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Satellite TV Frequently Asked Questions List Archive-name: Satellite-TV/FAQ Last-modified: 1995/07/22 Copyright 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Gary Bourgois USENET SATELLITE FAQ LIST Frequently Asked Questions in rec.video.satellite / HOMESAT-L Compiled and Edited by Gary Bourgois, WB8EOH Send additions/further questions to flash@lopez.marquette.MI.US May be posted to other networks and individual systems provided it is not edited or modified in any form. DESTROY ALL PREVIOUS EDITIONS Gary Bourgois, FAQ Author --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: What do I need to receive Satellite TV? Who should own a Satellite Receiver? What types of things can I see with a satellite system that I might not find on Cable or Broadcast TV? How much will a satellite system cost me? Where can I get a list of all the satellites and satellite channels? Is there a good cheap book that will help me set up, align and repair my satellite system? In reference to a satellite communications system, what does a backhaul mean, and what does it physically represent? What about scrambling, isn't it all scrambled these days? How much does it cost to "descramble" the scrambled channels? How does my descrambler talk back to the satellite, and how does it know where I live so it can black out my local sporting events? Are the networks scrambled? What channels will never be scrambled? How do descramblers work? Where can i get the plans to build a descrambler so I can watch for free But what about the other scrambling systems used by broadcasters, how do THEY work? How small a dish can I use, and what is this DBS thing? Can I use a smaller dish for AUDIO only? What is the difference between PRIMESTAR and DSS? Can I get STAR TREK: Voyager on my satellite dish? WHEN is it ON? What does "BUD" mean (I see it all the time in postings on the net) How can i know which NBA and NHL games are on the birds? Can you watch more than one TV at the same time? Can I receive international satellites on my dish? What about this mysterious KU band? What does it cost to add KU to my system? What is an Inclined Orbit Satellite, and how can I receive them? How long does a satellite "last" and why do they get regularly replaced? It is early Spring (Fall) and I was watching my satellite dish and the picture got fuzzy and vanished. What happened? What is SCPC? What are DATS and SEDATS Audio, and how can I receive them. What digital information is available on satellite and how do I get it? What is the best satellite system for me? Isn't it difficult to install a satellite system? My community has restrictive covenants and dishes are not allowed. Is there anything I can do to install a dish? I live on a wooded lot with lots of trees. Is this a problem? How can I subscribe to the HOMESAT mailing list, since I don't get netnews? What other sources of info are there about home satellite? I have a question that was not on this list. How do I get an answer? Reference Section --------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED TO RECEIVE SATELLITE TV? A TVRO (TeleVision Receive Only) System consists of the following components: THE DISH This is the most visible component, a parabolic reflector which may consist of Solid Aluminum, Perforated Aluminum or WIRE MESH. Dish sizes vary from small (3-4 feet KU BAND, EUROPE) all the way to 16-20 Ft (USA Commercial C-BAND) with the average falling between 7-12 ft, 10 ft being most common. This device focuses the microwave signals coming from the satellites much as the mirror in a reflecting telescope concentrates the light from distant galaxies. THE MOUNT The most common type of dish mount is called a POLAR MOUNT, so named because it is oriented to coincide with the earth's axis, enabling it to "track" the satellites, which are spread out in geostationary orbit in a band of the sky called the "Clarke Belt", named after Arthur C. Clarke, who dreamed up the concept of geostationary communications satellites back in 1945. The mount is installed on a 3 inch pipe, which is sunk in concrete. Most (but not all) mounts require a 3.5" OD pole. In most (but not all) cases this is a 3" ID pipe. Schedule 40 works well, so does used "drill stem". In many areas, this is available from salvage dealers at very reasonable prices. (* OD refers to OUTER DIAMETER, ID refers to INNER DIAMETER) THE POSITIONER ARM (Actuator) A device containing a motor that is used to swing the satellite dish to allow it to focus on individual satellites, which may be as close to one another as 2 degrees of arc. Actuator arms are most commonly found in 18- and 24-inch lengths (the longer the arm, the wider the arc that the dish can "see".) In addition, a more expensive aiming mechanism, called a "horizon-to-horizon" actuator, is capable of more precise aiming (important on Ku band and closely-spaced satellites), as well as being able to see the entire satellite arc from your location. Many true dish heads have also added a second actuator to control the VERTICAL aspect (elevation) of the dish, to enable them to track inclined orbit satellites which "wobble" or vary in the vertical plane. THE LNB This is the Little gizmo that amplifies the very weak signals from the dish, and also converts them to a more suitable band of frequencies. LNB means LOW NOISE BLOCKCONVERTOR. Older systems consisted of separate components: LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) and