@Pofolo,
I hope your dish is facing the correct satellite. From the way you have described it, seems you are tuned to W3A. If in your dish is facing W4 (36 east) and in your receiver you already have that satellite, that’s what you should use. Just no need to input another satellite name. Also, depending on the skew of your LNB, try V or H, whichever works for you. I hope you succeed.

@All,
If you have a dish facing the new Eutelsat W7 at 36.0°E, you may now watch 8 ‘prime’ FTA channels at 11880 V 27490 plus 47 radio channels; plus 1 extra FTA channel at 12033 V 27490. All other TPs are Irdeto scrambled. I wont mention the names of the channels here for ‘classified reasons’. Always keep a good blind-scan receiver near you!! Enjoy while the party lasts. Cheers.

@All,
Over the weekend, I connected the Coship CDVB decoder (i.e., previous GTV) to Sirius and loaded the F2V Transponder. To my amazement, on scanning, it accepted Sirius and was able to scan that TP to display 10 channel slots and I could watch the Demo FTA Channel. The other two channels (i.e., Free2View Movies and Free2View Kids) are still scrambled. In addition, the network name on the TP window changed from GTV to F2V. Maybe, will need their proposed ‘SwitchOn Voucher’ (whatever that means) to work. Please note that you have to enter the Free2View Transponder under satellite name Sirius and not W3A in order for it to work!! However, the decoder cannot still work with other FTA satellites!! Although it accepts their TPs and displays signal level, no picture or sound given!     

@All,
The new Eutelsat W7 at 36.0°E (launched on 24/11/2009) is now operational. Check: http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/36e-w7.html including foot-prints at http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/36e-w7_popd.html. The new satellite will feature 70 Ku-Band Transponders (twice the capacity of previous W4-Sessat). Also, check some transponders for Sub-Saharan Africa at http://www.lyngsat.com/ew7.html . There is talk of DSTV transferring its transponders to W7 soon from previous W4 (which is scheduled for retirement from 2012 …… see the blog: _http://www.davidajao.com/blog/2010/01/09/dstv-moving-to-new-satellite-eutelsat-w7_. I will perform a Blindscan later today to ascertain what’s available. Keep Discovering!

@BUTONEDAY and George_D,
Thanks for your practical advice on enlarging my dish to 12ft. May your discoveries see no limits in 2010 !!

@All,
CRAZY IDEA:
I am considering modifying an 8 feet Eurostar C-Band Dish (Pan type) to a 12 feet one. This will involve extending the edges by additional 2 feet sheet of metal to increase the diameter, plus lengthening the LNB arms and calculating new focal length, in addition to ensuring the dish does not become warped.

I wish to hear from an expert on this forum who either has done this before, or has clues on how it may be done to ensure the enlarged dish is at least 95% efficient. I am considering this route as a cheaper option to importing a huge dish!! In East Africa, an 8 feet Eurostar costs around US$200. I know of a friend in Kampala, Uganda who imported an 11 feet dish from Dubai (weighing 300Kg !!) at a price of US$1,000 excluding shipping costs. Believe it or not, now he can watch all TPs on the off-the-footprint Nilesat!! Looking forward to some exciting ideas from you! Happy Holidays to you!

@Microgiant,
My GTV decoder model is: COSHIP CDVB-5668

@Spacevice,
You wrote on 13/12/2009 (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-331817.1536.html#msg5103515), "The only NDS embedded receiver i hv is that useless GBS COSHIP. No one has come up with a software to decrypt it yet. Any ideas?"

It appears that soon the defunct GBS (or GTV) decoders might prove useful for Free2View application. However, the only cache here is that they could not receive channels from other FTA satellites – only W3A. So if Free2View will use the TP on Sirius, then we need some clever guys to reprogramme them for other satellite! Just a crazy thought.

@All,
On PAS7/10, check this: 12614/V/5920 (or H depending on your LNB skew). Some channels by the name 'MSAT' are on air for last 3 days or so. Not very sure if they are feeds.

@Twinstaiye,
Conglatulations. They say "life begins at fourty" - especially for them that track distant satellites! All the best.

@Twinstaiye, Seun;
Great Job for your innovation! I wish I could ship to you one container of HD MPEG4 decoders and a motorised 10 metre dish! Anyway, Thanks.

@All,
According to a friend of mine who is at Dubai right now, Strong SRT 4910 is selling for US$300.

@Paps1,
Just like I explained, the channel is only available here at the city of Nairobi, transmitting in VHF terrestrial (i.e., you receive the channel using your ordinary tv antenna); transmitting at a radius of about 40 kilometer from the TV station. Therefore, not receiveable beyond this distance for now. It seems like they are receiving it from Intelsat 7/10 using a Nagra3 receiver, then re-transmitting to the city. Thanks.

