FAQs for Newbies

What is FTA
FTA 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 FTA
All 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 much does this equipment cost?
A 90cm dish (DSTV) size costs only 3,000 naira. A dual KU band LNBF for the 90cm dish is only 1,500 naira and the receiver or (decoder) is only 5,000 naira upward. A roll of Rf cable is 900 naira, and thats all you need for a Ku band FTA reception.
For 1.8cm dish C-band reception, your dish will cost 9,000 naira and the C-band LNB costs 2,500 naira. If u want 2.5m dish (the black net type) the only difference is in the dish and it costs just 24,000 naira. You will use the same Lnb with that of 1.8cm. (NB: Please note that the above prices has reduced in some cases)

Where can I get this equipment to buy
don't go to people who are into the installation business they will not give them to u for the above prices. Just go to any major electronics market in your city to get them. Like Alaba international in Lagos or Iweka road in Onitsha or Neighbourhood Centre Zone 4 in A buja.

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 www.lyngsat.com ) 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.


Where can I get these frequencies?
These are all satellite websites where you can get your frequencies for most satellites http://www.flysat.com/ 
http://www.lyngsat.com/ 
http://www.arnoldsat.com
http://www.kingofsat.net 

What satellites are receiveable in Nigeria or West Africa
As of today, you can get the following free satellites in Nigeria.
Eutelsat W3 on 7 degree east – KU Band
Pass 7/10 on 68.5 degree East – KU Band
Nilesat on 7 degree west – KU Band
NSS 7 on 22 degree west (KU Band)
NSS 7 on 22 degree west (C-Band)

What Channels are Receivable from above Satellites
They are Plenty
NSS7***22 degree West
* France 24 News (francais)
* Direct 8
* TV 5 Monde Afrique
* LC2
* STV 1
* STV 2
* Canal International
* TV GAbon
* GTV (Ghana Television)
* RDV

W3A on 7 degree east
* MSNBC
* MTA International
* TV Minimah
* Direct 8
* RTS 1
* Go Africa
* TV Malagasy
* 2STV
* Ariane TV

Nilesate on 7 degree west
So many channels mostly Arabic speaking but English channels includes
MBC 2, MBC3, MBC4, MBC Action, BBC, Aljazeera Sport 1 and 2 etc


Which FTA is showing English Premiership
For now, the only fta showing english premiership is NSS 22 degree west ku band, Eutelsat W3 on 7 degree west KU Band or 55.4 degree west on c-band

Why do I need FTA
When u compare these prices with that of DSTV or HITV without monthly subscription u will understand what u have to gain bearing in mind that u do not have to pay anybody for anything ever.

Does Nairaland sell the equipment?
For those of us who will be ticking to ask, none of the forum member are not selling the equipments nor in business of installation . So we have nothing to gain in all this. we just giving back what we have learnt for free. We have gained more than this in nairaland. But if you have any problem in installation and think u might need help, just holla at any of the following - Enigma, bigjoe, enitan2002, justx24, twinstaiye, pitodenz

How can I reach the expert in the forum?
Badaru1 base in kebbi on 08053223272,
Pitodenz base in portharcourt on 08037058564,
Toxnaija base in lagos/abeokuta on 08023337877,
justx24 base in Ibadan on 08053334470,
enitan2002 base in Lagos 08055458324,
OLA base in lagos on 08033231671,
Twinstaiye based in Abuja - 08055268863

Can I use DSTV Decoder to watch FTA
Some 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.

What is the best Decoder to watch FTA
The best brand decoder in Nigeria as of now is Strong Decoders, and we will suggest you go for SRT 4653x.

