Reddit mentions: The best satellite tv receivers

This is mostly true, nice. You can purchase, even at this moment on amazon, a transmitter with built in receiver for satellite communications. The transmitters and receivers can be the size of a laptop, as you can see in that link. If we were boringly rich, we might just throw $7000 at something like this for reasons.

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The real issue is that you might not be rich enough to say, afford your own satellite. So that's where the problem lies most of the time. You won't be allowed to just connect to a satellite and directly access the internet in most cases, without login credentials that hopefully your rich friend can just give you.

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You're right about latency. Latency definitely sucks, on average the lag is about 2-3 seconds roundtrip in practice, 1-1.5 in theory. Sucks for gaming at least, and remember, you're stupid rich so of course you just want this thing for gaming on the go.

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Now that I think of it, even if you could convince your family connections at NASA to build you a small satellite in their spare time, and get Elon Musk, your other best friend, to launch it for you, I'm not sure how you could physically connect yourself to the internet for free without breaking laws somewhere. You want to watch out for laws like that, because you may lose money, and India might blow your toy out of the sky.

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Anyone know how to connect to the internet with your own devices, legally? And can it be done for free somehow in the name of public access or something?

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Well, do you want C, or Ku band? For the most part, the era of C-band wild feed hunting iss over, (it was in it's heyday during the late 90's). There are still things being aireed in the clear, but it's sort of rare these days.

A C-Band dish is anywhere between 6 and 10 feet wide, and you' will need a motorized dish to be able to pick up the most channels. (and yes, you actually still can subscribe to C band service if you wish). A Ku band dish, you can re-purpose an old DirecTV or Dish Network dish, swap out the LNBF, and get a DVB-2s reciever. You can also buy complete kits online for around $200, if you wish to have a fixed dish, (not motorized).

For a stationary dish, you will be able to get the most amount of channels if you point to Galaxy 19. Note that unless you are interested in teleshopping and religious programming, there's not really much to watch on it in English. Here is a list of everything on the Ku Band in English. If you're interested in international programming, and/or the C band as well, Here is a list of literally everything being broadcast in the clear in the USA.

Hey guys - I am an extra class licensed amateur radio operator.

At VHF/UHF frequencies (TV frequencies) you are nearly 100% dependent on line of sight propagation. You can get some scatter off buildings etc. but that is incidental.

The most important thing you can do get your antenna as high as possible, PERIOD.

This is way more important than the kind of antenna you buy etc. There is a ton of marketing BS around antennas but physics is physics.

The curvature of the earth makes it so two antennas at about 6' of elevation have a line of sight of roughly 3 miles. TV stations obviously get their broadcast antennas higher, but the short of it is, get your antenna up in the air.

The second consideration is directionality. The vast majority of TV antennas are "beam" type antennas that develop gain in a certain direction. This is great in that it can help you pull weaker signals, but it means that if you have stations 180 degrees opposite each other, you have to make a choice which one to receive, or get an antenna with a rotator - FYI im not endorsing that antenna, its just an example.

Let me know if you have any questions.

> Ok, that did it! Now getting weather... and traffic on 978. Didn't know about the webpage. Thanks Nokomis449! Now a few more questions. 1. Can we use these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018PUYPCA?keywords=NooElec%20micro-SDR&qid=1452895317&ref_=sr_1_fkmr0_3&sr=8-3-fkmr0 2. Is this case a 3D printed case: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1016829/#files 3. Do we need to tune the NooElec to one of the two freqs to get better reception? How do you tune the NooElec? 4. I'm curious as to the difference in the weather resolution between what one gets over ADS-B provide by the gov and what you would get from something like XM. Can anyone provide screen shots of both?
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The HDHomeRun has come up a few times here this week. I've been looking into it but I can't find a definitive answer on whether the first generation HDHomeRun models will work well with ATV4 and Channels app/the like.

I don't really have a need for internal dual tuners as I only have one antenna and one TV, and I probably won't be using any computer software as a DVR. All I'm really interested in is not having to switch my inputs when I want to watch OTA and having some basic channel guide functionality. I suppose my biggest concern is whether there are limitations on HD streaming over my network with the old version and therefore whether the picture quality will be any good. Anyone knowledgeable about it?

Also, look into Windows Media Center. It's pretty much 0 setup, and available via extenders such as Xbox 360. Using an extender prevents access to most flash video/hulu without additional software. Hulu can be viewed easily if directly connected to the HTPC instead of an extender.

