Hello! I am new to the FTA stuff...

[ssy080]

First of all, thank you for reading this thread.
I haven't even bought a FTA system yet, but thinking about it.
I have some questions about FTA systems.

1. I live in Calgary AB, Canada, what channels/satellites would I be able to get?

2. I am looking at pansat 2700a or coolsat 4000 pro. Which one's better? I heard that coolsat is better, but looking at the specs, I couldn't find much difference. Only difference I could find was that pansat could get 5000 channels programmed, and coolsat can get 4000 channels. Shouldn't it be other way around? I like the look of coolsat though! I would like to know the difference between the two.

3. lyngsat, Galaxy 11 (Cannot put in url)
In this page, would I be able to get MBC (South Korea) channel? Or is it just the yellow ones that I could watch?

4. Dish. I couldn't find 36" and up dishes from ebay. Only one was 33". I don't know where to get it here in Calgary because it was just few days ago when I first saw a FTA receiver. Is it better to get 36" and up dish? (If you know a place in Calgary or in Canada(website), please mention it for me)

5. Is motorized dish a easier way to get the satellites? Is it worth getting it?

6. Is there a webpage for Canada for figuring out the true south, Mag. Dev. and the satellite angles?

If there isn't much difference between coolsat and pansat, I'd rather get pansat with motor.

Thank You! I will add more If I can think of any more questions.

 

[PSB]

Hello and welcome to the SatelliteGuys.US FTA forum!

Check out www.kusat.com as they have a lot of what you are looking for and they are a Canadian company!

A Motor is a MUST. IMO. But you can add it anytime!

Your true south satellite will be at the same orbital position as your Longitude!

The channel (MBC) on G-11 is a C-band channel you would need a very large dish for that (8-10') But there are a few Korean channels that you can get with a 36" dish. C-band channels have four digit Freq. And KU Band channels have five digit freq.

http://www.dmsiusa.com/charts.htm

If you can afford the Coolsat get that if not the Pansat will work well.
This hobby is all about fun, welcome to our world!

 

[ssy080]

http://www.thesatshack.com/docs/satlocator.html

in kusat, the motor they have is very expensive. Over 100 bucks! why is that?
Is there a website that has cheaper motors?

"Your true south satellite will be at the same orbital position as your Longitude!"
How do I find the longitude of calgary? is it 114.08 W? I found it on [thesatshack/docs/satlocator.html] (This thing about no url until 5 postings is really hard.)
So what satellite would be my true south satellite?

Thank you for your reply.

 

[PSB]

Check Sadouns web site for all your angles.....

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Satellite-Heading-Calculator.htm

I would use Satmex 5 at 116.8w as your (near) true south bird, your receiver will have USALS so it will not be a big problem : )

 

[ssy080]

Do I need to add/subtract Magnetic Declination from the azimuth angle?
Why is there 2 sections of stationary and motorized if the values are the same?
Oh! and why does it say True north in stationary section?

"But there are a few Korean channels that you can get with a 36" dish."
does this mean that I can't get it with 33" dish?

I will ask the details later when I get mine!

Thank you for your help!

 

[Wholeshoe]

is the $100 for the motor Canadian or US Dollars? I think about $100 dollars Canadian would be just about right.

Wholeshoe

 

[tdti1]

I got most of my stuff here in Montreal:
www.rpssat.com

 

[ssy080]

wholeshoe// its 149 dollars to be exact. But in ebay, I can buy it for about 90 dollars including shipping and handling.

tdti1// thank you for your help! ^^

 

[Dave C]

Check Sadouns web site for all your angles.....

I would use Satmex 5 at 116.8w as your (near) true south bird, your receiver will have USALS so it will not be a big problem : )

Satmex 5 is going to be very difficult for a newbie to find in Calgary. The footprint drops off rapidly around the boarder. It's going to take at least a 1 meter dish tuned to perfection or more.
I'm in Seattle with a 76cm Winegard and barely get a flicker in quality. Not enough to scan in anything

 

[ssy080]

then what should I use for my true south satellite? Where do I go for general questions about how to set the dish to point at the true south satellite? (tools, and how to)

Thank you.