More FAQs would be added soon when this FAQs is updated

See also: Official Thread of Free To Air Satellite TV (Part 2)

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO F.T.A T.V IN THE W/AFRICAN SUB-REGION
(As submitted by Gangsta101)

1. Introduction
Satellite TV has been around for years, as an avenue to watch 24hrs television with diverse programming, and also to listen to crystal clear radio with various content. For years, satellite TV in Africa meant DSTV, that very expensive, but unbelievably entertaining outfit from south Africa. But because most people couldn’t afford their setup, let alone the monthly subscription, people began looking at alternatives, that was what drove the need for F.T.A T.V, which stands for ‘Free-to-Air television’  (though some people might argue that it should be called F.T.V i.e. ‘free to view’, but that’s another discussion). F.T.A has also been around for years, I don’t know enough of the history so I won’t go into it, but the most important thing to note historically is that for years, whenever people talk about F.T.A, it almost invariably meant Arabsat, (well in Nigeria at least). While it was adequate for some purposes, it was very limited, one very annoying problems about arabsat was that it was analog so the pictures were pretty poor and sometimes some channels would cross into each other, and most of the channels were in Arabic, with very little entertainment value for us over here. It became known unofficially as the poor people’s DSTV.
These days however, when one talks of F.T.A, to someone who knows about it, it means a world of unbelievable and almost unlimited opportunities. The advent of what is termed D.V.B (digital video broadcasting) helped spur satellite TV to new heights and F.T.A also tagged along for the ride. While making the content on most satellite tv to be of crystal clear quality and unbelievable diversity, it also makes it possible to broadcast several streams on one ‘feed’, so that one provider can pay for just one frequency on a satellite and then broadcast and several ‘channels’ containing diverse programming, movies, music, news, documentaries, e.t.c., and that is just one frequency, u can have up to 40 frequencies from one particular satellite. However, most of these broadcasts are actually pay-tv, but there are always a few channels which are not encrypted so that one can get these at no cost.
So while a lot of people are into F.T.A because of the cost (or lack of it) a lot more, who may have the money are in it just for the fun of it because apart from tv and radio, DVB also helps broadcast streams for internet traffic and a lot of people are taking advantage of this, but that is gist for another day.

2. Receiving F.T.A broadcast
Receiving satellite streams is a relatively easy thing to do, but it requires the right knowledge, some money, the necessary equipment and a great deal of patience, the first of which we have tried to provide on this forum, but the rest, you just have to acquire yourself. Now there are several things you need before installing a satellite receiver system, and they are as follows:
• The satellite you want to receive.
• The satellite dish
• The LNB
• The decoder
• The wires
• And of course a TV set (or even a computer with a dvb card).

3. The satellite
Which is basically what this whole thing is about. There one basic truth in this fta business, and that is you can only receive broadcast from a satellite whose footprint happens to fall over where you reside. Now the extent to which you can receive the beam depends on how much coverage the satellite has over your area. Basically, broadcasters aim at a particular region. For example, Hitv broadcasts to Nigeria, while Gtv focuses on Ghana, and Nilesat broadcasts to the middle east and north Africa. Now it is impossible for the satellites transmission to be restricted to only a particular country or area, so it goes without saying that viewers in Nigeria will receive Gtv with some slight drop in signal level as you go away from the intended broadcast region. That is what is behind the fact that people in the northern part of Nigeria can receive nilesat’s broadcast with a little less effort than those in the southern part of Nigeria. I do expect that it would be next to impossible for people in south Africa or Jamaica to receive nilesat because of signal attenuation.
So with this in mind, if you want to set up a dish to view fta, you need to check up what satellites broadcast towards the area in which you reside. Luckily for us, the folks at lyngsat.com have taken the pains to map out all available satellites, with their respective channel list and a map that shows expected signal levels and the necessary dish size one needs to catch them. Now because there are lots of satellites whose broadcasts can be received in west Africa, most people tend to try and receive about two or more signals on one dish, this will be touched on later.
Now another information you will get from lyngsat is the azimuth of the satellite in question. This refers to the relationship of the satellites beam to the magnetic north (or in reality, the magnetic south), and this is given in terms of degrees east or west (from the magnetic south pole), for example, nilesat is on 7ºw (that is 7 º in a westerly direction from your south pole), nss7 on 22 ºw, eutelsat w3a on 7 ºE, among others. This is necessary to help you orient a dish. There are also other parameters including the elevation which is relationship of the beam to horizontal on a vertical axis (does that make sense? It sorta means how much the dish needs to be tilted up or down), and finally the skew, this refers to rotation of the lnb around its axis. I could try explaining all of this but I’m not going to do a good enough job without diagrams so I guess I’ll have to refer you guys to dishpointer.com for more information.

