Noob in Somerset, Kentucky

[AgroCoders]

Hey everybody,

I currently get FTA HS TV OTA at 1920x1080 barely. I was about to buy an RCA antenna to try and pick up more from Wal*Mart for $120. However, it probably won't work because those station outside of 29 WKSO are over 100 miles. That, and what those stations offer doesn't interest me so much.

So I'm looking in FTA US satellite because I got FTA satellite at my apartment in Zurich, Switzerland and it was very nice. Channels such as RTL, ORF, SF1, BBC Prime, and so on. It's been a while, I last lived there in October 2006 and technology has moved on.

Despite that, it seems FTA satellite in the US is being kept a secret. I find forums and such much easier for Europe before I finally found this forum.

a) Do modern satellite signals come as HD (1920x1080)?

And from the little bit I've found out it seems I can buy the equipment for cheaper or for not a lot more than the $120 RCA antenna at Wal*Mart to my surprise. It seems the step ladder I'll need to buy will cost as much.

b) However, I'm mostly clueless as how to precede. The house I live in (have a loan on now) has a satellite dish left behind on the roof, almost assuredly from DirecTv but I'm pretty such I must take it down and can't repurpose it. Should I call DirecTv and tell them to come get it? Or will they tell me I can keep it?

c) So supposing I must buy all the equipment what should I buy if I want SF1, RTL, ORF, BBC Prime, and so on? Basically German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and English channels but especially German channels.

d) I live in Somerset, Kentucky. So I'll need a parabola dish and special LBNs? I saw another thread that lists those separate. So I have to buy them separate and but them together? A special type?

e) Although I'll need a HD digital satellite signal receiver? Or still analogue? Or SD digital satellite signal receiver? I'd like something with HDVR recording but I'm guessing that will cause the price to become very high. What do you recommend?

I've found RTL Plus on Galaxy 19 but no other German channels. Or hardly anything from western Europe at all? Are there other satellites that carry something it seems besides Latin American, Muslim, and American Christian channels?

Sorry for the length.

Thanks very much.

 

[AgroCoders]

Browsing for recommendations

Browsing for recommendations:

a) Complete-HD-FTA-Satellite-System-Viewsat-receiver-LNB-Dish-meter.aspx
b) Orbital-Dual-STD-LNB.aspx
c) At a famous satpro TV site. Should I buy these? Do I need LBN at b) to replace LBN on system at a)?
d) Or should I build a system piecemeal so it is better quality for my area. To my surprise there was a long list of DirecTv dish with odd looking & long modern looking LNB things on eBay...not sure why there would be such a big trade in such things on eBay since DirecTv supplies with service - are those dishes that much better? Or is it a 'cosmetic' thing? To the DirecTv dishes and LBN work at smaller sizes?

The dish in a) is 76cm (about 29") is that bigger than the DirecTv satellite dish left on the corner of my roof?

Thanks.

 

[kittyhas1000legs]

First, :

Since you just registered, you can't post links yet (though you can pretty soon), so we can't see what items you were referring to. To answer a few of your questions:

A Direct/DISH dish would need some modification before you use one for FTA. Their LNBF's are made for circular polarity, where FTA channels are linear. Even if you put a linear LNBF on, one of those dishes is probably undersized.

For an idea of what channels are available, head to the top of any page and click on TheList. It's split into Ku-band (small dish, 30"-48") and C-band (big dish, 8+ feet). There is also lyngsat.com. four-digit frequencies are big dish, five-digit are little dish. On the right side it will show the "beam" that the channel is on (Europe, US, Africa, etc).

Some channels are SD, some HD. The HD channels look great since they're not compressed by the cable company or Direct/Dish.

A lot of people would recommend this package to start out. It has a good sized dish, a linear LNBF, and a receiver that a lot of people here use. There are also other good receivers from (off the top of my head) Amiko and AZBox. You can connect an external hard drive to use for DVR purposes.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things since I'm only halfway through my coffee. I'll let the experts fill in the gaps.

 

[migold]

I looked up Somerset, Kentucky on tvfool.com, and I see what your TV reception situation is.... Not very entertaining... You can get NBC, ABC, The CW Fox on C-Band with a dish 7.5 ft or larger aimed at 99 West. Yes, FTA is VERY different in USA. It is not intended for general public TV reception.

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to the site!!

