Why FTA?

[DJdish]

I have FTA as a complement to my subscribed services.

I take advantage of FTA sometimes to watch movies that were just recently on movie theatres (30w), or not that recent (97w) without commercial cuts.

I can watch some sporting events sometimes hard to find other ways (soccer matches 30w).

I can find international news usually not covered on US stations.

Sometimes I use it to watch something in French, in order to avoid my basic French becoming too rusty.

And sometimes I like to watch foreign channels even if I don´t know the language, just for kicks.

 

[ohpfan]

The term fta has been corrupted by the hacker crowd over the last several years. That is, the people who modified their receivers to steal Dishnetwork programming from the satellites they use. Maybe it sounds better to them, than just saying 'signal theft'.

I am by no means that evil to steal signal; if it is "publicly open signals" that FTA receives that's one thing. Heck, I enjoy free stuff like the next person, but not free things that incurs jail time.

A one meter dish, a reasonably priced HD receiver and you are in business. No fees for DVR, no fee for not having your phone line plugged in, etc. And the signal quality on most of the channels now is excellent, not compressed or violated in bandwidth in most cases.

At least in my case, Dish doesn't charge extra when there is no phone line plugged into the receiver, and I have my own DVR, if I so desire.

Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get started with the bare minimum equipment?
Another question: Can the signals being captured be monitored by the owner; i.e. could FTA be traced to a specific location? Not really sure why this concerns me, as it sounds legit; guess FTA sounds a bit iffy legally for some reason to me.

 

[Magic Static]

FTA is like race cars; "How fast do you want to go?" The more you put into it the more you get. And just like cars you can source the scrap yard or buy new. I've seen C-Band reception with a few sticks and chicken wire for a dish. I'm the hobbiest type and dumped 3Gs into my first C-Band setup. Works very well too My first KU dish , motor, LNB and tuner was about $300. I learned to hate KU motors But fell in love with FTA.
If a broadcaster is concerned about people watching their content that they don't want, they can encrypt it. No need to figure out who is trying to watch an open signal.

 

[Balock]

Big brother monitoring your legal FTA habits? In practice, no more than they could monitor what you watch OTA (broadcast TV) or listen to on your radio. In theory, as more and more devices become net-connected--i.e. "the internet of things"--anything is possible.

Any of the unencrypted signals are legal to watch/listen to. The signals that owners don't want us to watch are either encrypted, just hidden so that they don't show up in a scan or use a proprietary format that our FTA receivers can't process.

If you want to try it out, just ask here for help in getting started. There's a great bunch of guys (and a few gals) here willing to help!

 

[Lak7]

Another question: Can the signals being captured be monitored by the owner; i.e. could FTA be traced to a specific location? Not really sure why this concerns me, as it sounds legit; guess FTA sounds a bit iffy legally for some reason to me.

These are Receive Only - no 2-way communications.

Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get started with the bare minimum equipment?

Just depends on how big of a Dish you want, but some rough numbers for Ku Only setup ......
Receiver - under $100
LNB - $15
RG6 Cable - $30
Dish Motor - $70
Dish - depends on size, from experience, I would not mess around and get a 1.2 meter Dish - or something close. Find a good Dish locally and save a "few" bucks
Just a note.... FTA signal are not as strong as Dish / DirecTV - so you need a bigger Dish.

 

[Trip]

Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get started with the bare minimum equipment?

It really depends on what you want. When I first got into FTA, it was when Al Jazeera English was available on Galaxy 19 (97W) and I wanted to see their coverage of the Arab Spring. I got a receiver at a swap meet for $40, an LNBF for $10 on eBay, and a dish/mount for $25 on Craigslist. Put it all together, spent a few hours tweaking, and eventually got something usable. http://www.rabbitears.info/blog/index.php?post/2011/02/20/Free-to-Air-Satellite-Done-Dirt-Cheap

Shortly thereafter, I did another setup. I got a free mount from a friend, picked up a dish/LNBF combo at a swap meet for $10, and used the same receiver. Worked great. http://www.rabbitears.info/blog/ind...o-Air-Satellite-Done-Dirt-Cheap:-Home-Edition

Only later on did I start getting motors and things. I eventually replaced my used receiver with the Micro HD at my parents' house (about $100) and a TeVii S660 USB receiver for my place (about $110). When I lived in Chattanooga, I drove to Atlanta and picked up a brand new motor/dish/LNBF combo for $110 and put together my first motorized setup in a concrete bucket on my deck ($40 in supplies and parts, maybe, for the bucket and pole and concrete). http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/276010-FTA-in-Chattanooga

Now, in Alexandria, I have that same setup, albeit with a different bucket. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...t-OTARD-Response-Letter?p=3142067#post3142067

So, it can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be, just about. C-band does have a bit of a floor, given how big the dishes are, and I've never had a C-band dish. (I intend to, one day!) But Ku band can be pretty inexpensive and get you some decent stuff. I leave my dish parked on 125W where the PBS feeds are pretty much all the time.

