FAQ of the Free to Air Satellite Channels

1. What are Free To Air (FTA) channels?
Free to Air channels are digital MPEG2 channels that are not scrambled and require no subscription or monthly payment.
They are provided free of charge and are perfectly legal to receive with an FTA receiver. You can find a listing of these
channels on lyngsat.com and satcodx.com web sites

2. What hardware do I need to receive the FTA channels?
A digital satellite receiver and a dish with KU Band LNB

3. Do you guarantee that these FTA channels will remain free?

Absolutely not. No one can guarantee free channels. You will receive those FTA channels as long as they remain free and not encrypted. The FTA distributor and resellers only offer FTA hardware (receiver, dish and LNB). They make no guarantee or claim about the programming.

4. Are there any Dish Network or DirecTV channels that are FTA?
Almost all of the channels provided by these companies are not FTA. The channels are encrypted and require an authorized receiver and monthly subscription.

5.Can I use an FTA receiver to receive premium channels like Dish Network or DirecTV?
Absolutely not. These channels require subscription and special receivers supplied by
the service provider. Any tampering with your FTA receiver (whether by hardware or software
modification) to try to receive the premium channels without paying is not only a violation
of the law and unethical, but also will void the warrantee on your receiver and may hinder it unusable.

6. What size dish I need for the Free to air channels?
For the C-Band signal channels you will need a 10 ft dish.
For KU-band channels you will need a 30 inch (76 cm) dish or larger.

7. Where can I find out what channels are available free to air?
There are many free to air channels available in North America on satellites such as Galaxy 10R, AMC4, Telstar 5, AMC3, etc. There are from the USA and from around the world. See lyngsat.com for more details. For a complete listing of what is available. Anything with an F designation is FREE TO AIR.

8. How do I find the satellites?
The satellite you want to use will be determined by the programming you want to view. Telstar 5 is a very
popular satellite for ethnic channels. Locate your satellite/programming on one of the web sites listed above and align your dish to that satellite.

9. How do I move my dish to get more satellites and more channels?
If you have a receiver that has DiSEqC 1.2 you can easily see more satellites and more channels by adding a DiSEqC motor to move your dish.

Some Troubleshooting Tips for Satellite TV

1. I programmed in a bouquet, but don't get any sound on some/all of the channels?
Ensure you have the correct audio PID. If these are not available, there is a possibility that the channel(s) are being broadcast with AC-3 audio. As mentioned in "2.15 Can I get AC-3 sound on my current receiver? there is little chance that it will be possible to decode the sound on these channels.

2. I get sound, but no video. How do I fix this?
Ensure you have the correct video PID.

3. I tuned to my favorite digital bouquet today and found my favorite channel missing. It worked fine yesterday. What can I do?
Either there is a temporary problem at the uplinker or the channel has encrypted. Channels come and go and situations like this arise on a somewhat regular basis. Before losing all hope, it might be a good idea to check the Delphi MPEG2/DVB Forum to see if anybody else has reported the same channel missing. If they do not, start troubleshooting your local setup.

4. I'm having trouble finding the satellite, what can I do to make my life easier?
Ultimately, a spectrum analyzer is among the most useful tools for finding a satellite and peaking reception of it's signal. There are also much cheaper signal meters. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, consult your local satellite dealer.

5. What Do I do when the receiver shows "BOOT" on the screen on the front of the receiver?
When the receiver is trying to save the data, if it suddenly got shut off, it will show "BOOT" on the screen on the front panel.
When you are trying to save data into the receiver, the TV screen might have "Please wait or Data Save". You must wait till the words are gone before you could do anything else. Otherwise the receiver would show "BOOT" on the front panel. Also, when you are trying to install software into the receiver, you must not do anything else before the PC is done installing the software into the receiver, otherwise the receiver would not work.
The new software would save every time when you exit the menu, which avoids the receiver to have more problems.

How To Install a FTA (Free To Air) Satellite System

A. Pre-Installation Homework

Verify if the dish size is indeed adequate for your area and targeted satellite.

Obtain Look Angles readings for your city and targeted satellite. This includes: - the Azimuth reading which the number of degree is clockwise away from the north. (Use of compass) the
Elevation reading which is the vertical angle up from the horizon.