a downconvertor which changed the received signals (3-4 GHz, or GIGAherz ....A GIGAHerz is one thousand megaHz....) to 70 Mhz. The "standard block" used today is 950 to 1450 Mhz. Both C and KU band (while they input on vastly different frequencies) output on the 950 to 1450 Mhz block. HOWEVER there are special consider- ations when dealing with KU (explained later) THE FEED ASSEMBLY The feedhorn acts as a microwave "funnel" if you want to think of it that way. This device places the LNB at the focus of the dish, and is usually just called "the feed". There are several different types of feeds. Single C band feed: Contains ONE C band LNB. A device called a POLAROTOR is located inside, which allows the reception of both vertically polarized and horizontally polarized channels. In general practice, the EVEN channels are on ONE polarity and the ODD channels are on the opposite polarity. The actual polarity scheme depends on the satellite in question. Dual C band feed: Allows the use of Two C band LNB's one for horizontal polarization and one for vertical. Dual Band Feed (C and KU): Has two separate LNB's, one for C band and one for KU band. DUAL C band and single KU band feed: (There is at least one version of this type of feed. The most popular Dual Band feedhorns are the Chaparral CO-ROTOR II Gardiner and ADL, though there are others on the market. While these are actually a compromise system, with some minor losses, in practice they work pretty well. SATELLITE CABLES This is a bundle of various wires and cables that run from the dish to the receiver, and consist of cables for the C and/or KU LNB's, Power to the LNB (Usually sent over the same COAXIAL CABLE) as well as power for the positioner arm, return signals for position readout, and control voltage for the polarotor. Power to actuator Arm (Two conductors) Return position readout from actuator (Two conductors) The position readout cable from the actuator to the actuator controller should have THREE conductors for the position sensor. For pot sensors, one is for the tap, the other two are for the resistor. For pulse sensors, one is ground, one is +5V, and the other is pulse input. Not all arms require all three connections, but my scrounged Saginaw special has some nifty hall-effect gizmo that does require power to generate pulses. Power to polarotor (Two conductors) Polarotors come in two different varieties. The "old style" just used a 12V motor to rotate the probe. Apply power, it moves. Reverse polarity, it changes direction. The new ones use a three wire connection. One for +5V, one for ground, and one for "pulse". RG-6U cable (rather than the often-seen RG-59U) is the cable of choice for the higher frequencies of satellite TV. RECEIVER There are many receivers available by a number of manufacturers, both new and used. The receiver takes the signal from the LNB and produces a TV picture from the wideband FM video, and also allows you to tune SUBCARRIER audio, which can provide many different audio only services such as MUSIC and TALK shows and even DATA TEXT reception. Newer receivers work with the standard 950-1450 mhz block that comes out of a standard LNB. Older ones use a direct 70 MHZ feed and have an LNA (low noise amplifier) and downconvertor at the dish. If you are on a budget, one of these older type receivers might be a good place to start, though most folks today use the more modern technology. Your receiver may also have a descrambler built in for decoding PAY services. This type of receiver is called an IRD or Integrated Receiver Descrambler. You need a descrambler for services like HBO and regular CABLE-TV type services (to be discussed later) DESCRAMBLER The DE-FACTO consumer descrambler is the VIDEOCIPHER system which is manufactured by General Instruments (G.I) in the USA. There are stand-alone decoders still available. However a major consider- ation is that at the present time, Descrambler technology is changing and older descramblers will not work under the new standards. Beware when buying an IRD (INTEGRATED, RECEIVER DESCRAMBLER) that the unit can be upgraded to the new VC-II+ and forthcoming VC-II+ RS (Renewable Security) if you plan on watching scrambled (Mostly Cable) services or Pay Per View movies and sports events. In Canada, the OAK-ORION system is another popular scrambling system, which is used by TELESAT CANADA on the ANIK (Canadian) satellites. These programs may NOT be subscribed to in the US Legally. There ARE some USA programs transmitted with the OAK-ORION system, primarily Horse Racing and Hospital programming. While it is LEGAL to own a OAK-ORION decoder, there are not enough services available in this format to warrant doing so. Unless a person is a REAL horse racing nut, and even then, getting the decoder AUTHORIZED to descramble the horse races is questionable. There are other scrambling systems in use in Europe. In the USA, there had been a serious market for "pirate" or "chipped" decoders, which receive scrambled services without the payment of subscription fees. This situation has lead to the change to the revised VC-II+ and forthcoming VC-II+ RS systems, which hope to thwart this piracy through the use of a renewable "credit card" type of chip system. Of course, this technology costs the consumer additional money, on top of subscription fees that for the most part are higher than comparable cable prices. Since the majority of the scrambled channels are owned by the cable TV conglomerates, who would prefer people subscribe to cable rather than view by satellite, the reasoning here is obvious. For this reason, satellite TV popularity in the USA has declined. More about scrambling later in this FAQ list. WHO SHOULD OWN A SATELLITE SYSTEM: Most owners of Satellite TV systems these days fall into the following categories: 1. Those who can not get cable due to isolated location. 