The interface is also fairly good, and well supported by various Tuner cards, if you want to setup an 'over-the-air' antenna as well.

I use HDHomerun getting an OTA signal from a $50 antenna on my roof connected to my HTPC using WMC as a DVR and viewer. Check AntennaWeb for OTA signals near your house.

I think you will be totally fine, not knowing the surrounding area but here's what I use 55 miles from my stations:

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Outdoor-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1539362237&sr=8-7&keywords=attic+antenna

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Others may have even better options, but I've had good luck with that one in my attic.

I too have a 2nd floor apartment and I use an indoor antenna. It'll depend more on where you live in a city. But your best bet is to look for a powered antenna on amazon like a Leaf. Amazon also has one and usually bundles it with some decent discounts if you're in the market for a Fire TV or something like that. Here is a link to one that should work that has great reviews:

TV Antenna-50 Mile Range with Detachable Amplifier, HDTV Indoor Antenna for High Reception Homeworx Antenna for TV - 10ft Coaxial Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LLJNCEE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Be3Fyb0MV05DG

You can get one of the super old original HDhomeruns, single or dual tuner from 2006ish. That's what I'm using and it works perfectly, you can find them new and used on ebay or amazon real cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-HDHR-US-Networked-Definition/dp/B0010Y414Q

However, the newer boxes have better tuners and pick up weaker signals, so if you are concerned about that, get the extend or connect.

i'd shoot some pics if you really want. but, nothing to see. it's just a computer with a buncha stuff plugged in to it. i'll assume you have a home theater setup already with the screen, tuner and speakers. you just need to build an HTPC. here's a list of the critical components:

PC: nothing fancy. i repurposed a retired dell optiplex 360 workstation i got from work for $20. P4 3ghz i got 2gb ram for it as it only had 500mb.

from amazon i ordered the cheapest video card with HDMI out i could find.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IWK4LY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


i also grabbed a sound card with toslink for 5.1 that would plug in to my receiver (past experience has shown sound sync issues using 5.1 over HDMI...at least through the two yamaha tuners i've tried with)


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045JHJSS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


i then ordered 4 2TB external USB2 drives. 2 of the drives are for content, the other two have a nightly mirror routine that runs on them. cheap insurance for a harddrive crash.

i also watch TV through this setup. for that i needed a tuner. i got this a few years back:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010Y414Q/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


cable is digital and scrambled now. so, if you want to use cable you'd have to get the cablecard version. myself, i just go OTA now. my attic antenna plugs right in to the tuners and i use windows media player as the DVR for them.

as far as controlling the setup, i ordered an IR blaster that plugs in to the PC so that it can receive remote control commands:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00224ZDFY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


i used that for a few months. but, it was kinda hokey and my wife and young kids got tired of shuffling remotes around to configure everything. so, eventually i got a harmony one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL875A/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

took about 45 minutes to configure. but, now everything from the PS3, Xbox, media center pc, and listening to music are controlled with a single remote even my 5 year old has mastered.

intially i used windows media player for everything. it did a good job of unifying the whole process--a single app for TV or watching local content. but, two things happened:

1. either the computer or the video card is not up to the task of decoding the DRM windows puts in their AVI files. I can watch the stream directly through the tuner fine. but, recorded content--especially 1080i broadcasts are choppy and practically unwatchable.
   
   
2. for local media management, WMP requires constant hand holding to organize content.
   
   my solution(s)
   
   
3. we pretty much quit watching tv except for sports which we just watch live through the tuner
   
   
4. i found XBMC. when content is put in to a folder that XBMC watches it automatically goes to the web and finds cover art and descriptions and keeps everything organized.
   
   might seem like a lot of money...but, i recovered the cost in about 3 months after i called comcast and told them to come pick up their shit.
   

I can pick it up around University and Merle Hay using this antenna about 8 feet off the ground with this tuner, but is has be aimed perfectly to get it reliably. There are so many factors that come in to play beyond just the antenna, but that's my .02

It's a dumb 345MHz sensor, there's no way to "pair" it to anything besides an alarm panel, but what you can do is pick up a USB SDR stick (I use this one) and pick up the signals with something like HoneywellSecurityMQTT. I've been using it with my OpenHab setup for over a year and it's been great and also has the bonus of still working with your existing alarm if you still use it.

