PBS on Glorystar Reciever

[elash]

I'm hoping someone can help me out. Let me start out by saying I don't know to much about FTA recievers. I've lined up many dishes for people with direct tv and dish net so I can do that. Here's the situation. I installed a glorystar system for a person a year ago. She is happy with those channels and she also gets 1 channel through her attenna which is kinda fuzzy that she relys on for her local weather. The channel is PBS WPSU out of clearfield, PA. I feel that when this station goes digital that she will not get a high enough signal to pick it up. I could be wrong. She said she would purchase a new attenna if she couldnt get a strong enough signal. She doesn't have much money and I don't want her throwing it away. She is 60-70 miles from that tower.

Here's the question. Is it possible to pick that channel (PBS WPSU) up on her reciever? I'm thinking it's a Fortec reciever. She has the 24" dish with the dual lnb's which are pointed at Glorystar 99W and Adventisat AMC4. I have an old 18" single dish I can give her and a switch if needed. If it is a possible are there any modifications that have to be done to the reciever? Now remember I'm new at this.

 

[shibby191]

Here's the question. Is it possible to pick that channel (PBS WPSU) up on her reciever? I'm thinking it's a Fortec reciever. She has the 24" dish with the dual lnb's which are pointed at Glorystar 99W and Adventisat AMC4. I have an old 18" single dish I can give her and a switch if needed. If it is a possible are there any modifications that have to be done to the reciever? Now remember I'm new at this.

The FTA/Glorystar recievers don't have digital OTA tuners in them, only analog (unless I'm mistaken).

To pick up digital OTA signals all she needs is a free-$10 digital converter box with the government coupon (which she should have gotten months ago since the transition was supposed to be in February) and hook it to her antenna.
Now saying that, being 60-70 miles from the transmitter I can almost guarantee that the signal will be too weak for her to pick up. Check antennaweb.org to see for sure but most of the digital signals don't travel as far as the analog. Mainly the issue is with analog if you just barely get it then it's snowy but perhaps "good enough". With digital you need a solid signal lock so what would be snowy with analog would be no signal on digital. However, once the analog is shut down then stations can up the power on many of the digital stations so that may not be as much of an issue after June. Time will tell.

So check antennaweb and see what she can get, if anything, and it will also tell you what type of antenna she needs. Probably need a power booster that far out as well if she doesn't already have one. I'm about 40 miles from my towers and I need a power booster or I'd get nothing.

 

[elash]

Thank you for the reply. I thought maybe that the glorystar reciever might be a typical FTA reciever but I guess not. As for the attenna, I think I'll try to talk her into waiting to see if nearby neighbors can pickup the signal before she spends any money.

 

[Wescopc]

The glorystar receiver is a FTA receiver but most FTA receivers do NOT receive over the air transmissions. I think her dish must be the 36 inch rather than a 24 inch, Can't get much from those birds with a small dish.
Bob

 

[spacebug42]

I would like to correct Shibby191 about the digital OTA broadcasts being weaker than the analog broadcasts. With my OTA antenna, I was surprised to pick up several San Francisco and San Jose TV stations in HD from my town. The distance is at least 100 miles from my house to the TV transmitter towers. The OTA antenna I'm using is a Terk Pro TV38 antenna.

 

[shibby191]

I would like to correct Shibby191 about the digital OTA broadcasts being weaker than the analog broadcasts. With my OTA antenna, I was surprised to pick up several San Francisco and San Jose TV stations in HD from my town. The distance is at least 100 miles from my house to the TV transmitter towers. The OTA antenna I'm using is a Terk Pro TV38 antenna.

Well, I'll clarify that it depends on the market. But in many, at least in the midwest, the digital signals are much weaker (don't go as far) as the analog, mainly because they aren't on full power. That is supposed to change (for the most part) once analog is shut down but alas we have to wait another few months for that. But even then, in my market at least, the digital signals don't go out as far as the analog due to the FCC limiting the signal because of interferrence from nearby markets and Canada.

 

[elash]

Again thank you for your quick responces. Yes it is a 36" dish. I was wrong on that.

 

[rv1pop]

The Glorystar receiver is an FTA receiver.... However, the PBS FTA is on a different satellite, and will NOT have the local weather anyway.

The digital signal may be much stronger than the analog when the changeover is done... The PBS stations --- GENERALLY --- will be stronger and have additional stations. But may depend on the market.