Should I buy this equipment?

[huertaaj]

Newbie here so any help appreciated. Tell me if what I'm planning to do is reasonable or if I'm on the wrong track. I have a 10' dish that has a functional motor for aiming. The dish looks like it is made of solid sheet metal covered with tan-colored fiberglass. All I'm interested in is getting as many FTA channels on C and Ku as possible. This is my plan...

1) Replace the old C-band feedhorn/LNB with a C/Ku Digital LNBF (Item 3500028 from Skyvision.com for $79.95)

2) Purchase a Pansat-9200 HD receiver (From Skyvision.com for $459.95)

3) Use my old Uniden UST-4500 analog satellite receiver to aim the dish and use the Pansat as a signal meter.

Will this work? Do you have better suggestions?

Thanks, Huertaaj

 

[Lak7]

You can get better prices:
Pansat 9200 about $390 on the 'Net, not DVB-S2 ready out of box, needs "Proper" add-on card
BSC621 or CK-19(C AND KU-BAND SATELLITE LNBF - SatelliteAV, LLC.) about $50

Used the saved money and get VBox or GBox positioner

 

[huertaaj]

Lak7: So, would the C/Ku LNBF's you mention do the same thing as the one I quoted above? Also, I'm not familiar with what a VBox or GBox positioner are but I assume they turn your dish. Would either one of these replace the Uniden box as a dish rotating controller and if so, what's the difference between VBox and GBox?

 

[Lak7]

The LNBf you mention is probably one or the other that I mention. Looks like the BSC621 in the photo.
- BSC621 has built-in switch for C to Ku
- CK1 does not have built-in switch, needs to be added, users have said it performes better than
the BSC621

VBox / GBox (out of stock) would replace the Uniden as dish controller, the FTA Receiver would control everything.
Motor controllers V-box II III GBox Moteck Motech Powertwch Sadoun V3000

 

[tdti1]

I would keep the analog receiver to position, there are still many analog feeds out there.

I would go with a c/ku feedhorn and quality lnb's but if you want a low cost solution the Geosat lnbf seems best.

If you are new maybe a sd receiver like a Traxis mite be a good first receiver, since the HD receivers still lack, this is of course up to you.

 

[truckracer]

I would stay away from the BSC-621 dual band lnbf. I had terrible results on ku band with the unit I purchased.

save that money and put toward a good Chapparall Corotor II and lnbs.
You won't be sorry.

Your analog receiver will have to control the servo motor in the feedhorn that chooses the polarity H or V.
The corotor II out performed the bsc-621 big time on ku band. I was using it on a 10' sami dish.
No amount of tuning or alignment would net me good results.

The corotor II or any standard feedhorn will work better.

I have a pansat 9200HD receiver. It works good but has issues as some on the board know.
It is one of the few HD receivers that has "blind scan" or "smart search" to find all the transponders and channels on a satellite.

The others have to be programmed manually or with a computer update which complicates their use.
You would still be at the mercy of outdated websites like Lyngsat.com that don't show what's current.

 

[lumpkin666]

Rather than the corotor, I'd go with the bullseye II so that you don't have to use another receiver to control the polarity. It'll cost you double the amount for LNBs (because you'll use twice the lnbs), but it'll be worth it for the quality, stability, and ease of use.

 

[huertaaj]

OK, thanks to everyone for their info. I'll look a little harder before I make a purchase.
Thanks!
Huertaaj

 

[huertaaj]

Newbie here - What REALLY is available on FTA Ku?

I'm trying to figure out FTA and I'm a bit confused at the moment. I have an old 10' fiberglass dish that probably works only with C-band and not with Ku-band (although I'm not sure of that). I plan to purchase a new LNBF and receiver for that 10' dish in order to receive FTA C-band. However, I am also interested in learning about Ku band. If I want to receive Ku-band through a second dish, will I need a second receiver? Is Ku-band worth trying to get? I guess the answer to that question will depend on what is actually available on FTA Ku-band and whether I like it or not. I'm not interested in religious, shopping, or sports (what's left??) Based on my location (near cincinnati) could I get any decent FTA Ku-band programming that would justify getting a second Ku-band dish (and possibly a Ku receiver)? Is there a list of channels or programs that actually work, showing stuff that I can actually receive? I'm not looking for a comprehensive list of everything available on Ku.
Thanks,
Huertaaj

 

[Anole]

is Ku worth it?

A receiver can have multiple dishes.
They are connected to the receiver with -switches- (which are described in our FAQ section under Switches Simplified).

Here is TheList which is a technical list of Ku and C-band programming.
There is a more simplified list on this site which lists Ku programming by language.
It might be better to get you started.

Then, there are the Equity Broadcasting channels, and their Retro or RTN stations.
You might see something you like.

You listed what you don't want to see.
What sort of programming -do- you like?


edit: I think I saw your comment in another thread about the 10' fiberglass dish.
While there are may solutions to getting both bands, you might consider trying this CK-1 LNBf.
If you were going to change out the existing feed for an electrically-controlled one, it's a good choice for C-band.
And, if your dish is Ku-capable, you might find its Ku-performance useful, too.
Worst case is, you get a little Ku-dish 'n LNB later. -

 

[huertaaj]

Hi Anole:
Yes it's me that has asked other questions. I have thought several times that I had it all figured out, then I learn something and decide that I'm not ready to make a purchase yet. You ask what sort of programming I would like. Well, I'm not that much into movies but most anything would be good. I like old fashioned reruns, nature shows (PBS would be good), science stuff, etc. If I bought a second dish for Ku, do you have any recommendations? What about a recommendation for a receiver?
Thanks,
Huertaaj

 

[huertaaj]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I would like to get any Spanish language FTA channels out there.
Huertaaj

 

[rv1pop]

RTN (G18) seems to be Mostly Spanish --- at least my conception of it. My wife likes Ironside or Perry Mason so I lose one receiver for hours at a time... but only one. Since I do not understand much spanish (taco, si, bureto) I do not know what kind of programs are on G25 in spanish but seems like quite a few.... I had over 500 channels scanned into one receiver, but in deleting all the ones I could not understand, I am now down to 125 +/- on that one. Still too many for me to watch.