2. Those who wish to receive programs not available on their local cable system. 3. People who desire the sharpest "blow you away" video picture possible (Studio Quality, far better than cable or over air) Or those who want DISCRETE stereo sound from channels or networks that are not carried in stereo in their local area. 4. News Junkies who want to see unedited news coverage from the source location, before it gets chopped up and packaged. 5. Experimenters and techy hobby types who enjoy tinkering. 6. Audiophiles who want to hear HUNDREDS of music services in superior quality. 7. Digital Information Junkies desiring info-text services. 8. Those who desire foreign Language programming. 9. Individuals who like to see certain TV shows BEFORE they are aired over the networks, often without commercials. 10. Those in search of additional programming, including pay per view movies. 11. SPORTS NUTS... There is more sports on satellite than any human being can STAND. Virtually EVERY game of EVERY team is up there SOMEWHERE.... Much of it as "Backhauls" which are not scrambled, and often do not have commercials. 12. Those who want to watch programs earlier or later than seen on their local stations. For example, on the West Coast you can watch David Letterman at 9:30 PM PST (or watch it at 3:30 AM Eastern time on the Pacific feed). If you see a music video you *really like* on the MTV Eastern feed, you can tape it 3 hours later on the MTV Western feed. 13. Those who want to watch Gene Scott 24 hours a day. 14. RADIO NUTS. With the proper additional equipment there are hundreds of additional audio services receivable, including AM and FM stations from major cities, TALK SHOWS, every kind of music imaginable, and very SPECIALIZED formats. Some Satellite owners actually spend more time LISTENING to the signals on their dish than WATCHING. (See the SCPC Paragraph further down this FAQ list for more info) 15. Culture Vultures. If you like Ballet, Art Films, Concerts, documentaries, Foreign Films, There are many opportunities here, including a FREE Art Channel that runs snippets of Concerts and Performances WITHOUT COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION 24 Hours a day. Just about everyone could find themselves in ONE of the above categories. WHAT TYPES OF THINGS CAN I SEE WITH A SATELLITE SYSTEM THAT I MIGHT NOT FIND ON CABLE BROADCAST TV OR DBS? Live uncensored coverage of news feeds, with no anchor man or reporter, just see the news as it happens before live cameras. Major events like the WACO debacle and the L.A. riots from multiple feed points, YOU select the angle and shot you want to watch. Teleconferences and meetings of various businesses and organizations, while many of these are scrambled, quite a few are not. Specialty and narrowcast shows, some examples include a 24 hour gold prospecting channel, a channel for long haul truckers, etc. College lectures and advanced courses, not just the simple brain dead stuff of the Mind extension University, but REAL graduate level stuff, watch for knowledge, or take the course for credit. A full time channel from NASA, including complete 24 hour coverage of all space missions, not just the launch and selected tidbits. See space experiments being performed, and just look out the window at the earth revolving below. Several channels of Canadian TV which is superior to American TV, also Mexican TV, which includes first run movies in English with spanish subtitles. Unscrambled. BBC TV Breakfast News, ITN news, News from Moscow TV, Paris TV (in French), TV Madrid, German TV 24 hours a day, Italian TV, a channel of TV from the Asian subcontinent which runs popular Indian and Pakistani films with no commercial interruptions (Subscription required). Portuguese TV, Japan TV, A Greek Channel, Chinese TV, A channel for Eskimos (Inuit), Arab TV, and many other international broadcasts. 1000 or so AUDIO channels, including every conceivable music format, 24 hour BBC world service Radio in FM studio quality. Talk shows, and relays of local radio stations in many cities all across the USA. Several channels of reading services for the blind, with newspapers, magazines and books read aloud. More sports than a human could stand. Every game in every sport is available on at least one satellite channel. Some sports like Baseball scramble games, but the NHL does not scramble. Pro and College sports, minor leagues, Australian Football, World Cup Soccer, Stanley Cup Hockey. Many games with NO COMMERCIALS. All the Auto Racing that a Car Nut could STAND... Narrowcast Religious programming from smaller and minority faiths, including Hindu, 7th Day Adventist (Three Channels), Scientology, and unusual sects of Christian and non Christian beliefs. Alternate Political views, even Nazi Programming, since FCC rules do not apply to satellite broadcasting. Right Wing, Left Wing, Wacky or wonderful, Satellite TV is the only free thinking broadcasting outlet on the planet. A talk network devoted to high tech electronics and communications. New product rollouts and demonstrations designed