Would you pay subscription for a satellite transponder listings?

[Pied Piper]

Hello,

This is a research question, if possible a brief reason for your answer would also be very welcome.

"Would you pay a subscription to have access to satellite transponder tables web site that is updated daily, professionally maintained and provides full transponder tuning parameters?" If so how much do you think a subscription should cost per month?

PP

 

[cyberham]

No. Generally, nowadays public information can be found on the Internet. You may need to look in multiple locations, but it is mostly there if you know where to look. Also, I can just use my own blind scan to find out what is on a given satellite. Why do I need somebody to tell me?

As a business, it would be unwise to get into this. As Mr. Wonderful says on the Shark Tank or Dragon's Den, there is nothing proprietary about this information. Anybody could begin making a similar list the day after you do and put you out of business.

 

[Magic Static]

Well the stuff I watch a lot of doesn't change much. The feeds are what would be nice to know about. But then that brings another question, can you obtain the rights to sell that information? How reliable would the source(s) of your information be? How much effort will this save me when looking for the feeds I want to watch? A lot of factors in trying to put a price on this. In what formats do you plan to deliver the information?

 

[KE4EST]

to SatelliteGuys Pied Piper!!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Doubtful, there are already a few things in the works that make such a thing obsolete before it even saw the light of day. Got a few things cooking.

 

[chaskuchar]

no, i just play when i get time to fool around with the dish. mostly news channels but try to find movies for the wife. charlie

 

[Lone Gunman]

I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for any of this stuff. If I'm going to have to pay then I might as well have a pizza pan outside and not worry with maintaining my equipment!

 

[dwingel]

No pizza. No pay.
Dale

 

[SatelliteAV]

This type of service has limited potential for monetization as the data is readily available.

 

[carlospr43]

since it will be in a private forum section I think it will be be a great idea and for a really cheap amount but great to keep forums running up. Only thing it will demands a great commitment from moderators to look for updates everyday!!!

 

[rrob311]

If the site could instantly list open ITC channels for every satellite I think that would spark some interest. It would have to show everything. Then it would be worth it to have a reliable source to check any satellite you would like. It would be a chore to cover every satellite and every type of signal out there instantaneously but it would be pretty cool I think.

 

[ynnedibanez]

no
it would take the excitement out of the hunt, and kill the sense of camaraderie that comes with sharing feed info with friends.
from a business standpoint, you would be selling access to a free water fountain, when my friend next door has one i can access and use for free.

 

[Pied Piper]

Hello again,

I am very grateful for the responses and honest opinions, agreed there is a lot of free sources of information, but these tend to rely on updates provided by satellite enthusiasts rather than professionals with dedicated hardware. I have noted that over the years (since the beginning of digital satellite television, which coincided with the dawn of the internet) that these sources of information tend to become out of date as the sites fall into disuse ending up with fragmented sources scattered across the web, none of which are very reliable (certainly regarding non-mainstream satellites) scheduled in house scanning (largely automated) would be the best solution.

After further consideration regarding the business model the best way to monetize it would be through industry relative advertising rather than base it on subscriptions (as due to the nature of the internet once information is out its impossible to protect). The initial investment would be high regarding an array of fixed antennas and dual motorized systems (main and back up) to provide coverage from say 15° to 129° west, but after the initial outlay and the automation of blind scanning, keeping the system functional would require little more than hardware maintenance; as its usually mechanical wear that would prevent the motorized systems from functioning (as they would be in more or less continual operation).

Certainly it’s a lifestyle business model it’s not going to make me a millionaire overnight. Thank you all for your contributions, any further comments are most welcome.

PP

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Another thing is a number of satellite hobby purists get REALLY upset when some feeds are publicly posted.

I know when we update the list we have to look around first to make sure we are not "spilling the beans" as people are concerned that if certain feeds are publicized that they will get scrambled.

Sometimes its a fine line we walk on here to try making the most amount of members happy.

 

[oblio]

Haven't seen it mentioned but isn't this something that will be availabe to the buyers of the new micro hd box when it comes and that has the added feaure of giving you an automatic update to your system?

 

[AcWxRadar]

Pied Piper,

The general consensus reflects my views, too. I wouldn't pay for a service like this. We already have THE LIST, SatBeams, DrSat and Lyngsat. Besides that, Rick's site has a terrific wildfeed notification as well. These are all free.

The fun in this hobby is the challenge of seeking out the information and scanning the skies. It is not so much the end result, but the thrill of the chase!
You learn so much more simply by conducting the investigation and THAT is the ultimate reward.

RADAR

 

[FaT Air]

Haven't seen it mentioned but isn't this something that will be availabe to the buyers of the new micro hd box when it comes and that has the added feaure of giving you an automatic update to your system?

That is in the Glorystar mode, updating their channels, etc. Not the hobbyist FTA mode.

 

[hwm]

Two words for the OP: BLIND SCAN

No, I would not pay for something that is freely available from several online sources, or from my own STB.

 

[i4tas]

I have already started to build up my dish farm and wrote the software to automatically blind scan and analyze the transponders. All the information is sent to a database and I record feeds, channels, and TP parameters. The advantage is as the number of dishes and tuners increases I can blind scan every satellite in less than 5 minutes every half hour or less. This will find many more feeds and with database statistics you can look for patterns and find reoccurring feeds at times the average user might not be scanning.

 

[Anony55]

No, I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for this. To me, monthly fees are reserved for a pay TV service. One of the main ideas in feed hunting and FTA in general is to find stuff that you don't have to pay for. After all, the "F" in FTA does stand for "Free".

It's nice to have places on the web to reference info from time to time. But making my own discoveries across the arc is what I find the most rewarding.

Cheers