What You Need to Get Started with Satellite TV

If you’re a full-fledged couch potato then you probably would want to join the bandwagon of getting satellite TV. Why not? With hundreds of channels to click and browse the whole day, satellite TV is every couch potato’s dream. Never mind that satellite dish sitting atop your rooftop waiting as if on-call for the extraterrestrials or the satellite receiver replacing the prime spot where a DVD normally would have been, when watching TV has become synonymous to life itself, a satellite TV service becomes not an option but a necessity.

First, you’ll have to make a decision which satellite network works for you. Popularly, there’s Dish network and there’s DirecTV. These two satellite TV networks command their own fleet of satellites positioned 22,300 miles above the earth in a geosynchronous orbit. For you to get your satellite TV going, you’ll need three equipments, all of which would be given to you once you subscribe to satellite TV service: satellite dish, satellite receiver and remote control.

Dish the Satellite Dish?

It’s the most visible component of satellite TV. Consisting of solid aluminum, perforated aluminum or wire mesh, this parabolic reflector focuses on microwave signals coming from satellites. The size of your dish for satellite TV will depend on the programming package that you choose from your satellite TV service. Your satellite TV will probably have a round 18” dish or an 18” x 20”. The dish of your satellite TV consists of the dish mount, actuator (a device with a motor used to swing the dish, allowing it to focus on individual satellites) and the LNB (that little thingamabob that amplifies the very weak signals from the dish and converts them to amore suitable band of frequencies.) The dish of your satellite TV will also have the feedhorn which acts as a microwave “funnel” that places the LNB at the focus of the dish. To connect your satellite dish with your satellite receiver to get satellite TV going? You’ll need satellite cables for that.

The Satellite Receiver

The receiver for your satellite TV looks like a cross between a cable box and DVD player. It can sit right on top of your television. For an extra fee, your satellite TV service can also provide you with a receiver that has built-in digital video recorder so you can record your favorite shows and play them back later.  The receiver takes the signal from the LNB of your satellite dish then produces a TV picture from the wideband FM view for your satellite TV.  It also allows you to tune to SUBCARRIER audio which can provide many different audio only service like music, talk shows and even data text reception. Your receiver for satellite TV might also have a descrambler built in for decoding pay services like HBO and regular cable-type services.

The Lowdown

There, that wasn’t so hard to understand was it? So, what do you need to get started with satellite TV---A satellite dish, satellite receiver, remote control—all from your satellite TV service of choice.