for distributors and the press. Newsworthy and not so newsworthy Press Conferences in their entirety. Court trials. Horse and Dog Racing. Every Lottery drawing in the country LIVE. Previews of TV shows that may or may not make it to the networks. Regular Syndicated and network shows feed from the studios without the commercials, up to a week before the official broadcast, sometimes the final broadcast gets edited, Satellite viewers see the shows UNCUT. Six separate channels of PBS programming. "Other" not too common shows in the British and/or PBS arena can be found. Shows like Eastenders, Upstairs/Downstairs, and the Bravo Channels "Six Wives of Henry VIII". Or is it 8 wives of Henry 6th :) A behind the scenes look at newsroom operations, listen to the reporters discussing news stories BEFORE they start talking to the regular viewers. See well known newscasters have tantrums live. During the Russian Coup Attempt, satellite owners had a 24 hour camera and microphone running on the roof of a hotel in moscow, and we listened to the scuttlebutt, watched them track down rumors, and saw them eating their lunch. Crystal clean uplinks of special events (such as the recent CMA awards) direct from the event, before commercials are added by the network. Most of the programming mentioned is unscrambled (Free) and can be picked up with any satellite system, including one you can put together yourself for less than $500. HOW MUCH WILL A SATELLITE SYSTEM COST ME? You can pay upwards of $2,000 to $3,000 for a top of the line system completely installed. A brand new do it yourself system will run between $800 and $1500, with $1200 about average. HOWEVER, if you are resourceful, you can set up a system for $200-$500 which will provide decent pictures and hours of entertainment. Several members of the net have put together systems for less than $100, even FREE. My own first system cost $40 complete. It was primitive but was a start, and got me hooked pretty quickly. I have written an article called: THE SCROUNGER'S GUIDE TO SATELLITE TV Which details how to go about putting together a low budget (Under $500) system that would include stereo audio and SCPC. The article gives hints, sources for used equipment, and recommended texts to help you assemble and track the system. NOTE: This is not a plug-and-play kind of thing, your scrounged system will require EFFORT on your part, and it will take TIME to assemble the various components. You will INSTALL and SET UP all the equipment yourself. If you have a couple thousand dollars laying around, you can pay a dealer for a complete system. The SCROUNGER'S GUIDE is for someone who does not mind putting forth TIME and EFFORT to achieve the goal of a cheap system. If you want this article, just ask for it by writing to roberts@mia.com and requesting the SCROUNGER'S GUIDE. I ask you to write to this address because effective May 5, 1995 I will be off the net until I can find another way to access the network. NOTE: You will get your reply by EMAIL. Do not send me a postal address, except under the guidelines that state how to receive things by postal mail, which is outlined later in this FAQ. I do not send Postal mail except to those who have no net access, AND who pay for the costs of copying and mailing the material. ~~~ WHERE CAN I GET A LIST OF ALL THE SATELLITES AND SATELLITE CHANNELS? There are Satellite TV guides available that have a partial listing of what is in the sky, and these also include program listings for the various regular program services. You should be able to find at least ONE of them at any news stand. ORBIT and ONSAT are the two most widely available guides. ORBIT is a huge monthly book, and onsat is a weekly. Satellite TV week also is a weekly in a tabloid format. If you are just interested in knowing WHAT is up there, and desire a comprehensive listing of ALL the satellites and Channels, there is no finer list than the SOUTHSCANNER CHART, which is available here in Homesat/rec.video.satellite every month. If you can't wait, write for your copy (It is huge, about 100 pages long if you PRINT it) and has full information about every occupied transponder in the arc. Write to Robert Smathers, the list author at: roberts@nmia.com IS THERE A GOOD CHEAP BOOK THAT WILL HELP ME INSTALL, ALIGN AND REPAIR MY SATELLITE SYSTEM? Frank Baylin has written a very good reference book called: "Install, Aim and Repair Your Satellite TV System" This book is clearly written, and includes ALL the info you need to properly tune up your dish, find the satellites, and get the best reception. It also will help you diagnose any problems that come along, and tells you what to replace or tweek to get your reception back on the beam. Lots of photographs and diagrams, IDEAL for the beginner. The book is $9.95 + $3 S/H from: Universal Electronics Bookstore 4555 Groves Road, Suite 12 Columbus, OH 43232 IN REFERENCE TO A SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, WHAT DOES A BACKHAUL MEAN, AND WHAT DOES IT PHYSICALLY REPRESENT?? Backhauls are signals sent from a remote location back to a network operating center. Usually, but not always on KU band, these are special events and sports. Since the commercials are usually added by the network, the backhaul has no commercials, and you get to hear the announcers talk and see them play with the video effects when the signal is not being broadcast to the world (before, after the event and during commercial breaks). What is needed