Newbie

[theqmaster]

Happy New Year to All!

So, as the title says I'm a newbie on FTA. I cannot stand my cable company and I'd like to install a FTA receiver. It's ridiculous how they force us what to watch and what to pay. No option to pick and choose individual chanels. Well, I will stop ranting

What is a good point to start ?

Had a directtv dish and receiver before so I assume I can reuse the dish and the lnb. What are the options on the receivers and what are the satellites I can use from Minneapolis area ? With the digital push I would need to focus on a HD receiver.

Thanks in advance and sorry if the questions were too dumb!!
Q

 

[gillham]

What is a good point to start ?

Had a directtv dish and receiver before so I assume I can reuse the dish and the lnb. What are the options on the receivers and what are the satellites I can use from Minneapolis area ? With the digital push I would need to focus on a HD receiver.

The older threads here and the FAQ section are a good place to start. The List at the top of this forums shows a lot of what is available FTA. A simpler version is available at FTAList.com as well as some basic getting started info.

Your DirecTV dish will not be of much use as it is too small. Generally the only thing FTA it can get is NASA TV. You'll need a clear view of the Southern sky, a 36" dish, a linear LNBF, some RG6 cabling and a FTA receiver. Also some DIY skills and basic tools.

There is not much full time HD on Ku Band (36" dish), basically PBS. There is quite a bit of HD available via short lived feeds. If you're talking about getting an HD unit for FTA & OTA in one unit, then an HD receiver is probably worthwhile after you evaluate some of the limitations. With FTA, particularly feeds you want a "blind scan" capable receiver and nearly all HD receivers do NOT support it. Most likely you'll want a very good blind scan SD receiver AND an HD receiver. It that case you can start with the SD setup and jump into HD later once you're more experienced. The gold sponsors at the top of the page are a good place to research hardware. SatelliteAV and Sadoun both sell bundles and where you're located is going to make shipping from one or the other more attractive.

Anyway. welcome to the forum and FTA! You should look around and see if the available programming (+your local OTA) is enough for you. FTA is not a full replacement for pay TV, but generally has plenty of good stuff. If you can't live without CNN or ESPN or MTV then FTA isn't going to work as your only TV.