I just purchased a Viewsat Xtreme digital VS2000, any suggestions for what dish would be good for that,I live in lower Michigan,and was thinking of getting a motor for it. Just looking for english channels.
Viewsat Xtreme digital VS2000 Help and Dish Suggestions
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Welcome to SatGuys, Fluf!
I hope that you didn't pay a lot for the Viewsat, it can only receive DVB-S signals, no DVB-S2, so there are quite a few channels you won't be able to receive with that receiver, unfortunately. Dish wise, for Ku band, 30" [76 cm] or bigger. A 36'' [90 cm] is recommended for Ku, it's worth getting a 36'' instead of a smaller one, IMO. A lot of people on here recommend this dish:
Amazon product ASIN B00507CJZM
If you're interested in C band, then 10' or bigger is best.
Or Dave's site which is a better deal:
http://gotcband.com/collections/satellite-dishs/products/geosatpro-90cm-36-offset-dish
http://gotcband.com/collections/satellite-dishs/products/geosatpro-90cm-36-offset-dish
I only paid $20 for the receiver,will it be enough to get started ? What is a better receiver for my area ? And the link you left me shows a dish,are they all the same other than just size?, I thought C band was for the huge dish's. I'm brand new and my wife wants to get me some equipmnt for my bday next week, but I'm not sure which ones to buy,I don't want to have to upgrade immediately. I am trying to find another source for tv,other than paying for a service. I feel good equipment would pay for itself quickly,but am ny eve as what to buy. I told her I would give her model #'s and she could pay for it as a gift,when really it will be a gift for the whole family. Help me get started,I need to find someone to talk to about FTA.
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Wow, you must have a great wife - many of us just get glared at when we even suggest getting more FTA equipment.
Seriously though, welcome to satellite guys! The dish mentioned above is a very good start for ku band and will get you most of what is available. The receiver you purchased is still useful but will limit what you can get. I would suggest upgrading to an Amiko Mini HD SE (about $90). This is a very good receiver with regular firmware updates and support right here on the forum from dealers. There is also the Amiko A3 (about $189 plus they have a rebate through the end of the month for another $25 off that). This is an android based receiver. It has many features and is top of the line in the NA market. It does have a higher learning curve for a beginner. As far as c band, yes it is received best on a bigger dish (8' and up) but many have had success with 6' dishes and others have even used 1.2 meter dishes as mini-buds. When using those smaller dishes for c band you will of course get fewer channels but many enjoy the challenge of trying.
$20 isn't bad for the Viewsat, it will get you started, it just won't receive all of the channels that are available and you'll eventually want to get a newer one that can. You could use the Viewsat to set your system up and get used to FTA, and get your feet wet, then buy a newer receiver later. The receiver that we use here everyday is the GeoSat Pro MicroHd, it's a nice basic receiver. GotCband has them for $109 and they're also for sale on Amazon for the same price. There are other good receivers too, make another post in the thread that you posted in earlier, or start a whole new thread in the Free To Air [FTA] Discussions forum here :
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/forums/free-to-air-fta-discussion.24/
and then other members can help you out as well.
The GeoSatPro 90cm/36'' offset dish in the link is for Ku. GotCband sells stuff for both Ku and C systems but that dish is Ku. That dish is also for sale on Amazon too, it's a little more money on Amazon, but on Amazon you also get the LNB that you'll need with it. It's $124 with a LNB and free shipping on Amazon, it's $99 on GotCband with no LNB, I don't know what their shipping is.
Yeah, C Band is for the huge dishes. In your post I wasn't sure which you were interested in, Ku or C, or both. Some people run only one or the other, or like me, both, I have seven Ku and two C band dishes setup here. For Ku, the GeoSat Pro 90cm/36'' dish is a good choice.
You'll probably want a motor, because the channels are spread out across a bunch of satellites, not just one. Without a motor you'll only be able to lock onto one satellite [unless you manually move your dish each time you want to view something off another satellite, or unless you setup a bunch of fixed dishes!] With a motor, the dish can automatically move along the satellite arc to whatever satellite the channel you pick is on. It's better to ask in the thread you posted in, or start a new thread asking about a motor because I don't use a motor on my Ku dishes, so I don't really know what motor is best, I have seven fixed Ku dishes, a few with multiple LNB'S setup on the sats that I want and don't use a motor on my Ku dishes.
A couple of years ago I went the same route as you in looking for another source of TV rather than paying for paid services that weren't all that good! We were paying $160 a month for cable and it was lousy, me, I have no regrets dumping the paid TV but it did take a bit of work, learning how to make the FTA stuff work. At first it seems intimidating, but it's really not that bad to learn at all.
I also put up an OTA TV antenna and receive about 30 channels, there's also sub channels on those 30 so it's more like 50 or so channels and it really helped out in switching from the paid cable service we had! If you're in an area that you can put up a TV antenna, an OTA antenna might be something worth looking into for you. Or if you're close to transmitting towers, like near a big city, you might receive a lot of channels with a indoor antenna. Go to this site:
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=1
and enter your address, or just your zip code, and the height of the antenna, and it will show what channels you should be able to receive. anything in the list in green should be easy to receive, yellow, probably, red, maybe, anything in gray you won't receive.
We also subscribes to Netflix for $7.99 a month, my wife and daughter watch that a lot, I usually don't myself though, I watch the sat and OTA stuff.
Post in the forums and ask whatever questions you have, there's tons of people here on this site that are willing to help out and know a lot about this stuff! This site is the most helpful one that I've found and most everyone here is courteous and friendly.
The GeoSatPro 36" is also available on ebay, from the same vendor as Amazon, for $99 with a SL1-PLL LNB.
I just don't want you spending $$ on something that doesn't fit the need.
Check out Mikes lists at MPEG Central to see if this FTA would keep the family happy.
OTA, "FREE TV" looks to be plentiful in your area. (www,tvfool.com) Many may have subchannels (channel# dot2, dot3 etc) that may suffice for TV for the family.
Might get by with a single antenna (???) Get help with that in the
Digital Over the Air Television Talk By RabbitEars section of Satelliteguys.
If interested in "TV" for the whole family, I'd be swayed to C band as much more is available. And Ku @ 125W, AMC21 satellite, has a lot of PBS, But either of these options would require a new DVB-S2 capable receiver. DVB-S only and you're pretty much limited to Ku on 97W, Galaxy 19 satellite. And an 8 to 10 ft dish if C band is desired.
Check out Mikes lists at MPEG Central to see if this FTA would keep the family happy.
OTA, "FREE TV" looks to be plentiful in your area. (www,tvfool.com) Many may have subchannels (channel# dot2, dot3 etc) that may suffice for TV for the family.
Might get by with a single antenna (???) Get help with that in the
Digital Over the Air Television Talk By RabbitEars section of Satelliteguys.
Ok,I have decided to get a GeoSat pro 90cm dish,and a Amiko Mini HD SE receiver,and a inexpensive satellite finder. Now I need some help picking out a good motor for this setup,and suggestions ?
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