C-Band Worth it?

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calmeidajr

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Sep 28, 2009
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NJ
You guys probably get this question too many times lol. Anyway, I'm in the market for a cband system is it worth the money and time? Any answers I would appreciate it...I'm just looking for hobby stuff not as my primary. Will it be around for a long time?
 
IMO yes it is, and yes it will be around a long time. Perfect for the hobbyist because yes, channels will come and go and can't be used for primary. Look around and do some door knocking to see if you can find a used dish.
 
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YES, YES, and YES.
In addition to looking around locally for a dish, keep an eye on this thread
Kijiji, eBay, and Craigslist dishes for you to take a look at
And ask here (in a new thread) about a dish you find. They are not strangers here so you'll get opinions/suggestions on/about it. You can also upload pictures (we like pictures)
Hope the ground doesn't get as hard and cold as it does around here. Kinda kills installations, for a while, this time of year.
 
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IMO, definitely worth it, especially if you're looking for a hobby. Warning though, it's addictive, I have six dishes up right now and a 12' plus a few Ku in the basement waiting for summer! There is a lot I like to watch on C band too.

Watch the thread that Fat Air posted and keep an eye out locally as you drive around for unused dishes, my 9' dish I got for free and the 12' I got for $200 from the thread Fat Air posted, it also came with some smaller dishes, receivers, LNBs, etc.

Might also be worth checking on Craigslist directly too, in case there's no one posting any up here in that thread from your area.
 
You will probally ask your self after you get a dish,WHY didn't I get one sooner.It's some of the best money I ever spent,I enjoy it everyday.Got my first dish in 1985.Looking forward to spring so as to have dish number 6.GET ONE,you won't regret it.
 
Look for a good used dish at least 8 foot, a 10 foot one would be better. Receivers are another story as most of them have their own quirks just my opinion.
Channels come and go so get used to that.
 
Yes it is worth it. Yes, I imagine it will be around for a long time to come.

With OTA and FTA you can, if your viewing tastes fit, cut the cable cord. That, in itself will go a long ways towards paying for the hobby. Just be prepared for things to go away and new things to appear. I don't regret having set up another C band dish, in fact I REALLY ENJOY IT.
 
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ok thanks all I appreciate all the replies...I heard though don't know if its true that uplinkers are going to streaming platforms is there any truth to this?...because it's cheaper to stream then to uplink a signal so everyone can view it with dishes.
 
Yes and No. It depends on your distribution needs whether to use satellite or IP. Satellite distribution cannot be replaced with streaming in many cases. The communication satellites are still going up and they have a 15 year lifespan usually, so I don't see it going away anytime soon ;)
 
Yes and No. It depends on your distribution needs whether to use satellite or IP. Satellite distribution cannot be replaced with streaming in many cases. The communication satellites are still going up and they have a 15 year lifespan usually, so I don't see it going away anytime soon ;)
Ok, I'm an old timer C-Band dealer with lots of free stuff to give away, I'm in SOUTHBURY CT and even KU stuff some new stuff would be nice to get some cash for

You can email me at diamondsatellite@snet.net

Gary Diamond
 
Fun projects are mini and micro buds for guys like me that live in apartment that can't have a 10'. Not recommended for newbies though.
 
I asked myself the same question months ago. After many interesting fta years, I wanted a BUD to play with. I found a 10ft EchoStar mesh fort 75.00 on craigslist, drove 200 miles to get it in the pouring rain. it had 500 lbs of concrete keeping it the ground. now its in my yard and I blind scan for fun as I scan the Clarke arc with anticipation. November 9th, I watched the NASCAR race clean feed without commercials from Phoenix. usually just router feeds but the clean and dirty feeds were not encrypted on Sunday. its on AMC 9 (83 degrees west) just 1 of many clear c band FTA channels to enjoy. my first post to this forum, but would encourage you to invest time and a little money to enjoy a relatively cheap hobby. learning something new everyday. Installed this baby and set her up all by myself in a few hours. just by reading and listening to the veterans of this hobby. Good luck
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cband hands down is just fun so many free dishes for the taking.
 
I have removed the discussion about a certain subscription service that someone was trying to promote here. Discussion about that service is NOT allowed here.

The operator is a known scammer and has been banned from almost every FTA forum in the USA which says a LOT.

Let's face the facts in order to use the service you may need TWO receivers as a cost of $650 each... all to watch which appears to be 3 channels which you must subscribe to for another $10 a month.

I am getting word (don't know if its true) that one of the channels it could be illegal for them to carry as I am told their receiver does not properly black out games based on your zip code as required by law.

So if you are going to spend all this money on equipment for 3 channels... one of the main ones you are subscribing for might not be around on it shortly because of this. In other words, don't waste your money.

Is Sat_boy Glen? Hard to tell he appears to be going through a VPN / Proxy server in LA, so hard to tell, but in his 5 posts are all for promoting this "service" so I will let you decide there. Thank you to everyone who reported him it shows me that SatelliteGuys members are looking out for each other.

I don't want to see people scammed and I don't want to support a scammer which is why discussion of this service is not permitted here.
 
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AMC-4 at 67w?

AMC-8 on a microbud

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