at the backhaul site are cameras, microphones, audio and video mixing and effects equipment, and an uplink transmitter and small dish to send the signal to the satellite. At the network operating center, there is a downlink (receive) dish, and a receiver to pick up the signal, and pipe it into the audio and video chain of the network so that it can be sent to those unlucky people who don't have satellite dishes and have to watch these broadcasts on regular TV or Cable WHAT ABOUT SCRAMBLING, ISN'T IT ALL SCRAMBLED THESE DAYS? This is a common misconception. While it is true that most of the CABLE services are scrambled, many of us see this as a feature. If you DO desire HBO, THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL, ETC, you WILL need a[ descrambler, AND a subscription to these services. However, there are over 150 channels of programming "In the clear" that is NOT scrambled, and many of these provide a lot of entertainment and information. It all depends on your personal taste. Most of the sporting events are not scrambled. PBS is not scrambled (Four separate feeds) and many other services are also available free for the taking. NOT to mention HUNDREDS of audio services. There is more on satellite that you can get for FREE than you would ever have time to watch. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO "DESCRAMBLE" THE SCRAMBLED CHANNELS? First you need a descrambler. If you get a new system, most likely you will get an IRD, which comes with the descrambler built in. Just make sure it WILL upgrade to the VC-II RS, and understand that this upgrade may cost you additional money when this system is implemented. The descrambler will add around $400 to the cost of your satellite system. Next you need a subscription. Movie channels will run you around $7 a month or so, actually less than cable, but you do get taken for a bit of a ride on the "generic" cable channels such as DISCOVERY, CNN, etc. You can not generally by one channel, certainly not at a reasonable cost. Most subscriptions to the "generic" cable channels (which does not include premium/movie channels) will cost between $150-$300 a year above and beyond the cost of the descrambler itself. Some say this is why piracy has flourished. Piracy is illegal. If caught with a pirate decoder, you can be fined or jailed. Certainly if you sell such equipment, you can count on heavy fines, and jail time. Piracy is not good for anyone. Pay for your subscription, or do like many of us on the net and watch ONLY programming that is NOT scrambled. WHAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE HERE? You can buy channels in packages like cable TV, or ala carte. The packages are not necessarily a better deal. If you don't ever watch 25% of the channels in the package, you are probably better off buying ala carte. You can also buy most channels on a monthly or annual basis. You save 5 to 10% through annual purchases. Price ranges for various channels: Low rent cable channels (A&E, BRAVO, etc.) $0.79 - 1.00/month Network packages (Denver 5 or Primetime 24) $4.00 - 5.00/month Premium Channels (Disney, HBO, TMC, etc.) $7.00 -10.00/month HOW DOES MY DESCRAMBLER TALK BACK TO THE SATELLITE? HOW DOES IT KNOW WHERE I LIVE SO IT CAN BLACK OUT SPORTS EVENTS OF MY LOCAL TEAMS? Your Descrambler does not "talk back" to the satellite through your IRD. In the case of VIDEOPAL, which is an automatic PAY PER VIEW ordering system, your descrambler is hooked to the phone line. When you order a PPV Movie, it will place a call to the ORDER center once a month and tell them what movies you ordered. This is the only "talk back" system built into the VIDEOCIPHER, and this is only on the units that have VIDEOPAL. The VCRSi boards (Purple/pink in color) do not have this feature, so you have to call the order center 800 number yourself and order the movie by voice, so it is no big deal. As far as "knowing" where you live for sports blackout purposes, this is a very low tech operation. What they do is have the computer search the index of subscribers by ZIP CODE. If you live in 600XX you won't see the Chicago Cubs, for example. Many people get around the sports blackout "feature" of the Subscription system by having their Auntie in Keokuck do their subscribing for them. Then they can get all the sports with no blackouts. This "Grey Market" kind of thing is also used by Canadians so they can get USA programming (And by Americans so they can watch Canadian Programming). While technically illegal, and not recommended, this type of thing is done every day by sports fanatics. ARE THE NETWORKS SCRAMBLED? ABC is almost entirely scrambled, with some feeds in the clear. NBC is Presently totally unscrambled, as is FOX. CBS is usually scrambled, but they still have quite a bit in the clear. The scrambling used by the networks is such that you can not receive it with a home decoder. Totally different methods are used. CBS uses VIDEOCIPHER _ONE_ (completely different than the VCII used in home systems). ABC uses LEITCH for its scrambled feeds. Networks are scrambled to protect the affiliates. Your local station does not want you watching the network shows direct from the birds with 400+ lines of resolution and discrete stereo sound, which anyone would do given half a chance. They want you to watch the LOCAL commercials, so convinced the nets to scramble their feeds. For those who can not receive the networks over the air, the only choice is to subscribe to