4. The satellite dish
Now this is one of those ‘chicken or egg’ situations, does your dish determine what satellites you can receive or does the satellite you want to receive determine what size of dish you get? For places which are within the target area of a satellites beam, the signal levels are pretty high so one only requires very small dishes to get enough signal for watching. But as one moves farther along the footprint of the satellite, the signals attenuate so you would need progressively larger dishes to concentrate enough of the signals to get appreciable levels for decoding them. Let’s use nilesat again as an example, for viewers in north Africa, they would only need a 60 or 90cm dish, in Niger, maybe 1.5m, in northern Nigeria, 1.8 and in the southern part of Nigeria, about 2.5 to 3m. But haven said that, let’s say I don’t want only one satellite but like two or three, say like nss7, w3a and nilesat, because their signal levels are only separated by a few degrees (30 to be exact), one would need a 1.8m dish at least to be able to receive all three.
Dishes come either pre-manufactured or locally constructed, usually the smaller sizes are come as prefrabricated dishes and you only find locally constructed dishes in large sizes. Big does not necessarily mean better, it’s all a matter of what you need to get the job done right.

5. The LNB
This refers to the receiver at the focal point of the dish. The dish concentrates the signals towards it’s focal point and the lnb receives this signal and converts it into electrical waves for the decoder. Now satellite TV is broadcasted in 2 basic bandwidths, the c-band and the ku-band. So there are two basic types of lnb to receive these two types of signals. Most satellites broadcast either one of the two types, though some like nss7 broadcasts in both bandwidths, you can only receive one bandwidth with a given lnb though. So the thing to note about lnbs is that you need a good one to get far off signals. Also depending on the satellite you want to receive you have to rotate the lnb properly to get the right signal. This is the skew I mentioned earlier.
I also made a hint about receiving two or more satellites on a single dish, this is the multi-LNB set up. This is done for satellites whose beams are close to each other, by placing the lnb at a given angle on the dish, you might be able to receive signals from a satellite you are not directly facing. These signals are combined together and passed on to your decoder via what is known as a diseqc switch. (This allows for rapid switching between lnbs). Note, you can also combine c and ku band lnbs via a diseqc. There are various types of both lnbs in the market, ranging from as low as N400 to as much as N3,000. it is my esperience that the more expensive lnbs usually have a better signal amplification, this does not mean you need to go and buy bery expensive lnbs for all satellites. The relatively cheaper ones are okay for signals broadcasted to this region like eutelsat w3 and 4. but for signals coming from a distance such as nilesat you would need a very good lnb to ensure good reception.

6. The Decoder

This is what converts the electrical signals from the lnb into what the TV can use. Now since this discussion is about fta, we have to focus on decoders that can be used for that purpose. Decoders gotten from pay TV companies have been configured for use for receiving their transmissions, what we need for fta is a deocer that can show you what satellite signals are available in your area, allowing you to chose what you want to receive, while also allowing you the option of using it for pay TV. There are several types of decoders that fit this bill, and the most common manufacturers are strong, humax, technomate, kaon, etc.
More recently, computer users have been provided with what is known as a DVB-S card which can be incorporated into the computer so it can be used as a decoder among other things and it can serve the same purpose ad a stand alone decoder.

