Setting up FTA to BUD

[cleardesertsky]

I'm back with more questions. I appreciate the help on my other post.

Okay...I have:

• 8' mesh dish
• Chapparel C-Band lnb
• Motorized setup
• RG6 multi cable (1 cable is not connected. It was reserved for a Ku band lnb which I never was interested in back when the dish was bought in 1987).
• Uniden SQ530 analog receiver

All the components were purchased in 1987 with the exception of the Uniden (1997 or 1998). In 1987 Ku band did not seem to be necessary.

The satellite dealers I spoke to in town do not have a clue about FTA. In fact, they have never heard of FTA. Most of them thought I was talking about the digital converter box for the transition date! Even the guy I bought the Uniden from thought I was talking about a converter box. It seems that they have all gone the easy route of DISH AND Directv.

Questions:

1. What is it going to take for me to convert over to FTA?
2. Can I use my analog receiver as the dish positioner? How would that connect to the FTA receiver? Would the analog receiver be used similar to the Gbox?
3. Do I have to (or should I) change out my old LNB? (Dumb question--is the old LNB considered an analog lnb?)
4. Is it absolutely necessary to have a c/ku lnb?

Other questions:

• What is the function of the "loop through (or out)"
• Why do some FTA boxes have the card slot and others don't. What is the purpose for these card slots? Is it necessary to have one of these card slots with the receiver?

I appreciate the help. I'd like to make the change over to FTA the right way the first time.

Our local over the air signals are from low-powered translators which can't seem to stay up and running for any given length of time. Supposedly, these translators will continue to broadcast in analog for 3-4 more years, according to our county government service technician.

FTA seems to be the way to go to get something to watch on TV.

[captain]

1st off ku-band was working back then not too mainey people had it due to the cost factor, an the people finding feeds their, I have had ku since 1985.

Now most of you're mess dishes back in that time area where good to fair dishes with their mess size, which means that it should play ku good, a way to tell is if a #2 lead from a pencil if it will go tru the mess, then it should play good as long as the dish is not warped or mess is not bent. the down side is the size of you're dish 8-ft, 8-footer have a 2 1/2 degree beam-with, an you're c-band satellites are at a 2-degree spacing, now a 10-ft dish has a 1.7 degree beam-with, they work a lot better, for you're HD & S2 an 4:2:2 signals.

now to work it with a FTA receiver you can run it the way it is now, just slave the fta off the uniden receiver with a power passive 2-way IF-splitter, remember to get 1 with 1 port that is voltage blocked. then the uniden will move the dish, an select polarity either V or H. but using 1 this way become a chalange.

now a better way to go is either with lnb-f or a Ortho feed using a Disqc positioner (G-box), have 2 disher here that way, now going this rought the fta will select polarity an move the dish its self, far easer way to work 1, but this starts getting costley, an even more so with Orhto feeds an lnbs (2 for c an 2 for ku), but a ortho will produce more signal than any other feed out their, it all depends in how much money you want to spend or how good of signal you want to get.

Now for C an Ku, you will get more feeds an programming on C over ku-band, both have a lot, but on HD & S2, an 4:2:2 they are all mostley on C, which out of all 4 dishes have here C is the most used by far. an also with you're old hook it up an run it with the uniden, that will tell let you know, what is up an running in the air.

The best thing that I can recomend is think about getting a receiver that will tune DVBS-2, this is starting to become more important these days the way the broadcaster are sending their signal out, an for S2 realy want to use a Ortho feed over lnb-f, lot more stable, an it is needed for S2.

Good luck

[s2byus]

Just another point of view:
BUD with BUD and FTA with FTA

I would therefore consider this:
A motorized 39” dish, with a single Invacom QPH-031 quad LNB that has both circular and linear polarization for the entire ku band. The nowadays FTA receivers use dedicated motors like SG2100 and others for automatically moving the dish when selecting a channel of a preset satellite locations. This would enable getting virtually any visible satellite for true FTA - TV broadcast transmissions in the ku band.

Other questions:
What is the function of the "loop through (or out)"
This is a poor man solution with a twin or dual tuner FTA receiver. These receivers are mostly used in setups for multiple satellite locations, with one or more dishes. The main advantage of these receivers is the ability of simultaneous watching and recording of any two different channels. This involves the need of 2 separate cable runs from the dish/s, one to each tuner input, capable to provide each, any channel from any satellite. The loop through feature is based on using only one cable run and jumper the first tuner output to the second tuner input. This would enable simultaneous watching and recording, but just for channels of the same polarization or same transponder of the same satellite.

Why do some FTA boxes have the card slot and others don't. What is the purpose for these card slots? Is it necessary to have one of these card slots with the receiver?
There are encrypted channels (sex and others) that require buying a card to be watched for a predefined period of time.

Marry Christmas!!!