External switches

There are only 2 main switches that work with most if not all FTA receivers and regular(legacy) LNBs they are:
22khz switch, connects 2 LNBs to one receiver

DiSEqC 4×1 switch, connects up to 4 LNBs to one receiver.

22khz switches, these are really simple, they look like a splitter but are a simple ON or OFF switch, 0khz and 22khz are the 2 input ports then one out to receiver port, when you have 22khz OFF in your receiver the 0khz port is connected, when you have 22khz ON in your receiver the 22khz port is connected.
This switch is for hooking up 2 LNBs to one receiver.

The 22khz switch has big brother it is a DTV or 22khz 4×4 switch, this switch has 4 inputs to hook up 2 DUAL LNBs and can be hook to as many as 4 receivers.

2 inputs are labeled 13v,0khz & 18v,0khz (remember the LNBFs internal switch), and the other 2 inputs are 13v,22khz & 18v,22khz. This allows both polarities from each LNB to be inside the switch at all times, so any of the 4 receiver can access any polarity on either of the 2 LNBs.

These switches also come in a 4×8 for up to 8 receiver hook ups to 2 satellites.

DiSEqC is a pulse switch, it also uses a 22khz signal but it uses a one time pulse to set the DiSEq switch to 1 of 4 ports, these switches come in 2×1 and 4×1 models, for 2 LNBs to ONE receiver or 4 LNBs to ONE receiver, respectively, these can NOT be used for more than one receiver, you must use another DiSEq switch for second receiver.

DiSEqC-1 or 2 or 3 or 4 in your menu will cause the DiSEqC switch to switch to that numbered port, some receivers use A, B, C, D instead of 1, 2, 3, 4.

This “pulse” is only sent once, if the DiSEq switch is to far away from the receiver it can miss it and not change ports, some times toggling back and forth between channels can make the change happen, the pulse is repeated each time you change channels, but moving the switch closer to the receiver can improve its performance.

DiSEqC = Digital Satellite Equipment Control, this was designed for FTA receivers.

DiSEqC switches come in 2 main flavors, Committed(1.0) and Uncommitted(1.1), but also Committed 2-way(2.0) and UnCommitted 2-way(2.1).

Committed(1.0) switches are the most common and are what come with the receivers.

These switches require FACTORY software in your FTA to operate properly, 1.0 means your receiver can operate Committed switches ONLY, 1.1 means it can operate Committed AND UnCommitted switches, 1.2 means it can operate Committed and UnCommitted plus DiSEqC motor controls.

2.0 is the same as above, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 but the receiver can also receive information back from the switch, 2.0 switches receive the pulse command from the receiver, then change ports, they then send back a confirmation to the receiver, if a 2.0 receiver doesn’t receive the confirmation it will send the DiSEqC pulse again and again until the switch confirms it is on the right port.

Putting 2 DiSEqC Committed switches on one cable is a no-no, which is why there are Committed and UnCommitted types of switches, a Committed switch is placed first in line (DiSEqC pulse comes from the receiver so first would be closest to the receiver), then you can hookup an UnCommitted switch to the Committed switch, the Committed switch will ignore the UnCommitted switches commands.

Committed 4×1 switches are about $20, UnCommitted 4×1 switches are about $80, so unless you have to have 16 LNBs hooked up to one receiver stick with Committed switches.

There are no multiple receiver DiSEq switches for Legacy(regular) style LNBs

22khz switches and DiSEq switches can work well together, with one restriction, the 22khz switch must come AFTER the DiSEq switch.

So you can hook one 22khz switch to two LNBs then hook the output of the 22khz switch to port 1 on the DiSEq switch. So instead of 4 LNBs you could have 5 LNBs hooked up, you can add a 22khz switch to each DiSEqC port for a total of 8 LNBs hooked up to one receiver.

Dishnet Legacy switches, are designated by SW, like sw21 or sw64 these do not use true DiSEqC pulses so do not work with FTA receivers.

Legacy TWIN and QUAD LNBs have built-in SW switches so also do not work with FTA receivers

DishPro TWIN or QUAD LNBs, have an internal DiSEqC switch, so EACH port on the LNB has access to either of the 2 LNBs inside, 110 or 119, DiSEqC 1 = 119 and DiSEqC 2 = 110, these LNBs require a DP Channel List.

