Dusting off the BUD

[swynens]

Hey guys, pulled out the bud and cleaning her up. Just wondering...could anyone recommend a different antenna setup? I've got a 10' mesh HH with a co-rotor II (don't remember what my antennas are), have 4DTV receiver. I will possibly be mounting the dish soon so was wondering if there was any new antennas offered to mount to it? I can't remember the last time I was receiving from satellites (few years ago), but wasn't much available. Is there new tech available to receive FTA, 4DTV, C, Ku & new bands if any? Cause of the battery thing, my receiver has never been unplugged. I did remove the box from within it, can't remember what it was called either.

I've heard several folks talking about wild feeds, they had almost stopped back when I was buddin'. Did these stop or is it better now. Seems like all those sats their firing into space, this may be a good time to jump back in.

Thanks a lot guys, any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mr Tony]

welcome
I moved your post to the C-Band area where you'll get TONS of info

 

[pdiddy]

This is a perfect time to jump back in,equipment is a lot cheaper now then it was 30 years ago,and it's a lot better to.As for receiver I can only speak for my self but a lot will agree,get the micro geo sat pro receiver,about $100.00 it's great, dish positioner $38 bucks V-box from china,almost everybodys got one they work.Next month the new Titanium dish positioner comes out,that's the one every bodys waiting for me included..Lmb's,can be had for under $30 bucks just to get started.I got my first dish 30 years ago,but it's better and cheaper then ever before.It's a great hobby,you will enjoy it a lot.It's well worth the effort to get it up and running.This site is full of sharp people that can give you advice.Keep us posted.

 

[FaT Air]

There's plenty 'out there' to watch on C band FTA.
Can't comment too much on the 4DTV, except that the battery probably needs replacing, and their's new software for it. It's in the stickies. I'll leave this area to those with first hand experience.
As to "tech available to receive FTA" is a DVB-S2 capable receiver. Among the available receivers are the microHD, Amiko Nano HD, MANHATTAN RS-1933 and Traxis DBS6000HD. I know there's more but ??? Check out the reviews section, and the rest of the site for more info.
(I am running an older Openbox S9. They've been cloned since and personally can't recommend and the later number and letter models)
To add a rare transmission type(4.2.2 video) the Azbox MiniMe.

BTW: you can 'slave' the FTA box to the 4DTV with a couple of specialized splitters and a LNB switch so it can select band.
The 4DTV will operate the polarity/ move the dish.
'Course, there's always other options.

 

[Lone Gunman]

HEY, WELCOME TO SATGUYS

One important thing for you to be aware of when looking at FTA. IT'S BASICALLY A HOBBY FOR THE MAJORITY OF US HERE!! IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU'LL WANT TO USE TO REPLACE DICK NETWORK OR DIRECT AS FEEDS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING, IE, WHATS HERE TODAY MAY BE GONE TOMORROW SO IT'S NOT "FAMILY" FRIENDLY!

When I first got into FTA I had pretty much the same system that you have. I started out with an FTA receiver and slaved it to my 4DTV receiver and still used the Corotor feedhorn and LNBs (C and Ku). It's not real user friendly but this is about the cheapest route to go just so you can see if you want to go any further.

My second step was to swap out the Chaparral Corotor for a Standard LNBF and settings for that were in my Gi 920 4DTV receiver. Used this for a while then bit the bullet and bought a Vbox X dish positioner and did away with that power hog GI 920 and never looked back.

I'm with Phat Air on the Openbox S9 and some of those are still available on fleabay and some other reseller sites. If you're wanting something newer then the Geosat Pro Micro HD is probably one of the more tried and true receivers out there at this point for the price.

The Amiko Nano is the new kid on the block and some here have those but I haven't read up on them much. Both the Micro HD and the Amiko vendors are here on this site so tech support should be readily available if needed.

Ennywho, I'm sure others will chime in and in the mean time maybe you could look through some posts on the Micro HD and Amiko Nano.

 

[swynens]

Thanks Guys, It is just a hobby. I got busy and didn't have a lot of time to play. Still busy but I gotta play !! My 4DTV is a 922 and actually never got the plug pulled. (heard back when if I didn't turn it off, it wouldn't kill the battery) I moved to the country and decided I needed more entertainment and fun so I'm gonna mount it again. Love to play with it when I have time. The receivers you guys talk about, I'm not familiar with. The slaving thing is new to me, too...is there a wiring diagram explaining how on the site? Sounds like a cheap way to use my equipment. Do you need a smaller dish or will it all work on the bud? Gittin' kinda excited about starting it back up. Thanks guys for helping me out with this project. Looking forward to draining all yer knowledge
Thanks Iceburg for moving me where I needed to be.

 

[mmewrench]

You can find a diagram here: http://www.satelliteguys.us/album.php?albumid=88

 

[waylew]

Just an fyi,keeping the 922 plugged in does not maintain the battery,it can die whether it's plugged in or not.The only thing keeping it plugged in does,if the bat is dead you won't lose the unit ID,until,of course the first power failure or unplugging,then poof.
That being said,the only thing you need the ID for is if you want to subscribe to the remaining channels that you can buy.Click on the link below to see what you can get.
Now,if the battery did die and you lost the ID,you can still replace the bat and use the 922 to move the dish,receive the few analog channels that are still up there,and get whatever free DCII channels that are there,a couple of audio services top the list but there is other stuff there too.

Satellite Receivers C band and 4DTV satellite programming

 

[swynens]

Thanks Waylew, Unplugged it...plugged it back & turned it on. Don't know what I accomplished but, It still has the sat number on screen. I will probably send it off to be replaced when I have the system up & running.

 

[Bongu]

Welcome swynens!

If you have any tech experience change the battery yourself. It is not too daunting a challenge. If the unit ID on screen matches what is on the back panel, you haven't lost anything, yet. ATS is no longer in business and the other person/company that performs the battery replacement service does not have many positive reviews. If you dont have the tech know-how, someone here may be able to assist, or you may have a capable buddy that works for beer. I would check that route first before sending your 922 to the other person/company. Read up on the replacement procedures and decide for yourself.

As far as receivers go, all of the ones mentioned above are worth a shot. Only you can decide what your budget is. Stick with one with support and you will not be disappointed. Stay away from the eye patch receivers as support for them dries up as soon as production costs are paid for and a tidy profit is made.

As far as dish setup goes, some people swear they are happy with the Ku performance of their BUD and others swear that a stand alone Ku only reflector is the way to go. I support the stand alone Ku reflector crowd. Much easier to try different hardware and perform fine tuning. YMMV.

 

[mmewrench]

Im one of those guys that say a bud is fine for Ku. In fact I also have a motorized Ku dish and rarely use it. Performance between the two is similar until the wind blows or the rain falls. Good Ku reception on a bud comes to those who work for it. The dish needs to be spot on.

I would use what you have now as far as lnb's (antennae). It worked before and it will work again. Make sure that the splitters that you buy have one side power passing, and one side DC block. By slaving to your dsr 922 you will be able to control the dish movements and polarity changes as well as catch a free DC II channel from time to time. There are a few In the clear all the time.