Ditchin' Comcast II

[brenmahr]

All.

I'm lookin' to ditch the cable monster. It's been almost 20 years since we used C/Ku, so I'm getting back on the bike. Lookin' for tips, tricks, gear suggestions, etc.

After 20 years, how dramatically has the Sat-broadcast landscape changed? Are there still unencrypted feeds to watch or has everyone switched over to digital, encrypted satellite feeds?

Do I need the ugly 10' dish in my yard or can I get decent results from a 30" dish and motor?

I'm willing to RTFM, but I need some direction on which FM to read?

Any help appreciated...
-=Brendan

 

[boomer_106]

Hey Brendan, There are still unencrypted feeds up on satellite. For an idea of what's up full time check out SatelliteGuys.US - TheList

There are also news and sports feeds and such that you probably saw 20 years ago. It's alot more digital now than analog but, it's there.

As far as whether you need a BUD or a smaller dish, it's up to you. A combination C/KU unit will give you the most programming. If you go with the smaller dish, you won't be able to pull in C band signals.

G10R is a very popular satellite. There are quite a few signals you can receive free there with just the 30-39 inch dish. If you let us know what you really want to watch we can probably help more on the Bud vs. 30" dish decision.

Here is the link to what's on G10R
SatelliteGuys.US - 123.0°W Galaxy 10R Ku

 

[vfrjim]

FTA is not a replacement for cable/LSD, unfortunately to get cable TV channels, a 10' (or so) dish with a 4dtv receiver will get the channels that you cannot get FTA, but do not expect a lot of HDTV channels.

 

[GrumpyGuy]

On the whole the hobby is better - less expensive, more in-the-clear programing.

However..if you want a wide variety of first-run movies, adult programing, or all the premium cable networks ... keep the cable or subscribe to a DBS satellite service.

The vast majority of signals are now digital, but modern "TVRO" receivers have followed suit and are also digital.

There is plenty to see without a BUD (but it is still nice to have one.)

A 30 inch dish will get you into the game, but if you can afford to do so, save yourself some frustration and go larger - 85cm (33.5 inches) will provide better bang for your buck, 90cm is far from overkill.

RTFM Links:
SatGuys FAQ

SatGuys The List

 

[brenmahr]

Thanks for the message! I'm not looking for illegal TV, but rather to see what is available for free so I can make a good decision. I'll check out TheList!

For types of programming, it's mostly network TV and kid-tv. Sports would be great (esp if I could still get the raw, commercial free, uplinks that we used to get -- it's always great to see Madden using "real" language when he thinks he's on commercial)

I too, like others I'm reading about, have "dish restrictions". I'm probably not gonna get a 10ft+ dish approved, but could probably get away with up to a 5ft if it were "not in plain sight".

I'm still a little confused about FTA as it seems many of the downlink converters require activation cards and subscriptions...

(I'm sooo kickin' myself for giving away my old starband dish and LNB after reading the FAQs!)
-=Brendan

 

[truckracer]

Got a 10' and 7.5' here with both c and ku on both. Love the hobby.

 

[Lak7]

Your choices will probably be determined on how many rooms / TVs you want to feed.

 

[GrumpyGuy]

I think I may know what is causing some of your confusion. Some FTA receivers currently sold in North America come equipped with card slots or a "CAM slot" or "CAM moudule" for use in other markets (Europe, for example.) The card slot serves no function over here. The feature is not a drawback, only useless ... but that does not seem to discourage some North American dealers from touting it as a feature none-the-less.

This is probably a good time to mention that some FTA receivers seem to be primarily intended for the hacker market. Sometimes these receivers and their factory firmware are not strong performers in areas that are critical to the true FTA user such as fast and efficient blind scanning, and glitch-free motor control. Check out the SatelittleGuys FTA-mpeg2 equipment reviews. Some of the best and worst have been tested and reviewed by SatGuys members (user and moderator Iceberg is a particularly knowledgeable and reliable source.)