DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Anyone have a KU Satellite Dish?

Just a dish ..... for Free To Air programming?

You know .... like old time satellite dishes used to work.

I have been considering one because it looks like there are thousands of channels available for free ..... and many live channel feeds from all around the country. (which would be nice for blacked out games and such)

I've seen these things for a couple hundred dollars ..... but no fees afterwards.

Anyone have one? Worthwhile? Not? Discuss?

Do you have a link

Not really.

I just remember talking to someone in passing about a dish like that.

It's the same size as a Dish Network or Direct TV dish. It just pulls in a ton of stuff from all over. No "premium" stuff like Animal Planet or HBO ...... but tons of regular TV stations from all over the country.

I did find this link that shows some of the English language stuff. There is a ton of religious stuff ... but also a bunch of broadcast stuff.

I'm just curious if anyone is actually using one of these. Hell .... if it has all of these broadcasting channels, it might be worthwhile even with a Dish Network oe Direct TV subscription.

My neighbors have 2 dishes in their backyard too. Next time I see them I'lkl have to ask them why ....

Man I wish they weren't moving. Great neighbors.

That is interesting. For starting at $250+ you can get ones w/motor to point at multiple satellite's. That's pretty neat to see what kind of signals you could find FOA and radio. I wonder how hard it is to locate the satellites and get this thing to receive a signal.
As far as blacked out games I wonder how good (In Cleveland) Toldeo or Erie, PA stations would come in? Back in the day you could use your house antenna or a good pair of rabbit ears and tune in the games as long as the channel was different. I wonder if these receivers have something to where your TV's built-in receiver can broadcast local things and the systems receiver broadcasts the sat programming.

This is intriguing. I'm looking into how well this can integrate with my media center.

Well .... I have decided to start out with a really good long distance antenna. According to antennaweb, from my house, with a good long distance antenna I should be able to grab Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Akron and Erie stations. (and Youngstown, of course)

I think this will be a good, inexpensive place to start.

I have read some good things about some long distance antenna that I should be able to pick up and put together for around $100-$150 with a rotor and everything. I just have to check and see how high I can install this thing. (if there are any ordinances, etc)

I have to decide if I want to install this on my roof, or build a tower. I am leaning towards tower.

To get the full system I would want for a KU band dish I would be looking at $400-$600. (for the really good DVR and all the goodies) That may be a spring or next summer project. Hopefully medical bills will be less by then.

It looks like only certain stations send their station over satellite FTA. Many are sent as part of Dish/Direct TV programming, and I don't think that you can get these except on Dish/Direct TV as their local channels packages.

You can get some DirecTv and Dish Network programming according to the website you posted but the majority would be encrypted. You need a card to put into your receiver I believe.

Your right most city's do have ord's limiting tower height. I am a amateur radio op and I would love to have a tower on the side or back of my house. They aren't that hard to do but make sure your not near power lines obviously. I have heard from a few people that this company is very good and their towers are pretty simple to put up. I get most of my gear from here which is local in Wickliffe (about 15 miles east of downtown Cleveland. You could drive or shipping would be easy. Just look under the towers and they will have a bunch listed. Cushcraft is a very good company that makes antennas and towers.

I think next spring I may buy one as well. I am high up right now but live in a very wooded area. When I moved in there was a dish network dish on the roof, I wonder if I buy one of the receivers listed if that dish would work? I don't see why not.

I think that I'm just going to put a 10' pole from the highest point on my roof, and then install the antenna on top of that. It should put me almost 40' in the air. That should get some good reception.

My other option is to run a 40' pole up the side of the house and secure it with brackets that bolt into the side of the house. Then again, from what I have read, you really don't need to have the pole go all the way into the ground ...... they can just be secured with the brackets ... but I think I would prefer having the thing cemented into the ground and then also bracketed to the side of the house. I know that wouldn't go anywhere. lol