NOTE: a brief note about the type of wires used for setting up satellite TV connection is in order. Ordinary wires cause the signal levels to drop along the length of the wire so that if the distance between your lnb and decoder is far, all the signals from your lnb might have been lost before it gets to your decoder. For this reason, a special type of coaxial cable which has an insulation sheet between the inner and outer wires, which has a reflective surface facing inwards to help minimize signal loss is used. Even then, at distances greater than 50m the signal attenuation becomes significant enough to mess up your signal, so you might need a line amplifier.

7. Setting up a typical system
Now assuming you have everything you need, let me talk you through the steps necessary to set up a typical system. For this illustration, let us use nss7 ku band, which is a fairly ubiquitous satellite. Now because I am based in northern Nigeria, I know I don’t need a really big dish so I will opt for a 90cm dish as this should give me enough signal concentration for all practical purposes. So the first thing to do is to chose a part of the exterior of my house which should give me a clear line of site to the satellite. This invariably means the north-eastern aspect of the house. Next I have to ensure there are no trees or other obstacles blocking my line of site.
Now another consideration is whether I am going to do a wall mount or a ground mount. For small dishes like 60 and 90cm, a wall mounted unit is usually the best though it requires more technical know how to accomplish attachment to the wall. With larger dishes such as 1.5 and above, mounting it on the ground remains your surest bet, as this gives you etter options for securing it properly from the wind which is the greatest danger to satellite dishes. Personally, for my setup I would prefer to use a ground mount via a pole, this will allow me to be able to rotate the dish towards the east if I get tired of my present satellite, it is also very good for motorized units. What this entails is driving a pole, (a good stout metal one) into the ground and securing it with concrete. Then it is to this pole I will attach the dish.
Now it’s time to do the actual tracking. This is done outside the house. Use a long extension cable to bring a power point outside and attach your TV and decoder to it and power up. Next, attach the lnb to the dish at the focal point and connected it via a cable to the decoder. Assuming I am using a strong decoder, I will then try tracking the satellite from here. To do this, press the menu button, this will bring up the system menu, shift right under Installation to the fifth option which is ‘m anual scan’. Pressing this will bring up a list of satellites. Scroll laterally to nss7 ku, there is already a list of most of the available frequencies from that particular satellite. The first frequency listed is 10.756, with V polarity and a symbol rate of 27500, written in short hand as 10756v27500.  then back to the dish, use the a compass to calculate 22ºw from south, twist your lnb so the point the wire attaches points about 45 º to your right along a vertical axis. Then move the dish up and down slowly and turning it right or left until the two  red signal indicators for level and quality turn green. Then try adjusting it by small degrees in all directions until you get the maximum signal levels attainable. Try and aim for a signal level of at least 80% to ensure that every available frequency from that beam will be at their maximum. The frequency used for tracking any satellite is usually that which has the highest signal levels and thus is the easiest to pick up. By adjusting it to the best level you can, you ensure that those frequencies which have a lesser intensity will also be at their peak.
After this go back up one level and you will see the option for blind scan, press this and wait, it will scan for all available transponder frequencies from that particular satellite including those not included in the decoder but are being broadcasted. After this, save and exit. You will see a lot of channels, the ones with the dollar symbols are the encrypted ones, while those without are the fta channels.
Let’s say I wanted to get more than one satellite, I would have used a 1.5 or 1.8m dish as this would give the necessary dish diameter for receiving satellites that are not too far apart. Let’s say I wanted to receive nilesat, and nss7 ku, I would first start by trying to track the nilesat, since it is more distant, it would require the maximum dish diameter possible. So, the steps listed above, but somewhere between the lnb and tne decoder, as close to the dish as possible, put a diseqc switch, then use the same tracking procedure, but you only attach the diseqc after you have finish setting up the lnbs and they are receiving signals. For nilesat, the frequency with the highest signal level is 10.756V27500, so by setting the manual scan frequency on nilesat to that, then use your compass to estimate 7ºw, the lnb skew is similar to that for nss7, then tilt the dish slowly up and down and move it slowly right or left until you can get the maximum frequency possible. Please not that unless the signal level for that particular frequency is at least 75%, you cannot get the other frequencies clearly, so with this in mind, try tweaking with the dish until you can get at least that, then do a blind scan for nilesat.
Next, to track nss7 ku, apart form a new lnb, you would need a connecting rod, this is usually available at all stores that sell things for satellite TV. This provides an extension to the dish, to which you can attach a new lnb. Remove the wire attached to the nilesat lnb and attach it to the one for nss7. Now, because the signals for nss 7 are coming from the right if your back is to dish receiving nilesat, it means they would reflect from the dish left hand side of the dish. Also, the beam is coming from a slightly lower angle than that from nilesat, so it would be reflect to a slightly higher level. So with this in mind, your lnb will be placed slightly towards the southerly part of the dish (i.e to the right hand side of the nilesat lnb if you stand facing the dish). To receive this signal move the lnb slightly outwards in short steps while moving it slowly up and down until you hit the signal, then keep tweaking it until you get the maximum signal level possible.
Next connect the diseqc by attaching short wires from each of the lnbs to the diseqc inputs 1 and 2. then the main cable going to the decoder is attached to the diseqc and it is hidden somewhere at the back of your dish. Next take the decoder to the menu page and under dish setting find nilesat, and set the diseqc switch mode to ‘on’ and below that, select, the diseqc input number for nilesat, the nilesat signal bars should turn green. Do the same for nss7 and you are good to go.

