Home Satellite TV Receivers

Plenty of high-quality, unencrypted satellite programs are beamed constantly around the globe. Free to air (FTA) programming is great for public broadcasts and international programs. And all it takes for you to enjoy FTA programming from broadcasters around the world is some used satellite equipment. With a few items you can pick up at most any pawnshop (used dish, receiver, a few cables) and a little bit of time, you can take advantage of FTA broadcasts.

Things You'll Need

• Secondhand dish and receiver
• Coaxial cable
• Video cable (e.g., component, composite, HDMI)

Step 1

Connect the coaxial cable from the satellite dish to the "Sat In" coaxial port on the back of your FTA satellite receiver. Run a coaxial or video cable from the "video out" section on the back of the receiver to the ports on the back or side of the television.

Step 2

Plug the power cable into the receiver and insert the plug into an outlet. Power on both the TV and your receiver.

Step 3

Press "Menu" on your remote control. On the screen, select "Dish 1" as your default dish and then select "OK."

Step 4

Choose the satellite you'll be connecting to from the list that appears on the screen, and then select the option labeled "LNB 1." Enter your low-noise block converter's (LNB)-your dish's antenna-frequency and then select "OK."

Step 5

Open the "Transponder Setup" menu and find a transponder with a strong signal-monitor the onscreen indicators to guide you. Click "OK, " "Scan 1 Sat, " and then click "OK" again to update your channel queue. Click "Exit."