B. List of
Equipment and Accessories required

FTA Receiver

Satellite Dish (30 " or 36 ")

LNBF

RG-6 coaxial cable (F56-G indoor
connector, F56-SG outdoor connector if you make your own cable)

TV set

Map Compass for Azimuth reading

Satellite Finder (optional)

Drill

Phillips screw driver

Socket set/wrenches

C.
Installation Steps

Assemble dish with instruction supplied during time of purchase.

With the aid of a compass, orient toward the general azimuth direction and the elevation of the satellite and locate an ideal area to position the dish. Here, there must be no obstructions between the satellite and the dish from trees and buildings. Avoid installation on the roof if at all possible to prevent high wind damage or for ease of access if required. (e.g. side of the house, 4X4 post)

Put in place the dish pole on irm support and keep it vertically plumb to enable accurate azimuth and elevation settings.( use 2 of the 4 or 6 lag screws for now )

Feed the RG6 cable through the pole, then mount the dish onto the pole but do not tighten the screws too much for now. Connect the LNB head to the wire that was fed through the support pole and secure the LNB head with the provided screw onto to the support pole.

Complete connections of wiring to the receiver and TV.

As an option you can use a satellite finder by attaching it between the dish and the receiver (highly recommended e.g. SF-95.)

Adjust the elevation to the desired vertical angle; do not tighten the screws too tight to allow for
some adjustment...

Now rotate the dish to point more closely to the targeted azimuth position in very small incremental angle, allows 5-10 seconds between any movements of the dish. This allows the
receiver to complete a signal scan. A lock response on the receiver would indicate that you have located the signal.

You are targeting signal strength of between 50 to 80. If you have strong signal strength but no signal quality or lock. Try adjusting the dish a bit to the right or left. Optimum signal quality is between 70 and 100.

Set the LNBF polarization tilt by rotating clockwise for western region (negative LNB polarization) to improve signal quality reading. Rotate counter-clockwise if you are from the eastern region (positive LNB polarization).

Secure the dish pole with the rest of the lag screws.

Free Free to Air (FTA) Channels in North America

AMC 8 139.0°W

KTOO-TV Juneau, Alaska
Gavel To Gavel Network
Nasa TV
ARCS

AMC 7 137.0°W

KTUU-TV Anchorage
KTBY-TV Anchorage
KYES-TV Anchorage
KAKM-TV Anchorage
KTVA-TV Anchorage
KIMO-TV Anchorage

Satcom C4 135.0°W ？

The California Channel

Satcom C3 at 131.0°W

Fox Movie Channel

Hallmark Channel US West
Hallmark Channel US East
Bloomberg TV US

Home Shopping Espanol
Fox Sports Pittsburgh
Fox Sports Northwest
Fox Sports Arizona
Fox Sports Network
Fox Sports Feeds
Viacom Package
Showtime Package
E! West

Telstar 7 at 129.0°W

The Independent Film Channel
CNBC World
OlympuSat Package
HTVN - Hispanic TV Network
Enlace TBN USA

Galaxy 9 at 127.0°W

Galaxy 10R at 123.0°W

The Outdoor Channel
TARBS Promo
Research Channel
Nation Channel
Pink Plus
Alpha
MKTV
RTS
INN - Italian Network News
Marco Polo
Alice
Video Italia
TV Moda
TelePace
Syria TV
KBS
SBS
YTN
Wow Sat
ISkyCom
M-Net
Jesus Satellite TV
ERT Sat
Mega Cosmos

Anik E1 at 118.7°W

KTEL-TV
WYDN-TV
KTWO-TV
WBIF-TV
KTVC-TV
KQUP-TV
Daystar TV
WPXS-PAX
WBMM-TV
KMMF-TV
KUTH-TV
KPOU-TV
KYPX-TV PAX
KWBF-TV WB
KWBS-TV PAX

SatMex 5 at 116.8°W

Azteca 13 Mexico City - XHDF
Azteca America Oeste
Azteca America Este
CasaclubTV
Television por Cable - TVC
Potencial Humano TV
Gran Canal Latino
Tu Canal
Tele Ritmo
Canal 12 Monterrey - XHAW
Guate Vision
Hipodromo de Panama
Tele-Formula
MAC TV
Da Ai TV
Horse Racing

Anik E2 at 111.1°W

SCN Training Channel 1
SCN Training Channel 2
SCN Training Channel 3
SCN Training Channel 4
SCN Training Channel 5
Saskatchewan Legislative Network

