No such thing as a stupid question here!
The setup you mentioned with multiple LNBFs works well if the satellites you want are not too close together and yet not too far apart. But, I really don't know how it would work on a small elliptical -- no experience here on that! So that's something I cannot address.
However, I do have experience in general with a dish like yours. I failed miserably when I first started in FTA to figure it out. I put it aside and got a real dish. I discovered a stable mount is very important! I learned. I motorized the dish. I learned. I perfected the tracking of the arc by making sure the motor and mast were plumb. I learned! I actually relocated the dish to see more of the arc! I learned. Then I took out the small dish again. Still could not get the darn thing to work. But I also realized how bent out of shape my dish was and that I didn't have a good pole or mount for it in the first place -- so after locating another proper sized FTA dish, I tossed the elliptical. Lots of folks have luck with them. But for some reason, even after years of experience, I couldn't get that particular one to cooperate. You might have better luck, but don't get frustrated if you can't ever get it to work.
Be careful about switches. Satellite boxes actually send electrical current out to the LNBF at the dish, which selects the polarity (or moves the motor before selecting the polarity), then sends the signal back into the receiver. So, you'll want to read up about them in the FAQs and ask questions before doing that
The LNBF may or may not "work" with an FTA receiver. That is to say, you might get a receiver that allows you to set the correct parameters for the LNBF, and you will be able to get a reading. I did this. My dad is a subscriber to Dish. I first purchased a cheap-o clone receiver (not intentionally, but it still took three returns for the company to send me a legitimate one). During that frustrating time, I bought a used Traxis receiver that couldn't receive the newer signals, but would work on some of the older style ones. I sat the parameters correctly, had it scan the satellite, and in came the channels. 99% were scrambled. What I mean is, if you look at the channel on the receiver, you see a blank screen with the message "scrambled" on it. There was one or two channels that had the "Welcome to Dish" setup channel playing. That is all that was "FTA" on Dish. I'm not even sure DirecTV uses the same frequencies as Dish. However to answer your question, no. You cannot use the LNBF to receive FTA. From Wikipedia (with my notes thrown in):
[h=3]The Americas[/h]
Segments in most of The Americas are represented by ITU Region 2 from 11.7 to 12.2 GHz (Local Oscillator Frequency (LOF) 10.750 to 11.250 GHz), allocated to the FSS (fixed service satellite),--[ Ku-band FTA]. There are more than 22 FSS K[SUB]u[/SUB] band satellites orbiting over North America, each carrying 12 to 48 transponders, 20 to 120 watts per transponder, and requiring a 0.8-m to 1.5-m antenna for clear reception.
The 12.2 to 12.7 GHz (LOF 11.250 to 11.750 GHz) segment is allocated to the BSS (broadcasting satellite service). BSS (DBS direct broadcast satellites) normally carry 16 to 32 transponders of 27 MHz bandwidth running at 100 to 240 watts of power, allowing the use of receiver antennas as small as 18 inches (450 mm). -- [this is your Dish Network, DirecTV, and Bell pay satellite services].
The reason I've gone into excruciating detail is that I went the route you're headed down and enjoyed it! But I also paid a lot more than was necessary. The OpenBox was the best at the time, but I didn't realize how many clones were out there. I only had an elliptical, not a proper FTA dish, and couldn't get it to work properly -- but I didn't know if I needed to point it elsewhere, if the angle was off, if the LNBF was good or bad, if it was the right LNBF, if my Openbox was even working properly, etc. So, I bought the Traxis. Great, it got a signal -- so it was partly the OpenBox fault. I gave up on the elliptical. I found a Ku-band dish on the cheap (lucky me!), but was afraid to mount it because I didn't know what I was doing. I bought a proper LNBF. I moved the dish this way and that. I tried both satellite boxes. Nothing! Waited half a year. Bought a compass and satellite meter. Asked for help in building a proper base for the mount and dish. Done. Still nothing. Tried the next day, adjusting angles, going up and down, left and right, and taking the advice from members here to move extremely slowly and wait. Finally!!! G-19 came in! I couldn't believe it! I found it! Exactly the satellite I was looking for, too! I bought more coax, connectors, etc. to run it into my room to watch. Later bought a motor that fried within a year. Purchased a higher quality motor.... bought some more coax, tools, etc.
I also recommend the package because at $199 shipped (and even if you put down another $100 for a motor later), it is a big savings. But if you want to go my route anyway, then I suggest you look for the dish first and mount that sucker appropriately once you get it
