Hello everyone

[SkySurfer80]

Hello everyone.

I am new to the site and love the satellite hobby. I have been in the hobby for several years and am getting back into things. I just bought a house in Tennessee and am looking for anyone nearby who may have some equipment I can buy to get back into things. I look forward to helping all I can on here and learning more about this great hobby!

 

[Brct203]

Hi SkySurfer
welcome to the forum!
Are you looking at getting C-Band or Ku band? For Ku band, you can get started with discarded Dish Network or DirecTV small dishes - They are too small for reliable reception but definitely enough to get started. Just don't expect much reception during a rain storm. For larger Ku dishes (3-4ft), look for unused dishes on abandoned gas stations and some retail stores. Find the owner and ask nicely, there's a chance you can get something for free. If not, 90cm dish with LNBF can be found online for about $100

For C-band dishes, drive around and look for big dishes, again find the owner and ask nicely. There's a good chance that they would be happy to get rid of the old ugly think in their yard. That's how I got mine. Most will agree to give it for free, in exchange for your effort of removing it. Some might ask for some money, I would not give more than $100 unless it's really large (like 12"and above) or has other unusually valuable features.

For a receiver, stay away from the cheap stuff on ebay or amazon. Instead, I would suggest the Amiko mini HD265 from https://estsatellite.com, for a great simple receiver. For a more advanced but also more complex receiver, look at the Edision at titaniumsatellite.com

Full disclosure: both of those resellers are members of this forum, and they provide excellent support