FAQs for NewbiesWhat is FTAFTA means Free to Air Satellite. The other that you are used to like DSTV, MYTV, HITV are what we call DTH i.e Direct to Home wherein you will be required to pay subscription. But as for FTA, you don’t need any subscription, all you need is a one time installation fee.
What type of TV Channels Can I receive in FTA?The Tv channels u will have to receive depends on the size of dish you're using and also the satellite u faced your dish to. You have the choice of Ku band which usually needs the 90cm dish (dstv size) but the number of stations u will receive wont be much. If you're using 1.8m or 2.5m dish u will need C-band lnbf and that means more stations. Depending on the satellite, it can be as much as 40 to 80 channels for 1.8 and 2.5 m dish respectively. You have to bear in mind that what you're using is free-to-air and not pay Tv so the type of channels u might receive will not be the best but they will be worh it. You will be Glad u did at the long run.
What is the difference between KU Band and C Band?Ku-band permits the use of smaller antennas that are aesthetically better and much cheaper than C-band.
A typical Ku-band antenna ranges from about 50cm to 1.2m and a typical C-band antenna ranges from 1.8m, 2.4m, 3.8m etc.
Ku-band requires less radio power than C-band to provide the same signal stength thus allowing a smaller antenna.
The cost of C-band equipment and installation is much more than that of Ku-band.
C-band transmits at a lower frequency ( around 4 MHz), while Ku band transmits at about 11 to 12 GHz.
C-band dishes usually come with a larger size than Ku-band satellite antennas.
Some satellites transmit both C and KU band frequencies. E.g Intelsat 7/10, therefore for one receive channels from the two frequencies, one needs a big dish that will be able to work with the C band signal and as well work for the KU signal.
The person can then choose to either provide two lnbs for the two signals or purchase a universal lnb that can receive signals across the C band and KU band frequencies (have not used that type myself).
For people who always ask, the whole thing is like the VHF and UHF TV signals we use to deal with back in the days.
TVs back then used to have separate knobs for tuning VHF and UHF frequencies until oyibo decided that eveything should be pressed with button and that left a lot of younger folks not knowing anything about frequencies of TV channels they watch everyday.
What do I need to set up this FTAAll u need is just the money for the equipments, ie: Dish, LNBF, Receiver or Decoder, and RF cables. Its cheaper than u can imagine.
How do I get this installation done?Installation is easy. You can call on Installer wherever you purchase the above accessories or better still DIY it i.e do it yourself. To do it yourself, Just assemble the dish with the manual, mount the LNB/F on the dish and connect the Rf cable to it and then connect the end of the cable to your receiver(decoder). connect the Video and audio outputs from the receiver to the appropriate ports of your TV. You are ready to start; put on everything (TV and receiver) with the remote control, go to the installation menu of your receiver and put in the TP frequency and Symbol rate of the channel in the satellite u wish to locate. (Some websites where u can get these frequencies for free abound, the most popul;ar is
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) when you're sure u have put in the correct TP and SR, go to your dish which u must have positioned in the mounting pole and start turning. with your primary geography u should know where is east and west. If the satellite is in the east face your dish in the east. don't adjust the elevation of the dish for now. (elevation is the up and down movement of the dish). Just make the dish stand parallel to your mounting pole. Now start adjusting the azimuth (azimuth is the side by side movement of the dish). Move form one side of the east to the other. if posible start from west . while you're doing this your eyes must be fixed at the installation menu being displayed by now on your Tv. If your Lnb/f is good, if u move the dish slowly from east to west, there must be a point at which the signal strenght will rise sharply. Try to move back and forth to locate this point. when u have done that. Screw the bolt that controls that azimuth movement and then go to the one that controls the elevation movement. Slowly again move the dish upwards until it gets to a point where the signal strength will rise very well. Thats is the position of the satellite you're lookin for. Remember if u have equipment that locates satellite (spectrum analyzer) u don't need all the stress.
Can I use DSTV Decoder to watch FTASome people had tried in the past to try and use DSTV decoders to watch fta, but it is only possible if you subscribed to their channels, For instance, some people used to watch the TrendTV free channels with dstv decoder, but the moment there is no subscriptions, it is not possible again. However, I think the Strong decoder 4653X could be use to watch DSTV channels as well as free to air stations. The only minus there is that, you can't receive some of the interactive channels of dstv on the decoder, but you can as well receive all the substitled channels with the strong decoder.
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