Moderator's Comments
Please if this write up assist you greatly, pay for it by doing a token of 'thank you' to Gangsta101 on FTA Forum i.e https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.0.html

Please also visit this link to further assist you on FTA thread.
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/tuningp4.html#anchor805651


Moderator's Comments
Please if the above link assist you greatly, pay for it by doing a token of 'thank you' to F_Marshal on FTA Forum i.e https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.0.html

Someone (I believe it was my friend Gangsta) asked for a brief explanation of the differences between CAMs, cards etc. First of all, let me point out that badaru kindly posted a good explanation of these and some other things earlier in this link: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.2112.html#msg2823178

Brief summary:

FTA receivers: these receivers have no inbuilt slot for a card or CAM as they are primarily intended for FTA reception only. However: (a) some of them e.g. Technisat T888, Technomate 1000 etc can be patched such that they might be able to receive some encrypted channels; (b) some of them e.g. TM 1000 can have a card reader added to them so that a card can then be used to receive PayTV.

Receivers with Card Slots: firstly, these can receive FTA channels; secondly, they can accept some cards for watching PayTV. However, some such receivers can accept cards for only one encryption system e.g. DSTV receivers that only accept Irdeto cards; some can accept cards for two encryption systems e.g. the Strong receiver models that accept both Irdeto and Conax cards; some receivers are "multicrypt" (usually after being patched) which means they can accept cards for many encryption systems.

Note: sometimes receivers that can accept cards of a particular encryption system are called 'embedded' i.e. they have an inbuilt CAM which, at least, can accept cards of a particular system or systems; thus you might hear 'Irdeto embedded' or 'Viaccess embedded' or 'Conax embedded'. Also, sometimes with patched receivers, the embedded CAM on its own (without a card) can open some PayTV stations of a particular encryption system.

Receivers with a CI slot: firstly, CI means 'Common Interface' which in turn means the receiver has a slot that can take a CAM; the best CI slot will be one that can accept a CAM that in turn will work with different encryption systems. Thus, if one has a CI receiver, one can buy a CAM and then insert a card in that CAM for a particular encryption system e.g. Irdeto Card like that for DSTV or Conax card like that for MyTV. At the moment we are talking about official card for which one pays a (monthly) subscription.