@All,
E-Tv has partnered with a new local FTA, analogue, Terrestrial channel to broadcast the newly packaged "E-TV Africa" in the City of Nairobi (36 Degree East) since last week. Well, we all saw this coming after they changed to Nagra 3. Once in a while they are interrupting ETV to broadcast Cartoon network and CNN. No big wonder. There signal quality and strength still can't beat the DVB-S we all loved. Long-live FTA satellite hobbyists!!! Cheers!!

@Zambeat,
Welcome to the forum. If possible, please compile for us the weekly schedule for the Muvi Tv. Their website is not detailed. You may send a copy to my email at: nash.namubich@gmail.com. could also upload a copy to the forum?

@Gangsta101,
I have read through your document. I See that you managed to advance the UPS/Charger/Backup idea I floated on this forum last year. Great work. I am now learning from you too! Keep discovering. I still use my setup to this day.

@All,
New Ku-Band satellite with a very strong African foot-print; Telstar 11N at 37.6 degrees west. Covering almost the entire continent. 50 – 65 cm dish will work well. Launched on 26/2/2009. Check: http://www.lyngsat.com/t11n.html and http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/t11n_afr.html . Use the TP 11477 H 20000, FEC 3/4 to track “RRSat Promo”. DVB clear. Could it be the next big bang after Sirius 4?

@All W3A users,
Rescan your TP: 12728 H 30000 (or V depending on your LNB skew). rdv TV has been added. Scrambled. Those using HD / MPEG4 please confirm if it can open.

@Iykemann,
Use the following: http://www.mbcradio.tv .

@Kungu,
What is your location? Mine is Longitude 36.48 East, Latitude 1.16 South. I need to ask for a favour from you - regarding your HD receiver. My Email is: (nash.namubich@gmail.com).

@All,
I agree with all your arguments for and against the now scrambled eTV channel. Never mind. I suspect some underhand workings by the “DS-BigBrother”. You know, after the collapse of the GTV provider, we are back to monopolistic dealings again – with subscription prices going “back to normal”!!! i.e, back to the previous high. Competition is good for all.

Shortly before MSNBC disappeared from 7East, it appeared on Telstar 12 (15West) on the Europe & South African beam! Shortly before CNBC-Africa disappeared on 68East, it surfaced on “DS-BigBrother” as a subscription channel ! Another example is that of 'France-24 English' which was formerly FTA on Intelsat 10 Ku-Band Sub-saharan Africa beam but was later moved to intelsat 7 (11674 V 15000) South Africa Beam! Soon it appeared on the "DS-BigBrother" menu! I guess it’s the mentality of African providers to “zone” their services and to “eat their cake and have it” alone – the winner takes it all?

Cheer up. New competitors coming up soon. All is not lost for FTA hobbyists with 3m or larger dishes since most of these channels paid for in Africa exorbitantly are available as FTA in Europe and Asia and Middle East and are up for grabs. Look at the way channels are growing in number both at 7East and 4.8East ! Never mind the Spanish and French languages of some of these channels – it’s still an indication of “change is as good as rest”! By the way, a new satellite, W3C, is scheduled for launch by 2011 and will have a beam for sub-saharan Africa – hence increasing Ku-band transponders available on 7 East (_http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2009/03/12/eutelsat-commissions-w3c-satellite_;_http://www.satellites.co.uk/satellite/daily-satellite-broadcast-industry-news/146190-eutelsat-w3c-ordered.html_).

Personally, once space is available, I will go for a 6 meter motorized system (HD MPEG 4) before 2011. I tend to think that these days, some of the feeds found on 7East and 4.8East with no sound or video could be on MPEG-4 format. I welcome someone using such a decoder to confirm.

Gangsta101,

“One-way Internet Service using your current Ku-Band Dish”

‘Skylogic’ Internet service provider (_http://www.skylogic.com_) on W3A (check TP: 12520 V 27500) has a ‘low-cost’ internet service they call “TooWay” (_http://www.tooway.net/tooway-equipment.html_) that can use your ordinally ku-band satellite dish (65cm – 90cm). You will need (i) their modem and (ii) a ‘simple’ LNB with capacity to uplink and downlink.

Previously, they had a slightly different service which works like this: (i) you need a 65 – 90cm ku-band dish fitted with ordinally LNB (the one you normally use with Go-Africa, MBC, Madagascar, etc on W3A) to work as the ‘downlink’ equipment (ii) you need to have in your house/office an ISDN telephone line – you arrange to get this service from your local telecommunications provider / telephone exchange (iii) you purchase a skylogic or suitable modem and subscribe to the internet servie (iv) connect the ISDN line, the cable from the universal LNB and data cable from your computer to this modem (v) run set-up software and (vi) sit back and enjoy broadband internet!

This means that if you are using a twin LNB with your W3A dish, you can connect one cable to your MPEG2 or 4 satellite TV decoder and the other cable to the internet modem.

This concept is explained more clearly by ‘Planetsky’ internet service provider operating on the TP: 12640V30000 on the Intelsat 7/10 at 68.5 East; check: (_http://www.planetsky.com/en/1_way_howitworks.htm_) for more information on how their “one-way internet” works).

