Free To Air (FTA) Satellite TV

This type of programming is satellite signals that are broadcast around the world that requires no subscription fee from the broadcasters to bring in the channels that operate in this manner. The channels are supported by advertising and/or donations, and government bodies to keep them free. Some of the new channels may be planning to charge subscription fees in the future but they are free now. These channels are not encrypted so they can be received with no need for unscrambling.

This type of programming is most often MPEG-2 which means Motion Picture Experts Group-2. This is a standard in which the signal is compressed to aid in the transmission. HDTV and DVD uses this same compression and is a very high quality.

Most often these transmissions are in the Ku Band frequency range. The Ku band operates between 12 Ghz (Gigahertz) and 14 GHz which permits todays smaller dishes from 18 inches to 31 inches in diameter. Before the Ku band the C band was the first developed for satellite television which operated between 3.4 Ghz and 7 Ghz. The first dishes required to pick up these early signals were 20-30 feet wide.

The equipment required for this is a dish and receiver that is dedicated only to picking up the free to air signals. If there are other paid programming channels desired a separate dish and receiver is utilized to pick up paid programming such as Direct TV or Dish Network. A computer can also be modified with a PCI card to pick up the FTA signals turning it into the receiver. A PCI card available requires the computer to be a Pentium 500 and have Windows 98SE or higher installed. The reason you cannot use Direct TV or Dish Network dishes and receivers to pick up FTA channels at the same time on the same system is, FTA channels are weaker and require a minimum of a 30" dish and they use a different LNB or LNBF device in the dish itself. Paid channel dishes are usually 18 inches to 20 inches. The receivers are also different and paid channel receivers cannot pick up the FTA channels. An LNBF is a LNB (Low Noise Block) with an integrated feedhorn. After the signal is bounced off the dish it goes into the LNBF which amplifies the signal. Dual LNBF is for two television sets. For the FTA setup you must decide if you want a stationary dish or a motorized one. The motorized one will allow you to pick up several satellites giving maximum amount of channels.

The channels available will come from all over the world. Sometimes they come and go or turn into paid channels and scramble or become encoded. New free channels come up all the time and others stop or switch their programming on the fly. There are hundreds of channels in many languages with all different types of programming.

Satellites are held in the sky by velocity and gravity. This is very similar to a rock tied to a string and swinging it around. The pull of the string acts similar to gravity pulling the satellite and the velocity is the swinging force. Most television and other communication satellites are put into high orbit (Geosynchronous-22,300 miles/ 35,900 Kilometers) as opposed to medium orbit (12,400 miles/20,000 Kilometers), polar orbit (Sun-synchronous-438 miles/735 Kilometers), or low orbit 380 miles/610 Kilometers.

Currently about one fourth of the U.S. Television market has given way to satellite. In the United Kingdom about half the population use satellite.

The term DBS or Direct Broadcasting Satellite is because the satellite dish owner receives their signal directly from the sky satellite and not routed on land by a provider.

The first voice transmission was in 1958 from a satellite which was named Score. The first high orbit satellite was Syncom2 in 1963. The first communications satellite was operational in 1965 and was called Early Bird.

For more Satellite Information please visit: http://www.amazing-adventure.com/satellite/Satellite_Info.htm>

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