Don't try and use that Directv dish for FTA, it is possible but not very good. Go with at least a 1 Meter dish. Also make sure you go with an updated receiver that does DVB-S2. There are a few to choose from. The geosatpro microHD in the link that kitty provided is a good receiver that designed for NA. Also the Amiko line from Amiko Americas has some great NA supported receivers. The $99 Mini HD SE that just came out so far seems to be a winner. There are also other options out there. You will be the most happy with a large C-band dish 8-12 Feet. If though you have never messed with one, a large dish that is, a 1 meter is a good start.

 

[AgroCoders]

OK, thanks

Thanks - that link was similar to what I was referring too. I'm surprised that I can get all that for $199.
Now I have to decide if a 29" or 36" dish is just too big for me roof. A C-Band size dish, at least from the size I remember as a kid, is out.

 

[KE4EST]

A 36" dish is not going to have much more weight or wind load than that Directv dish. Go for a 36".

 

[migold]

Most of us avoid putting the dish on the roof. The only reason to put it on the roof would be to avoid interference by trees and get a line of sight to the satellite. Installers like to put them on a roof to keep them from being obvious and to prevent tinkering or theft. There is no reception reason, other than trees, to put the dish higher off the ground....

 

[FaT Air]

FTA Satellite is a whole different world here. It's not a prime delivery method as in the Eastern Hemisphere. We are just a hobby.
C band has the 'cream of the crop' as far as 24/7 'channels' IMHO. Although, there are a few on Ku. Here's my sorta updated list. Ku only repeated on bottom.
Ha date should be 4-5 & I see a few errors 83W and 137W should not have RTN- they're gone.

 

[wallyhts]

Thanks - that link was similar to what I was referring too. I'm surprised that I can get all that for $199.
Now I have to decide if a 29" or 36" dish is just too big for me roof. A C-Band size dish, at least from the size I remember as a kid, is out.

I'm about 2 hours away from ya in Louisville,KY feel free to come up to the shop I can show you in person want you need and how to install

 

[AgroCoders]

I'm about 2 hours away from ya in Louisville,KY feel free to come up to the shop I can show you in person want you need and how to install

Thanks. Can you send me an private message with your shop name and location? I'll won't have time til beginning of July as I've just moved in and am redoing all the walls, floors, and planting a line of trees on the edge of the property. Because the trees will eventually get 12 - 20 ft tall (a 'mini'-orchard I guess you'd call it) I think I'll go with the 36" and but in the location where DirecTv has theirs on the front right hand corner of the roof (behind the house is a moderate grade hill and woods start about 50 - 75 feet back of that).

The price on the HW is good. And I do like tech things. I just need to investigate the various satellites. The only German channel I've found is a Hungarian rebroadcast so they may have dubbed or something. I'd be better off buying $199 worth of old DVD series and $5 Wal*Mart is the schedules don't have anything interesting.
And thanks for the PDF. I need to check out Lynsat listing and see if I can find a 'TV Guide' schedule for the channels I can get and am possibly interested in.

 

[FaT Air]

I've got most listed as favorites in titantv.com Another is Zap2it.
Lyngsat* is usually pretty outdated for this side of the world. Better is TheList (top of page) Mikes lists at Mpeg-2 Central or sathint.com
DW on 58W (Cband) isn't listed on lyngsat but is at Mikes.

 

[AgroCoders]

I went through Galaxy 19 very good and I've decided it makes more sense for me to order DVDs directly from Switzerland rather than use US satellite. 1/2 the channels are religious, which is OK, but there is nothing else except some channels meant to entertain people from eastern Europe & the Middle East, even the one German channel I found was dubbed in Croatian.
Thanks though.

 

[FaT Air]

Glad 2 help.
With DVD's be aware of the 'Region Code'.

 

[toucan-man]

Glad 2 help.
With DVD's be aware of the 'Region Code'.

I couldn't live without my multi-region Blu-ray/DVD player.

 

[Pi314]

[FONT=&amp]Deutsche Welle is also online at:[/FONT]

http://www.dw.de/program/video-on-demand/s-4756-9798

and

http://www.livestation.com/en/dw

 

[AgroCoders]

Thanks again. I reprogrammed my DVD player to be region free a while back. In Switzerland Region Free is available in the stores. My internet connection is so poor I download iTunes podcasts (Bayerisches Fernsehen, SF1, SF2, and so on) rather than YouTube or internet browser video players.

Also there are a couple of good sites with many good public domain movies, mostly old Black and White movies.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Pi314]

There is also the Dutch speaking channel BVN TV Amerika at 113w – transponder 12080 H 25635.