DishPro external switches, there are 2 now, a DP34 and a DPP44, both of these use true DiSEqC pulses so will work with FTA receivers but you must use DP LNBs to take advantage of the multiple receiver aspect of this switch.

(The DPPlus LNB does NOT work with FTA receivers, it does not use true DiSEqC)

If you hook up a standard(non-DP) LNB to a DP switch and more than one receiver you can only get 1 polarity at a time from that LNB. If you just have 1 receiver hooked up to it, it has been reported to work fine. I have not tested this.

Multiple receiver switches

If you are using standard(non-DP) LNBs you need 1 LNB port per receiver, it’s that simple, if you have a Dual LNB it has 2 ports so you can hook up 2 receivers, if you want a 3rd receiver hooked up you need a 3rd LNB port.

Single output(non-DP) LNBs can only ever be used with 1 receiver.

But if you have a Dual LNB you can expand it to 4 or 8 or even 16 outputs.

This is done with a Multi-switch, they come in 3×4, 3×8 and 2×16.

You run 2 cables from the Dual LNB to the multi-switch you then have 4 LNB outputs(or 8 or 16), if you have 2 LNBs you want then you need 2 Multi-switches, one for each LNB.

The 4×4 22khz switch is 2 multi-switches in one case, and you can use these along with DiSEq 4×1’s to setup a multi-satellite multi-receiver system.

C/Ku switch or 0/12v is a voltage controlled switch, most FTAs do not have this option but some do, these do not work from a coax cable signal as 22khz and DiSEqC do, they require 2 wires to the switch, the switch has 2 inputs and one output, at 0volts one port is connected at 12v the other port is connected.

On the back of the receiver will be a GND(ground) and 12v(12volts) this is where the 2 wires to the switch are connected, and there will be an option in the menu for 0/12v ON or OFF.

Free-to-air (FTA) is a term used to describe television (TV) and radio broadcasts, which are broadcast, unencrypted and may therefore be picked up via any appropriate receiver. The term should not be confused with free-to-view, which describes TV, which is available without subscription, but which is encoded and may therefore be restricted geographically. Neither of these options can be described as pay-TV, which describes a subscription service, which is encrypted. The term typically refers to delivery by satellite television, but in various parts of the world where encrypted digital terrestrial television channels exist, broadcast on UHF or VHF bands, it can also be applied to those systems.

Although these channels are described as free to use, the viewer does in fact pay for them. Some are paid directly by payment of a licence fee or voluntary donation, where as others are paid indirectly for consumer products and services where part of the cost goes toward television advertising and sponsorship.

Free-to-air is used for international broadcasting. It can often be described as television’s equivalent of shortwave radio. There are a number of competing systems in use, with early adopters having used C-band satellite dishes of many feet in diameter to receive signals which were originally analogue FM, later digital using the Motorola-proprietary Digicipher II system or later still going to Ku-band and under one-metre dishes with most often the international DVB standard. The following are the types of Free-to-air Receivers:

Satellite Dish
A satellite dish is a special type of parabolic antenna designed with the purpose of transmitting signals to and/or receiving from satellites. A satellite dish is a particular type of microwave antenna, which comes in varying sizes and designs, and is most commonly used to receive satellite television.

Satellite Television
Satellite television is television delivered by way of communications satellites, as compared to usual terrestrial television and cable television. In many areas of the world satellite television services supplement older terrestrial signals, providing a broader range of channels and services, including subscription-only services.

Set Top Box
The term set-top box describes a device that connects to a television and some external source of signal, and turns the signal into content, which is then displayed on the screen. The signal source might be an ethernet cable, a satellite dish, a coaxial cable, a telephone line, Broadband over Power Line, or even an ordinary VHF or UHF antenna. This means any or all of video, audio, Internet webpages, interactive games, or other possibilities. A set-top box does not always need to contain a tuner of its own.

A box connected to a television set’s SCART connector is fed with the baseband television signal from the set’s tuner, and can ask the television to display the returned processed signal instead. This feature is used for decoding Pay TV, and in the past was used for decoding teletext, before decoders became built-in. The outgoing signal can be of the same nature as the incoming signal, or even an “insert” over the original signal, thanks to the “fast switching” feature of SCART whereas in case of Pay TV, this solution avoids the hassles associated with having a second remote control.