CAM: first, CAM stands for 'Conditional Access Module'; it looks like a PMCIA card; second, 'conditional access' means that access to some stations are subject to a condition, usually meaning a subscription. Thus access to DSTV stations is subject to a condition, i.e, subscription and the receiver is instructed by codes/keys to grant conditional access to the channels subscribed to.  The primary way by which the CAM works is with an official card of the provider e.g. DSTV card. So one inserts one's DSTV card into the receiver's CAM; remember that the CAM may be inbuilt into the receiver or inserted into a CI slot; or a card reader may be attached to some FTA receivers.

However: some CAMs on their own are 'programmable' such that even without cards they act as emulators (emulate a card) and grant access to PayTV without subscription. The best of this type of CAM at the moment (in Europe at any rate) is the Diablo CAM.

Official Card: This is simply the official card issued by a provider e.g. DSTV to their subscribers which enables the subscriber to have access to the subscribed channels.

MOSC = Modified Original Subscription Card: This refers to an official card that has been modified by programming to either (a) allow access to PayTV channels without maintaining one's subscription or (b) watching more channels than one is subscribing to e.g. some one with a basic/cheapest subscription watching extra, full subscription or premium channels. However, nowadays official cards have become more 'clever' and are not all that easy to modify anymore.

Unofficial Cards: This is the category into which cards like the Gamma, Abracadabra, MII, Kebab etc fall. They are cards produced/programmed by third parties to give unofficial access to some providers' channels without subscription. As I said before, they can be useful but are not guaranteed; e.g. while the Gamma card has been working for 2 years, someone may buy it today and find that tomorrow it is no longer opening any channels and has become an ice scraper. Personally, I don't bother with these cards.

Card sharing: We can identify two meanings: (a) one person has two or three receivers in his premises and only one subscription to DSTV; if the receivers are card sharing receivers, that person can configure them such that all the receivers can receive the channels subscribed to in different rooms, instead of buying several official cards; (b) people in different places (even different parts of the world) with card sharing receivers can connect to one server to share an official card or  official cards. Sometimes, they may just be friends who come to an arrangement --- often each person providing at least one card; e.g. one person provides MyTV card and another a DSTV card etc and they all 'share' these to receive channels from the different providers; another type is that you have card sharing operators who charge a fee to others to be allowed to join the 'sharing' network. Caution: providers strongly target card sharing, particularly of the latter type taking out the servers and trying to prosecute members of the 'sharing ring'. Again, personally I don't dabble in card sharing; if at all I will, it will most likely simply be between my own receivers exclusively.

Moderator's Comments
Please if this write-up assist you greatly, you greatly, pay for it by doing a token of 'thank you' to Enigma on FTA Forum i.e https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.0.html

multi-lnb setups on a fixed dish
when using a large dish (say 1.8m) to track multiple birds, the lnb at the central focal point gets to receive signals from the entire surface of the dish, but the other lnb only use a portion of the dish (equivalent to half the diameter for the lenght of the dish) and hence only satellites receivable with dishes of that size and whose angular distance isn't too muh can be included in such a setup. what i am trying to say is that let's say i'm using a 1.8m dish to receive nilesat, nss7 and w3a, the entire dish surface would be required to get the nilesat signal, but because nss7 and w3a are meant for this region (direct to home for west africa as adewest put it), they would require a dish of 90cm or less and since their angular distance from Nilesat are not too great they can easily leach signals from the 90cm segment of the dish which is facing their signal. so hotbird and nilesat cannot be possible in w/africa with 2.4m dish (might be possible in Egypt or tunisia though).
bit haven said that, if u had a dish of 5m or more u would have 2.5m on either side of ur dish to track those birds with. this is just a theoritical footnote, though i think i've seen something like that in kaduna

Moderator's Comments
Please if this write-up assist you greatly, pay for it by doing a token of 'thank you' to Gangsta101  on FTA Forum i.e https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.0.html

HOW TO BUILD AN RS 232 CABLE

Go to the guys selling computer parts. Buy an rs 232 cable (as shown in Diagram 1). You can take the picture along with you for them to understand. Both ends of the cable should be female (with holes) See attached diagram. The connections will be

pin 2-----------------------------------pin 3
pin 3-----------------------------------pin 2
pin 5-----------------------------------pin 5

Though it may be difficult for you to physically know what connects to what, i will give you my own style.