Good luck, and there are plenty of people here who are glad to answer questions.

- Trip

 

[chaskuchar]

I am getting ready to test c band on my 1.2 when I get my order from titanium. I think that has already been tested somewhere on this board already. charlie

 

[perkunas]

The TV model as we know it, is broken for a lot of people, the cable companies want to give you 250 channels of high def, crap, and charge you $$$$$
I don't watch a lot of TV, and with a antenna I get 10 local channels all in amazing high def for free.
Movies I got Google Tv with netfix so I can watch any movie I want, when I want.
In my case the free FTA thing, is nice if your from Europe, and want to watch stuff from the home land.
Yes you can get these feeds off the internet, but its not the same. If its a big event, they wont show it, they want to charge you money
$$ and make you buy the DVD 3 months later.

 

[xtgold]

The weather channel on 72w ku is usually there during/after bad storms.
I watched the progress of approaching hurricanes in the past until the rain fade wiped out the signal.
After the storm when the power is out I use a power inverter to run the receiver/tv off a car battery to continue viewing.
You couldn't do that with cable tv.

 

[dotbatman]

Why FTA?

Here's a partial list:
-Don't like monthly fees
-Local PBS stations don't show certain shows even though they are on the PBS masters 5 days a week
-Can't get ION or CW here without cable and the MyNetworkTV affiliate signal is really weak where I live
-During severe weather, my local affiliate will break in over top of a live event so I can record the master feed just in case
-It's funny to listen to the announcers during commercials on the live feeds
-Because it is challenging, fun, and interesting

 

[Bongu]

Why FTA?

-It's funny to listen to the announcers during commercials on the live feeds
-Because it is challenging, fun, and interesting

I always laugh when I am watching a newsfeed and the reporter goes and picks their nose or adjusts their bra thinking nobody can see them.

I got in to this hobby years ago with nothing but a 76cm dish, a viewsat receiver from a friend, and a quality invacom LNBF that I still use today. With this setup I received 30W on accident before I had a clue what I was looking at. I still have that 76cm dish today, but have added a motor. My current Ku setup cost me $75 for a 1 meter dish, $70 for a decent quality H-H motor, $100 for a MicroHD receiver, and $18 for a dual output LNBF. Well under 3 months cost for U-Versa or XunFinity.

Like several people have said, if you plan to use FTA as your sole source of TV entertainment, you will be disappointed. Most of the people here have a sub of some type, some type of IPTV, and OTA programming in addition to FTA.

 

[ohpfan]

Thanks for all the great feedback! This is a definitely a friendly community!

I started pricing equipment and have a few questions about it.
1) What minimum requirements should a receiver box have installed?
2) Are all satellite receivers compatible with FTA, such as any DirecTV, Dish Network, Primestar, off-brand, etc.?
3) Is the smart card (customer account info) required for FTA to operate?
4) Are all dishes compatible with any receiver?
5a) Would I be able to "piggyback" my current subscription Dish Network satellite dish using a Dual LNB (i.e. a 2-way signal splitter)? [I worked at Radioshack for 11 years, but never installed a satellite; maybe I am not understanding what the Dual LNB references?]
5b) Would I be able to use my current Dish Network equipment to access FTA, in parallel to my subscription?

 

[chaskuchar]

I have dish and fta both. why mix them up with the dish end? I have cable from the dish and cable from fta both into the tv. one hdmi input is from dish network and one is from my microhd to control the fta. only thing I have to do is get my remote to control the dish network and microhd both. charlie

 

[kittyhas1000legs]

Thanks for all the great feedback! This is a definitely a friendly community!

I started pricing equipment and have a few questions about it.
1) What minimum requirements should a receiver box have installed?
2) Are all satellite receivers compatible with FTA, such as any DirecTV, Dish Network, Primestar, off-brand, etc.?
3) Is the smart card (customer account info) required for FTA to operate?
4) Are all dishes compatible with any receiver?
5a) Would I be able to "piggyback" my current subscription Dish Network satellite dish using a Dual LNB (i.e. a 2-way signal splitter)? [I worked at Radioshack for 11 years, but never installed a satellite; maybe I am not understanding what the Dual LNB references?]
5b) Would I be able to use my current Dish Network equipment to access FTA, in parallel to my subscription?

These are most of the questions I had when I first got here!
(1) The minimum you'd want is a receiver that can decode DVB-S2 signals. There are cheaper ones out there, but many signals are S2 or switching to S2. You also want to be sure about all the a/v connectors working with your tv/stereo setup.
(2) Subscription receivers are only for subscriptions. FTA receivers are only for FTA. A few boxes lots of people recommend on this board are the Amiko Alien2, AZBox MiniMe,
GeosatPRO MicroHD, or X2 Premium. Each box has its pros and cons.
(3)No.
(4) Sort of. You have to make sure you have an LNBF for linear signals on the dish. FTA is linear, pay is (mostly) circular.
5a&b) You'd want separate dishes for pay satellite and FTA. The FTA signals work much better with a bigger dish, and the DishNetwork dish is designed for their satellites (multiple satellites on one dish, I think a mix of circular and linear signals, but mostly circular).