NETLINK's DENVER FIVE package or The Atlantic Three or PRIME TIME 24. Interestingly, network NEWS feeds are usually in the clear! If you are a news hound, this will be GOOD news for YOU. The PRIME TIME ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK (PTEN) backhauls its programs several days before they are broadcast on the over the air TV channels. These transmissions are in the clear, as are most SYNDICATED feeds. PARAMOUNT feeds (Deep Space Nine) are not scrambled. Same with all other syndicated programming. UPN (Star Trek Voyager, and other prime time programming) is all in the clear, and they also run pre feeds. WB (Warner Brothers Network) is not scrambled. PBS is not scrambled on their C band feed. WHAT CHANNELS WILL NEVER BE SCRAMBLED? For the foreseeable future, there should always be SOMETHING in the clear, though with the conversion to digital transmission, a new definition may be needed for "unencrypted digital transmission" which would be available free, but would require a digital decoder. Digital TV will be the future, not only for satellite, but for cable and YES even broadcast TV by the year 2000 or so. Raw feeds, backhauls, audio, etc. may never be scrambled. Gene Scott will probably never scramble. The non cigar smoking religion channels also won't. And those few channels AIMED at home dish owners won't scramble. Usually when a new channel comes along, like the SCI FI channel, it does not scramble right away, and some like the LEARNING CHANNEL, COURT TV and CSPAN, though designed for cable have managed to remain in the clear for years. Shopping Channels will never scramble. Some channels, NOT entrenched in cable, will not scramble. There are several channels which program for the "LOW POWER TV" market (Channel America, Main Street TV, etc) and these are in the clear, and do have some interesting programs. CBC from Canada is not scrambled. PBS will always have at least ONE channel in the clear. NASA SELECT does not scramble their main channel, though, unfortunately, the "mission video" contract channel began scrambling in the summer of 1992. Audio feeds are not scrambled (Subcarrier, FM Squared, SCPC), though there is more and more of a move to DATS (Digital Audio Transmission Service) which can not be received by the home dish owner. Yet. HOW DO DESCRAMBLERS WORK? Each VC-II+ has a unique ID number, which you give to programming services to subscribe to a channel or package. The programming service broadcasts your ID number, and a special code that instructs your descrambler to work when tuned to a subscribed channel. I AM AN ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN, WHERE CAN I GET THE PLANS TO BUILD A DESCRAMBLER SO I DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO WATCH SCRAMBLED CHANNELS? or WHERE CAN I BUY A DECODER SO I CAN WATCH ALL THE PAY CHANNELS FOR FREE? You would be amazed at how many times we receive this question, usually in EMAIL. Most people who are not familiar with how scrambling works, wrongly assume it is some kind of a hardware circuit that can be constructed with components from the local Radio Shack. BZZZZZZZZT wrong answer. The present system used in the USA, and by most of the more secure video channels in Europe and elsewhere on the planet use a far more sophisticated system, one that is "addressable". The current system employs what is called "sound in sync". The audio portion of the program is encoded as little winky dots hidden in the sync pulses (the bars on the top or side of the screen that you do not normally see except when your set is misadjusted. This digital encoding also allows them to say "DIGITAL SOUND" a nice buzzword. The audio is a compandered 15 bit system. Some with "golden ears" find the sound raspy, but most folks can not tell the difference. The real reason the sound is digital is NOT to provide sound quality, but rather to insure that unauthorized reception is not all that easy, and a decoder can not be built from scratch. The scrambling system uses a dual decryption key system, and is based on the USA DES encryption standard (this is a military sensitive system, making export of VCII type decoders illegal). The scrambling method consists of: 1. The authorization center (in California) which creates the master datastream. This datastream contains a digitally derived key based upon the serial number of EACH authorized decoder and a "Tier bit" for EACH channel it is authorized to receive (determined by PAYING for the service) 2. "SEED KEYS" in the receiver itself which are COMBINED with the other half of the key (transmitted by the authorization center) to then create the master key used to decode the audio and turn on the video descrambling circuit (The VIDEO is a simple matter to decode, as it is only video inversion and sync suppression). But WAIT! What about these pirated decoders that one can buy for about $1000 that claim to give you all the channels free? Didn't some electronic genius BUILD them? No. What the pirates did was to create "clones" of the chips in one legal decoder that they paid to have authorized. They then removed the chips from other legally purchased decoder boards, and put their "pirate chips" in their place. The result is that whatever the master parent box sees, so does all it's clone child boxes. The rub here is that: 1. The pirates, after making a few million dollars in sales from their clones, moved to the Caribbean, out of USA law. At this time they also stopped paying for the