It has now become a requisite for you to enter the SONICVIEW IHUB serial number into your INCONFIG. So if you are using sonicview 360 Premier/ELITE/8000 HD and are running the IHUB, make sure you comply with the above, for not only has this been made mandatory, the IHUB server is also going to check for it actively from now onwards.

And you simply can’t afford to go wrong with your I-Hub serial numbers, though there are many who have reported of having encountered problems while entering the serial numbers correctly. Presented here is a technique recommended by experts that remedies the problem by enabling you to enter the numbers correctly every time you try. The buttons that you will need to use on your remote control for the SV8000HD, and Premier receivers are the following:

A= Rewind button (Double arrows to the left)
B= Slow button (Vertical line and right arrow)
C= Fast Forward button (Double arrows to the right)
D= Stop button (Button with square on it)
E= Play button (Round button with big right arrow)
F= Pause button (Double vertical lines)

For instance, for 5e, the procedure that you will have to follow is to press the number 5 followed by pressing the Play button. This brings up the serial number line as 5E. This is the procedure that should be followed until all the numbers have been entered. This will make all the lower case letters on the dongle serial number to show up as capitals when they are entered.

The best thing that you can do is to write the numbers or letters of the dongle serial number on a separate piece of paper separated into neat groups with each group containing 2 numbers. So it should look something like 5e/02/f3/01/ etc, until you have the complete serial number. Then go to your TV and enter them patiently and with utmost care. You can bet it will work every time. Entering the numbers on a Sonicview 8000 HD is easy as you can do it in your own time. However, the same cannot be said of the Premier since here you will be required to enter the numbers quickly as the cursor tends to move to the next set of numbers.

Do you live in the middle of nowhere and want to know what to do to stay connected with the world around you? Are you starting to feel sick and tired of not knowing the latest in celebrity gossip or because you missed the super bowl? Do you want to find a way to bring your family together in the living room? If you answered yes to any of these questions than satellite television is the answer for you.

While many people worry that our nation has become obsessed with watching endless hours of useless television satellite television puts a stop to all of this nonsense. By having satellite you can rewind and fast-forward to programs that you want to watch. No more watching reruns of silly programs just because your waiting for that certain show to come on. With satellite television all you have to do is simply record your program and you can watch the show at your own liberty. This way you don’t have to waste your life away in front of the television but rather watch exciting programs that you want to watch.

Another fear people often have about satellite television is making sure that their children don’t watch inappropriate television or are exposed to violence and other negative influences. With satellite television you can block certain stations that you know are a bad influence on your child’s education and health. Be sure to look into what sorts of programs are appropriate for your child’s education and make sure that the fun shows that they watch have a positive role model. With these factors in mind television will help nurture the educational growth of your child.

Are you a big sports fan? There is no better network for a sports fan than that of satellite television. With NFL Sunday Ticket you will not miss the details of any game. If your family needs you to help with something around the house you no longer have to worry about missing that big play. Simply push pause and return to the game at your own convenience. This way everyone is happy and you can control when you watch the game and not vice versa.

Do you live in the middle of nowhere and are not sure what to do in the way of television providers? The great thing about satellite television is that you can get it almost anywhere. This is what places satellite television a step above the other providers. When you live in the country it is important to have a television so that you can stay connected with the events of the city. Often times mail and news may take a while to reach smaller areas but with television you can know exactly what’s going on in the world right from your living room.

Today, technology has taken such strides that we can avail of services that we never dreamed about before. From free radio stations to free satellite channels, entertainment is not the same anymore. Yes, you heard us. Free satellite channels! If you have heard of FTA satellite TV or Free to Air satellite TV, you know exactly what we are talking about.

Earlier on the sizes of the satellite dishes were so huge that few could accommodate them, and benefit from their uses. However, as digital technology comes of age, you can now install your very own satellite dish and enjoy the many advantages it offers.

Top 5 advantages of having an FTA Satellite TV
1. Of course, the biggest advantage is that you can enjoy FTA channels without spending a dime.
2. Next is the range of these channels. You will be spoilt for choice as you’ll have hundreds to choose from.
3. If you are a true global citizen, then FTA satellite TV is God’s gift to you. You will be able to experience international programming like never before.
4. FTA satellite TV is a wonderful education tool as well. You child will benefit from watching education channels that offer information and entertainment.
5. Finally, for all you couch potatoes, simply browse your channels and enjoy them, when you want them.