Anik F1 at 107.3°W

ASN - Atlantic Satellite Network
WETV - The Green Channel
APTN Yellowknife
CBFT-TV Montreal
Unknown Radio Channel
Meteo Media
Tele Quebec
Blue Bonnet
CTV Red
CTV Green
CTV Blue
CBC Newsworld Int'l
The Weather Network
Television de Radio Canada (CBFT-TV)
Rede Corporativa 2
Canal Auto Desenvolvimento
Canal Estrategia
Canal Gestao
Canal 6 TV

AMC 1 at 103.0°W

Deutsche Welle TV
Mega Cosmos
ERT Sat
Pax TV East
Pax TV Mountain
Pax TV Pacific
Faith TV
Worship TV
Praise TV
Christian TV Network
Total Living Network
Mun2 East
Mun2 West

AMC 4 at 101.0°W

WPCB-TV - Cornerstone
SuperChannel Trinity Broadcasting Network
TVU
NBC East
NBC Central
NBC Mountain
NBC Pacific
University of California TV
Familyland
God's Learning Channel
Safe TV
La Familia Network
3ABN
3ABN
Adventist Television Network - ATN Test Signal
LLBN Loma Linda Broadcasting Network

Galaxy 4R at 99.0°W

TRC - The Reformation Channel
Telesistema 3
Bloomberg TV Asia

Telstar 5 at 97.0°W

UATV
TCT Asia
BYUTV - Brigham Young University TV
Skylink TV
Super Value Channel
Haitian Satellite TV - HSTV
TVI Tamil Vision
IRIB Jaam-e-Jam Network
Alalam Newschannel Promo
Melli TV
Khalifa TV News
Rang-a-Rang TV
BKTV
A.TV
AssyriaSat
TV Romania
Hi-Tech Channel/Global Marketing TV
NBN - National Broadcasting Network
Qatar TV
Jamahirya Satellite Channel
Iraq TV
ANA MBC
Yemen TV
Sky Vista Package
Nile TV
International Programming Promo
Dubai EDTV
Dubai Sports Channel
Saudi TV
PSC - Palestinian Satellite Channel
Dubai Business Channel
Al Manar
Syria TV
Euronews
Jordan TV
Bloomberg TV
SVC - Super Value Channel
MAC TV
Hunan TV
NTD TV
Tzu Chi TV
Pars TV
Appadana International
NITV
BLTV Buddhism TV
ETTV Eastern Television
USTV
JET TV
SET TV
Tzu Chi TV
BNE TV
HRT
TV Hrvatska
KISB 3
Abu Dhabi TV
Azadi Television
Thai TV Global Network
Armenian Public Television
Tapesh TV
Ajara TV
Iran TV
Persian TV Channel 1
Jaam E Jam
Kuwait Space Channel
Pittsburgh International Info Card
TRT International
Maharishi Open University
VTV 4
Kurdistan TV
Samanyolu TV World
KurdSat

Galaxy 3C at 95.0°W

CCTV-4
RTN1
RTN2
RTN3
RTN4
RTN5
RTN6
RTN7
RTN8

Galaxy 11 at 91.0°W

The WB TV East
The WB TV West
Shop at Home
EWTN US
EWTN Pacific Rim
EWTN Latin America
ACN Sports Network
EWTN Europe
EWTN Africa
ABC Family East
ABC Family West
The Word Network
Univision Canal 41
ACN TV
Crawford Communications Promos
OLN - Outdoor Life Network
Primedia Channel
RFD - Rural Farm Broadcasting TV

Telstar 4 at 89.0°W

ABC NewsOne Channel

Montana PBS Kids

AMC 3 at 87.0°W

Michigan Government TV
Supercanal Caribe
STARS of Faith Network
Bloomberg TV US
NMSU - New Mexico State University Instructional TV
TiP TV
The Patient Channel
Weather Vision
PBS East
PBS You
PBS X
PBS Kids

AMC 5 at 79.0°W

University of Utah (Program 110)
University of Utah (Program 120)
University of Utah (Program 130)
University of Utah (Program 140)
University of Utah (Program 150
University of Utah (Program 160
University of Utah (Program 170)
NYN1
NYN2
NYN3
NYN4
NYN5
NYN6
NYN7

