Who needs the MSM to get the news? Nobody! Free To Air Satellite

S+F!!!! Excellent info! Got any pics of your setup? Hopefully you did not already post any, I just read your OP. Thanks!

reply to post by lernmore


Outstanding!! Our tv isn't connected to the MSM, we use vcr and dvd only. This is because we receive such low quality reception of only 3 channels, no satellite and it will be "never" before cable comes this far into the woods. Wouldn't pay for the mess anyway. LOL So great idea for the hidden reaches Thank ye! S & F

See ya.
Shea

Free internet this way would be cool...still only have dial-up here but better than nothing

Satellites that carry broadcasting signals are generally in a geostationary orbit above the earths equator at 0deg. If you're in the northern hemisphere, when you first adjust your dish, you'll use your southern most satellite relative to your longitude as it will be highest on the “arc” . When your in the southern hemisphere, you'll use the satellite that's located closest to your due north.

Just like everything else, (USB etc) standards have been created to make things just as easy as possible.
In the case of motorized satellite alignment, it's called USALS (Universal Satellites Automatic Location System)

Here are a few tips that may come in handy when setting up your dish, and a short 10 min video I found that will help you visualize what I'm talking about. This setup looks very much like mine.

www.youtube.com...

Obviously, along with your new satellite dish and motor, you're going to need a way to mount it. You can either permanently install a 1-3/4 “ - 2” pole at least 4' long (depending on your view of the southern/northern horizon)into concrete, or you can do what I do and use an umbrella stand. The most critical thing is to make sure it's perfectly plumb, so check it with a level.

Once you have your dish/motor assembled, make sure that your motor is set to 0deg, and that the whole thing is perfectly straight using your eyes. Make sure the dish looks like it's 90 deg from the motor when it's mounted on the shaft. Most setups will have bolt holes and through bolts to make sure this is the case.

Then, using the U bolts, mount the motor/dish onto the pole, but leave the bolts loose enough so that you can adjust it from side to side. If you're in the northern hemisphere, you'll want the whole assembly facing due south when the motor is at 0 deg.

Once your motor is mounted, you're going to want to adjust it for up/down according to your latitude. Normally, this will be marked in degrees on the sliding swivel between the motor and the pole. Usually this will be close enough to get a signal and can be adjusted for quality later.

Now you're going to need to know your longitude and get out your compass. Depending on where you are, you're going to have to take into account Magnetic Variation. Ideally, you will want your motor and dish facing exactly south (if you're in the northern hemisphere) when the motor is at 0 degrees. The reason for this is because your dish won't turn simply left or right, but will cover the sky from east to west in an arc, with the dish aiming the highest in the sky when it's due S.

Here's a map of the magnetic variation in North America.
lib.store.yahoo.net...

For instance, if you're in Ohio, you'll want to add 6 degrees, and you'll want your dish facing to the point on your compass that reads 180+6, or 186 degrees (with the motor at 0 deg). If you're in , say, Reno, you'll want to subtract 15 degrees etc. Pretty simple really.

Next, you'll want to get your receiver and a TV.

What I like to do is bring the receiver and a small TV right out near the dish, using a short length coax cable, for the process of getting it adjusted.

Obviously, you'll have to refer to your receiver's manual to become familiar with the user interface, but here are the general things you'll need to do.

Use www.lyngsat.com... to determine which satellite is closest to your due south that is broadcasting a KU band signal.

Program your latitude and longitude into your receiver through the user interface.
(note, since receivers will differ on how to do this, I'll give you a quick example of how to do it with a Pansat3500, as it can be a bit hard to find without being familiar with your box)

For my particular receiver, I have to choose “Installation”
then “Antenna Setup”
Choose your southern most KU band satellite from the left pane, then scroll down to “Positioner Setting”


(note, G25 isn't my southern most sat, just using a pic from the one I'm watchin)

Hit the left arrow until it says “USALS”
Then hit the enter button again and it will bring up the box where I can put in my latitude and longitude.

Usually this only has to be done once, and not for every satellite.

The reason I added this little walk-through, is that it can be a bit confusing to find... it is on the Pansat anyway. Again refer to your use manual for the details.

In the pictures above, you'll notice I have my LNB set to standard, and the LNB local freq sets to 10750 by default. If I had “Dish-Pro” or another LNB selected it would automatically choose 11250 for a local freq.

In the section next to TP, you'll notice mine says [1]12152 H 20.000, that's the transponder it's seeing on satellite G25. “Level” indicates the connection between my box and the LNB, and “Quality” indicates the signal It's seeing from the satellite.

Most receivers ship with known transponders setup for getting a signal from the satellites they come pre-programmed with, but I've found out that it isn't always the case. But don't fear, because once you have it locked in, you can do a blind scan and it will see any that are currently transmitting and they will be added to the list on your box. It's just finding that initial transponder while you're setting it up the first time that can be iffy.

Your receiver and motor should come with complete instructions , and you probably won't even need to refer to this.

Anyway, this is getting long-winded, but if you have any questions...feel free to ask.

