The
first satellite dishes for television were large dishes of six to
12 ft. in diameter. These started to pop up in the backyards all over
the U.S. in the late '70s and early '80s. This first satellite system
came to be known as TVRO (television Receive Only) and is still a
thriving industry today with these larger dishes mostly seen on large
commercial buildings such as hotels and office complexes. TVRO is
described by a other terms such as Big Dish TV, B U D (Big Ugly Dish),
C band satellite TV, and Full View. TVRO or C- band satellite dishes
also have the ability to move their aim towards different and satellites.
In the continental United States TVRO satellites are able to receive
up to 20 C band satellites. Now they also can be upgraded to receive
free or unscrambled programming from the more modern and superior
K U band frequency satellites. TVRO systems are more expensive and
difficult to install and require regular maintenance. However, they
have the advantage of a large amount and variety of programming including
free programming and cable programs that are not available on regular
satellite tv and cable. The two types of channels that one can pick
up with a TVRO systems are scrambled or subscription services and
free channels.
Today almost everyone uses the more modern and superior K U band
frequency satellites that use subscription services. These satellites
operate in the highKu frequency range of 12GHz to 14GHz compared to
the lower C band frequency in the 3.4-gigahertz (GHz) to 7-GHz frequency
range. This frequency makes it possible for signals to be compressed
into 30:1 MPEG-2 compressed video signals which allows far more channels
to be squeezed through without damaging digital clarity so that there
is a large number of up to 200 channels from one satellite. Also,
because a number of satellites can be received by one dish, providers
can offer 500 or more channels to your satellite dish. This K U frequency
microwave also made it possible to have High Definition Television.
TVRO satellites can be upgraded to receive free or unscrambled programming
from these more modern and superior K U band frequency satellites.
The vast majority of what one can then pick up from the K U band is
free although there are also some scrambled signals that one can pick
up with a descrambler. Many of the modern satellite receivers already
have the ability to receive K U band signals. However, if an upgrade
is required it only involves some small modification to the feed
and LNB just above the center of the dish.
To view scrambled subscription services you need a descrambler which
in today's modern receivers is part of the receiver. Usually it's
easily removed by simply sliding out a metal plate that is covered
over it. For more details on this click
here. All one needs to do is contact a provider by phone and while
you're 
still
talking on the phone after you've paid the signal is sent that descrambles
and you're already watching. You can contact providers by looking
in satellite TV magazines, doing a search on the Internet, or just
going to blanked out unpaid satellite channels where there's often
the advertising of various providers.
There's a tremendous variety of free channels or what are also known
as unscrambled channels or channels in the clear that you can receive
on TVRO systems. There's free special religious programing, News,
music, old movies, educational, foreign-language programming, and
many other unusual programs. Some of these programs are regularly
scheduled and usually are programs of special interest in fields such
as science or art. Feeds are programs that are used by networks or
other programming providers to send shows, events or news to their
affiliates and can be scheduled or non scheduled. Its really interesting
to pick up unscrambled unedited news feeds used by program providers
or networks to send reports out from the field to their main operations
center. It's a real eye opener to view these unedited news feeds and
find out what the news does not want to report. Some of these news
feeds are live and others are fed to a place where they will be edited
for later use. With TVRO Sports buffs and fans love to pick up, for
example, a game being played in the eastern United States which is
being beamed unscrambled over to- let's say- San Francisco, to carry
on a television station there. Added to all these benefits, there's
an extensive variety of free radio stations that one can tune into
from all over North America-you can't beat that!
The
Author :
David J. Thomson is the author and publisher
of http://www.Satelliite-Tv.info - a one stop information source for
Satellite Internet, DSL Internet and Free Satellite Tv systems.
