FTA Beginner - Basic Questions

jwb1

I have a background in comp science and an interest in ham radio but I'm completely new to the satellite TV/radio world so I need some basic advice....from anyone kind enough to offer...

Can someone recommend a basic but solid satellite receiver and antenna for the BBC free-to-air TV channels and the BBC radio stations - I'm particularly interested in feeding the BBC radio through my hi-fi amp. I don't need some gee-whizz-bang box...just the basics.

On the antenna...two questions: first, I've installed HF antenna over the years but I know this is a different ball-game...would you recommend installing the antenna myself or paying someone to do it? I live in the Cork area so any recommendations on installers would be welcome.

Finally, looking at the Sky Digital antennae in the neighbourhood, I have a fair idea how the antenna needs to be positioned. However, there's a bunch of big trees behind my house that might obstruct pure "line of sight" in that direction. Is this going to be a problem?

Cheers and thanks - JB

ShaneOC

Hi and welcome.

Most (if not all) satellite receivers have phono outputs so it is a simple matter of connecting phono leads from the receiver to your stereo.

Unless the trees are right in front of the dish you should not have a problem with being able to receive the signal.

Tony, who is a regular here, has FTA receivers on his site here .

Greenman

Why not trawl the net and you can read loads on the subject. I did that when I wanted info on FTV etc.
73's:)
PS Look here/ here. and here,

watty

Hi jwb1
and welcome from EI9FEB!


Yes you can probably align a dish. because the feed horn is offset below the "beam" is actually upward approx 24 degress, so take that into account on your Line of sight.


As a "Wireless Experimenter" you may want an 80cm or 90cm dish. It can have 3 or 4 "feed hords" / LNBs. By reflection the center one points at the original satellite. A westering LNB will point more east and vice versa.

BBC / Sky FTA ("clear") channels (About 90 TV and 55 Radio) are on a satellite 28.2E of Greenwich merdian. So in Cork a closest due south satellite would be the one at 8W. This should help ion pointing the dish.

It is easy to get 28E, 19E, and 13E on one dish with a automatic switch (like an aerial changeover) at the rear of dish having an single feed cable back to the receiver.

Many of the HF Radio stations would be on such a system giving over 600 free TV and 500+ free Radio. RCI, DW1..7, R.Sweden, Swiss Radio Int etc.

The switch can be automatically operated by almost any digital receiver EXCEPT Sky Digibox as you change channel (4 Way Diseqc Switch about €35). The control signals go down the coax.

In "Radio terms" the LNB, the horn bit on arm at disk is the "front end", it takes the 10750MHz to 12650MHz and has RF preamp, Horizonatal/ Vertical polarity switch, two LO (Local oscillators, 9.75GHz and 10.6Ghz) switched by receiver box, a mixer and high gain wideband IF / cable drive amplifier IC to drive the coax to Receiver (which is really a tunable IF) at 750MHz to 2150MHz band.

The receiver send +14 or +18 to power the LNB (and optional Diseqc switch), the voltage change selecting polarisation. 22KHz tones are sent in bursts to select the input port on a 4 way switch. a steady tone on selects the higher band (10.6 LO) and steady no tone selects the lower band (9.75 LO).

The feed cable can be easily up to 50M long as the "real" front end of the receiver is behind the horn on the dish.

Some receivers can remote control a dish motor drive over the coax too. The sky over Ireland has a satellite almost every 3 degrees. Most have someting free on them. You can realistically scan 62E to 70W on an open site in cork. The dish would be on a tilted mount at about 52 degrees, pointing true north. A due south (true south) satellite is peak of arc at about 8W of greenwich in Cork. As the dish rotates east or west it gets lower to horizon. This is why at 42E or 50W you ar more likely to be blocked than for Sky / BBC at 28E.


www.lyngsat.com for lists

Also there are computer data transmissions.

A Cheap computer Satellite card for view or listen on PC or Data is about €80. (Skystar2)

A computer satellite card for driving HiFi, TV etc direct with no PC overhead is about €200 or more (Hauppauge WInTV /Nexus DVBs PCI).

Since the Radio and TV is already digital, the satellite cards record in perfect quality to hard disk unlike the analog TV "WinTv" cards.

I copy an earlier post here since you are new on the "boards"

If you want Astra 19E , Hotbirds13E etc, then a €250 to €500 FTA system is best. DIY install is possible, but many people finde they need an installer (Add €25 to €100).

You need to buy receiver, LNB, dish, CT100 cable, connectors and sealing tape.

It won't do Digital text or BBC Interactive. Many satellite channels inc BBC only have limited or no teletext compared with terrestrial.
The remote usually will not work your TV.
It has to be manually retuned if Radio or TV changes channel
There is only now and next TV program.


If you have not had a Sky box you can:
Subscribe to Sky World (€60, but one month only)
Get Receiver Box, LNB, Cable, SCART, remote (does TV too), connectors, sealing, dish and Instal for about €15
Downgrade to minimum (about €20 per month or family pack €27), the day after it is installed, giving one month notice, and cancel after a year. Add it all up and it is good value.
BBC Interactive & text
Program guide even for RTE, NEt2, TV3, TG4
Program listings and info for over a week ahead
Timer change channel and recording via program listings

Summary
If you want only Free programs on 28E inc BBC, then a Digibox subsidized install (one per houshold) is best.

If you want *ANYTHING* not on Sky's 28E platform then a Not-Sky-box is best.

If you want free hard disk recording then either a €200 approx card (not €80 ones like Skystar2, they not for living room feeding) in a PC or a Satellite PVR (€800?) is best.

A Sky+ PVR can be used without a viewing sub, but won't record BBC3, BBC4, CBBC, CBeebies in Ireland (only records EPG channels, not manually added ones). It does require a €15 per month "recording rental" though that may be halved shortly?

jwb1

My thanks to ShaneOC, Greenman and Watty for the (extremely quick) and very helpful replies. Cheers - JB