Primestar dish question

[trinitro]

The house I have has a Primestar Dish/LNB from the previous owner. I am interested into getting into the FTA bandwagon, but there are so many choices I'm not sure what package/system to pick. Eventually I will need 4 receivers in the house, but right now 1 will be enough.

Anyway, that's the second question. The first question has to do with the existing dish. Can it be used for anything? Apparently PrimeStar is no longer in business. On the back of the dish it says it's made by ChannelMaster, and the model number is 3040975 (it's an eliptical dish). The LNB doesn't really say anything on it (other than a serial number sticker). It has 2 output, one says H and one says V (I think). Can this setup be used for anything?

If not, is it worth getting a new dish with an auto positioning motor? It tends to add about $100 to the price of the dish. I live in the midwest US if that makes a difference. I assume that's the only way to switch between satellites without getting the wrenches out.
Also, what receiver I should get? Everybody says their receiver is the best, but obviosly that can't be true unless they are all the same.

[FTA Michael]

If it's wide enough, the Primestar dish will work for FTA, but you might need to get a different LNB.

Yes, the motor is a great way to painlessly switch satellites, but that doesn't mean that you need to throw out the Primestar. If you add a DiSEqc switch, you can leave the Primestar pointed at a satellite you watch a lot (for me that's Galaxy 10R) and add a second dish in the best spot to track a wide southern arc. Then when you want to watch something on your favorite bird, it's always a finger-snap away, but when you want something else, it's a few seconds of repositioning before you get it.

As for receivers, I've got a Pansat and I'm happy with it. Just about anything that'll support a motor, a switch, and blind scanning makes a good starter unit. As you explore, you might decide later that you want something with extra features (CI slot, DVR, AC3 audio). Or you might not. :)