subscription on their ONE legal decoder from whence all the clones are derived. POOF. All the clones go dead. 2. Other pirates, not as smart get caught by the FBI. The FBI turns the serial numbers over to the authorization center. POOF. Same scenario. All the clones go dead. 3. Some pirates were not caught. Some clones still live. HOWEVER, G.I. (the company who makes the decoders) CHANGES the scrambling system this fall to a totally new method. POOF. Etc. Cloning is the main method of pirating the signals. No one has EVER built a VIDEOCIPHER descrambler from scratch. The very technology employed requires that the system co operate with the authorization codes transmitted along with the TV signal. There is no hardware way around this. It is a software scramble, requiring TWO halves of the code. There is a second method of descrambling, which involves entering the other half of the key MANUALLY with the keyboard. This is called "WIZARD" Technology. However since the code changes every month, a new WIZARD Code must be entered. To obtain these codes, some pirates set up 900 type phone numbers. The FBI then gets a printout of everyone who calls. POOF. Recently, the programmers have taken to a new tactic to foil the wizard code users. Instead of monthly changes, they started changing the codes every three days or so. There was an unhappy side effect of some LEGAL users and Cable Companies also losing their authorization, but we can expect these tactics, called ECM, or Electronic Counter Measures to continue. We understand that this methodology HAS been successful in discouraging some of the die hard pirates, finally convincing them to get legal boxes. Since HBO and Showtime finally dumpped the VC2 commercial Datastream in October of 1993, pirate boxes just plain no longer work. An older hack that no longer works was called the THREE MUSKETEER HACK. (All for one and one for all). If a person subscribed to ONE channel, the modified decoder chip then descrambled them ALL. This one died a LONG time ago. GI Turned off all the old 032 boxes with an ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) on March 15, 1993. The VCII Decoders will ALL stop working soon. Then to continue to receive programming, you need a VCII+. All LEGAL subscribers were supposed to receive free upgrades. Those with pirated decoders could not upgrade, and lost their investment. The VCII+ RS (Renewable Security) decoders have already been delivered, one step of security above the VCII+. The RS has a little slot for a "smartcard" which will be sent to legal subscribers when the pirates break the VCII+ code. And DIGICIPHER decoders are already coming on the market, which will be the NEXT kind of decoder on the market AFTER the VCII+ RS. You can't keep up with it if you don't have a legal subscription. Scrambling is a fact of life. It is not going to go away. There are three ways to play: 1. Pay for your subscription. In the end this is the cheapest way to go if you MUST watch the couch potato type programming offered on scrambled channels. Your $1000 pirate decoder can (and will) go dead on you, with NO recourse. 2. Just say NO to descrambling and watch the HUNDREDS of free and more interesting signals available. Listen to the free audio services. Save LOTS of money. 3. Don't listen to what I have said and find a pirate decoder. Enjoy it while it lasts, and hope that the FBI does not visit you. PIRACY is a crime in the USA and in other countries. Pirates are caught, fined and in some cases jailed. The justification for this is that the scrambled signals are the property of the PROGRAMMERS. If you watch without paying you are stealing. Some people try and justify piracy by saying the signal comes on their property uninvited. This argument, while it sounds good does not hold up in court. Scrambling remains a HOT issue in the industry. Publications exist in the US and elsewhere with news of various methods pirates use to steal programming. You can join this underground if you want to. Or you can purchase a legal decoder, and hope that they continue to provide free upgrades with EACH change in the scrambling technology (there are THREE more changes already known to be coming to the USA scrambling scene). However now at least you know. You can't go to Radio Shack and get the parts to make a descrambler for $15. It is NOT that kind of a system. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SCRAMBLING SYSTEMS USED BY BROADCASTERS, HOW DO THESE WORK? There are a number of "other" scrambling systems used for analogue video information. These systems are used by broadcasters and closed circuit channels, and not available to the home user. We are often asked how the scrambling systems work technically, so here is a brief course in other scrambling systems: 1) BMAC - Used by AFRTS, Horse Racing Channels, KU band Hospitality premium channels, Private business feeds (IBM, ETC) Very complex signal. Multiplex Analogue Component. The color info for the line is sent as part of the line in video form. Because of this, there is no viewable video. BMAC gives itself away by the "Shark's Teeth" look to it. The audio is also hidden in the video signal. 