PANSAT3500SD Free-To-Air Satellite Learning Center

What You Should Know About FTA Satellite Receiver Clones

The first thing you should know about Free-To-Air satellite receiver clones is that they're illegal. The second thing you should know is that the online FTA receiver industry is rife with fly-by-night shysters out to make a quick buck. Misrepresentations, deceptive practices, various fictions, and — yes, outright lies — are rampant, especially on the internet.

Clone manufacturers will tell you that their FTA receiver is every bit as good as an original. (It's not.) They may promise you an "ironclad" warranty. (Good luck with that.) These faux satellite receivers are typically manufactured in China with substandard manufacturing processes and substandard components.

Quality matters. Nowhere is this more true than in the FTA satellite receiver industry. You'll simply never find a clone receiver whose quality equals that of the unit it purports to emulate. And the truth is, a clone probably won't save you more than ten to twenty bucks, and you may be buying a load of grief. Not worth it!