Greetings!
My parents watch mostly Korean Channels and they have been shelling out $100/month to get 4 korean channels from their local cable company. Ouch. Like any good son would do, I did some research to find cost efficient alternatives and that's when I came across FTA.
Now before I go and research for countless hours, if some of you can be so kind to help lead me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it.
A) What equipment do I need? (model numbers, brands, retailers, etc. would be great)
B) Anyone getting Korean Channels in Orange County, CA? If so, which channels?
C) Anything else a beginner should know?
As a side note, the house has a hub in the closet which is where the coax cables for each room are networked with the coax from the entry point outside the house.
THANKS in advance!
Ehong,
First of all, allow me to say:
to the SatelliteGuys forum! Glad to have you join us!
FTA is generally a hobby for most, channels may come and go and you sometimes have to research where they went to get them back on line. Sometimes they are relocated to another transponder and sometimes to an entirely different satellite. So, from time to time, you might have to do some readjusting. This is not a huge deal once you have become familiar with the equipment and how to set it up in the first place.
Many of us opt to seek used equipment, we are good scroungers. But, you can also buy new equipment at a very reasonable price from our sponsors (The Dish Store, Sadouns, AV Satellite Sales and WS International).
There are many satellites to pick from, but satellite Galaxy 19 @ 97.0 W has the bulk of FTA channels and many of the ethnic channels like you are looking for (Korean language). The signal from this satellite is strong for most all of North America (US, Canada and Mexico), so this is a good choice to start with.
This satellite has lots to offer in the Ku band spectrum, so this is also positive as you won't need to set up a huge antenna for C-Band (a BUD or Big Ugly Dish) that is 6 feet or larger in diameter. You can use a smaller dish that won't be so cumbersome to work with and won't require a lot of space to install, nor will it detract so much from the aesthetics of the property.
Many folks state that "bigger is better" but I don't agree with that statement entirely. A really excellent dish for Ku-band signals is the Winegard DS-2076 (which is a 76 cm diameter antenna). This antenna is fairly light weight and small enough to handle easily, but at the same time, its design is excellent for gain characteristics. You can acquire almost all the signals that you will need with this dish. The price and shipping charges also make this antenna desirable.
If you want to go larger, a GEOSAT pro 1.2 Meter dish is an excellent choice.
You will need a decent receiver that is user friendly, inexpensive and has some positive features. Two models come into my mind right off the bat Coolsat 5000 (or 6000) and Fortec Star Dynamic or a similar model. There are others, but these I have personal experience with and highly recommend them. The Coolsat 5000 and 6000 are discontinued models, but you can pick them up on E-Bay as used equipment for $30 or less! They are great little machines.
You will need an LNBF (the signal receiving and converting device that attaches to the dish antenna). The antenna concentrates the satellite signal and focuses it towards the LNBF. The LNBF converts the higher frequency of the downlinked signal to a lower frequency that can be passed along the cable to the receiver.
There are many variations of LNBFs available. Personally, I use something that is pretty close to the top of the line, mostly in price. I use an Invacom QPH-031. You can use less expensive LNBFs than this for sure, in the $20 range. The QPH-031 runs about $70.
The QPH-031 will receive the upper Linear Ku band signals (FSS) and the Circular polarity DBS signals (DBS would be signals such as Dish Network). There aren't many free channels available from this DBS allottment, but there are some.
The linear Ku band of signals (FSS) is divided into two frequency bands, upper and lower. If you purchase a Universal Linear LNBF, you can receive both bands. There aren't that many lower Ku band signals in North America, but there are some.
A Standard Linear LNBF will only receive the upper Ku band and only the linear polarity signals, but this is the basic type that you will need and probably the least expensive of all.
Deciding upon which of the three LNBF types is a matter of personal requirements or choice.
You might require a switch, 4X1 DiSEqC, SW21 or 22Khz are the simplest versions. Deciding upon which switch to use may be based upon what receiver and LNBF you select. Most often, any of these switches are interchangable, but not always, so you need to ensure the compatibility of the switch to the other components before you buy one or install one. They won't ever cause any harm, but simply may just not work or may not work perfectly.
You will also need cable to connect everything. RG-6 cable is generally the norm, but if you have to set the dish a great distance from the home (further than 200 feet), you might need to go with RG-11. RG-11 is a little more expensive, but it is worth it for long runs.
You will need to buy some specialty tools for cutting, stripping and trimming the cable and for crimping the connectors onto the cable. You can review these tools from one of our sponsors and they will advise you what is required by part or model number for the cable you intend to use.
If you desire to ever motorize the system, the PowerTech (DG-XXX series) are my favorite. They are built very sturdy and are extremely reliable, but do cost a little more.
A DG-280B fits the Winegard DS-2076 dish perfectly.
A DG-380 fits the GEOSAT pro 1.2 M dish perfectly, but you will want to add an extra U-bolt or use some fine grit sandpaper wrapped around the motor tube to prevent the dish assembly from slipping on the motor tube. It doesn't fit quite tight enough and the motor tube finish is quite slick, so it might move or spin on the tube and thus throw the dish out of alignment.
Just off the top of my head, you should be able to get all of these components, tools and equipment for under $350 new.
I do believe that your folks will appreciate 97W as a satellite to view, it's free (after the initial cost of the equipment). There are other satellites up there that will suit their tastes, but I think this one is where I would start with, you can add to it later if desired.
I wish you good luck and happy hunting and again, welcome!
RADAR
