Anyone else into FTA satellite?

[meltdown75]

I just picked up a Viewsat Ultra receiver last night. Pointed it in the right direction, messed with it a little bit, and voila. TV! Pretty great channel lineup too, way better than my Canadian provider (Starchoice). What is cool is that I can switch from Dishnet to Bell Expressvu if I miss my TSN and Canadian content simply by moving the dish. At least now we get to tell Starchoice to stick their $60 monthly fee and constantly rising rates where the sun doesn't shine.

Anyone else into this? Great fun!

 

[meltdown75]

B.U.M.P.

Bring Up My Post

You don't need to be bumping your own OT posts, and especially not in 2 1/2 hours
Anandtech Moderator - bsobel

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
I just picked up a Viewsat Ultra receiver last night. Pointed it in the right direction, messed with it a little bit, and voila. TV! Pretty great channel lineup too, way better than my Canadian provider (Starchoice). What is cool is that I can switch from Dishnet to Bell Expressvu if I miss my TSN and Canadian content simply by moving the dish. At least now we get to tell Starchoice to stick their $60 monthly fee and constantly rising rates where the sun doesn't shine.

Anyone else into this? Great fun!

What are you using for a dish? An old dtv/dish network dish or your starchoice dish?

Have you hacked it yet?

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: meltdown75
I just picked up a Viewsat Ultra receiver last night. Pointed it in the right direction, messed with it a little bit, and voila. TV! Pretty great channel lineup too, way better than my Canadian provider (Starchoice). What is cool is that I can switch from Dishnet to Bell Expressvu if I miss my TSN and Canadian content simply by moving the dish. At least now we get to tell Starchoice to stick their $60 monthly fee and constantly rising rates where the sun doesn't shine.

Anyone else into this? Great fun!

What are you using for a dish? An old dtv/dish network dish or your starchoice dish?

Have you hacked it yet?

Yeah, my old Directv dish from the pirate card days. Worked like a charm. Apparently the Starchoice dish / LNB is set for different frequencies and angles. They sold me this little bracket that attaches to the LNB on the end of the old dish that holds an additional LNB. So now I am using that one dish to pull down 2 signals. I have to mess with it a little more tonight, just to tighten it up and get an optimal signal.

The receiver came "pre-activated" - so yeah, it works! Apparently when it goes down or gets zapped, I can just put a new .bin file on my USB stick and utilize the USB port on the front of the receiver for updating.

All told I spent $250 CDN for the receiver, LNB, switch and bracket - including tax. I just love those US satellite signals flowing freely over the border

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
You don't need to be bumping your own OT posts, and especially not in 2 1/2 hours
Anandtech Moderator - bsobel

Are you kidding me?

edit: oh well, it got a reply after I bumped it. nyah nyah

No. And if you have an issue with a mod statement, start a thread in PFI or PM Anandtech Moderator.
Anandtech Moderator - bsobel

 

[nakedfrog]

That sounds pretty cool. I'm guessing the same thing would work in the US?
I remember when we lived in Germany, the only way to get English TV was with a dish, and we had those pirate cards.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I'm guessing this is entirely illegal in the US?

 

[slag]

FTA or free to air receivers are legal to own. Once you hack them to get dish or dtv signals that would require a subscription, then they are illegal.

There is a lot of free programming floating around up there that anyone can get with a FTA receiver. You just have to know what birds (satellites) are broadcasting what and tune into that satellite.

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: slag
FTA or free to air receivers are legal to own. Once you hack them to get dish or dtv signals that would require a subscription, then they are illegal.

There is a lot of free programming floating around up there that anyone can get with a FTA receiver. You just have to know what birds (satellites) are broadcasting what and tune into that satellite.

Hmm...interesting. Is this all-digital, or analog, or mix? Do you get HD channels without the illegal hacking thing?

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga

Originally posted by: slag
FTA or free to air receivers are legal to own. Once you hack them to get dish or dtv signals that would require a subscription, then they are illegal.

There is a lot of free programming floating around up there that anyone can get with a FTA receiver. You just have to know what birds (satellites) are broadcasting what and tune into that satellite.

Hmm...interesting. Is this all-digital, or analog, or mix? Do you get HD channels without the illegal hacking thing?

There are definitely some HD channels but I only bought a standard receiver.