I called him yesterday and I wanted a setup using a suggestion made here by @Luther12 below
That’s why I asked him to get an itemized invoice if possible. Basically, list and quantify the resources and then compare costs.
In his case, he mentioned:
i. 6’ pf dish (costs ~9.5k Luthuli; an 8’ pf will cost ~25k).
ii. V7 Combo decoder (~7k).
iii. C-band LNB (~2k).
iv. Astel RG-6 quality cable (~30 bob per meter).
v. F-connectors (~10 bob a piece).
vi. DiSEqC switch (4-port will cost ~400/=, unnecessary for a single sat/ LNB installation like his).
vii. Labor/ installation costs (negotiable).
viii. Miscellaneous costs (e.g transporting dish from shop to installation site, preparing surface for installation mount if not already available, etc. Cost not fixed).
I asked him if I could proceed using C-Band LNB and 6’ pf dish but the guy says it never works ati the local channels cannot be found and that they keep disappearing. By the way I’m interested in News(both local & International), Sports, documentaries, music, movies and cartoons. I therefore asked him to give a way forward and he says Zuku will be ok though I will be paying kitu 300. I was left wondering if by any chance he is a Zuku agent or he was giving me an honest opinion. I do not want to pay for TV since my mind was seriously set on FTA. Infact I had saved enough money for the venture. I honestly believe I can get a solution here.
Thanks.
At the moment, you can get Kenyan channels (as they appear in Signet) on IS-22 @72.1°E (C-band). I’ve tried it on a 6’ pf dish and signal struck me as a tad bit unstable which leads me to conclude that an 8’ pf dish will be most optimal for this. There’re a few Kenyan channels (KTNs, K24, and radio stations) on E70B @70.5°E (Ku-band) that I’m currently accessing using a 6’ pf and signal is very strong. Onto this I also added IS-906 @64.2°E (C-band) to access some Tz (EATV, Capital, ITV, and radio) channels.
For the rest of the channels, a combination of IS-20 @68.5°E (C-band) and Apstar-7 @76.5°E (C-band) offers the best mix. Once again, a 6’ pf is insufficient to bring in all the channels. 8’ pf is advised. Depending on your installer’s skills, an addition of Measat 3/3A @91.5°E (C-band) is possible but only on an 8’ pf dish.
In my experience, people who talk of sports usually mean EPL. Please note that literally all over the world, sports is considered premium and at the moment you’re unlikely to get EPL and most other sports/ games for free. Perhaps the ocassional game here and there once in a while.
It’ll not be possible to get all int’l news channels (you’ll access AJE, CNBC, NHK, BBC, CGTN, Arirang World, & CNN) on the above mentioned set up. To access the likes of DW, France-24, Euronews, Africanews, TRT World, etc you’ll have to get a second dish, preferably a 6’ pf. On this it’s possible to achieve a combination of SES-5 @5°E and Nilesats @7°W (both Ku-band) which will also give you access to even more movie and documentary channels (the likes of Dubai 1, MBCs, Arabiya, etc).
From the list you quoted at the beginning, nothing changes. Just pay attention to quality of LNBs. For Ku, I prefer Stargold Fuji SG900 single, Inverto Black Ultra Quad and Invacom C120 Twin (unavailable locally). For C-band you’re safer with Pauxis PX-2000 (recommended especially if there’s a WiMax or cellphone BTS within 200m of your set-up), Eurostar Gold, Eurostar ESCDT-700 dual, or Eurostar ES-21. In no particular order.
PS: I’m enjoying this hiphop mix in Kiss FM Tz, ABS-2 @75°E, Ku-band.
I finally found a guy who can assist with an installation in Kitale. Tafadhali ingia pale Telegram and get in touch with a guy by the username @jamats.