I'll let the experts forrect any mistakes I may have made, but I'm pretty sure everything is accurate.

 

[northgeorgia]

As you're now looking at equipment, in my personal opinion, if I could not find any local (craigslist, etc.) source for a proper Ku-band dish, I would probably go with this setup, and buy a motor later on (I hear the DG-380 or SG-6100 models are best). http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEOSATpro-m...US_Satellite_TV_Receivers&hash=item1c304e40e7

Of course opinions will vary. What I actually did was I got my Ku-band dish locally, went through several receivers and LNBFs until I found the ones I liked, and a couple of motors, too. Even though I got a great deal for the dish, the package above would have still saved me time and money were it offered at the time I got into the hobby.

 

[dotbatman]

As you're now looking at equipment, in my personal opinion, if I could not find any local (craigslist, etc.) source for a proper Ku-band dish, I would probably go with this setup, and buy a motor later on (I hear the DG-380 or SG-6100 models are best). http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEOSATpro-m...US_Satellite_TV_Receivers&hash=item1c304e40e7

Of course opinions will vary. What I actually did was I got my Ku-band dish locally, went through several receivers and LNBFs until I found the ones I liked, and a couple of motors, too. Even though I got a great deal for the dish, the package above would have still saved me time and money were it offered at the time I got into the hobby.

Good recommendation for Ku band only feeds. The MicroHD is a great receiver to locate signals with and it has an excellent blind scan. When I was using a receiver regularly, it was my favorite. If I were starting from scratch, knowing what I know now, I would get a 10' C-Band dish first with a MicroHD as my receiver. The stuff that I watch most often is on C-Band. Check the c-band section for the thread with dishes posted on craigslist and search your own local craigslist.

Personally, I don't use a receiver that frequently anymore, I'm using a computer instead. The only entertainment subscriptions we have are Netflix and Amazon Prime. Between OTA and FTA, and the other two we have plenty to watch and I get enough of the sports feeds during the year to get by.

 

[Vallenato]

I first heard mention of FTA while on slickdeals.net, while looking up special incentives to join Dish Network. I read the first two FTA hits from an online search, and FTA doesn't sound impressive to me. Not intending to bash FTA, but after reading the list on FTAlist.com, only one channel [NBC] interests me. It appears that 90% of the channels are religion-based, which is not at issue, just not what I want to watch.
I don't see the benefits of investing in equipment for FTA just for one channel, which can normally be received with an OTA indoor antenna priced around $10 to $50. So, my questions are these:
1) What benefits am I missing?
2) Are non-OTA channels (such as MTV, History, USA, AMC, Travel, Comedy Central, TBS, etc.) available using FTA?
3) What is the quality of MPEG-2 video, compared to High Definition of today?
Again, I am open-minded on FTA. I just need more information about what it offers. Yes, I understand that I am under a 24-month agreement with Dish, but if I find FTA beneficial, I will inform friends and family about it.

False: 90% of the channels are not religious
Open-minded? I got open mind from International Channels through FTA System (DW, NHK, RT, CCTV and others Hundreds Free in diferent languages and not from Channels like: , History, USA, AMC, Travel, Comedy Central, TBS, etc..
Those channels are tell me, what is going in on around the world.
In my Opinion Public channels are more "educative" and contains more of reality and culture from the countries than some pay channels
Pay satellite may be substituted by others options (netflix,Red box, etc etc)
FTA can not be substituted
With Pay subscription you probably can get 300-400 channels with over $50 dls a month probably in 2-3 years the same channels could be bored to you with FTA System you will get more channels with 0.0 dls a month and nobody here with up of 5 years into the hobby is not bored yet..
FTA is Hobbie with Objectives and you need time and Patience to Read and test . You need a lot time to work on it. Is the reason why I would not recommend to my friends and Family at least that I am seeing "high " interest
FTA C/kU Best Quality that ever seen ..
FTA is not pay, plug and play. I have spent more time outside or on the roof to test & adjusting my antennas than sitting on my sofa watching the tv and eating Pop corn. But When is time to enjoy.. I am really enjoying. Personal achievement

 

[Tron]

In my opinion, wild feeds are the best thing about FTA. After that, the ability to receive network programming from the source.

 

[beavs2112]

I liked france24, gone now

Hi Charlie, isn't france 24 still available on c-band on 58W (IS21)? I thought it was on 4120 V 21500.

 

[chaskuchar]

I go to 58w for Japanese news. so went to 58w and scanned it. I am receiving 58 channels on my 6' with an older geosatpro lnb. lot of new channels in English. some mainline tv shows but will not mention them right now except they occur several times in various languages. probably portugese for brazil, Spanish for the rest of south America and English. thanks for the clue about france24 which is there in English and French. charlie