so I got a directv sattelite, I was wondering how I hook to receive sattelites from other parts of the world (ie europe or something. I have been hearing a lot about fta receivers, but I have no clue. For the record I have no clue about any of this, if there is something I can read or a form I can read, I will be happy to do so; I am a complete noob so bare with me.
Your old DTV dish will work with any FTA receiver. However what you can receive depends on which sats your area has line of site to. For example, USA & Canada can usually get the Dishnetwork or Bell sats. Those do have some foreign language programming. If you want more info, do a google for FTA receivers to look at the boxes and FTA forums to do some reading and see whats involved to update the receivers for programming. Believe me its very easy in most cases. If you can't find a good forum post here and I'll link to a few I belong to. Jerry
You will need a reciever like a pansat,coolsat,fortec lifetime/ultra, ect; keep in mind some of these recievers require you to enter bin #'s or keys. Some have to be flashed. If you come across one particular model that has a rolling bin capabilities that would be your best bet. D*sh network went to nagravision 4 in september and alot of boxes went kaput. 119,110 are the sats you want to point your dish to you mus have 2 lnb's if you only have 1 lnb then 119 is the one you want, the majority of D*sh's programing is on this satellite.
thanks a lot, but what is "lnb". Also any recommended fta, I don't have a ton of money to spend on one so what would be the most cost effective one (also is it one satellite for a dish, like I have one dish, so I can only receive one satellite at a time) preferbly I wouldn't want one that required me to flash it, but I would be fine with putting in keys.
The LNB is the piece at the end of the arm on the dish that picks up the satellite signal which bounces off the dish reflector. Direct uses round ones you'll either see 1,2,or 3. Direct/D*sh use some of the same satellites so your dish may already be pointed in the right location. As far as to what reciever i can't advise you on that. I stopped playing with those about a year ago.this link is a site I used to frequent i still do from time to time. http://www.al7bar.tc/forums/index.php good luck
hun, thanks a lot codymaxx, I learned some from the link you sent me, It is pretty complicated and in depth though. Is there an in depth site that throughly explain features and stuff like that (have read general info on fta receivers and stuff.) also would stuff would I need to align my sattelite to the right cordinates or what ever. and how much would I generally (estimate) need to spend to set it all up. Once agian, will read any helpful forems, and or info. THANKS A LOT!
The present encryption in Nagravision 2 not 4. A good starting receiver is the Pansat 2700A with a cost less than $200. I have seen them as low as $149. A used 18 inch dish about $25. at flea markets or garage sales. Some people just throw them out so you can get them for free. Programming the receiver is very easy and most files you need are free off those FTA forums. You will get ALL channels once you program the receiver. On the Al7bar site there should be a quick start guide for each receiver that explains the startup/setup. Each receiver usually has its own section for guides and files. Jerry
I am reading the forums, first of all, what does a switch do for the sattelite, secound of all what is x75/x85/x87. also, I hear when you are looking at some birds you might see channals that normal cable subscribers don't see and these can screw up your fta box. Does the FTA box need to be directly hooked up to the sattelite dish. And Third of all, I don't get it, so can I or can't I get 110 and 119 from one sattelite????????????? Once again thanks for all the help
The LNB is the device on the arm of the sat dish. You need 1 LNB for each sat signal you want to receive. You can receive several sat signals on 1 dish with the proper setup. I receive both 110 and 119 signal off on old 18 inch dish with 2 LNBs on it. It is called the poor mans dish setup. Instructions for it can be found on the forums under that title. The SWITCH combines 2 LNB signals into one line that will go to your receiver. Kind of like a reverse splitter for cable. The X numbers you listed are the bin files you will have to download and install into your receiver. You will only need one of these files depending on which receiver you buy. None of the sats have any channels that will mess up a receiver. You do have to watch those bin files. If you purchase what is called a CLONE receiver(not a genuine name)then some of the bin files will shut it down. Stick with a brand name(Pansat, Coolsat, Viewsat). Yes the FTA box needs to hooked directly to the sat dish and as I stated before you can receive both sats 110 and 119 off one dish for over 500 channels including some local stations depending on your location. Jerry
so then I would need a switch then,if I wanted to receive both 110 and 119? and I pretty much need to spend 150+ for a good fta receiver right?
Yes, If you want channels off both the 110 & 119 sats you will need a switch. If you check the receiver ads, most ship with a switch and update cable included. $150. is probably a good guess on the receiver average price. I have seen my 2700A on sale for $129. + shipping which takes it back to around $150. again. Jerry
Once agian thanks a lot, I was looking at pics of lnbs, so I could tell how many I have, but when I was looking at them sometimes it showed just one thing, but it said it has two, how do I check how many mine has? I also need a special cable to hook up the receiver to my computer right?
Yes you need cable to hook the box to the PC. There are different types so make sure you get the right one for the box you buy. Most good dealers ship a cable with the receiver. Here is a thread on different LNBs with some pictures. The ones showing the poor man's setup is how I have mine set up. Below it are LNB pictures. http://forums.al7bar.tk/showthread.php?t=8158 Jerry
If you wish to receive both circular & linear Ku-band signals- Circular = provider Linear = FTA (legal Channels) Many foreign language channels you will need an Invacom QPH 031 & a 1 meter dish regular provider dish will not pick up many of the sats check out http://www.ftasolutioncentral.com all explained there
