true newbie

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icu1954

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Sep 1, 2010
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lower alabama
hi,i am very new to all of this,i was thinking of buying a neusat ipro 2000 plus as my first receiver..is this a good receiver is it good enough for a beginner like me who knows nothing...i want to get into fta as a hobby..i want to learn all i can..thanks for your help
 
Get a proven FTA receiver like a Coolsat 5000 or 6000 for your first receiver. It will be cheap, teach you the basics, and with its blindscan , always be useful. You should be able to get one under $50 on ebay. Other good models are Fortec Mercury, Pansat 2700/3500, Traxis 3500 , Coolsat 7000, VisionSat iv200 . None should be over $75 delivered, mostly much less. I just bought 2 Pansat 2700's for 39.00 delivered , and I don't even need them.
:)
 
I have to agree with Brent.
Get an inexpensive starter receiver, one that has good switch and motor control, and get your feet wet.
I'm fond of the Coolsat 5000/6000 and Visionsat IV-200, but any he listed should present no trouble.
 
Yes, and you are usually better off by restoring factory defaults, and starting fresh at your own location. Making sure the unit has the most recent factory software is also a good first step. It's somewhat likely that YOUR hardware will not be the same as that of the previous owner, so setup information will also have to change.
:)
 
Assuming you have no hardware , as yet. Your first best bet might be to buy a motorized 90cm dish , set it up intially as a standalone dish ( so you can get a little practice aiming, and playing with your new receiver ), then adding the motor to the equation, once you have the receiver kinda figured out. It's a constant learning curve . :)
 
Check out this list to see what is available for FTA viewing;

SatelliteGuys.US_TheList - TheList

The Ku-band list can be received with a 36"-39" dish, the C-band channels generally require a minimum of 6' diameter for good reception.

There's more to be seen (sports and news feeds) but they are hit and miss.
 
hi all, ihave been getting some of my hardware togather,and wanted to know if i needed an inline signal amplifier if i have to run about 160 ft of cable from my dish to my receiver,the spot i selected has a clear line of sight to the south and seems perfect ? and would the RG6 coax be ok?
 
You may be able to get by without an inline amplifier. I have a 200 ft run of RG6 and it worked fine without an amplifier. I'm using one now, mostly to overcome the losses in the switches and splitters I'm using. It does seem to improve things a bit. I'd suggest you try it without an amplifier first then add one and see if it makes a difference. They're cheap.
 
thanks man for the help,i will be soon getting my equipment and i want to install it my self,because i have always done things my self but with the help of the forum and good people like you ...how can i go wrong...thanks
 
RG6 will be fine at that length. I have a 175 foot run on a motorized setup with very minimal signal loss.

A amp might do more harm than good. Just make sure the cable is good RG6
 
Provided you keep connections to a minimum, that length should be fine. I'm running my dish just about that distance. I've never had signal problems.
 
As you can see in my signature I own both the Neosat and a Traxis.
I used the Neosat on my BUD till the Neosat locked up (twice in a month). Then I started using the Traxis for both my 30" satellite on the roof and the BUD out in the back yard. The Neosat still sits locked up as I have no time to "play" with it and the Traxis does what I need it to do. :)
 
hi, sitting here waiting for my equipment to arrive and wanted to ask a question,why do direct and dn signals pass through spaces in trees,and heavy follage when i have learned that fta signals have to have a clear line of sight,i was just looking at my dish 500 dish and the lnb is pointed at a big tree in my front yard,i just want to learn all i can about fta,and i should have gotten into it 10 years ago, but i have learn this is the place to be,because one day i can help a newbie like myself..:D
 
While it may appear that your dish is pointing directly into some foilage, it is actually "looking" 20-25 degrees higher, that is the property of an "offset" dish. So, depending on the height of the tree it may actually be looking over the top of it.

Another thing, the signals from the DN and DTV sats are much more powerful than the signal levels that come from the linear FTA sats.
 
hi,still waiting on my equipment,i wanted to know if i needed to buy the coax cable with the ground wire that's built in with the coax cable,this is the cable that will run from the dish to the receiver,also i have bought a install kit for dss satellite that have everything from grounding block,straps etc. will this be a good choice,also could i just couple in to my existing dish network cableling.If i sound like i know nothing,then you are right,that's why i need you guys...this is a great site...please bear with me..thanks
 
Very important... Use high grade cable with a solid copper (NOT copper-clad steel) center conductor and compression fittings. Perfect Vision PVCX3B dual-run cable has worked well for me.

I guess I will disagree on the issue with coper-clad steel wire. I just had to re-run a 250 foot run that was copper. About 120 feet was overhead. The copper failed. I am getting excellent results with the clad wire. So far there has been no stretch and the wind was about 45-50 MPH Saturday.

If there are problems with LONG runs (copper or clad), I have not found it to be signal, rather the DC to switch between V and H or to power the LNBF. A powered switch seems to take care of that. (I do not like that opition as it takes too much power from my inverter/batteries, but I hope to get a wind generator before too much longer.)

Also, as has been stated, HIGHEST quality connectors and the fewer the better. It appears that each connector end drops about 0.2 volts DC which means a barrel splice loses 0.4 or more. A long run with 3 splices can drop the 18 volts for H to 14.5 which tells the LNBF to go to V! (had that here, twice).
 
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da' grades uh cable and lengths

Yes, the prior poster is very right at what he is saying. It is both signal, strength, voltages, and the ground, or outer jacket of steel multi-stranding and foil; or how much the ground protects external signal ingress, normally a percentage like 70 or better; that determines how good the cable is.
Each application, or use, determines what wire you should use. If I run a motor on a 33" dish, I do not run over 80 feet, because the motor draws from the 18/14 vdc LNBf supply, and when you go longer, it will be problematic as power supplys these days just are not as good as they used to be, and this is what sends the voltages up the wire, and then the wire sends back, or even receives signals in both directions, multiplicity of use it is...

Cable, whether cheap or expensive, has it's problems when running long distances, or when you bury it in the ground and there sits the home of the gopher.

The rule of thumb I always use: The less I need to use, the better. Design the install of your dish to use the least cable you can, setting up the dish mounting as close to the receiver as possible, and as asteticly pleasing as you can to you and your family. Higher is not better, farther is not better, only more challenging to the receiver also, that is, it tests the power supply, the ps chips, the regulators, the capacitors, harder and wears them out faster too...

When I must go long, I protect it. And when you have to go overhead, make it the stronger type (like the one with a ground wire extra [used to be called messenger cable]), when you run it inside the attic, use Plenum (so it will not gas you if fire hits); copper wire is better, but very expensive comparatively, if you can afford it, get it, but protect it well, cause it will fail just like any cabling.

Cable is where problems happen, and normally it is because of mother nature or us; ingressions like rain or water entering a small hole or the connector, in the cable, improper installation of wiring will cause it to break, or for water to enter a device or the home. Do not use a basic stapler, that curves around the cable tight. These actually, when you "hit" a cable, ground out the ground, causing all sorts of probs (like a DISEq not to work), so use insulated by plastic staples or holders "that cradle your cable like a newborn baby" of the type needed, to "protect" your cable from installation woahs...

May the force be with you!

By the way, I absolutely loved the first iPro 2000 I used first and installed another for someone else. First of all, the remote is ivory and deep black, very stylish; and the reciever had autoscan or "magicscan auto switch setup and deploy" for all satellites that were hooked to it, no matter what kind of switch! A first, and I cannot quite remem, oh ya, it was made to be programmed over the internet, or network setup too, another first of its kind; very innovative...just what it is made for, you'll have to find out that from someone else, because it is not tolerated here...
 
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