Comments from a newbie to FTA

[k4otl]

I finally got my Ku-band setup running a week ago, I had acquired a used Hughesnet dish (36") for free, bought lnb with holder and a GT media V9 prime receiver, and 8 months ago or so gave up as I could not lock SES 1 (101 W) or G19 (97W). I finally got back to it a week ago, thinking I'd never line things up but latched onto some sats, then fine tuned to SES 1 and then moved over slightly to G19. This website and all the forums provide VERY good info for those starting out and I'd like to thank you all. And I'm in my 20s, so not all young people are averse to a technical hobby like FTA. I also wanted some more free TV above and beyond my DVDs and OTA (people do look at me like an alien sometimes when I say I don't stream TV/music).

One observation I will make is that while Dishpointer is helpful at getting a general direction/elevation for a particular satellite, DONT TRUST THE GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE! Trust either a magnetic compass or a phone's compass for the correct azimuth, I was probably 10-20 degrees off when I first tried it. Anywho, thanks to everyone! I've been enjoying some SAT TV, mainly Positiv TV on G19 right now. I think I've caught the FTA bug, I'm already wanting to attach a second lnb with either a 22k switch or diseqc switch to try and get 101 W off the same dish as 97W haha. C-band is currently a "who knows?" for me, I get a lot of channels OTA that would be on C-band, although getting Grit TV in HD would be nice. I've been scouting for old C-band dishes if for nothing else to save for later. I guess whatever you need to justify it haha.

Another thing I'm curious about, I was given a bunch of "swm splitters" and "4x2 multiswitches" from an old Direct TV installer, as well as some other stuff like cables and such. Are these swm splitters and the multiswitches any good for FTA things? I've tried looking up but am not too clear as to their function.

Another thing I couldn't find a whole lot of info on was the v9 Prime reciever, and I can confirm that you can edit the channel lists to add the "hidden" music channels. I haven't tried them out (need to move the dish over to 101 w) but at least you know you can edit. I used the 'Ali DB editor" and can also confirm it works on a 32 bit Windows 7 PC. Anyway, just some additional info for anyone who cares. Thanks again, these forums have been super helpful.

 

[Pepper]

Congrats on your progress! Those HughesNet dishes are great, I have one pointed at 97/101/105. You can stack LNBFs on either side of the center one and get satellites 4 degrees apart easily with that dish.

To combine them, I'm using a DiSEqC 1.1 8x1 switch (around $20) and WB68 multiswitches to combine two dual-feed LNBFs into each port of the 8x1. Those 4x2 switches will do the same thing basically but the WB68 will pass the 20kHz tone which is required if you're using the upper half of a Universal LNBF.

I'm not sure if the SWM splitters are good for anything though.

 

[Jim S.]

I never had an Android compass that was accurate enough or stable enough to use for technical work. Yeah, I've tried the whole waving it around in a figure-8 thing, too many times. I haven't tried it with my latest phone (my first non-entry-level model) though, because I haven't needed a compass lately. That, and I'd have to take it out of the case with the magnetic latch on it.

I wonder what's going on with Dishpointer and Google Maps. I wonder if they haven't updated the magnetic variation lately?

 

[Brct203]

I finally got my Ku-band setup running a week ago, I had acquired a used Hughesnet dish (36") for free, bought lnb with holder and a GT media V9 prime receiver, and 8 months ago or so gave up as I could not lock SES 1 (101 W) or G19 (97W). I finally got back to it a week ago, thinking I'd never line things up but latched onto some sats, then fine tuned to SES 1 and then moved over slightly to G19. This website and all the forums provide VERY good info for those starting out and I'd like to thank you all. And I'm in my 20s, so not all young people are averse to a technical hobby like FTA. I also wanted some more free TV above and beyond my DVDs and OTA (people do look at me like an alien sometimes when I say I don't stream TV/music).

One observation I will make is that while Dishpointer is helpful at getting a general direction/elevation for a particular satellite, DONT TRUST THE GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE! Trust either a magnetic compass or a phone's compass for the correct azimuth, I was probably 10-20 degrees off when I first tried it. Anywho, thanks to everyone! I've been enjoying some SAT TV, mainly Positiv TV on G19 right now. I think I've caught the FTA bug, I'm already wanting to attach a second lnb with either a 22k switch or diseqc switch to try and get 101 W off the same dish as 97W haha. C-band is currently a "who knows?" for me, I get a lot of channels OTA that would be on C-band, although getting Grit TV in HD would be nice. I've been scouting for old C-band dishes if for nothing else to save for later. I guess whatever you need to justify it haha.

Another thing I'm curious about, I was given a bunch of "swm splitters" and "4x2 multiswitches" from an old Direct TV installer, as well as some other stuff like cables and such. Are these swm splitters and the multiswitches any good for FTA things? I've tried looking up but am not too clear as to their function.