Take a cutter (or knife, pliers) and cut your cable into 2 at the midpoint (middle), you will find 9 coloured cables including a naked one. You will only need the Green, Orange, Red and the naked cable. Connects it like this at both ends.

END 1 END 2

Red ------> connects to <----------- Orange
Orange ------> connects to <----------- Red
Green -----> connects to <----------- Green
Naked wire ------> connects to <----------- Naked wire

If you connect it well, then you are good to go. (make sure you cover the connected ends with cello tape before you destroy your decoder oooo)

Check the diagram for more details.

However, if your own cable is different, you will need a Multimeter (in the diagram) to test the cable to actually determine pin 2, 3 and 5 then you cross it as is shown in the diagram. How do you test? Alright, Turn the multimeter in such a way as if you are testing for the resistance of the cable e.g. 2k, then connect one end of your Multimeter to pin 2 (second hole from right) (see pin diagram 1 -5, 6 – 9) and then the other end of the meter, use it to touch each ends of the coloured cables to test. If there is a deflection(analog) or value (for digital) , then you know that is the cable for that particular hole (pin 2) . Do the same to determine pin 3 and 5. The naked cable is easy to see. You can then connect the cable to your decoder and PC to start the transfer.

Moderator's Comments
Please if the above assist you greatly, pay for it by doing a token of 'thank you' to Baba_Egun on FTA Forum i.e https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7715.0.html

Multi TV is a Free to Air Satellite Television, the first of its kind in West Africa.  It is free to air, and you don’t need to pay anyone any monthly subscription.  Presently, they have 10 channels comprising of the following – Joy TV, Joy News, Joy Sports, Hitz TV, Cine Afrik, 4Kids, Jesus Channel, TV3/GTV, Nhyra TV and of course CNN/BBC. There are two more channels coming soon – Adom TV and Real TV.
On the same satellite, (which is Astra 2b) you can also pick another channel called CRTV which is also a very entertainment channels though with a lot of bias for Christian religion, there is also LMTV with lots of bias for music. 
You will agree with me that it cut across all areas of entertainment one can think of, Music is on nhyra tv and hitz tv.  Multi TV shows Bundesliga, some bits of Serie A on their Joy sports channel.  They show Nigerian home videos on Cine Afrik and of course you get lots of cartoons on 4kids and news from CNN/BBC and Aljazeera which they exchange sometimes for Sky News. They show lots of American movies, series and Mexican soaps on Joy TV. Between Friday and Sunday, at 12.30am Nigerian time, Joy News is replaced with Midnight TV, I wonder what goes on in Midnight on Midnight TV, your guess is as good as mine.
Multi TV satellite can be track on Astra 2B on 28.2 degree east with as low as 60cm dish here in Nigeria.  You can not use the popular Strong Decoder to watch it since Multi TV transmits on Mpeg4 platform, and therefore you will need HD Decoders.
On this forum here in Nigeria, we highly recommended Daarsat Receivers, it is HD and Mpeg4 compliant, and it is very cheap for 18,000 together with all daarsat accessories which could be useful for other FTA stuff. If you so desire, you can go for Multi TV Digibox, especially if you are in Ghana or its environs, or better still if you have a sound computer knowledge, you can watch multi tv on your PC if you can lay your hands on DVBs Card.
What is more, Multi TV is free, and they keep saying it on their channels, that it is FREE.

Satellite cable (DSTV, HITV, STRONG FTA e.t.c )

I want to know if there is any Technology that can help to broadcast the signal from Satellite cable like DSTV or FTA wireless to 40 TVs or more TV within a campus and hotel rooms i don't mind if each TV must have a receiver terminals attached or just antennae

E.g one DSTV = 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. till 40 Tvs without any wire connections


***note without raining any wire from room to room. just on the TV+wireless receiver and you are watch programmes from the main cable decoder

reach me on glo 55 123 123 now! or Etisalat 99123 123 start with 080
text me too but only serious solution providers only!

