Dish To See AMC4?

[Chris Freeland]

At one time I was going to add a 2nd dish to E* for 61.5 and Sky Angel, primarily to receive 3ABN and Safe TV, however I now can receive a decent picture ota for 3ABN on a low power tv station near my home. At this time 3ABN is selling a FTA digital STB with a 36" dish for $199 which will allow me to receive 3ABN and 5 other Seventh Day Adventist channels, Is this a good price? While checking the Lynsat site I noticed several other digital Christian stations including Safe TV, which is also on Sky Angel plus some International channels too and they seam to be Free, am I correct in this assumption? Are these Christian stations back feeds for Sky Angel? What features can I expect with the STB's like epg etc.? How difficult is it to set up and program?

[briangohl]

Yes, that is a decent price, but they are selling the Manhattan receiver. I have installed hundreds of Adventist Satellite systems and I can honestly say that the Manhattan receiver is one of the most difficult receivers for a average person to install. I install 10+ systems each month for people who find the satellite with a Manhattan and give up.

If you decide to go with the Manhattan, invest in a good satellite meter and program the VIDs and PIDs before starting. The units are shipped with only the transponder programmed into the memory. I have found that the receiver will lock onto a signal faster with the IDs preprogrammed.

Currently five Adventist video and 3 audio channels are available using the KU set-up on AMC-4. Video Channels are: ATN ( Adventist Television Network) HOPE, ATN Business (ACN Programming, LLBN (Loma Linda Broadcasting, 3ABN English and 3ABN Latino. The audio channels are: Radio 74, Voice of Prophecy's LifeTalk Radio and 3ABN Radio. Additional Adventist services will be online in the near future. These channels are the primary feeds for these broadcasters. Your can follow links from my web site to learn more about these services. Several FTA ( Free to Air ) Asian video and audio services are also available and carry some English programming.

Other channels (i.e. SafeTV) are available and FTA in the MPEG 2 format using the same receiver, but they are C-band transmissions. Reception of these channels require a larger dish and c-band lnb. I have my receiver connected via switches to one dish with offset lnbs for T-5 and AMC-4, a 1 meter KU dish with actuator and also slaved to my BUD for C-band surfing.

None of the Adventist broadcasters support EPG ( electronic program guide ). Some brands of receivers are easier to program than others. With a little patience and free time most people can program and update their receivers.

Best Regards!

Brian Gohl
http://www.adventistsat.com

[Chris Freeland]

Thanks for the info Brian.