FTA Satellite TV is Absolutely Free
Yes, you heard us! When you have a FTA satellite TV, you are not required to bear any cost for watching the programs as with Cable TV. Your expenses will only be towards the equipment and the installation. You will receive completely free channels on your TV, but with enhanced picture quality and smooth, uninterrupted reception.

A Huge Range of Channels
With Free FTA Satellite TV in your house, you’ll never get bored of watching TV. Surf and choose from hundreds of channels ranging from devotional to adventure, and from local movies to music and more. Simply watch what your mood fancies and stay entertained.

International Programming Like Never Before
FTA Site also gives you the facility to watch International language programs. You can choose from several languages including but not limited to, Arabic, Persian, European, Kurdish, Korean, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Spanish. If you are already eager to get yourself a F.T.A. satellite Television then remember, you’ll never get a better range of inexpensive international programs using any other technology.

Several Education Channels
Most parents think allowing their kids to watch Cable TV is a waste of time and a huge distraction. With FTA Satellite TV you’ll never feel the same as you’ll get plenty of diverse education channels for your kids to watch, learn, and grow with. As a matter of fact, there are several well-known home schooling groups that prefer to use these TV education channels for their students.

This is a very broad and simplistic overview of what FTA Keys are and why they are so popular. A more ‘tech’ style article will be published soon for those who want to understand the frequencies, code structures, K band limitations and other aspects of Free to Air TV.

FTA, the abbreviation for “Free to Air”, simply refers to the receiving of satellite signals via a satellite dish, and decoding them to be displayed as picture (Television) on your TV. To view “Free to Air” signals, you must input a set of keys into your receiver in order to descramble the signals properly.

FTA Keys simply remove the barriers that normally prevent non-subscribers from receiving the Free to Air signals sent out from certain satellites. The keys give the holder of those keys the freedom to access multiple satellite signals. The keys are inputted into an FTA Receiver that usually sits on or under a TV much like a DVD layer.

A typical satellite dish can pick up signals from only one or two satellites. An FTA receiver is a special kind of dish/receiver combo that has been programmed to pick up free to air signals. The owner must input the keys to ‘unlock’ or descramble the signals. Once unlocked, the FTA receiver has the ability to pick-up the many signals that float freely in the air.

How do you enter the keys into the receiver? FTA keys are really just a set of numbers. They can be entered manually or through files, called FTA Bin Files. They can also be entered via a computer that is attached to the receiver via USB. There are so many different types of FTA receivers that explaining every operation would take pages – the best way to find out is to simply go to a Free to Air webpage and look one that supports your model. Once a receiver gets those numbers, it can pick-up and decode the many signals in the air. FTA Keys unlock the proper program on the receiver, much the same way that a password can unlock a computer program. The programmed receiver responds to the “code word”, the numbers contained in the key.

For those who want to enjoy the programming on FTA Satellite TV, but who do not want to pay for Satellite TV, the choice to access FTA keys is more and more being viewed as an economical alternative. There are now several different companies that charge for the service of providing updated FTA Keys for your receiver, as well as full setup support and FAQ’s for your particular receiver. Because the cost for these services are much less than the amount of money that would otherwise go to the Satellite Company, many TV viewers now pay for this service. It is important to mention that Free To Air TV is perfectly legal.

One can find many FTA Key companies online. Because of high competition, rates are low and usually include full support options. Find a company that offers all the latest FTA Keys AND offers free support for your receiver setup. Customers searching for a way to get keys should look for a company that has constantly updated keys. Keys are constantly changing, and only a handful of companies online get updated FTA Keys (and pass them to their customers) in an immediate fashion.

Canada’s largest direct-to-home satellite broadcaster, BEV has informed its dealers that it will no longer sell or rent its 3150 and 5900 standard definition (SD) satellite receivers.

In an update sent to dealers last month, the company says that once the current inventory of 3150 and 5900 satellite receivers is gone, BEV will replace these models with high definition (HD) satellite receivers.