PAS 9 at 58.0°W

Infinito USA
HTV
LAPTV Promo
Zee TV Africa
Cubavision Internacional
EWTN Latin America
CCTV 4
CCTV 9
Thai TV
Arirang TV World 2
APTN London
APTN Washington
Enlace
Enlace Juvenil
3ABN
Zee TV
Paris Premiere
Deutsche Welle TV
RTP International
NHK World TV
NIME World
RAI International 1
ART Latino
Claravision
BT Channel 2
BT Channel 3
BT Channel 4
BT Channel 5

Intelsat 705 at 50.0°W

TV UVE
ADSAT TV
ADSAT TV
HITN

PAS 1R at 45.0°W

Telefuturo
Univision Puerto Rico
Telemundo Puerto Rico
Televicentro
Zona Latina
Via X
UCV TV
TNP - Television Nacional del Peru
Education A Distancia

PAS 6B at 43.0°W

TNT Latin America East
Cartoon Network Latin America East
Cartoon Network Brazil
TNT Brasil
Space
I-sat
The Soundtrack Channel Brazil
CNBC
TV 5 Amerique Latine
Bloomberg TV Latin America

PAS 3R at 43.0°W

Nueva Argentinisima Satelital
TV Sur
VTV
Turf Argentino
Telefe Internacional
America Satelital
Music Country Argentina
P&E
Formar TV
Telefe International
Solo Tango
TV UVE
TV ADSAT Nuevo Tiempo
TV ADSAT Novo Tempo
ASB
Iraq Satellite Channel
Syria Satellite Channel
MTA International
Fashion TV
MCM
Al Manar
Pro TV International
Venezolana De TV
Globovision
ATB Red Nacional
Unitel
Red Uno De Bolivia
Bolivision
PAT
Catolica TV Senal International
TV Bolivia International
City TV
Telecaribe Margarita
Televen
Rede Gospel
WorldNet Latin America & Africa
WorldNet Europe
WorldNet
Canal (a)

Telstar 11 at 37.5°W

NTV USA
NTV Plus
Ohio News Network
Maharashi Open University
WB Albany - WEWB
TV Polonia

Hispasat 1A/1B at 30.0°W

TV Galicia
TV Canarias
TV Amistad
TVC Internacional
ATEI
Canal E Promo
Syria Satellite Channel
Real Madrid TV
MTA International

Intelsat 605 at 27.5°W

Pro TV International
TRT International
VTV 4 (23-04 UTC)
Kurdsat (22-04 UTC)
RICH (14-02 UTC)
The God Channel
RR Sat promo

NSS 7 at 22.0°W

BFBS Middle East
BFBS Atlantic
BFBS Radio 2

Telstar 12 at 15.0°W

Video Italia
Kuwait Space Channel
INN
TV Moda
Antenna Satellite
Future TV
Palestinian Satellite Channel
BVN TV
BYU TV

Echostar 1,2 (148.0°W)

WZZM-TV
WWMT-TV
WOOD-TV
WXMI-TV
WZPX-TV
WGVU-TV
WTLJ-TV
WOTV-TV
International Promotional Info
Adult Guard Promo

Tips on Purchasing a FTA Reciever

So you are thinking about purchasing a FTA receiver and just dont know where to begin.

There are several on the market all of them have their advantages and disadvantages.

First you have to decide what you want to do with this item.

True FTA receivers are ment to be an add on to what you are watching on TV at any given time. They can add hundreds of stations to what you already enjoy. All of these stations are free for viewing and can be received by anyone without any monthly subscriptions.

There is another use for some of the FTA receivers out there that you you may have been exposed to. It is the use, through modification of them, to receive stations that are normally not for viewing by the general public without a paid subscription.

When you are purchasing a receiver, first you must realize that even though you are going to use it only for true FTA there is always going to be some speculation that your use will be for modification of the device for use of piracy. Never buy any product from a retailer that states that the device will allow for viewing of subscription stations. It will only cause you problems and the retailer is advertising and promoting illegal activities.

You will also, at times find items on eBay that are also illegal for use when modified. Such devices as cards and card readers have been known to be used for illegal activities and are most often banned on ebay. If you find one the price will be highly inflated and more than likely your bid will be canceled prior to the end of the auction. This is not to say that these items will be used for illegal activity, but the speculation is so high that many of these items are no longer for sale on ebay.

Getting back to the FTA receiver:

To start out with you will not only need the receiver but other pieces of hardware as well.

You will need to purchase a Dish. For true FTA the Dish 500 system is not acceptable. You will need a minimum of a 30 inch dish to capture the signals.

