new to fta and need help

[slay47]

i know nothing about fta and need lots of help. been trying to read here to help me but so far havn't found much. lots of questions. what would i need? i have an old tv not a hd would i still be able to get the channels? i have been on direct tv for yr's can i use that dish or do i need something else?

 

[Lak7]

It all depends on what you plan on watching.

 

[slay47]

i'm just a regular tv watcher. like movies, sports, and just plain tv

 

[Anole]

While I'd wait for your answer to Lak7's question above, the basics consist of:
- 36" dish for Ku (or maybe an 8' dish for C-band)
- compatible LNB
- SD FTA receiver
- some RG-6 cable to hook it all together
- clear view of part of the southern sky
- list of satellites and some programming info on them (very basic; more advanced)

 

[slay47]

look guys i'm not a thief. i would like to do this right i just don't know where to even start

 

[turbosat]

slay47 do you have any equipment for free to air already, like a receiver or dish? You need a big enough dish (30" or larger, a lot of us use the old Primestar gray dishes that are still around, usually free for the asking). If you find one of those dishes they work pretty well, and the lnbf on it almost always still works. Or you can buy a system from one of the sponsors at the top of the page here, reciever/dish, lnbf and cable or any / all of the parts you want. I'd go with a simple system/reciever to begin, then once you get the hang of it, add a dish motor to see more of the satellites. Click on The List, above, to get an idea of what is available on the sats we can see in the US.

 

[DishDigger]

In answer to part of your question. the DN and DTV dishes and lnb's aren't of much use. Those might get you NASA and one or two of the other pgms on DN (119). These systems use circular lnbf's and you will need a standard lnbf. Also, the signals from FTA satellites aren't as strong as the pay satellites and require a larger dish. A 31" dish will suffice for the most part, but you'll be more satisfied with a 36-42" dish.

Enjoy the hobby. You'll find more help here than anywhere. There is someone on sight most of the time that can answer your questions and help you work through any problem you come up against. Remember this, though, you need to have patience and work in small increments. Aiming and setting up these systems are a little more difficult than the pay systems - the signals aren't quite as strong. Good luck and stick with SATELLITEGUYS.US, you won't go wrong....