Comment I used to have an FTA Setup (Score 1) 219
First, you're going to want a motor to point the dish at various satellites in the clarke belt. There's some free programming available on each sat, but not a single sat you're likely to want to use all the time. Info on the sats and where to point your dish is here: http://www.dishpointer.com/
You'll also want to make sure you at least have a Ka and Ku band capable LNB device on your dish. If you ever upgrade to a fullsize dish you can also pull in channels broadcasting in C band.
I eventually upgraded my dish to a 120cm model for better signal, but never got a fullsize dish. Like I said in the title I USED to have an FTA setup. IMO it was a pain in the ass. Hardly ever found anything I wanted to watch, and I spent countless hours setting things up and keeping them working. Good luck getting local anything. You're not going to be getting HBO or anything like that without some kind of pay service (or a hack). It was a constant hassle to scan for birds that I could pick up, scan for channels on that bird, then go and see what was on the bird.
You'll also want to make sure you at least have a Ka and Ku band capable LNB device on your dish. If you ever upgrade to a fullsize dish you can also pull in channels broadcasting in C band.
I eventually upgraded my dish to a 120cm model for better signal, but never got a fullsize dish. Like I said in the title I USED to have an FTA setup. IMO it was a pain in the ass. Hardly ever found anything I wanted to watch, and I spent countless hours setting things up and keeping them working. Good luck getting local anything. You're not going to be getting HBO or anything like that without some kind of pay service (or a hack). It was a constant hassle to scan for birds that I could pick up, scan for channels on that bird, then go and see what was on the bird.
