# FTA Newbie with BUD - Help!



## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

Hi:

I have a major new Home Theater and get most programming with D* and an HR20. I do have, however, an old 10 foot mesh BUD, fully functional (presently hooked to an old 4DTV receiver) with a horizon to horizon mount and both C and Ku band LNBs.

Just what do I need for FTA and does anyone have any receiver recommendations in the under $500 total cost department? I know nothing about FTA except that it exists!

Thanks!


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

A general FTA getting started page is here: http://www.ftalist.com/started.htm

The Ku-band channels that you'd get can be found here: http://www.ftalist.com/master.htm

The C-band FTA list is here: http://www.global-cm.net/MPEGlistCBandUS.html

Wikipedia's FTA overview is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air
Or to learn about the underlying DVB technology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB

After you're done reading, feel free to come back with more specific questions. Have fun!


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## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

OK, read some of that already and just looked over the rest. So it is apparent that my present dish and C and Ku Band LNBs will work fine signal-wise if they work with the 4DTV unit.

My question is this: It appears that most FTA folks do not have functional big dishes (which are more and more rare), but rather the small fixed (or small movable) dishes. Will most (or any?) FTA receivers be able to drive my older BUD directly like the 4DTV receiver does now? My concern is figuring out if that will work and just how to wire the dish control wires that now go from the 4DTV receiver to the old Ajak Horizon to Horizon mount (which is old but damn near bulletproof). I noted on the setup page that "the receiver needs USALS support or DiSEqC version 1.2". Can anyone tell me which of those the 4DTV uses (or more likely neither)?

I am a bit concerned about this - looking at my 4DTV unit, there are 7 (control not signal) wires going to the dish. None of the FTA units that I see back panel pictures of seem to have connections of this type. Here is a picture of the dish drive connections on the 4DTV if it will help:

Picture

I did note a gadget called a Vbox that sorta seems to fill the bill but even those seem to only have 4 dish control outputs, not the seven that are on the 4DTV

Confused......


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

Typically (but not always) a BUD uses a motor that requires a separate power feed. For those, most FTA receivers won't drive them. Some folks use an older C-band receiver to move the BUD into position, then a FTA receiver to get the DVB channels.


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## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

> Typically (but not always) a BUD uses a motor that requires a separate power feed.


....

That appears to be the case here as two of the leads are heavy gauge.

What about the polarity, however? How would you control the polar rotor? Or do you need to?


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Use the 4dtv receiver to drive the motors as you have in the past. Since the 4dtv uses the video signal to peak the dish you would need to split the video between the 4dtv and the FTA receiver (I think). I wonder if there is a way to have a computer control the 4dtv (and the attached dish). I bet Mike knows, he knows everything.


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## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

> Use the 4dtv receiver to drive the motors as you have in the past


Well, I know that the dish move motors would work that way, but doesn't something have to set the polarity of the polar rotor for the channel one is on and would that not have to be the receiver that is actually receiving a picture?


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

The 4dtv takes care of the polar rotor also. By the way, if you split the incoming signal between the two receivers, make sure you use a "Power Passive Splitter" and have the power passing leg feeding the 4dtv.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Or check your 4DTV receiver for sat pass-thru connector.
What model you have ? Could you post good picture of its rear panel ?


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## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

P Smith said:


> Or check your 4DTV receiver for sat pass-thru connector.
> What model you have ? Could you post good picture of its rear panel ?


Doe not look like a pass-thru is there.

Picture


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## CCDMan (Jul 26, 2007)

> make sure you use a "Power Passive Splitter" and have the power passing leg feeding the 4dtv.


Is there even power on the RG6 if all the dish and rotor wires presently go spearatly to the dish?

Or is this to prevent dish/rotor control power from leaving the FTA unit via the RG6?

***************

Update 12 days later

OK, never mind - no answers. IN the meantime, I have decided that the BUD, even with FTA, just is not worth the trouble.

Rack space will go to something more useful.

Thanks


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