In place of the 3150 standard definition receiver, BEV will be offering the 6131 high definition receiver while in place of its 5900 standard definition personal video recorder (PVR), Bell will offer the 9241 High HD PVR.

Dealers tell Digital Home that BEV’s standard definition model 4100 is still being sold, however, they expect that may change in 2010 as stocks are drawn down and the percentage of households with high definition televisions increases.

The move to selling only HD receivers make sound economic sense. By going all HD, it means fewer models for BEV to have to support and it ensures the newest satellite receivers offered by the company will feature MPEG-4 capability, the ability to add an external hard disk drive and HDMI connectivity.

MPEG-4 is an advanced audio video compression scheme that will allow Bell TV to deliver bandwidth hogging high definition signals more efficiently. The transition to MPEG-4 by BEV has not been confirmed and is not expected for several years but MPEG-4 capability now means the receiver will be able to handle new future signal transport systems.

The ability to add an external hard drive means the 6141 HD receiver can be turned into a PVR while the 9241 HD PVR can have greatly expanded storage.

HDMI connectivity means all of BEV TV’s receivers will be able to deliver a digital audio and video signal to all HD televisions now on the market.

Since the newer HD receivers can also decode and deliver standard definition signals to existing televisions, the move will mean that customers buying or renting these receivers will be able to use them to view both standard and high definition channels and connect to both analog and digital televisions for years to come.

History of FTA – Free to Air

FTA starts all the way in Asia. Asia was actually the first place Free to Air or MPEG-2 transmissions were used with lots of people. Back then, you would have to use the big ugly dishes and antenna’s that we all remember. Connecting multiple dishes or antennas was hard to do and took up a lot of space which made it very hard for most people to get multiple channels. Mpeg-2 allowed for more channels to be broadcasted per transmission which made it take off in the Satellite testing community. Unlike Asia, North Americans were able to afford and maintain these big dishes and antennas and FTA became more and more popular here. With the debut of satellite television FTA Receivers gained more and more popularity. Surpassing any of it’s guessed growth. So basically, FTA Receivers got huge in Asia first, then the fad began to move it’s way to europe, and then finally it made it here. Now it’s getting bigger and bigger here. Always growing. The first receiver that were sold in North America were the Hyundai HSS-series of receivers which were extremely primitive only getting about 99 different channels. They were slow, hard to get working, and pretty all around lame compared to todays selection of models and makes.

MPEG-2 is a name that describes the type of digital satellite transmission that MPEG-2 receivers connect to. MPEG-2 is the best out there right now, rivaling analog because of it’s ability to send 8-10 times the amount of data on the same stream. Digital signals can be transmitted either encryted or nonencrypted. This is the same in analog. Meaning the sender can scramble channels or not scramble them. The term “In the Clear” is known in the digital TV / DSS world as FTA ( Free-To-Air). Since it is a worldwide standard, there are more MPEG-2 / DVB (digital video broadcasting) channels available in places such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, than presently found in the American market. National public broadcasters in other parts of the world have adopted MPEG-2 because it’s the cheapest way to send out the signals with the lowest cost.

Spread of free MPEG-2 signals into North America has been previously hampered by the dominance of the Digicipher 2 video standard made by the former General Instrument (now Motorola Broadband) group. Receivers such as 4DTV and other versions of the Digicipher 2 actually have the letters MPEG-2 stamped on them, but are not compatible with the rest of the world. The difference comes in the way that signals are layered together, especially in the encryption process. It has given the Digicipher 2 a protected monopoly in America. Scientific-Atlanta’s PowerVu system is more closely related to MPEG-2, and it has a lion’s share of digital channels in the rest of the world. It helps that the worldwide PanAmSat satellite system works closely with Scientific-Atlanta in promoting this digital alternative. What is unique is that when signals are NOT addressably encoded, the PowerVu system can be viewed in-the-clear (or Free-to-Air) on most consumer MPEG-2 digital receivers. Several DBS systems in North America use the MPEG-2 platform, and when they choose NOT to encode channels, signals are also available in the same manner. These include Echostar’s DISH Network, Canada’s Bell ExpressVu, Mexico’s SKY MEXICO, and the former Sky Vista and AlphaStar…once on Telstar 5 but now out of business.

