{"id":15129,"date":"2015-10-11T11:09:13","date_gmt":"2015-10-11T15:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=15129"},"modified":"2015-10-11T11:12:02","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T15:12:02","slug":"listening-to-international-radio-via-free-to-air-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/listening-to-international-radio-via-free-to-air-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Listening to international radio via Free-To-Air Satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dish-001\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), for the following guest post:<\/p>\n

\n

International Radio Broadcasts via Satellite<\/h2>\n

by\u00a0Mario Filippi<\/p>\n

I find your SWLing Post blog a constant fountain of information on the world of shortwave listening. Having been a shortwave listener since the early 1960\u2019s, I\u2019ve depended mainly on shortwave radios to hear foreign broadcasts. I\u2019ve owned more shortwave radios than shoes (hi hi)–! However, there is a not-so-well known way of receiving radio broadcasts from around the world, and this is by Free To Air Satellite (FTA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Free To Air satellite reception requires using a minimum 30 inch Ku band satellite dish, an LNB (Low Noise Block) amplifier, a Free To Air satellite receiver, and skills to aim at a satellite carrying these broadcasts.<\/p>\n

There are several Free To Air satellites in the Clarke Belt, and the reception is cost-free as these broadcasts are for expatriates living around the world who need to tune in to stations back home. One satellite in particular that carries many foreign radio broadcasts is Galaxy 19, located at a longitude of 97 degrees, and is readily accessible from the USA.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s start on what an FTA dish set-up looks like for this type of reception. Below is an installation of mine, consisting of a 30 inch WS International satellite dish and LNB. A 30 foot length of RG\/6 coax is run into the shack and hooked to an AMIKO Mini HD SE FTA receiver. Typical cost for a dish, LNB, coax is under $200.<\/p>\n

\"Dish\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Below is my AMIKO Mini HD SE<\/a> FTA receiver, also known as an STB (Set Top Box), which can be purchased from a number of FTA vendors. This allows one to receive international television and radio broadcasts. They run about $90.<\/p>\n

\"Amiko-Mini-HD-SE\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As stated earlier, Galaxy 19 is one of the best satellites to use for international radio broadcasts–currently, it has about 90 radio channels available for listening. I did a scan today of what is available, and below are three screenshots of the stations available to the listener.<\/p>\n

\"Sched1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Duna World radio is from Hungary. IRIB stands for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. 3 ABN is Apostolic Bible Network. TGN is Thai Global Network.<\/p>\n

\"Sched2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kuwait, Syria, and the Middle East are well represented by the radio stations above. Voice of Russia, and Congo radio are good ones.<\/p>\n

\"Sched3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Voice of Turkey, Polski Radio found above. Not too shabby!<\/p>\n

[Y]ou’ll find a good how-to on FTA at the following link:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.packratvhf.com\/Conference\/uW_Satellites.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[T]his is just a little introduction to the world of international listening using satellite.\u00a0I hope this is\u00a0something you and SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0readers might find interesting.<\/p>\n

\n

Indeed I do, Mario!<\/strong> \u00a0Thanks so much for taking the time to show us how to tune in a variety\u00a0of international broadcasters via satellite. Each year at the Winter SWL Fest<\/a>, we have demonstrations showing what can be done via FTA satellite. Perhaps I should bite the bullet and\u00a0invest in one!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), for the following guest post: International Radio Broadcasts via Satellite by\u00a0Mario Filippi I find your SWLing Post blog a constant fountain of information on the world of shortwave listening. Having been a shortwave listener since the early 1960\u2019s, I\u2019ve depended mainly on shortwave radios to hear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,3194,627,960,3],"tags":[4308,4312,4313,4297,4311,4307,4309,4310],"class_list":["post-15129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-guest-posts","category-how-to","category-international-broadcasting","category-news","tag-free-to-air-satellite","tag-free-to-air-satellite-fta","tag-fta","tag-international-radio","tag-mario-filippi-n2hun","tag-satellite","tag-satellite-radio","tag-satellite-radio-broadcasters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3W1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/a-little-taste-of-cuba-on-free-to-air-satellite\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":0},"title":"A Little Taste of Cuba on Free To Air Satellite","author":"Thomas","date":"December 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, for the following guest post: A Little Taste of Cuba on Free To Air Satellite by Mario Filippi, N2HUN (All photos courtesy of author) Tropical countries have always held a fascination for me, Cuba being at the top of the interest totem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WS International Ku band offset dish with Chapparal Ku LNB","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Ku-Band-Dish-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Ku-Band-Dish-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Ku-Band-Dish-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46403,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/help-listening-to-npr-in-panama\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":1},"title":"Help listening to NPR in Panama?","author":"Thomas","date":"November 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"May thanks to SWLing Post reader, Aaron, who writes: Hello Thomas, We are moving to Panama full-time come January and I am a news junkie. The rural area we are moving to only has satellite internet which is very expensive and in not unlimited. Therefore I desperately need to figure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/NPR-HQ.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15755,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/guest-post-trip-down-shortwave-memory-lane-via-vintage-radioshack-catalogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":2},"title":"Guest post: Trip Down Shortwave Memory Lane via Vintage RadioShack Catalogs","author":"Thomas","date":"November 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario\u00a0Filippi (N2HUN), for the\u00a0following guest post: Trip Down Shortwave Memory Lane via Vintage RS Catalogs -Mario Filippi (N2HUN) Attached is a wonderful website containing archived Radio Shack catalogs and sales flyers going back to 1939, surely of interest to SWLs, hams, and other electronics\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RadioShack-Catalog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/RadioShack-Catalog.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/RadioShack-Catalog.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/RadioShack-Catalog.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54246,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/mario-shares-a-short-review-of-the-airspy-hf-discovery\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":3},"title":"Mario shares a short review of the Airspy HF+ Discovery SDR","author":"Thomas","date":"October 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post: A Short Review of the Airspy HF+ Discovery SDR by Mario Filippi (N2HUN) I recently purchased an AirSpy HF+ Discovery.\u00a0 As a SWL for over 60 years who\u2019s owned many shortwave radios by manufacturers such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221005Airspy-HF_-Discovery-SDR-Mario.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221005Airspy-HF_-Discovery-SDR-Mario.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221005Airspy-HF_-Discovery-SDR-Mario.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221005Airspy-HF_-Discovery-SDR-Mario.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221005Airspy-HF_-Discovery-SDR-Mario.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27332,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/guest-post-old-school-infrared-wireless-headphones\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":4},"title":"Guest Post: Old School Infrared Wireless Headphones","author":"Thomas","date":"July 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post: Old School (Infrared) Wireless Headphones by\u00a0Mario Filippi (N2HUN) Have you ever mindlessly walked away from your TV with headphones\/ear buds still tethered, causing all sorts of havoc? Been there, done that hi hi! Let\u2019s face it;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sony-cordless-headphones-e1501068828925.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sony-cordless-headphones-e1501068828925.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sony-cordless-headphones-e1501068828925.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sony-cordless-headphones-e1501068828925.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22477,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/radios-with-rotatable-am-antennas\/","url_meta":{"origin":15129,"position":5},"title":"Radios With Rotatable AM Antennas?","author":"Thomas","date":"November 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: With your broad knowledge of radios, wondering if you can add anything to this list of portable radios, past and present, that have 360 degree rotatable directional AM ferrite antennas. Reason is I am looking for an AM portable for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Panasonic RF-2200 sports a rotatable AM\/MW antenna","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Panasonic-RF2200-MtMitchell-3-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Panasonic-RF2200-MtMitchell-3-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Panasonic-RF2200-MtMitchell-3-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}