C-Band System

[SteveT]

I have a nice old C-Band System listed on E-Bay, if anyone is looking for a big dish set-up. Thanks.

Updated Number:
E-Bay item number is 3080838046

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&category=32848&sspagename=STRK:MESSE:IT&rd=1

 

[ROLLTIDE]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3075829219

 

[ComcastOgre]

Dear Lord, Steve. How are you planning to ship that bad boy? LOL

 

[HDTV Rookie]

OK forgive this newbie question, but how to you subscribe to the C-Band Satellite. I am assuming that that big puppy would have more channels that a dish or direct satellite. Do you get any channels free? Does it have a rotor in it to position it to pick up the various satellites out there when you change channels

I have seen many of these, but never really understood how they were supported or functioned.

 

[Mr Tony]

C-Band systems can be either a fixed dish or movable. The fixed dishes are usually 5' and are aimed at one satellite (like Galaxy 5, which has most of the "cable channels..ESPN, TNT, USA, etc). The movable ones are 7 feet and up (the farther north you get, bigger it should be..Canada usually uses 10-12' dishes) and can be moved from satellite to satellite.

There are some free channels (lots on KU Band), but most now require a subscription. However, unlike DBS, you can get C-band channels ala carte or in a package.

The big thing with C-Band is you can pick up an occasional feed (news or sports) live. These are either on C-band or KU-band.

C-Band was originally designed for the rural person (or the person who didnt want cable)

 

[ROLLTIDE]

Also the picture on Cband looks great . Some of the best HD that I have seen has been on Cband. The SD stuff blows Dishnetwork out of the water .

Maybey I should get a 4dtv and fire up the old cband.

 

[Mr Tony]

Also the picture on Cband looks great . Some of the best HD that I have seen has been on Cband. The SD stuff blows Dishnetwork out of the water .

Maybey I should get a 4dtv and fire up the old cband.

Oh yeah..forgot about that..On C-Band, its 1 channel per TP..sometimes there might be 2, but mostly its 1 per TP

 

[HDTV Rookie]

Ok

I have looked at some web sites that have C band info, but it seems like there are less channels that you get on Dish or Direct. I found one site that had the "Get it All Digital" for about $860 per year, which would be cheaper than Dish's AEP on a monthly basis. Aside of the locals, what other channels would you not get in the C-Band "get it all" that you would get with Dish's AEP.

Also, does the Telecommunications act of 1996 cover C-Band satellites b/c of their size, or just the 18-20 inch dishes. I live in an area that once was all rural, but is quickly becoming many sub-divisions.

If I placed a 7 foot dish in my back yard, could my housing association make me remove it,

Finally, what would someone expect to pay for a 7 foot dish with a rotor, 1 DTV receiver, 1 regular receiver and professional installation

OK 1 more question, if the satellite dish moves to support either an east or west satellite feed, what happens if one wishes to see a west feed on one receiver and an east feed on the other receiver at the same time

 

[SteveT]

ROLLTIDE: Thanks for posting the web access (War Eagle).

DBSOgre: The Dish is for pick-up only (Atlanta) -- I’ll ship the rest.

HDTV ROOKIE: You subscribe to C-Band just like DISH TV. I suppose there are more channels available -- many foreign links all over the world; but for all practical purposes -- it’s the same stuff. There is an actuator arm that physically moves the dish from one satellite to the next -- I think there are about 20 up there now worth looking at -- they come and go. There are wild feeds around; but you never know where, what, or when they might occur. Sometimes you can pick-up a “blacked out” game or fight; but the fight might be half over by the time you find it. There may be free channels -- not sure -- I always had a subscription.

In General: I haven’t noticed any big difference between my old C-Band and my new DISH TV 322 -- quality seems excellent with both. Neither is High Definition -- so I guess it could be even better. The small dish is easier to live with, and more user friendly. The on-screen guide is a big improvement. The big dish “gets lost” from time-to-time -- seems like about every six months I’d have to reprogram it. The actuator arm is a maintenance item -- I think I replaced mine twice in nine years -- about $100. The main negative to C-Band is the dish itself -- kinda big and not too hot looking. Nine years ago when I put it in, I didn’t have any other option. Now I’m going to build a barn where the dish is, so thought it would be a good time to join the mini-dish club. Basically: same stuff, same picture, more convenient, and more expensive.

 

[SteveT]

HDTV Rookie,

I’m paying more now, for fewer channels -- than I was with C-Band; but to install a new C-Band system would no doubt be a lot more expensive.

You can’t look at two satellites at the same time (with one dish), but each satellite could have as many as 24 channels -- so I guess if you had multiple receivers (which I didn’t) you could watch different channels on the same satellite. Some satellites are a lot better than others -- G5 (as someone mentioned) has a lot of good stuff.

I think the small dish is better (though a little more expensive) in every way, unless you have a lot of spare time and just enjoy surfing through all the available channels -- in which case, you’ll see stuff with C-Band that you’d never see any other way.

The big dish is an issue with most home owner’s association -- check your covenants.

C-Band appears to be a dying breed -- fewer and fewer subscribers every year. And every year it seems like a few more channels disappear. Here in Atlanta, for example, we can't get Turner Sport South -- which carries many of the Brave's games.