worth watching. Being there isn't a HUGE collection of channels, it is not a great idea to shoot yourself in the foot right off the bat with a dish that will only catch the bottom of the barrel. There are even some channels you won't catch with a 36" dish, there are some channels that need a 48", but for the money investment, IMHO - a 39 inch dish will give you the most bang for your buck.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3850705678...VrZvNhiY6olf5I1yjAAPiMhg==|tkp:Bk9SR9CJzqKdYg

 

[Todd123]

They do have small dome motorized dishes like tailgater in other countries for GTA but the US government won't allow them to be sold here in the US as it's paid off by the paid pay for tv service. I tried to get one and have it shipped to me in the US but it's not programmed to find satellite from our location. Small dishes like these are and can be used just like direct tv can for fta. Those who say it can't are not well educated on the subject or are affiliated with the pay companies.

 

[cyberham]

There is good advice in the posts above in this thread. You can try any dish you wish. The smaller the dish you use, the weaker the signal you will receive. Also for Ku-band especially, what works acceptably on a sunny day may not deliver an acceptable S/N ratio on a rainy day.

 

[Brct203]

They do have small dome motorized dishes like tailgater in other countries for GTA but the US government won't allow them to be sold here in the US as it's paid off by the paid pay for tv service. I tried to get one and have it shipped to me in the US but it's not programmed to find satellite from our location. Small dishes like these are and can be used just like direct tv can for fta. Those who say it can't are not well educated on the subject or are affiliated with the pay companies.

I think you are giving the US government way too much credit here. I doubt very much that they care about those small motorized dishes, if they even know what they are in the first place. Instead, I think it simply comes down to the market. True legit FTA in US/Canada is mostly a hobby, and the market is very small. Just look at the dwindling number of retailers for the equipment. How many people do you think are likely to be interested in buying such dome dish for FTA? The people who want an automated system like that in their RV are much more likely to also want to watch "regular" channels like on Cable, than what we enjoy on FTA. So the manufacturers have very little incentive to market such systems to North America, outside of the DN/DirecTV market. Is it unfortunate? Yes it is. But it just makes sense from their perspective. Now about those systems being suitable for FTA, I do know that DN and DirecTV dishs can receive FTA. I've done it, even with the tiny Dish500. It works. And it sucks. You only get some of the transponders and you tend to lose them whenever the weather gets cloudy/rainy/etc. There's just too little signal margin to make it reliable. Try receiving DW TV on 103W with a 45cm dish on a rainy day and tell us how well it goes...

 

[mikekohl]

I think you are giving the US government way too much credit here. I doubt very much that they care about those small motorized dishes, if they even know what they are in the first place. Instead, I think it simply comes down to the market. True legit FTA in US/Canada is mostly a hobby, and the market is very small. Just look at the dwindling number of retailers for the equipment. How many people do you think are likely to be interested in buying such dome dish for FTA? The people who want an automated system like that in their RV are much more likely to also want to watch "regular" channels like on Cable, than what we enjoy on FTA. So the manufacturers have very little incentive to market such systems to North America, outside of the DN/DirecTV market. Is it unfortunate? Yes it is. But it just makes sense from their perspective. Now about those systems being suitable for FTA, I do know that DN and DirecTV dishs can receive FTA. I've done it, even with the tiny Dish500. It works. And it sucks. You only get some of the transponders and you tend to lose them whenever the weather gets cloudy/rainy/etc. There's just too little signal margin to make it reliable. Try receiving DW TV on 103W with a 45cm dish on a rainy day and tell us how well it goes...

Another thing to consider, to increase the number of foreign channels available.
Get a Roku device and connect to WiFi reception. There are many hundreds, if not thousands of channels available from around the world, and many are free of charge. It will supplement your satellite reception and can utilize wireless WiFi available at many campgrounds.

 

[clucas]

,,,,,,,,,The smaller the dish you use, the weaker the signal you will receive.

Is that a typo? I thought the larger dish gets the weaker signals.

 

[cyberham]

Is that a typo? I thought the larger dish gets the weaker signals.

...The smaller the dish you use, the weaker the signal you will receive....

Poor phrasing on my part. I meant the smaller the dish that you use, the lower the S/N that will result for the signal that you receive.