Peace

Originally posted by Electro38

Originally posted by tjack
~snip~
I gave up "pay" tv at the beginning of the year and and now simply use free off the air programming.
~snip~

What equipment are you using; receiver, dish, etc. What's your setup?

Thanks.

A small vhf/uhf roof mounted antenna. I figured out what size best suited me at antennaweb.org, spent 40 bucks on the antenna, plugged it into the digital tuner on the TV. Done. Bringss in about 18 channels.

Adding a setup like in the OP sounds like a good fit for my "free TV" paradigm.

The information is very interesting.

I sure would like to have something like that.

Unfortunately I can’t even figure out the basic stuff

(Magnetic Variation, which satellite is closest to my due south,
which dish should I get, which receiver and where should I get all this stuff)

Originally posted by liveandlearn
I would have no clue how to do this …

Me neither.

Gathering the required information AND setting it up is beyond rocket science for me.

Why isn’t there a dead-simple solution for things like that?

Does anyone know a company that can hook me up with such an installation?

I bet I’m not the only one who can’t figure all this stuff out.

Originally posted by venividivici
stupid question from a newbie.

Why are you limited to 50 sats?

www.gosatellite.com...;jsessionid=0a01034d1f4335bc2998c2cc48978b95b0a76705db2e.e3eSbNmTb3mTe34Pa38Ta38Qc3r0< br /> Another popular choice is a motorized FTA satellite system. The difference here is you add a self-powered motor to the satellite dish and now you have access to all 50+ satellites from east to west in the southern sky. This is for the true hobbyist who wants to have maximum TV. The motorized satellite package is a little more challenging to install as it takes more accuracy to align the dish.

...and why are the southern sats the only ones available? Arent' there sats flying all over the globe north, east, sount and west??

Its all about satellite footprints, where they aim there beams at.
Here is a site that shows all the footprints for different satelltieswww.satbeams.com...

Originally posted by borrowedname

Originally posted by liveandlearn
I would have no clue how to do this …

I bet I’m not the only one who can’t figure all this stuff out.

ditto

I can't keep up with all the new electronic gadgetry. I had a hard time getting up to speed with a blackberry

I sounds straight forward. get a dish, receiver, motor and line it up due south. yeah right

Then the fun starts. Trying to calibrate it and flipping through all the manufacturer menus and manuals. I sounds like a headache but probably worth it in the end. I read the fine print from one receiver manuf. and it made it very clear that THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE for any installation problems or trouble-shooting. You are on your own - yikes.

I want to try this out. Where we are cable stinks, it works out to over a dollar per channel and half of them are CBC affiliates showing the same stuff.

Question I see the Fox channels on the list but are they the english ones or are most of these channels non english language feed?

I sure would like to have something like that.

Unfortunately I can’t even figure out the basic stuff

(Magnetic Variation, which satellite is closest to my due south,
which dish should I get, which receiver and where should I get all this stuff)

Don't be so hard on yourself, it's really not that hard to do. If I can figure it out, you can.

You can use a compass right? All magnetic variation means is that, depending on your location, your true South won't be exactly 180 degrees. Just refer to the map above (or Google one for your area) to add or subtract a couple degrees.

Finding your latitude and longitude is a no-brainer on the internet. If your longitude is 119.4, how hard can it be to look at a list and realize that the satellite at 119 degrees is your southern most satellite?

Does anyone know a company that can hook me up with such an installation?

Using a phone book, or search engine for “Satellite Sales and service XXXXX (your zip-code) is as simple as finding your local bakery.

Local “Mom and Pop” type outfits are all over the place, and most have installers that would be more than glad to set it up for you. Just don't expect “Dish Network” or “Direct TV” sales to be very helpful, as they want you to subscribe to their “service”, and will do their best to talk you into singing up.

As an aside, this thread wasn't meant to “boycott” those subscription services. If you want HBO, Showtime, and regular programming, by all means get a subscription. Many people have both.

I sounds straight forward. get a dish, receiver, motor and line it up due south. yeah right

It took me all of about 10 minutes to set my dish up last time I moved, don't let the fear of the unknown dictate your ability to learn. Like you, when I first tried it ten years ago I felt the same way. Now it's no big deal at all, and is one of the coolest hobbies I've ever had...countless hours of enjoyment with no monthly fee.

Question I see the Fox channels on the list but are they the english ones or are most of these channels non english language feed?

If you look at the lyngsat.com link in my previous post, then click on satellite Galaxy 16 (99W), you'll notice that it lists all the known transponders that carry “feeds”. These are in English, and are the same exact footage you'll see being broadcast when watching your local news, only you get to watch the reporters swear and pick their noses while waiting for their live shot.

Again, it's the same footage of that car chase you get to see the 2 minute clip of when it ends, but you can watch it live for 45 minutes if you want. It's like you're riding along in the helicopter.


Peace


[edit on 14-9-2009 by lernmore]

Originally posted by lernmore

The box he gave me didn't have the capability to blindly scan a satellite, so you had to have all the frequencies of the transponders and channels that were being broadcast, so it was kind of a pain in the butt to use, but hey, it worked!

