15 Years Ago Today

[Keith Brannen]

Fifteen years ago today I took the plunge (obviously into the deep end) of FTA!

I bought and installed my first dish and receiver (Pansat 3500SD) and pointed it (naturally, at the time) at G10R at 123w for the Equity muxes. Naturally, it took a while to install, it helped when I finally figured out that my house ran basically north/south, so I could use a compass on the ground, put a long stick on the ground, to more or less point the dish in the correct position, rather than on the ladder with the compass on the arm of the dish!

Got lucky when I finally got a signal, not on 123w, but on 127w, and realised that the Fortec Star dish elevation marks weren't totally accurate (off by about 2.5 degrees) and that I was only 4 degrees away from the correct target! Just finding any signal at all was vindication that I might actually be able to successful do it! My elation went up off the scale when after the minor adjustments necessary, I had success in landing on and then peaking and locking down on 123w! I was like a kid in a candy store! As they say, you never forget your first time!

I spent the rest of the day (and night) watching my new free channels, watching shows such as My Three Sons, Hogan's Heroes, etc. What a thrill it was!

Of course, before I decided to get into FTA I had been lurking on this site (later joined on June 2nd) reading all I could, and especially the posting of the resident guru at the time, Iceberg (cheers, Tony, wherever you are).

Anyhow, it wasn't long before this addiction, I mean hobby, had me firmly in its grasp, on June 8th I installed a second LNB for White Springs TV on 129w, on June 27th a third LNB for 119w for NASA TV, and on July 4th my second dish for 97w, etc., etc.!

What a ride it has been, but those early days were definitely the best, and that first install brings the best of memories.

 

[SkyScanner81]

Awesome story! I remember my first, which was June 2007! I had a 36' dish and brought a tv out at the dish. I hit ole 93* which was T6 and my fave at that time. Was just randomly scanning since I didnt have knowledge of lyngsat yet for 24/7 tp's and I seen the tp's lining up like crazy on my ole Pansat 2700! Saw the test bars and never forgot how it felt! Then saw the news guy standing there making faces off air and it instantly brought me back to when I was a kid with the c band and all the news feeds!


Your right! You never forget!

 

[Lone Gunman]

Heh, I bought my first system complete and installed back around the fall of 1988, which was an Echostar 7000 receiver and this 10ft Winegard dish that I'm still using today. Along the way I had Ku added to it along with the GI 920 receiver around 1995 that I also still have.

I never fooled with setup much until June of 2000 when I had to move that satellite system 15 miles east of where I used to live to the new house. Since then I've added the TWO other large dishes and of course purchased about 9 satellite receivers and dish controllers along the way!

Overall I guess it was worth it cuz I stopped paying for TV within a couple of years after we moved into the new house. And man O man, that was 21 years ago this month?? Where did the time go?? I'll be 76 years old come September and where did all that time go??? Jeez!!!

Just saying.................

 

[Larry1]

G10R at 123w sure was the satellite to point to. RTV was my favorite channel(s) and I recorded a lot of their shows. I still watch some of the same shows I watched there like My Three Sons and Andy Griffith Show but now on MeTV. The Tube music channel was also a favorite. I still have my Captain RTV bobble head that RTV sent out. It is dated 2008 and numbered 207 of 500. The other channel I remember is getting on my Ku dish is AMC and recording the Tarzan movies. At that time it was commercial free, and I believe the commentary before the movie was from Radio City Music Hall.