Another thing I couldn't find a whole lot of info on was the v9 Prime reciever, and I can confirm that you can edit the channel lists to add the "hidden" music channels. I haven't tried them out (need to move the dish over to 101 w) but at least you know you can edit. I used the 'Ali DB editor" and can also confirm it works on a 32 bit Windows 7 PC. Anyway, just some additional info for anyone who cares. Thanks again, these forums have been super helpful.

welcome to the hobby! Some great obeservations but I have to disagree about the phone compass. If I used mine to align a dish, I might get TV from Mars and Jupiter but not from the usual satellites. I find them to be incredibly unstable and inacurate. And by consequence, AR apps that show the satellites in the sky are of limited use for azimuth but good for elevation. Maybe I'm missing something.

About the switches, well, I think it depends. I have a 4x4 multiswitch that comes for a DTV installation and is just a standard voltage and 22k driven multiswitch, so fully compatible with FTA. But some switches use proprietary protocols that are specific to Dish Network or DirecTv. Splitters are usually not usable for FTA and we rely on voltage for switching polarity

Now about the receiver... I would suggest you take a look at Linux-based receivers, running Enigma2. They are a bit more complex but are amazing for technicaly-inclined people. You get much better control, there are many editors, etc.

 

[iBoston]

I have great luck with dishpointer, however i don't use a phone. I compare the google map. I see the line to the satellite and where it goes in the distance. I see that the line crosses a tree, or some other distinct marker, and then that's where i rotate my dish too. Works like a charm.

They are a bit more complex but are amazing for technicaly-inclined people. You get much better control​

I whole heartily agree with that statement. I ditched all my non enigma2 STB's. The amazing things i have been able to do with my Enigma2 STB's make them so amazing. EPG guide, channel switching and stb control from web (great for my outside STB that broadcasts music to an FM transmitter so i can listen to music from anywhere on my farm). Streaming satellite from another PC (So i can watch TV from my bed) , auto detection of channels to display the song title/artist on those hidden songs. (So i don't have to ask myself, what is that song) Displaying my personal weather station temperature on the LCD screen. Two of my channels are my animal barns so i can watch my goats/chickens from my STB and on and on... Love those Enigma2 STBs!!!

 

[k4otl]

Congrats on your progress! Those HughesNet dishes are great, I have one pointed at 97/101/105. You can stack LNBFs on either side of the center one and get satellites 4 degrees apart easily with that dish.

To combine them, I'm using a DiSEqC 1.1 8x1 switch (around $20) and WB68 multiswitches to combine two dual-feed LNBFs into each port of the 8x1. Those 4x2 switches will do the same thing basically but the WB68 will pass the 20kHz tone which is required if you're using the upper half of a Universal LNBF.

I'm not sure if the SWM splitters are good for anything though.

I need to order some Diseqc switches, right now I just readjust the dish when I want something new. The TPs I'm interested in must be really strong because I can still receive them w/o changing elevation (between G19 and 101W) obviously when I fine tune the quality goes up. Currently I've got the dish splitting the difference between 99W and 101W and it picks up both reasonably well (at least the TPs I care about). I haven't seen any feeds yet though, other than the national PBS feed I guess for their evening news.

Is 105 W any good besides the VA channels and feeds? What would you all recommend as an additional sat (beyond 97/101/105 and besides 99W) to try for? Could 87W be done or too far away? Right now I'm just gonna play with my 1 fixed dish, not planning on getting a motor for a while, the Hughesnet dish I have seems a bit too heavy/large for any of the common motors out there (it also takes a 2.25" +/- pipe mount), correct me if I'm wrong. Here in NE Tenn there's enough unused Hughesnet dishes (w/o LNB) around in my travels I could pick up 1 or 2 more easily for free, which I'll probably do. And C-band dishes, while not as plentiful, I know of 4 homes somewhat near me that have them and don't look like they're using them, so maybe I'll get a BUD

Dang it, now I've got another hobby/TV source of sorts (like I need another lol). Thanks all! Happy New Years!

 

[k4otl]

welcome to the hobby! Some great obeservations but I have to disagree about the phone compass. If I used mine to align a dish, I might get TV from Mars and Jupiter but not from the usual satellites. I find them to be incredibly unstable and inacurate. And by consequence, AR apps that show the satellites in the sky are of limited use for azimuth but good for elevation. Maybe I'm missing something.

About the switches, well, I think it depends. I have a 4x4 multiswitch that comes for a DTV installation and is just a standard voltage and 22k driven multiswitch, so fully compatible with FTA. But some switches use proprietary protocols that are specific to Dish Network or DirecTv. Splitters are usually not usable for FTA and we rely on voltage for switching polarity

Now about the receiver... I would suggest you take a look at Linux-based receivers, running Enigma2. They are a bit more complex but are amazing for technicaly-inclined people. You get much better control, there are many editors, etc.

Yeah Dishpointer was off for me, even using landmarks on Google Maps (that was my first try), I have an actual magnetic compass and it got me reasonably close, as did the phone compass (I used one to check the other), I just made sure to get away from metal objects as best as I could. And when I mean "phone compass" I mean using a dishpointer app, don't know if there's a difference. I didn't get it spot on but moved the dish slightly until I noticed a higher signal strength (no SQ), then did a blind scan. Once I figured out what SAT I was looking at (it was 105 W, I wanted 97W) I then readjusted and went on, now I have Sharpie marks on my pole identifying 87, 97, 101 W.
Do you have links to these recommended receivers (Ebay searches aren't the greatest)? I'm liking my GT media v9 for right now, but am certainly open to trying a 2nd one. I also can confirm that I receive the music channels just fine.

