The FTA (Free-to-Air)/OTA (over-the-air) thread

**Xzinum** · December 23rd, 2009, 08:42 AM

I, as well a TKJ, have been receiving our TV signal for free. How does it work you ask? Well, there are a few options available.

The first, you can build yourself a antenna for next to nothing. This is called OTA or Over-the Air since you do not require any other hardware than your TV and an antenna.
http://budgetiq.wordpress.com/2008/0...iy-hd-antenna/
You can also purchase antennas at the source or other electronic stores, but where's the fun in that. Also, there are many many many ways to build your antenna, so look around to see which one you are prepared to build.

Before building anything, you need to check what is available in your area and which way to point your antenna. Use this link to have a graphical map of what's out there. People in the GTA are better off than the rest of us since you guys have a clear line of sight of the American stations in Buffalo and/or Watertown.
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti...pper&Itemid=29

Personally, where i'm located, i do not have an antenna but i still get both CBC channels in HD as well as SunTV HD. A friend of mine in the same region built his antenna and gets about 9 HD channels and on good days, he even gets PBS HD from Watertown.

The other option is called Free-to-Air. This option requires more hardware but also offers more selection. There are plenty of manufacturers that produce STB's (set-top box) to receive such channels. Those include, but not limited to Viewsat, CNX, Kbox, Sonicview, etc. Those receiver's primary function is to receive free channels on satellites. They even have HD receivers available for a pretty penny, but a SD receiver should do the trick. They can also be used for other things, but we will not discuss this here.

Satellites, this means you'll also need a dish to acquire the satellite signals. But there's a catch, you cannot use those Bell dishes since a) The dish is too small and b) The LNB (low-noise block) is not the right kind.

You'll need, at the very least, the correct LNB to get the signals. It is also recommended that you get a 30" dish or more to fully take advantage of all the birds (sats) out there. Here's an example of what i mean.

Now, survey your site prior to buy anything to see if you have clear line of sight with the bird and that you do not have any trees or other obstructions in the way.
Use this site to get a google map view of where the signal is coming from.
http://www.dishpointer.com/
You place the marker on your location and select which satellite you wish to receive. The tool will outline which azimuth to point your dish to as well as which elevation the dish should be.

"But X, how do i know which satellite i want to point to?"
True FTA sats are out there, and here's the link to get the channel listing.
http://lyngsat.com

Here's an example of a popular FTA sat.
http://www.lyngsat.com/galaxy19.html
In the System/Encryption column, look for this icon

which indicate FTA channels. Anything that says otherwise, like nagravision, are encrypted and you cannot view them.

I think this covers the basics. But remember, this is a hobby, so you can spend as much or a little money as you wish.
I will try my best to answer all questions should they arise.

Happy building/pointing/mounting/scanning/watching.

**Sweetlou** · December 23rd, 2009, 08:59 AM

blah

well then post count it is

**Xzinum** · December 23rd, 2009, 09:13 AM

Thanks Lou

Feel free to post your antennas and/or dish setups.

**SniperGimp** · December 23rd, 2009, 10:28 AM

I may do some more research into this =) thanks!

**The Killing Joke** · December 23rd, 2009, 10:56 AM

Just as a clarification, while I am very, very interested in pursuing this - as in "I have my Wife's buy-in and wish to do this" - and hope to be up and running in the New Year. I've already got my personal plan in the works to dump ExpressVu, and connect my TV with the cable they have graciously provided to my new aerial, however, this is something I need to really look at closely. I don't have an issue with putting up a very, very tall antenna on the back of my house, and would personally prefer if it picked up as many channels as possible. Obviously, OTA HD would be very preferable as well.

**Derfel** · December 23rd, 2009, 11:03 AM

**The Killing Joke** · December 23rd, 2009, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Derfel

LOL. Now, that's funny.

**Xzinum** · December 23rd, 2009, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by The Killing Joke

I don't have an issue with putting up a very, very tall antenna on the back of my house, and would personally prefer if it picked up as many channels as possible.

Thing is, a DIY antenna does not have to be that big. All in all, my buddy's antenna is about 5'x5' and bout 4" thick. You really have to point it the right way to maximize the number of channels you get. He put his antenna in the attic, it does not even need to be outside.

**Derfel** · December 23rd, 2009, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by Xzinum

Thing is, a DIY antenna does not have to be that big. All in all, my buddy's antenna is about 5'x5' and bout 4" thick. You really have to point it the right way to maximize the number of channels you get. He put his antenna in the attic, it does not even need to be outside.

Good point to make - a friend of mine in Windsor keeps an antenna in his attic, and he still gets a very strong signal. I'd guess his antenna is about 4'x4'x1' or so, and he picks up American stations with it. Ironically, he also has Bell ExpressVu...