Just like The internet hotspots (modem and wireless routers)

i cant seem 2 pick-up signals 4 mutitv (i used astra3a3b 12554v19531).the signal 4 mytv aint a problem.could dis b as a result of ma location, or is there somthing i aint doin ryt?i live in port harcourt.can someone tel me hw 2 get d signal(i'd prefer mytv paosition b a reference since i knw dat 1 already).thanx a bunch

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The latest and a lot well-liked in the latest tendencies may be the dreambox dm800, that has better requirements regarding HD for example MPEG4/H.264

pls hw do i track eutelsatw3a here in benin,,,i cn on get sirus4.8 wit my 2.4m motorised dish nd strond dcd 4669x, pls help

Pls let us post in the right thread.

I am using eagle microbox which was showing all super sports channel before now it is not showing super sport 2 and the indian channels on dstv and all indian and pakistan channels on nilesat which it is not showing anymore. kindly help me how can i watch those channels. thanks

hello guys recently got posted to port harcourt from kano.I would like to transfer my nilesat but am told i need a big dish.is it possible to use a small one?

Hi twinstaiye,
Thanx for your accurate infos & expertise. Kudos to you. I love you.

Please, how can i contact you to train me on how to how to install C-band dish and Jack maintenance and repair. I can only install Ku band.

Hope to hear from you soon.
email- elknicesolutions@googlemail.com
+2348070774214

I will pay ooooo!!!!!!

jakigaga: hello guys recently got posted to port harcourt from kano.I would like to transfer my nilesat but am told i need a big dish.is it possible to use a small one?

i have seen a lot of similer question and all the answer they get is they should get a bigger dish size 2..m to 3..m if am not mistaking from all south states that want Nilesat.

Though dis is not the correct tread 4 ur question. Anything lass than 2.4 meter up, is an exercise in futility.

Please help. I have 1.8m c band am in niger state . My dish is set to nilsat. Its showing +jsc spot 1 to 5 and 9, 10. But its not showing +jsc sport 6,7,8 and jsc 1&2. And using a Super primium hd Universal Ku Band Lmb on it. Please what can do to get those omited channels. Thanks in advance

plz help guys .....i av mpeg 2 decoder and a 1meter dish ....wat sat can i use it track ? i love football and movies.am stayin on ife,osun-state.....plsssssssssss help brodas.

can sentata show freee

Plsssss, which FTA will show nigeria vs liberia, on wc

[quote author=Xpset][/quote]

yeah its 10800h 30000 not 11800...

track multi tv first then follow with w3c or vice versa.. you should hit green/

thuggle:

yeah its 10800h 30000 not 11800...

track multi tv first then follow with w3c or vice versa.. you should hit green/

am using 80cm dish lnb should be skew to where because i discover lnb position on 60cm is defferent from the position on 80cm pls.

thanks for d response

@ all and my boss pidzo
thank you my boss. i was able to track amos 5 with ur instruction.

can we go the d next step pls. i will like to no d position of my lnb or will it br in d position where i hav it on Amos 5. dish size 90cm.

mr pidzo l have sent a mail to u. thanks

gudmrning nairalander,pls i
really details info abt certain
birds.with the help i got here
i've been able to track
Astra2b,W6,sirius4,mytv and
W3a@7e.nw i wnt to move to other bird with ma 90cm
dish.pls help me with d name
and tp of oda Fta sat i can
recieve wit my 90cm dish,tnx
in advance

it should be skewed at 8am check with a clock.

Xpset:

am using 80cm dish lnb should be skew to where because i discover lnb position on 60cm is defferent from the position on 80cm pls.

thanks for d response