You will also need what is called an LNB. You will need one that has a "low" rating. Currently the best product for use is the Invacom brand 0p31

You will also need a multi switch. Pansat, Coolsat both make a good product

You will need cable and connectors RG56, shielded is best. Weather couplers for the outside are necessary.

For True FTA you will also need a dish motor, since stations are not all located at one location and you will need to move your dish to the area where the station is brodcast to.

In short to get into this hobby. it requirs more than just the $150 to get the box. Remember you will soon be up to $500 very quickly if starting from scratch.

To recap

Buy only from honest vendors

Buy from Vendors that offer to hide the bidders names (just for safety)

Understand that you could be spending not just $150 but as much as $500 to get you started.

Best of luck.

Just what is a Free To Air (FTA) SatelliteSystem?

FTA or "Free To Air" simply means that the
signal is not encrypted. Most cable type programming is encrypted.
Where did all of these FREE TO AIR receivers come from? While the U.S.
and Canadian Cable industry distributes their programming largely via
products sold by Motorola and a few others, the rest of the world
chose the MPEG-2 format. Granted, even though, the Motorola Digicipher
II has some MPEG-2 attributes, it nevertheless remains a totally
proprietary platform. Who has chosen MPEG-2 as a platform? Dish
Network, Scientific Atlanta, and the rest of the world. Even DirecTV is
a early version of MPEG-2. MPEG-2 is a digital platform that allows
several digital broadcasts to be compressed onto one frequency or
channel. Without MPEG-2, Digicipher, or other compression platform, it
would not be possible to have direct broadcast television services like
DirecTV or Dish Network. Equally important is the way the programmers
get the their product to their retail outlets such as DBS and cable.
They too have chosen compressed digital transmissions largely due to
cost. PAX on GE-1 is an example of this.

What does MPEG2-FTA mean? MPEG stands for Moving
Picture Experts Group. It is a method for compressing data. FTA stands
for "Free to Air"- meaning that the signal is not encrypted with
conditional access. . Smart Cards or Conditional Access Modules, are
generally used to decode scrambled signals. In the U.S. there are a number of channels that
are available via MPEG-2 FTA receivers that have indicated that they
plan to remain in the clear or are believed to intending to stay clear.
These include Saudi TV, Abu Dhabi, Thai TV, Kuwait TV, Syria TV,
Taiwan, Iran, and as we go to press, Bloomberg TV all on Telstar 5, ku,
which can be received on a .7 meter dish.

MPEG-2 is not an encryption method although
encryption can be added. Dish Network uses the Nagra system of
encryption, DirecTV uses a News Data system, and full view big dish
primarily uses the Digicipher system. Transponder time has become so
expensive that with the exception of the preachers, the porno channels,
and the home shopping networks, it doesn't make sense to place only one
channel on one frequency. With HBO, and Discovery Networks planning 25
channels each, it would take over two C-Band birds to air their material
the old fashioned analog way.

Hire a Custom Installer

Finding a custom installer to design your home theater or media room may seem like a daunting endeavor. You're dealing with home electronics, after all, and electronics can be intimidating. But hiring a custom installer is really no different than hiring an architect, interior designer or other professional. The most important factor to consider is experience. You want someone you can trust who isn't going to "drop the ball" halfway through the project.

There's no need to feel intimidated, either, because an experienced custom installer recognizes the importance of establishing a good rapport with clients from the start. If the installer has an "attitude," don't waste your time, because his attitude will only get worse. Your future custom installer should make you feel relaxed and appreciated, not patronized. Any lack of knowledge about electronics on your part should be met with an enthusiastic and sincere desire to educate you. The installer should be willing to take the time to help you understand the options available to meet your requirements and your budget.

Before you begin your search, ask yourself these fundamental questions: Are you looking for the best company with complete, beginning-to-end responsibility for your project? Is this company expected to design, engineer and provide comprehensive documentation, and integrate with all the other parties involved (i.e., architect, interior designer, builder, cabinetmaker)?

Perhaps you're looking for the lowest possible price or most economical solution to your needs. Make sure you understand the differences between simple systems (not necessarily easy to use or future upgradeable) and expensive systems. Generally speaking, the easier a system is to use, the more expensive it is to purchase and install. With custom-installed home media systems, the old adage, "you get what you pay for" applies in spades.