I invite the house to add more insight into this – especially those of you who are ICT / telecommunications experts.

Sorry, I am not turning the thread into an ICT one, only trying to see what else FTA hobbyists can get from the existing birds we are connected to, using our current 65 – 90cm dishes.

@All,
Rescan Sirius 4 Globecast TP: 12605,V,29950 to watch MABCTV / Aljazeera English.

@All,
Glad to see recent developments on Nairaland. Sorry, I have been away for some time. I changed my work station recently. Trying to settle down there. But still FTA is my life! I rescan all my 5 birds daily! Well updated on whats happening on W3A and Sirius too!

@Enitan,
Cheer up. Tough times don't last but tough men do. This "credit crunch" or "Economic Downturn" will not last forever. By the time you are up and running again, the house (i.e., forum) will have discovered better and more rewarding bird(s) to track compared to Nilesat - and you will smile again!

@All,
LM-TV (Lumiere du Monde) now performing test Transmission on Sirius 4 Globecast TP (12605 V 29950)

@All,
LM-TV (Lumiere du Monde) now performing test Transmission on Sirius 4 Globecast TP (12605 V 29950)

@F-Marshal,
That setup looks more like a rocket engine ready to fire into space! Talk of rocket science!
Anyway, I will give it a try soon.

@All,
How does cutting a Ku-band LNB (i.e., the plastic part pointing the dish) increase sensitivity to weak signals? I saw it posted in Part 2 of this forum.

@Olofofo,
From my location (36.49East, 1.17South), it should be possible to receive the Europe-B beam on W3A easily with a 2.4m pan dish and the right LNB. Check: _http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/ew3a_eurb.html_). There are at least 13 Turkish FTA channels on that beam. For now I am limited for space and can only use up to 90cm. Will try later at a different location / residence. Eurostar 2.4m dish is easily available here for US$150. The Fuji LNB may be available for US$40. However, the TPs you have mentioned are on the Europe-A beam which might prove tough to track. May need up to 6m dish!! 

@All Sirius Users,
A new channel, BVN TV from Netherlands, has now been added to the Globecast TP (12605, V 29950). Rescan your decoders and have a nice weekend!

Dre lu,
You need to ground both your dish and coaxial cable using a 'grounding block' - see the picture attached below.

Step 1:
Apart from the Coaxial cable connected to the LNB, you need an additional thin wire known as the "messenger" wire which will be connected to the satellite dish to 'ground' it.
Step2:
Where the cable gets connected to the satellite dish, make sure that the coaxial cable is tightly connected and look to see if the messenger wire is connected to the ground screw on the dish's base. If it is not, then use the wire strippers to strip about 3/4 inches of insulation off the wire and wrap it under the ground screw and tighten the screw.
Step3:
Next, it's important that your satellite cable enter the home near where your main ground is located. Use the drill, drill bits, anchors and screws to secure the grounding block to the building's structure near the base of the building.
Step4:
Run the satellite cable from the dish to the grounding block. Place some of the silicone grease on the grounding block's terminal. This helps reduce corrosion and protects the connection from the weather. Make a 3- to 5-inch loop in the cable and then connect the coaxial cable to the threaded terminal using the adjustable wrench to make sure that it is tight.
Step5:
Loosen the screw on the grounding block and place the messenger wire in the hole underneath of it. Retighten the screw to hold the messenger wire in place.
Step6:
Find the building's central ground and run the #10 copper wire from that point to the satellite cable grounding block. Loosen the same screw that you loosened for the messenger wire and place the copper wire in the same hole. Tighten down the screw so that both wires are secure. Return to the building's central ground and connect the #10 copper wire to it.
Step7:
Connect the coaxial cable that enters the building to the other side of the splitter terminal on the grounding block, after you coat it with the silicone.
Step8:
That is all it takes to ground your satellite dish and cable. Now, the next time you're in the middle of a lightning storm, you won't have to worry about the satellite dish on top of your home acting like a conductor!

Source: _http://www.ehow.com/how_2197111_ground-satellite-dish.html_

Also read more on how to ground a dish - in order to 'arrest' lightening surges - in the following links: _http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Grounding.htm_.

@All W3A users,
Last evening from around 1700Hrs GMT, LCF TV (which was previously on Sirius4) surfaced on 12728, V , 30000, FEC 5/6 (same TP as RTS1, 2STV, TPA, MTA).

@George_D,
@sathob,
Welcome back from hibernation. I wish ecowas4all would awake too. Wanted to
let him know that I eventually resolved the COMSTAR puzzle. It took a little bit of
ingenuity on my part to finally stop the dish from topping over on the west end.
Now I can track from as low as thaicom 5 in the east to intelsat 9 in the west
with normal stops and starts all through. Will post pictures of the flat bar much later.
It will be very useful for anybody contemplating on having a similar set up in the
future.

What are you able to pick from Intelsat 9? A look at the map ( http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/intel9_am.html ) shows that it covers north and south America and parts of Europe. Are you tracking the south america beam too?