 

[starman345]

Hi Anole:
Yes it's me that has asked other questions. I have thought several times that I had it all figured out, then I learn something and decide that I'm not ready to make a purchase yet. You ask what sort of programming I would like. Well, I'm not that much into movies but most anything would be good. I like old fashioned reruns, nature shows (PBS would be good), science stuff, etc. If I bought a second dish for Ku, do you have any recommendations? What about a recommendation for a receiver?
Thanks,
Huertaaj

Old fashion re-runs eh? Well, you would love RTN, that is pretty much all it is, many channels of older shows. Also, White Springs shows old shows. As for PBS, fta has that covered with several channels, there is even one in HD that is mostly science, nature, documentaries, concerts and lots of other interesting stuff, PBS is my favourite.
As for a receiver recommendation, I like the Coolsats, I have two 5000's and they are real workhorses. Pretty good blind scan to find all those channels, great picture and lately they have been selling on Ebay for real cheap! I bought one a month or so ago for $25 +$10 shipping. Fta needn't be expensive

 

[skysurfer]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I would like to get any Spanish language FTA channels out there.
Huertaaj

the equity channels have some univision and telefutura stations on ku.

C-band is where you find all the spanish-language FTA channels. Most states in Mexico are represented with a channel - I"m assuming a channel from a particular state such as nuevo leon uses satellite to distribute that channel throughout the vast state instead of using microwaves and translators.

 

[huertaaj]

OK, so if I buy an older FTA receiver like the Coolsat 5000 that does not have HD as far as I can tell, what happens when a signal is transmitted in HD? Using that receiver, do I get nothing on that channel or does the HD get down-converted to something else? HD aside, is there a reason to get a Coolsat 6000 or a "higher number" Coolsat? I can see several Coolsats available on ebay and they look tempting. I really would like to end up with a single C/Ku receiver to work with my 10' C dish and the smaller Ku dish that I will have to buy.
Tnx, huertaaj

 

[turbosat]

You won't get a picture >if you want HD, then an HD capable receiver is what you will need to display the signal. There''s not that many full time HD channels yet on fta, though I hear that PBS is soon to switch all their sat feeds to HD. There are sev HD-ready fta receivers, some tend to be on the expensive side yet because they haven't become so mainstream yet in the US. Eventually the prices will be more competitive. Check our sponsors sites , top of the page for some more ideas on receivers. Or entire systems.

 

[huertaaj]

Your recommendations needed before purchasing

The only thing I have is a 10' fiberglass dish that needs a new feedhorn and LNB or LNBF, a new actuator, and a new receiver. My objective is to get FTA C-band with that existing 10' dish and Ku-band using a second new dish, all using a single receiver. I want to keep it as simple as possible. I would like to purchase a receiver that could receive both C and Ku, move the dish(es) without needing any other gadgets (such as a GBox or Vbox) and also power any switches that need to be controlled at the LNB (polarization, etc.). This is pretty much the setup I used to have (10 years ago) with a Uniden UST-4500 receiver. All wires that came from the dish were connected directly to the UST-4500 which controlled everything. No other gadgets were needed. Is there such a receiver/other equipment combination today??? I have considered several receivers but so far I'm not sure that any of them will do everything in a single box (and do it well). If there is such a beast, what do you recommend for the....

1) C/Ku receiver
2) Actuator for the 10' C dish
3) Feedhorn/LNB or LNBF for C dish
4) Ku band dish with actuator, feedhorn, and LNB (or LNBF)
5) Switches???

Any help will be GREEEAAAATTTLY appreciated

 

[SatPhreak]

There is no fta recievers currently made that can move the actuator for the 10' dish. If you still have the uniden you can slave a fta box to it to watch tv and use the uniden to move the dish. Almost all fta boxes will control the ku dish with diseqc 1.2 or 1.3(USALS) and they will also work with ku and C band. You will also need a switch (either a diseqc or an Ecoda switch22) to switch between c and ku.

If you don't have the uniden anymore you will need a G box or Vbox to move the big dish with the fta box.

 

[huertaaj]

Will BSC621-2 C/KU Band LNBF work for me?

I need to know if the "BSC621-2 C/KU Band LNBF for Prime Focus C-Band Dishes" from Sadoun available on ebay will work for me. I want to mount it on a 10' fiberglass dish and connect it to a Coolsat 5000 that I just purchased on ebay for $20 (which I hope will work). I don't know if this fiberglass dish will work for Ku band (and it probably will not), but if if does then I'll be set up. However, my question is this.....Will I get a WORSE signal on C-band by using a combination C/Ku LNBF compared to using a single C-band LNBF? In other words, will I be losing something by selecting the combination BSC621-2 C/Ku Band LNBF? Should I not even try this combination LNBF, purchase a plain old C-band LNBF, and then get a second dish for Ku-band with its own LNBF?
Thanks, Huertaaj​