Newbie looking for PC vs Receiver advice

[murmur]

Hi Folks,

Having wanted to play with FTA for years, I've finally moved out of NYC to Ohio, where I can actually see a a chunk of the sky. I see that neighbors have Dish and DirecTV setups, so I'm assuming other birds are in the same general direction. My goals: Catch "wild feeds" (what's left of them); create a temporary, inexpensive setup; view and record on my PC. From what I've read so far, blind scans are a must when searching for non-published feeds. At the same time, blind scans aren't well supported via PCI tuners (exception being specific versions of the Skystar 2, which doesn't seem to be a beginner's card). So I'm thinking that I should start out with an inexpensive standalone receiver (i.e. Neusat SP-6000 seems to be cheap but fully featured - opinions on this receiver?) and see what I can get. As for a temporary, inexpensive dish, would I be shooting myself in the foot if I went for a tripod mounted dish w/o a motor? I'm on the ground floor of an apartment building, and would prefer not to dig/drill/mount anything. And as for the dish and LBA, is this something I can pick up used (i.e. old Dish/DirecTV equipment off craigslist)?

As you can see, I'm trying to initially invest as little as possible until I see what's out there and accessible from my location. I'd really like to put in no more than $200 at first, but if the equipment I'll get from being that cheap will make for a disappointing experience, that's important to know as well.


Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

[Tron]

You will need to use a set top box (receiver) for blind scan in addition to the PCI (or USB) card for your PC. If you want to go the cheap route, but still want the receiver to control the motor correctly, avoid the Viewsats and look into the cheaper Pansat units (such as the older 2500 and 2700) as well as the Fortec Lifetime Ultra (basically the same unit as the Pansat 2500). Both manufacturers have blind scan capability.

 

[Anole]

As for a temporary, inexpensive dish, would I be shooting myself in the foot if I went for a tripod mounted dish w/o a motor?
I'm on the ground floor of an apartment building, and would prefer not to dig/drill/mount anything.
And as for the dish and LBA, is this something I can pick up used (i.e. old Dish/DirecTV equipment off craigslist)?

If you find a suitable tripod (or something you make out of pipes) that should get you a feel for things.
I like a 5 gallon bucket, filled with 60 lbs of cement, and a 5' pole made of conduit.
In fact, I've spent the last few nights out in the back yard with a Fortec Star 36" dish and the above-mentioned bucket.
Go with what fits your situation.

You don't want any Direct nor Dish equipment for real FTA work.
I think you'd be wasting your time, money, and effort watching the 1..2..few channels you could get.
IceBerg has a very comprehensive thread discussing what you can get on the little dishes.

On the other hand, a 30-36" dish (and linear LNB) will get you most everything on these two lists.
FTAlist - now sorted by satellite name, satellite location, and viewing language
Global - sorted by satellite location.
The choice is yours.

See any of the advertizers on this site for deals on appropriate dishes and LNBs (and receivers, of course).

 

[murmur]

I like a 5 gallon bucket, filled with 60 lbs of cement, and a 5' pole made of conduit.

So I just go do home depot, grab some PVC, a bucket, some cement, and a level. Set the PVC straight, wait a few mins for the concrete to start to harden, and mount the dish on top. As for positioning the dish -- do you just grab a compass and twist the bucket left/right with one of those cheapie signal meters attached? Surely, I'm missing something.

You don't want any Direct nor Dish equipment for real FTA work.

Okay -- how about an old Primestar elliptical dish? I had a friend put one away for me a couple of years ago, for just such an occasion. As far as I know, it's just the dish -- IIRC, a lightning strike took out the LBA, and I don't know if she saved any of the mounting equipment. So assuming it does still have the arm attached, would I (theoretically) be able to buy a new LBA from one of the FTA vendors and mount it to this thing?

 

[dem0nlord]

Not PVC, but you can use rigid steel conduit, or chain link fence posts. Both can be gotten at home depot. I keep a couple of bucket mounts around, one 1 5/8" pole for DTV/DN dishes and those cheap FTA dishes take that size pole too. One 2 3/8" pole for CM dishes from Primestar/Starband. I know some CM dishes like Starchoice and Globecast take a 2" pole, but I don't have any of those. Probably going to fill up a trash can with concrete and a 3" pole here next for temporary work with things a little bigger. Anything with a motor, it's nice to get everything set up on the ground and tracking the arc well, then move it up to the roof and just have to set the azumith, otherwise, way too much time spent on the roof.

Oh, and for Primestar LNBs, check ebay, always some on there.

 

[Anole]

Find a level place to set up the bucket for the concrete job.
Mix up and pour.
Put a large bolt through the end of your METAL fence post so it won't twist and shove it into the cement.
You'll want the correct diameter (see above), and I though I used conduit, but whatever it was, it's pretty solid.
You might have 10..15 minutes working time before it begins to set up so don't diddle around.
Use your level and make sure the post is plumb 'till it begins to cure.

Next day, it's safe to use.
Set in place and drop the dish's mount on top.
The mount will let the dish spin around on the pole for azimuth adjustment.
So, once you have the bucket in place and the pole plumb , you leave it alone.

Pay attention to everything DemonLord said.
Your other comments appear to be right on track.


I made some comments in another thread about using the circular DBS satellites as aiming-stars for practice.
Up to you. If you have a circular LNB and want to try, the cheap sat meter will show you the way.
For aligning on the real FTA birds, I'm not sure it's of a lot of help.