What FTA Satellite System should I buy?

[Sadoun]

"What FTA satellite system do you recommend I should buy?"

We get this question all the time and we have decided to create these few pages to help you decide.

• It is important to remember and consider that since FTA channels are available free of charge, there are no guarantees from Sadoun or the channel provider that these channels will be available for any period of time. Thus, you may enjoy the channels as long as it is available.
• Read the FAQ section to learn more about what FTA means.

Now, in order for us to help you choose the best solution for you, you will need to decide which channels are of interest and most important to you. Since FTA channels are available worldwide, we will limit our discussion here to channels that you can receive in North America.

For most of our customers, there are two FTA systems you can buy. A "Stationary System" or a "Motorized System":

Stationary System:

• The system consists of a satellite receiver, a dish and an cPanel®.
• With this system you will aim the stationary dish at one of the satellites in the sky.
• Since the dish is only aimed at one satellite, you will only be able to receive the FTA channels available on that satellite. Most of the time, that should be sufficient for you. For example, most of the cPanel® or cPanel® FTA channels are available on Galaxy 25 (aka IA 5) at 97W. So for these ethnic customers, those channels might be the only channels of interest to them and in this case a stationary system should be more than enough.
  
• Even if you buy a stationary system and you decide in the future to motorize the dish, you can simply add an HH motor and install it on your system.

Motorized System:

• This system will consist of a satellite receiver, HH Motor, dish and an cPanel®.
• Having a motor will allow you to rotate the dish to several satellites allowing you to receive channels from more than one source.
• This of course will give you more channels variety.
• With this system you will not be restricted to a limited number of channels from one satellite.
• This is definitely the recommended system for the American viewer.
• You will find American FTA channels spread over several satellites and a motorized system is a must in this case.

Computer based system (PCI or USB):

• For those who want to watch TV on their PC screen and want to have the ability to record their favorite shows on their hrad disk.
• You have the choice between an internal (PCI) or external (USB) type receivers.
• You may also motorize this system without any problems.

"What size dish do I need?"

• The minimum size dish for either of the above systems should be 80cm (31") along the width of the dish.
• Of course, the bigger the dish the better the signal strength and quality. You should be to install a dish up to 100cm or 39.3" without any problems with your homeowners association in most areas in the USA.
• Make sure that you upgrade the motor as well if you decide to upgrade your dish.

"How difficult is it to install these systems?"

• For the most part, installing the system yourself should not be that difficult. However, before you decide if you can do it yourself or should hire a professional help, check the installation support page on our website.
• You can also visit our users forums and post your inquiry there. You will find several posts that may address your inquiry.

[Admin]

This post is a good read for 1st buyers.