Yeah thats the worst part. If you know where a bird's fixed postion is, then you usually still need to get on the right transponder.

I get a GMX-time warner feed for my TV stations childrens programing, and we kept having issues with the reciver durring this years NAB, and we finally got a hold of the tech while he was still in vegas and it turns out we were looking at the wrong transponder or something simple like that.

Im not an engineer by any stretch of the imagination, but Ill pass this on to mine.

reply to post by lernmore


thanks lernmore

are you in satellite sales

you should be

you sold me

Yeah thats the worst part. If you know where a bird's fixed postion is, then you usually still need to get on the right transponder.

That post is referring to a very old box, nowadays all you do is select “blind scan” and your receiver will detect any transponders that happen to be broadcasting on a given bird, then it will automatically see what channels are transmitting from those transponders. It's only a matter of pushing a button on your remote control now. Technology has come a long way!

thanks lernmore

are you in satellite sales

you should be

you sold me

Lol, no I'm not. I just recognized it as something that the type of people that visit this site might enjoy doing. You don't even need to stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

I have serious doubts about these claims. Broadcast TV is encrypted nowadays, and needs decryption to be viewable. Once upon a time, in the days of 15 foot dishes, you could scan around and find those feeds, but when too many people started doing that, they encrypted the signals.

Maybe he's right, I don't know, but smells fishy to me.

It's not broadcast TV. What exactly are you skeptical about? There's 3 pages right in front of you with a ton of evidence that it's real.

Or is everyone here lying?

Great Find

I would sure like to see the networks in my area without the editing be applied.

I might convince my aunt to get one of these because it doesn't cost her anything to see the real media in action and plus she already has a Bell expressvu set up.

Originally posted by AsleepinNM
I have serious doubts about these claims. Broadcast TV is encrypted nowadays, and needs decryption to be viewable. Once upon a time, in the days of 15 foot dishes, you could scan around and find those feeds, but when too many people started doing that, they encrypted the signals.

Maybe he's right, I don't know, but smells fishy to me.

I know, I know, Pics or it didn't happen right? Then again, I'm talking about a "dish", not a "disc".

Actually, it's all true.

I guess if you try to help a hundred old ladies across the street, one of them is bound to club you over the head with a cane.

I had one of those 10' dishes at my last house, and those old setups have C band LNB's, not KU. I also had it hooked up to my FTA receiver and didn't really find much with it. The trees and the new barn only let me see a couple birds. I could, however, watch all the Golf Channel that I could endure.

Last night I caught the Gerald Celente interview on Russia Today as I was checking out the world news, and thought..now THATS going to be posted on ATS tomorrow. Sure enough.

Just trying to share man, just trying to share.

Peace

Live feeds coming in now from the G-20...

Lots of protesters and large groups of riot gear clad officers coming toward them up Liberty Ave.

This could get interesting.

Again, the MSM won't get to pick and choose what I get to see.

Worth every penny.

I wish you had a way to record what you're watching and put it up on ATS media.

I'm extremely mad at my satellite provider (DirecTV.) I called and had them turn off the autopayments I was making in order to stop my bank account from being overdrawn, they claimed that they did so and in reality they did not - now my bank account has been hit so hard with overdraft fees that I'm over 500 dollars in the negative.

I don't care if they turn me in to a collection agency, they're never getting another red cent out of me if I have to burn everything I own in a field and kill myself.

Once I've got some free money, I'm getting one of these FTA set ups. Between that, Hulu, and Netflix, who the hell needs pay TV?

Originally posted by mattifikation
I wish you had a way to record what you're watching and put it up on ATS media.

I actually have everything it takes to do just that, but I'm guessing there's a legal issue there that probably prohibits me from "re-broadcasting" their feeds. I'll look into it though.

One thing I'm sure of, is that I could make a pretty funny video of all the weird things that newscasters do etc. Sometimes they stand there for hours on end gabbing about their personal lives. Some of them get really pissed off, once in a while, about network confusion when things aren't going smoothly.

The other day I was watching a live feed from a helicopter over Donald Trumps place, where Gadhafi had a tent setup, and they made him take it down. The reporter was like..."Is that a GOAT?, it is!"
"Ok where'd that goat go?"
"They brought it in the house."

Really strange stuff, and always entertaining.

I do understand your frustration as well with subscription companies. Most often, there's only one cable provider that services an area, which enables them to gouge it's customers, and the prices just keep going up, and up, and up.

Several years ago a friend got so fed up with his cable provider, that he called and had it canceled. They wanted him to return their boxes, so he did, right through their front window.

I have always been meaning to do this,alot better than paying for sky which is 90% crap.Seems to always slip my mind though.I still have a fta receiver that i bought just over a year ago.You reminded me again Hopefully i can get it up and running by the end of the year,if i don't completely forget again that is.Alot of your prices seem high,satellites can be picked up pretty cheap and my receiver was not expensive.Can't remember the price exactly..but around £45 as a guess.