FTA Satellite Television

I've been using an FTA satellite dish for several years now, since we decided to cut our bills and cancel our paid satellite TV subscription. What is Free to Air TV all about? These dishes are available for less than $200 and offer free reception of satellite channels that are not scrambled. Free To Air dishes are not illegal, contrary to what some people believe. FTA dishes are legal because they pick up only free satellite programming, which is just like AM or FM radio broadcasts sent out over the airwaves. FTA dishes can pick up all the channels which are broadcast by satellite and not scrambled. The owners of these channels have chosen to not scramble their signals because they are supported by commercials, or public funding, and don't rely on fees paid to them by DirecTV or Dish Network.

What Kinds Of Channels Are On FTA or Free To Air Satellite?

You might be surprised how many channels are available with a free to air satellite dish. The choices are a bit eclectic, to say the least, but if you want to add variety to your local over-the-air channels and avoid a monthly bill, you may find that there is some good programming to be found.

Free to air or FTA dishes receive broadcasts in the Ku microwave band, which is used by dozens of orbiting satellites to rebroadcast all of the major networks, such as ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, local stations, religious channels, music channels, public broadcasting, shopping and sports channels.You won't find any of the premium cable channels such as The Discovery Channel or Lifetime on free to air, but you can find lots of good entertainment hidden among all the free channels. Local networks, such as ones that broadcast via satellite from places such as Boise Idaho, or Salt Lake City, Utah, often feature vintage movies and sports events that may not be available on your local over-the-air channels. You will also find hundreds of foreign language channels which often feature soccer games not shown in the U.S.

Many home-schooling families find that free to air TV channels can offer quite a lot of educational value. You'll find broadcasts of classroom lectures from major universities, space program feeds of launches by NASA, as well as nature shows and more on PBS.

Free To Air Satellite TV, Ideal For The Backwoods and Suburbs Too

Who uses FTA or free to air satellite dishes? Many people who live in remote areas which are too far away from cities to pick up over the air TV and who don't want to pay for commercial satellite TV can use FTA satellite dishes to receive all the major national networks, as well as an eclectic mix of other stations. Currently there are over a dozen major network channels on free to air satellite TV. In addition to free television channels, you can get plenty of good radio stations as well at no cost.

Is It Easy To Set Up A FTA Satellite System?

Since there are no fees for FTA satellite dishes, no free equipment or installation is provided. This shouldn't discourage you, since you don't have to be a rocket scientist to set up a free to air dish system. Most FTA satellte dishes are just slightly bigger than commercial satellite dishes, at about thirty inches across. Most of the FTA receivers are about the size of a DVD player and all the major brands include a remote control. To legally pick up free satellite channels, you simply mount the FTA satellite dish in your yard or on the roof, making sure it has a clear view of the sky, and then orient it according to the instructions provided. Next you hook a PC or Mac computer up to the receiver and install the software that comes with the Free To Air satellite dish system. The software helps you to align the dish and lock in the channels you want to watch, and also lock out the ones you don't care about. It normally takes about five hours to install an FTA dish and get it up and running.

The Pros And Cons Of Free To Air Satellite TV

Free to air TV is a great way to get rid of another monthly bill in tough times. Systems start in the $200 range and go up in price from there, depending on what extra features (such as HD) that you want. The smaller dish systems are easiest to set up, but will pick up only the Ku band. Larger, more expensive ones will pick up C band FTA, which offers you more free channels. Free to air TV or FTA isn't for everybody, but if you hate monthly bills, plus have a little bit of "nerd" in you, it might be worth trying.