This is the nano2 which is equivalent to the original longer ones used when the project first started. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PUYPCA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1M8T4D3CJTEI6&coliid=I3URG4QSE8T4US

Here is a pretty good video covering the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rEOJrw4ds8

You could use a Pi with an RTL2832 USB SDR running Raspian with the librtlsdr library installed. Then you can just execute rlt_fm (with the -M option for AM mode) and process the output with a custom audio processing software to detect the microphone clicks. You could use a multitude of methods to activate the requested systems, including GPIO, USB, Eithernet, or any combination of them. For the custom audio processing software, I suggest looking at GNU Radio as a source for examples. You could probably kludge something together fairly quickly.

PM me if you need any help. Sounds like a fun project.

I ran into the same issue. I purchased this and mounted it in the rafters of my garage and works like a charm!

Vansky Outdoor 150 Mile Motorized 360 Degree Rotation OTA Amplified HD TV Antenna for 2 TVs Support - UHF/VHF/1080P Channels Wireless Remote Control - 32.8' Coax Cable (VS-OTX01) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RH9HDbGMZ8EJD

Directv receivers: I just sold one on ebay. I researched before I listed to make sure it was okay with ebay and Direct. I used this ebay guide and the Amazon listing for guidance. I also provided the RID number and told potential buyers to contact direct with the number too find out if a contract or fees would apply.

The unit was NIB, it sold in about a week for a $45 profit. I have two more to list.

edit: fixed link for ebay guide.

amazon is your friend SZSS-CAR HD Car Digital TV Turner ATSC Mobile Digital TV Receiver for USA Canada United States Mexico Korea

I bought the same antenna to replace (below) and on a hunch I switched the provided amplifier and it worked perfectly. I think it is ridiculous that you must use their special amplifier to get channels. Do you have a recommendation for a regular antenna?

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSCCJ9Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I live just west of Madison and use This antenna and it works great. I have it in my basement and it gets all the local channels just fine.

I think I narrowed it down to this bundle and it's one that you linked. I was wondering if you recommend this bundle? If I do buy this bundle what type of pole should I buy as I will have to put the pole in the ground and mount the dish to it as I can't put anything on the house. A 2 inch diameter pole sound good? https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Satellite-Manhattan-RC-1978-Receiver/dp/B06XB2PS5J/

There's a lot to choose from. The first thing to know is that most DTV antennas' distance rating is for 10 feet off the ground so the higher the better. Second is most of the distance ratings are based off diameter so if it's rated for 100 miles it means you are getting 50 miles in any direction. You are between 60-70 miles, as the crow flies, in Dover. They do make antennas that are directional and have motors so some of the distance numbers I just threw at you might not matter. Also always get an amplified antenna. All said and done I like this one,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cE0WDb00GECYB

One more thing. If you plug it into the splitter box that the old Comcast coax came into your house you'll be sending the signal through out your home instead of just one TV.

PS. If you didn't already know you'll have to run a channel scan on every TV you want to use it on.

if you don't have a smart TV, purchase a Google Chromecast for $35, or an Amazon firestick, or a Roku.

Roku is probably the most user friendly IMO.

www.slingtv.com for $25 I get all the channels I want, for $40 or more you can get all the sports you want.

https://www.amazon.com/TV-Antenna-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1536590189&sr=1-9&keywords=hd+antenna hook this up for local Over-The-Air channels

This setup contains the following:

• Raspberry Pi 3: http://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Pi-RASP-PI-3-Model-Motherboard/dp/B01CD5VC92
  
• 2x Nooelec Nano2+: http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Nano-Ultra-Low-Compatible/dp/B01B4L48QU
  
• Stratux Acrylic Case w/ Fan: http://www.amazon.com/Stratux-Case-Fan-Tinted-Acrylic/dp/B01ERQCJF6
  
  Note that the stock Nano2+ antenna dongles are too long for the box. I have ordered DMURRY14's antennas from Amazon which have the right-angle cables that shouldn't have this problem: http://www.amazon.com/ADS-B-High-Gain-Antenna-FULL/dp/B01EJUM83S
  
  Just wanted to share for anyone using this Acrylic box.

I installed a powered antenna in my attic and it works really well. It looks just like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Outdoor-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=asc_df_B071V7SV6P/, was branded differently though when I bought it.

I point the antenna towards DC and get both Baltimore and DC stations - Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CW for both, plus a few extras like ION and some Spanish networks.

I never rotate the antenna and the only channel that sometimes (not always) get artifacts is WBAL (NBC 11)...if I rotate the antenna towards Baltimore it comes in fine, but I normally just use WRC (NBC4) if I want NBC.

