Check out this link for free digital tv and radio channels. I have owned one of these for five years now and have even set up the commercial version of these recievers for two commercial AM stations. They are great for free tv and radio content.
that link is
www.global-cm.net
underdog radio
am1610
I believe Monitoring Times magazine had a review of a similar product a while ago, and they loved it. Is this the same as the free Globcast Global TV System?
http://www.globecastworldtv.com
Experimental broadcasting for a better tomorrow!
Free TV and Radio Programming. I talked to these guys a long time ago about using their content on Part-15.. It's a Go.. 🙂
Cut and paste.. Dang codes.. 🙁
you have been coded - the secret coder (aka scwis) 🙂
Yes they are the same. It is a MPEG2 signal they can used with the big Cband dishes or with a 30-36inch kuband dish to pick up free channels legally. I use both and it sure came in handy when my computer for my station recently crashed. I just tuned my satellite to a audio feed and ran it through my mixer. That way my station did not have to go off the air while I fixed the problem.
I also have used these in another part 15 application in closed circut cable systems for campgrounds and hotels.
Brian
Could you recommend a dish/lnb/receiver from your product lists that would work best for a user who was looking for a quick, low cost way to start tuning in the Free-To-Air content?
Perhaps an entry level system, a better quality system and then a system with a few extras like dish motor?
I can imagine that the best answer is "it depends..." but since you are knowledgeable and experienced it would be fun to hear what your opinions are...
Experimental broadcasting for a better tomorrow!
Hi Everyone,
Check out www.visionplus.us for a great forum about FTA. Right now you can get a really good deal on a FTA receiver from one of the sponsors of the site. Dish wise you can use an old primestar antenna if you have one around or can find one. The LNB for them works as well. Motors for the dishes are about $80 shipped if you want multiple satellites. You'll also find that you can use an additional LNB next to the main LNB and pick up two satellites without moving the dish. That way you can get the great programming on G10R as well and White Springs TV (movies) and even the TalkStar and HealthStar networks if you want to use them for your station.
On a budget? Check out used receivers online. I got a used receiver, dish, spare LNB and switch for around $70 total.
For a beginer the type of reciever is one with a blind scan which makes it easy to find new channels and one with ac3 audio because there is many channels starting to broadcast
in this format. If you don't have this there are some channels that you will get no audio on. You can use a old primstar dish but if you use the lnb you will need to get a diseqc 1 x 2 switch to change the polarity. Also I would stay away from a motorized dish they are a pain to set up with out a digital meter.
Brian
That's just the "front line" info I needed!
Experimental broadcasting for a better tomorrow!
I have to ask, does Globecast receive other FTA programming or are you limited to what they offer? I only saw one channel in their listed lineup that was of any interest.
We pull some audio programming from TalkStar and love it! Victor and the rest of the crew have done a great job. Note: we pull audio from their stream and not their satellite (yet), we're negotiating for roof space. Sticky point with management of the studio rooftop - a 1m dish doesn't sit well with them but we're making headway.
It looks like that assessment is correct, and that's one reason I hadn't jumped on that. The more advanced MPEG2 tuner plus generic dish/lnb approach looks like more fun.
The whole concept is somewhat like that old SWDX. There weren't any paid channels, but broadcasters hopped around quite a bit with freqs and times.
Experimental broadcasting for a better tomorrow!
Most people who get into FTA like G10R the best because of the number of English language channels. In this case you're watching the feeds to the TV stations across the country. Most are owned by Equity Broadcasting and they use a centralized master control center. There's some great programming on the stations. Check out Lyngsat's list and look for Ku band (the ones with 5 digit frequencies). Anything with an "F" is free to air and can be received without charge.
The satellite almost next door (IA7) has the radio networks and White Springs TV which is classic movies, also free to air.
If you visit some of the sites previously mentioned you'll find a brand new Traxis 4550 receiver for $79 delivered. It has the blind scan feature which lets you find news and events feeds that are not regularly scheduled. It was great for election night.
A simple switch you can add allows you to used up to 4 dishes easily. You can also access several non-commercial music channels free of charge as well as NASA, and some others.
Adding a motor to your system is a matter of making sure your mount is plumb and level and aiming the dish at your true south satellite. Once you have it locked in, you'll automatically be able to get all of the rest of the satellites in the arc.
If you are buying a dish, a popular, well performing dish is the Winegard DS2076. Although it is only 30" in diameter it performs as well as many 36" dishes. It's also a good one for motorizing due to it's weight.
The best thing about FTA (Free To Air) is that there are many helpful friendly forums if you need help. (Much like this forum.) My favorite one I mentioned above. It is relatively new, but has great members and almost no advertising to slow things down.
and my second favorite is:
It's also a great forum, but the advertising slows things down so much.