Where/how do I get an AFN satellite dish and decoder?
The Direct to Home (DTH) free satellite program has ended.
You can still get a dish and decoder from the AAFES BX/PX. They will rent you a decoder for $13 per month.
You will have to buy a dish (normally around $150 available on or off base), a mount, cable and connectors and have it installed yourself. The Power Zone at the BX/PX has a list of contract installers.

  The contract installers are a one-stop-shop that will will provide ALL mounting hardware and connection parts as part of their install package. Packages are anywhere from $100 to $200 per install. Be sure to talk to friends and colleagues who have had recent installs to gauge which installer is reputable, reliable and just plain "any good". Some can be quite sloppy.

Satellite Dish Tips  
You will need to install your dish where it will be protected from the wind. A direct hit typhoon can blow at up to 180 mph! I have seen dishes turned inside-out by a "near miss" typhoon. If you can't mount it somewhere safe, at least mount it where you can easily get to it to take it down when we reach Typhoon Condition (TC)-2. On some dishes it is easier to just remove the big circular reflector rather that the whole dish. This way you won't have to re-aim the dish when the typhoon passes.

The Okinawan climate is very corrosive. Coat all nuts, bolts and screws and their threads on your dish and mount with a liberal layer of grease at least once a year. This will make your dish last 4 years or more instead of just one. Especially for those living on a sea wall. It will also make it MUCH earier to take it down for typhoons. Coating with WD-40 only protects for only a couple months.

How do I receive the Over-the-Air broadcast signals?
The AFN broadcast signal is available to anyone with a regular American television set. Many locations will receive the signal with plain old "rabbit ears" but some require a roof-mounted antenna. AFN broadcasts on US channel 8.

 If you live off-base it is HIGHLY recommended that you set up at least one TV somewhere in your home to receive Channel 8. It is the only AFN TV station available off-base that broadcasts LOCAL AFN-OKINAWA INFORMATION, which is critical during a typhoon or heavy storm. There is no local information or programming sent over your satellite decoder... yet. AFN is still working on that. They have an AFN-OKinawa channel on the AFN satellite at channel 21 and hope to be inserting local information by 2010.
Keep in mind, your satellite signal is easily disrupted by heavy rain. Channel 8 may be your only source for TV during a storm.

AFRTS Satellite Handbook

AFRTS Direct To Home (DTH) Satellite Fact Sheet

Okinawa DTS Pacific Model 9835 Settings
A. On your remote, push the menu button to pull up the main menu on your television screen.
B. Once you are on the main menu, press 2. This will, take you to the Presets/LNB Menu.
C. Once you are on-the Preset/LNB-Menu, this is.the setting you should see.
Active: 3
Preset: 3
Downlink: 12.647
Sym Rate: 28:0
FEC Rate: Auto
Polarization: V
Network ID: 4
LO Freq#1: 9.750
LO Freq#2: 10.600
Crossover: 11.700
LO Select: LO2 (If this doesn't work, try Xover)

D. To change your Preset setting to match those above, you-use the arrow keys on your remote to move the highlight bar to the item to be changed. Push the OK button on the remote to clear the field, input the correct numbers using the remote, then push select again to lock the new information into the decoder.
E. Once all settings are correct, highlight the "Activate" function at the bottom of the screen and push the OK button.
F. Once the activation is completed, exit all, menus.

Any problems call AFRTS March ARB, CA
DSN: 312-348-1339
Comm: 951-413-2339
24/7 service provided
If you-are looking for information on the service provided (number of channels available, satellite dish setup, etc.) use the website listed below. http://myafn.net