FTA in South America

[Geddy98]

Hi Everyone,
I am moving to a small town in Bolivia this year. There is no cable TV service there. Directv is there, but mostly in Spanish and I would prefer to receive English language broadcasts. I am really interested in setting up an FTA system as a hobby, and to provide us with English language programs. I have been reading what I can find on this forum to help me get started. So now I have a few questions I would appreciate some help with. I am relatively proficient in technology issues, built my own PCs, etc. So:
1. How much FTA programming is available in South America? Of what is available, will much or any of it be in English?
2. What satellites will I be able to receive? I saw one called Amazonas which is at 61W, and I will be at 63 W/18S, so I think it has possibilities based on what little I know up to this point.
3. Do I need a specific FTA receiver to operate in South America, or are receivers the same for use anywhere in the world?

So that is where I am starting from. Can anyone point me in the right direction? If you have reference reading material to help me get up to speed, I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks!
Geddy


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[SatelliteAV]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

1. There will be many C and KU band services available to you in Bolivia. I would invest in both bands as there seems to be more options in your region with C-band.

2. To understand what satellites provide coverage, go to a satellite footprint web service like http://www.satbeams.com/footprints and click on footprints. This will show you what satellites and beams are serving the region. To learn about available channels, click on charts. This will show a list of channels and indicate if they are free or encrypted.

3. Any FTA receiver should work, but be sure that the receiver supports newer technology such as S2, MPEG4, h.264. Most older receivers only support MPEG2 DVBS and the number of available channels will be limited.

You are on the right site to lean about the technology. Maybe check out the FTA FAQ then start asking questions.

 

[guacharaca]

Do not expect to receive English content in FTA that far south unless you have a BUD (big ugly dish ) for C-band. I say this because C-band signals travel further and tend to have a larger footprint. Ku band signals pointed at South America will have Spanish and Portuguese content. Ku band signal with English content are pointed elsewhere and you will not likely receive them in Bolivia. In Santa Marta Colombia, I did once plug-in an FTA receiver into a Telefonica ku dish that was pointed at Amazonas and could only receive about eight FTA channels from Venezuela (no English).

Do not be concerned if the satellite is close to you or not. As long as you can see it somewhere in the sky and they have a signal pointed in your direction such that you are in the footprint of that signal, it is possible to receive that signal whether it be incripted or free to air.

I would go with Telefonica or Direct TV if you are down there for more than a year. Bolivia will have at least "Universal" and "Warner" channels which will satisfy your cravings for the English language. Universal channel has subtitles in Spanish while Warner channel usually has no subtitles.

 

[Geddy98]

Thanks for the replies. I also would like to know if the dishes are portable? I will be shipping a container to South America, and will need a dish that can be packed in a crate and reassembled there. All in all, it seems like it may not be worth the effort and expense to try to get English programming.


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[DJdish]

I have checked on the satellite footprints website mentioned above (satbeams.com) and in Bolivia you´ll have signal from
Hispasat 1C/1D @ 30West on Ku band (smaller dish required) and also Intelsat 21 @ 58w C band (BUD required).

According to satbeams you would need a 1 meter (39 inch) dish size at least to receive both sats, I´d say for C band ideally you should go bigger than that.
You can get an idea of what english channels you will get by checking Lyngsat.com with both satellites names.

Please note the Cuban channels on Hispasat have movies and tv shows in english (with spanish subtitles), and KTV 2 (Kuwat tv has english language programming including american shows and movies).
Intelsat 21 could be a source of some english language news channels, like Al Jazeera English (let´s hope it stays there), CCCTV news (China television in english, not sure if France 24 is also in english there. and NHK World, Deutsche Welle Amerika among a few options on FTA channels.

 

[cyberham]

Telstar 12 @ 15W on Ku band should be an easy one to catch with a modest dish. You can watch the 24/7 English language MSNBC.

 

[carlospr43]

Those two world doesn't match unless you add the $ symbol in between somewhere:

FTA system = English language broadcasts

 

[cyberham]

I guess you mean most FTA receivable in Bolivia will be encrypted. But 15W and 30W Ku should be easily receiveable with a 1-metre dish.

 

[northgeorgia]

I know this is evil to say on an FTA forum, but you might be surprised at how affordable cable television or pay satellite TV is there. Talk with your neighbors and see what they have. In order to get high speed Internet where I lived in Mexico, I had only two options: 1. DSL through the telephone company (worked great for me in the previous town I lived in, but my new apartment would have required new phone line installation, and I didn't really need a landline) or 2. Cable TV/Internet combo package. The exchange rates fluctuated, but I paid around $45 a month and along with the highest speed wifi, I also received lots of premium programming in English, including stuff off of the networks. I know when I scanned 58W, I noticed the same channels (scrambled) on SKY Mexico, plus a few extra ones. I would assume the major metro areas of Bolivia would offer similar products.

 

[kennyrichie]

Fta in Suriname

Thanks for the replies. I also would like to know if the dishes are portable? I will be shipping a container to South America, and will need a dish that can be packed in a crate and reassembled there. All in all, it seems like it may not be worth the effort and expense to try to get English programming.


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Hi I'm from Suriname that's a country above Brazil. Besides Guyana and french Guyana. I want to place FTA at my home but dont now what and how to. I have bought a Azbox Bravissimo twin. But dont now what lnb etc. Could somebody point me the right direction?

 

[DJdish]

Hi I'm from Suriname that's a country above Brazil. Besides Guyana and french Guyana. I want to place FTA at my home but dont now what and how to. I have bought a Azbox Bravissimo twin. But dont now what lnb etc. Could somebody point me the right direction?

There are several options for FTA channels in South America, I guess more in spanish than in english.
First you need to consider you need a bigger dish for C band than for Ku band, and also the lnbs for C and Ku are different.

 

[cyberham]

Tell us a little about your situation. Could you install an 8-foot or larger diameter C-band dish? Or is a 3- or 4-foot Ku-band dish going to be all you can install? What type of programming do you want to receive: news, drama, sports, in English, in Papiamento (could be tough! )? What kind of budget do you have to spend?

 

[kennyrichie]

Yes i have bought a KU-Band dish 30" i think. And also bought a lnb but when i do calibration to 61 Amazonas i dont receive noting neither to Starone 71. I have seen alot of people here in my country using that same setup but dont now which LNB there using. So that is the problem at the time.

 

[northgeorgia]

Yes i have bought a KU-Band dish 30" i think. And also bought a lnb but when i do calibration to 61 Amazonas i dont receive noting neither to Starone 71. I have seen alot of people here in my country using that same setup but dont now which LNB there using. So that is the problem at the time.

Take a closeup photo of your lnb and also your dish setup. Or copy down any numbers and information on the lnb and we'll help you figure it out

 

[FaT Air]

What model LNBF? Do you know that you have to program the receiver with LNB, and transponder, specific information?
Knowing the specifics of the LNBF, info can be given as to what has to entered in the receiver programming.
The connection from the LNBF and the receiver must be done with high quality RG-6. Anything else (?????)
Remove power when attaching or disconnecting the coax to the LNBF.

I have seen alot of people here in my country using that same setup but dont now which LNB there using. So that is the problem at the time.

What satellite are they aimed at ? Different footprint, different signals, in North America.