This unusual mix of compatible free-to-air systems has presented the opportunity for a great number of channels to become available to North American viewers. There are always a few channels in the transition between in-the-clear and subscription transmission mode. The ultimate goal in many cases is for a subscription service, but some channels have been in-the-clear for months and even years before reverting to scrambling. When a channel goes into that mode, arrangements are usually available with one of the small dish DBS services to sell a subsidized priced receiver when making a long-term commitment to a subscription. We shall concentrate on the channels that continue to transmit in a free mode.

Most of the channels you get with FTA in MPEG-2 are foreign to North America. Having any is completely dependant upon a company from the other side of the world charging a customer for the satellite transmission they are using from North America. Once in a while a company will charge for the transmission they send out to a small satellite dish such as DishNet or DTV and the internation free to air satellite transmission will be left in the signal. It’s reasoning behind this is basically better business, people are more inclined to buy a bunch of channels from you if you are sending them all to one small dish rather then them having to install a huge cband antenna to receive one free channel. After a while though, so many many different people will be using this free feed inside the charged for feed that the system gets overrunned with usage so the satellite company will start charging for this service. So far all the Russian and Polish channels this has happened too including many more after those two. There’s still quite a few of these free internation incomming feeds still available from dishnet including some arabic channels and a few other public broadcasters such as PBS. Mostly the bill is picked up by the actual country the feed is coming from. We know it sounds weird that there would be such thing as completely no cost television but it’s true. It may not be the way we do things but other countries are fine with supplying these services and incomming signals for completely free.

We cannot guarantee the permanent availability of any particular channel. These receivers are primarily designed for the hobbyist; to allow hundreds of additional channels to become available via satellite. This is not the same as, and not a replacement for a 4DTV digital receiver. It should be considered as a supplementary way of getting additional channels otherwise unavailable—no more, no less. Any channel that is now part of an otherwise subscription service but temporarily in free mode should be considered as NOT available on a permanent basis…unless you pay a subscription fee and have hardware for that service. Other broadcasters could be approached individually with an Email, requesting info on what their future plans may be with regard to subscription or free status. The Lyngemark Satellite Chart listed above has Email links and contact information for many channels around the world. Otherwise, do as most hobbyists do…enjoy the free show while it lasts. The number of channels continue to grow, so if your favorite Free-To-Air service goes away or switches to subscription, chances are better than not that something else will soon come along that tickles your fancy.

Learning about FTA or Free to Air Satellite

Welcome to FTA STORE. If you are new to FTA and don’t really know what it means, you should continue reading this page to get a better understanding of what FTA or Free to Air is and what it means to be an FTA Satellite Tester.

FTA STORE FTA Support packages are basically a membership to learn FTA. We teach you everything you’ll need to know about Free to Air and FTA Receivers. Our private members area has sections for every level of FTA Experience. Whether you need help with pointing your satellite dish or you need help with learning which FTA Satellite Dish or Receiver to buy. We have sections for almost every FTA Satellite Receiver on the market and we provide round the clock Support 24 hours a day to help you learn to use FTA Receivers.

Learn FTA & Free to Air:

FTA STORE has been in the FTA Receiver Satellite Business from the start. Our experienced Free to Air staff is extremely knowledgable and trained with FTA Receivers. We have been in the DSS Satellite Testing business for almost 7 years now. All FTA Receivers come complete with a Lifetime FTA Receiver Support membership. Your FTA Receiver Support includes all the latest FTA Keys, FTA Files, FTA BIN files, new autoroll files, FTA Instructions, video tutorials, software and FTA firmware for your FTA Receiver.

High Definition FTA Receivers NOW AVAILABLE!FTA STORE has all the latest HD FTA Receivers at the lowest prices available. All HDTV FTA Satellite Receiver come complete with Lifetime Support and Downloads in our Private FTA Support Forum.

The latest big trend in FTA Receivers is definetly the brand new High Definition (HD) FTA Receivers being released right now. There will HD Receiver releases from almost every major brand of FTA Receivers on the market as well as some new competitors. The very soon future will show which HD FTA Receiver will be the best but so far it seems like Viewsat and Coolsat are taking the number 1 spot for the HD FTA Receivers with the highest demand. The Coolsat 8000HD FTA Receiver and the Viewsat HD FTA Receiver are extremely hard to get a hold of with pre-orders already sold out at most HD FTA Receiver sites.