Advice for South African

jerry281272 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-11-2008, 01:16 PM

Hi everyone,

I need some much needed advice regarding FTA television for South Africa. I am keen on doing everything on my own (setting up dish etc..) as I am seriously interested in the FTA scene as a hobby. In south Africa there isn’t much support let alone specialists stores that can assist with the information I need. There is Spacetv, but the advice was not sufficient and if anything I left the store a short while ago quiet perplexed (when I told the sales person I was interested in FTA channels, he looked at me completely lost and did not know what FTA stood for……this from the only specialist supplier of satellite goodies) Later I was referred to one of the customers in the store who was an installer.

Basically I want to catch the signal from Intelsat 7/10 (previously Pas 7/10) and other satellites like Eutelsat and Astra. My house is east facing and quiet high up a hill with no obstructions to the horizon. I think I am better off scanning the east since the western side has some obstructions. At present I have a DSTV decoder (unsubscribed), a universal Ku band LNB (ranges to 12.75 ghz) and a Elsat 90cm dish. This is pointing to the Intelsat 68.5 E satellite. With this setup I am able to get the Ku band Free channels such as BTV, CNBC, SABC Africa and a host of religious channels. I saw the listings on lyngsat and am also eager to target the C band listed channels on the same satellite (these include Aljazeera and doordhashan etc) Based on this information can I :

Scenario 1 - Use the existing dish and change the LNB to a C band one and connect a FTA receiver like Fortec star. Will I be able to catch the C band channels with these small changes on the 90cm dish. If so what type of C band LNB must I get. Alternatively do they have a single C/Ku band lnb and if so what type do I get? Remember the sales people here are seriously challenged in this field.

Scenario 2 – Stay on KU band - The technician at the store told me that I could stay on the KU band and go for the various satellites and their KU band channels. If that’s so can I setup a separate portable KU band dish (90cm) on the veranda and tweak it accordingly for different satellites since the tv is about 2 meters away and I can check the tv screen for the signal. Would it be advisable to manually scan from satellite to satellite this way. I don’t mind the work and welcome the challenge and experience in locating satellites. (I don’t want to mess with the fixed dish). I also noticed on the DSTV decoder that it has settings for Astra 1, Astra 2, Hotbird, Irdeto lab E, Irdeto lab W, DSTV w4. If I get the channel settings from lyngsat and point my dish to the above satellites would I be in business.

If the above is not advisable, then what C band package do you suggest I get for South Africa (Dish, LNB, receiver) What satellites do I aim for and should I consider a motorized dish.

I appreciate any advice and thank you in advance.
Jerry

Vitruvius · #2 (**permalink**) 02-12-2008, 01:05 PM

Jerry, You cannot get C-band on a small 90cm dish. You need at least a 180cm dish, or even better a 240cm dish.
Yes, you can get a second dish and add a switch to connect two or more satellite dishes to a single receiver. You can add a single satellite dish to multiple receivers with the right kind of gismo. Look through Sadoun's site for theire switches and accessories. I would advise you to get a motorized Ku dish which is not too much trouble to hook up and then allows you to automatically switch to different satellites for the comfort of your arm chair.
Check out Lyngsat for what satellites are available to you and what frequencies... 3000 to 4500 (approx.) are C-band and the 11,000 to 12,500 are Ku band.
A great site I like that was developed in England is Satellite Dish Pointer / Alignment Calculator with Google Maps which tells you what channels are available to you from which satellites, and the size of dish you need. This I hear is just in Beta testing... but does give a good idea. I don't know if it covers South Africa.

Best of luck...

Vitruvius · #3 (**permalink**) 02-12-2008, 01:10 PM

Oh, here is an LNB that is both Ku and C-band. It has the two in one container and a switch that both hook into. BSC621 C KU Band Prime Focus LNBF You will not receive any C-band with this LNB on your small dish.
The other option is to have two LNBs each dedicated to the different frequencies, Ku and C, and then wire them to a switch.
You can get a a large dish... 8.5 ft or 10 ft. and put an 'actuator' on it which will be able to move the dish to different satellite locations. This has a somewhat limited arc.

regards...

jerry281272 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-19-2008, 01:40 PM

Hi Vitruvius
I appreciate your advice and all the much needed info.
My first stop would be dishpointer.com. I obviously need to do all my homework and then will get my equipment.
I will read the rest of the info on the SADOUN site and then would probably ask for more advice on this forum.
Thanks a ton.
If SADOUN is as informative and helpful in their field then I do believe that I have found my one stop shop.
Once again thanks for your help. Much Appreciated
Jerry