 

[iBoston]

Do you have links to these recommended receivers (Ebay searches aren't the greatest)? I'm liking my GT media v9 for right now, but am certainly open to trying a 2nd one.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806025388736.html?pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%2146.74%2142.07%21%21%21339.90%21305.91%21%402103010b17356550503537991e636e%2112000036299752373%21sea%21US%21126617138%21X&curPageLogUid=sd2U9OdVsBKS&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

These are powerful units, inexpensive and have Enigma2, and supports DVBs2x and 4K and HEVC codecs.

If you need Wifi, you can also buy a wifi usb dongle

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251800689973206.html?pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%214.96%214.96%21%21%2136.06%2136.06%21%402103244817356554490451029e6084%2165138819243%21sea%21US%21126617138%21X&curPageLogUid=Aj9T7bmgffWw&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

Ps, Aliexpress now takes PayPal for convenience.

 

[Pepper]

I need to order some Diseqc switches, right now I just readjust the dish when I want something new. The TPs I'm interested in must be really strong because I can still receive them w/o changing elevation (between G19 and 101W) obviously when I fine tune the quality goes up. Currently I've got the dish splitting the difference between 99W and 101W and it picks up both reasonably well (at least the TPs I care about). I haven't seen any feeds yet though, other than the national PBS feed I guess for their evening news.

Is 105 W any good besides the VA channels and feeds? What would you all recommend as an additional sat (beyond 97/101/105 and besides 99W) to try for? Could 87W be done or too far away? Right now I'm just gonna play with my 1 fixed dish, not planning on getting a motor for a while, the Hughesnet dish I have seems a bit too heavy/large for any of the common motors out there (it also takes a 2.25" +/- pipe mount), correct me if I'm wrong. Here in NE Tenn there's enough unused Hughesnet dishes (w/o LNB) around in my travels I could pick up 1 or 2 more easily for free, which I'll probably do. And C-band dishes, while not as plentiful, I know of 4 homes somewhat near me that have them and don't look like they're using them, so maybe I'll get a BUD

Dang it, now I've got another hobby/TV source of sorts (like I need another lol). Thanks all! Happy New Years!

105 is pretty much just the VA but things can change without notice.

I got my DiSEqC 8x1 switches from Hyper Casey ~ $20 each. I started with one of those and grew. Yes, it's an addictive hobby. (click below for gory details)

Spoiler

Figured out I could take one of those 4x2 multiswitches and cascade into one of the inputs of the 8x1 DiSEqC to get two LNBFs per input. I got a good deal from a guy on ebay wanting to unload the WB68 switches later.

Currently active in my dish farm are: 30+34.5 on superdish; 87 on Dslimline, 97+101+105 on Hughes, 99 on CM1.0, 103 on Primestar, 117+123+129 on superdish. Another Dslimline waiting for 67+77 but I've got to trim a tree for that. On my future list when I have time for it are 37.6, 45, 65.1, 85, 95, 115. Everything else Ku is either too low with obstacles in the way, or encrypted, or the beam doesn't cover my location.

About 8 years ago I had 61 through 125 on a motorized Primestar but the trees grew and I found the only way to get good signal was from multiple strategic locations in the backyard.

 

[Brct203]

I need to order some Diseqc switches, right now I just readjust the dish when I want something new. The TPs I'm interested in must be really strong because I can still receive them w/o changing elevation (between G19 and 101W) obviously when I fine tune the quality goes up. Currently I've got the dish splitting the difference between 99W and 101W and it picks up both reasonably well (at least the TPs I care about). I haven't seen any feeds yet though, other than the national PBS feed I guess for their evening news.

Is 105 W any good besides the VA channels and feeds? What would you all recommend as an additional sat (beyond 97/101/105 and besides 99W) to try for? Could 87W be done or too far away? Right now I'm just gonna play with my 1 fixed dish, not planning on getting a motor for a while, the Hughesnet dish I have seems a bit too heavy/large for any of the common motors out there (it also takes a 2.25" +/- pipe mount), correct me if I'm wrong. Here in NE Tenn there's enough unused Hughesnet dishes (w/o LNB) around in my travels I could pick up 1 or 2 more easily for free, which I'll probably do. And C-band dishes, while not as plentiful, I know of 4 homes somewhat near me that have them and don't look like they're using them, so maybe I'll get a BUD

Dang it, now I've got another hobby/TV source of sorts (like I need another lol). Thanks all! Happy New Years!

for the diseqc switches, look at Hypermegasat, a great site owned by fellow member Casey (as mentionned by Pepper). Also look up hypermegasat on ebay as he sometimes offers some bundles that don't appear on the website.

He also offers an Enigma2 receiver from Edision, but seems to be out-of-stock at the moment. He would be able to tell you if there are more coming.

Rick Satellite offers a few Enigma2 receivers but I don't know how good they are.

There's still the option of ordering directly from European resellers - I had seen some good prices on some German websites, but I have no idea if those are reliable vendors.