Big Dish TV Antennas Brings In 200 Stations

Big Dish TV Antennas Brings In 200 Stations FARM HOME recreation 5-1-31 Companies are springing up across the U.S. that allow you to "pirate" crystal clear signals from satellites orbiting the earth and play back the television stations they carry no matter how far you live from the nearest TV broadcast station. "There are 11 satellites above this half of the world carrying more than 200 TV stations. With our latest receiver, you can receive them all," says John Hastings, president of H & R Communications in Pocohontas, Ark., manufacturer of the new Starview satellite receiver. "The federal government has removed all government restrictions on private systems. Because the signals are on public airwaves, you can intercept them at no cost." Satellites carry stations from France, England, Mexico, Canada, Alaska and the U.S. networks. Other satellite broadcasters include big city stations who sell their programming nationwide to cable systems, and national distributors of stations carrying movies, children programs, live coverage of U.S. Congress, 24-hour news, continuous stock market coverage, major sporting events, religious broadcasting, and so forth. A receiver consists of a thin layer of fiberglass-coated aluminum shaped into a shallow concave dish. Signals are gathered by the dish and its antenna, amplified, and then fed to your TV. The dish must be pointed precisely at the satellite being monitored. Hastings say his company's most recent development is the Power Shifter, a motorized accessory that lets you switch easily from one satellite to the other automatically. "Other companies need a separate receiver for each satellite," says Hastings. Satellite receivers provide both a variety of stations to choose from and a picture signal that's difficult to match. "Since the signal comes direct, it only has to cut through three miles of dense atmosphere. Your local TV signal comes through those three miles and then travels to your set through the even heavier, close-in atmosphere," points out Hastings. H & R's Starview receiver sells for $7,000, complete and installed. That price is $2,000 less than the system sold for just six months ago. The company also sells a receiver in kit form for $3,000 that can be mounted as a "weekend project" by do-ityourselfers. The company has 140 dealers across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Starview Systems, H & R Communications, Rt. 3, Box 1036, Pocohontas, Ark. 72455 (ph 501 647-2001). In Canada, where upstart companies are getting in and out of the satellite TV-reception business over night, consumers are being cautioned to "look before you leap." Best advice for anyone considering the purchase of a system, they say, is to do your homework before buying: How long has the supplier been in operation? V1 That else does the company sell? Contact people who have bought a similar system and find out how it is working? Is there a guarantee and can it be backed up? Will you be able to get service? If you think you've found a good supplier, don't pay for the system until it's fully operational and you are consistently getting a clear picture.

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