New to FTA

[beanders]

For about 2 years I have been researching FTA. I now finally have some equipment and I am not having any luck.

Equipmnet:
TBS6981 Dual Tuner card
90cm WS9036 dish
ViewSAT Ku-Band Dual LNBF L.O. 10.75 GHz

I am using Windows Media Center, TBSviewer and DVB Dream to troubleshoot. I have setup many directv systems and have a clean view of the southern sky.

Any suggestions?

 

[the_man_one]

if u have dvbdream set up right & u are on a valid sat the problem may be codecs u have installed..... more info is needed

 

[beanders]

Thanks for the reply!

I think Codecs are ok TBSViewer says MPEG Layer 2,3 and MPEG Video 1,2 are OK. Unless it is normal to install a bunch. The computer is running Win7.

What is the correct setup for LOF1 LOF2 and LOFSW? I have been using
LOF1 : 10750
LOF2 : 10750
LOF SW : 11700

Also, are the Satellite beacons only useful if you have an aiming device?

 

[hwm]

I would suggest you get a cheap FTA receiver off ebay to use in aiming your dish. I use a small TV with a receiver set up right by the dish to find satellites and peak signal. Almost as good as a satellite finder device, and a whole lot cheaper.

I use a Coolsat 6000 for this purpose.

Once you get the dish aimed, then you can have fun setting up the software for your PC card tuner.

 

[beanders]

That isn't a bad idea. What does a stand alone tuner offer besides a little simpler setup?

 

[KE4EST]

to the site. Yeah I would get a cheap receiver as already suggested. Once you know everything at the dish is set right, it will makes things a whole lot easier at the PC.

 

[the_man_one]

stb offers an already working model, not something u have to mess with to get going

 

[kodaz]

in the case of the coolsats 6000 and 5000, they offer good blind scanners with a nice beep function for the signal/quality bars and and have BIG signal bars to view!!
Those are 2 existential qualities . (to me)

The only drawbacks is no DVBS2 signal finding and no mpeg4. (to the best of my knowledge)

can often find them on ebay for 15 dollars

 

[Tron]

The main advantage of using a standalone STB (set top box, satellite receiver) is that the meter is usually far more responsive (and accurate) than the software meter on a PC. Additionally, you can take the STB and a portable TV or battery-operated DVD player with video input with you to the dish. It is far easier to check for signal while at the dish, while moving the dish very slowly and checking for a Quality reading.

 

[cyberham]

in the case of the coolsats 6000 and 5000, they offer good blind scanners with a nice beep function for the signal/quality bars and and have BIG signal bars to view!! ...The only drawbacks is no DVBS2 signal finding and no mpeg4...ebay for 15 dollars

I lucked out since I bought a local Coolsat 7000 to do my first motorized dish orientation. Big signal reading display visible even in sunlight, loud audible clicking feature...great for dish pointing. I used a slingbox to stream the receiver video and audio from the receiver in the house onto the Internet via my wifi router so I only carry my portable battery laptop PC to the dish and start swinging. No DVB-S2? That's simple, I then bought an Openbox S9 for $50. Total outlay for receivers so far: under $100. The slingbox is a great product for what it's intended too.