SDR ideas aside, you could try to get into free-to-air (FTA) satellite TV, but nearly all of the signals you can get in the US are linearly polarized, and DirecTV uses circular polarized signals.

You can replace the LNB of course - get a linear one for $8-15 on Amazon, along with an FTA receiver for $20-40+ (example). The dish will probably work.. not sure how specific dishes can be with the polarization. Point your dish at Galaxy 19 and get a bunch of foreign channels. Might not be your thing, content-wise, but it's interesting none-the-less.

(Good) TV antennas are directional definitely have rotors. When I was growing up, when we wanted to switch from channel 10 to channel 6, I would get sent outside. I would climb up a ladder and reach the bottom of the pole (which rested on our porch roof) and rotate the antenna. Then someone inside would yell out the window if it needed more adjustment. Other, more affluent families had a rotor and a box that sat next to their tv to rotate it.

Even some of the newer small hdtv antennas will have a rotor built in.

Right now i have a NooElec NESDR Nano 2+ in there. I started with a different model that is no longer listed on Amazon, but I think it was a popular model 2-3 years ago when i purchased it.

Thanks for the reply. This is what we're considering. Thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Outdoor-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P

According to this page that model doesn't have freesat built in.

We brought a Humax Freesat Receiver and connected it to our TV. It's been working a treat.

Can anyone confirm if the older HDHR-Dual works with plex? I have one of these laying around and would like to know before purchasing plex pro.

https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-HDHR-US-Networked-Definition/dp/B0010Y414Q

The remote to a TV antenna like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Outdoor-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P

You can buy them separately, too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRR4UHM/ref=dp_cerb_1

Adding: "instruction light" because this will be posted again, and I can search for this answer easier.

My Model: HDHR4-2US is supported and working.
My old HDHR-US does not work with live channels.

Works - https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-CONNECT-broadcast-2-Tuner/dp/B00GY0UB54/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=hdhr4-2us&qid=1572549566&s=electronics&sr=1-2

Doesn't work - https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-HDHR-US-Networked-Definition/dp/B0010Y414Q

And here is the Nano 2 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Nano-RTL2832U-Compatible/dp/B018PUYPCA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1457956510&sr=8-4&keywords=NooElec

Here Ya Go

Sub These if you want to go the Nano SDR route.

This is the one I bought. Its mounted on my roof and pointed South East. I just want to watch Chiefs games.

Hey, figured this could be a cheaper option too: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-radio-scanner-tutorial-decoding-digital-voice-p25-with-dsd/ and buy http://www.amazon.com/EzTV666-Receiver-Low-Cost-Software-Defined/dp/B00CRDF5WQ

I bought this antenna. I point it at the 3 antennas on the mountain. I used www.antennaweb.org to find the location/reception of the various TV stations in the area. Also, that antenna is cheap, so I put it in my attic. Besides heat and cold, it is not getting blasted by the elements.

The Vilros complete Stratux kit didn't exist when I built mine so I got everything piece by piece.
I have 2 of the Nano 2's and a RPI 2 for my setup.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PUYPCA

Here is the mobile version of your link

HDTV, probably this one

I have one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B001F5889E

and an antenna

This one here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_GohTAbJXN37KR

I haven't had cable in almost 6 years. We have this antenna I bought last year and I have had this one for the whole 6 years. They both pick up HD local channels. Netflix, Hulu, and AmazonPrime all fill in my other needs. You figure out work arounds for sports and stuff too.

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Outdoor-Motorized-Rotation-Amplified/dp/B071V7SV6P/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_lp_t_1

So, from a software standpoint, is it literally just "plugging in" another RTL-SDR radio, and the software sees it? I guess what I'm looking for is, what are the configuration steps necessary to utilize a second radio on 1090?

EDIT: and is this the micro you're talking about?

http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Nano-Ultra-Low-Compatible/dp/B01B4L48QU/ref=pd_sim_504_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41sA2fYrK6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=16GZSQWRCNXA7B9Q7A8K

Can you confirm that this model works? https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-HDHR-US-Networked-Definition/dp/B0010Y414Q

Anyone used the Nano 2+?

Vansky Outdoor 150 Mile Motorized... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V7SV6P?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Is this the model you're talking about? https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-HDHR-US-Networked-Definition/dp/B0010Y414Q/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1469288857&sr=8-9&keywords=hd+homerun

I don't see that model listed on the app's page but maybe I'm just being stupid. How much bandwidth would you need for this anyway?