2) Leitch - Used by ABC, Global (Canadian) and some sporting events. The video is a line renumbering scheme. The top 120 lines of the screen are put at the bottom and vice versa, then they are renumbered in their respective half screens. Very distinctive (just look at ABC or GLOBAL to see it) . Also uses phase inversion every other line for the color information, which is why it looks black and white. The shuffling is done by a psuedo random algorithm, and changes from field to field. The color is lost because the horizontal sync is much narrower and so the color burst is in the wrong place. Audio is 4 level encrypted PCM in the area immediately after the narrow Horizontal Sync pulse. There are also usually analogue audio subcarriers. 3) OAK ORION - Used by CANCOM for the Canadian feeds, also now used by North American Chinese Television on K2 Is Oak Orion like Oak sine wave used by some cable companies? OAK sine wave and OAK orion are very different. OAK ORION is more like VIDEOCIPHER except that included in the OAK is an inversion bit (on one of the lines in the vertical interval) that tell the descrambler to run normal or inverted video. The change from normal to inverted is somehow related to scene changes, possibly by a trigger based on brightness level. SOmetimes it will stay in one mode for minutes before switching to the other mode (positive or negative video) OAK sine wave puts a big sinewave into a POSITIVE image and fools the Horizontal sync, thus making the picture TEAR. OAK SINEWAVE always has audio in the clear. OAK ORION has sound in sync just like Videocipher. 4) Videocipher ONE - Used by CBS and Major League Baseball Generally the audio is in the clear, and it looks like you are looking through a wavy watery screen. VC-ONE uses variable psuedo random LINE DELAY meaning that the beginning of each line of video occurs at a different part of the scan line. If you squint you can almost make out the picture. The color information is not exactly right, and the images seem darker than normal also. VC-ONE was the original system proposed for HBO by MACOM back in the mid 1980's, but was not adopted due to the expense of the total system. ALL of these scrambling/descrambling systems are much more expensive than Videocipher-II. And all are fairly secure. BMAC has been cracked by pirates at least for the HOSPITALITY channels (Premium movies for Hotels), but we expect that hole will eventually be plugged. The cracked decoders will not pick up other services, though. ARE THERE ANY OTHER SCRAMBLING SYSTEMS? There is another line renumbering system like Leitch, used for some sporting events, but it does not recompute the line numbers, nor does it invert the phase, so the colors are all there, and you can see things moving quite well. This is a much simpler system, but still very secure, and impossible to watch. TDF1 on the 27 degree Intelsat has the strangest scrambling system I have ever seen. They take a big box out of the center of the screen, and then turn it UPSIDE DOWN and also BACKWARDS. You can see everything, but you have to turn your TV upside down or stand on your head. Or watch a mirror on the Ceiling! (No I am not kidding, this transmission began in July of 1994) OK I UNDERSTAND ALL THAT VCII+RS+BS+LSMFT STUFF... BUT WHAT THE HECK IS D I G I C I P H E R AND WILL THIS CAUSE THE SKIES TO GO DARK????????? There are alarmist types with agendas of their own who are jumping all over the satellite talk programs preaching the gloom and doom of DIGICIPHER. As with all technology, there is forward motion, and satellite scrambling is no exception. There have now been THREE "Last Decoders You Will Ever Need" and DIGICIPHER will be the next. You can't stop it, it is already here. At this writing of the FAQ, HBO is already testing the technology, and PBS will be is also using it. However, you should know there are two forms of DIGICIPHER, namely 1 and 2, which use MPEG1 and MPEG2 respectively. DIGICIPHER II is not yet available, and won't be til late 1995. The skies are NOT going to go dark. The programmers are NOT going to stop offering their programming to subscribers. However, due to the lost of T402, and the transponder shortage, some channels are opting to go digicipher. These are primarily new channels, or some like COURT TV who have traditionally been in the clear (Cable Companies stealing the OJ trial and not paying COURT TV are responsible for their sudden jump to DIGICIPHER as of July 1995). The problem at the moment is that though GI would like to be the standard for digital encryption, they are NOT. There are at least FIVE different digital systems being used by various channels. Here are just SOME of the players: GI / DIGICIPHER ONE, DIGICIPHER TWO. PBS is using Digicipher ONE for its KU feeds to affiliates. They plan to convert to Digicipher TWO when the equipment becomes available, some time in 1996. At this time we are told there will be a HOME Digicipher unit. Cost for the receiver will be in the HIGH end ($2000) range. You must replace your present IRD, Digicipher is not compatible with current receive technologyes, so there can be no "Add on" box. Your present receiver does not even pass the digital information, due to the Modulation Scheme. SA / Scientific Atlanta The SA system is used by several players, including Galavision, who later DID relent and bring back an encrypted analogue feed, because of VIEWERS. SA is a major corporation, and we expect they will continue to have a significant penetration. SA is also used by many corporate uplinkers for private transmissions. TVCOMM Though committed to an open technology, this system does not have the backing of major programmers at this time, but we are very early in the game. Those who bemoan the new technology have the same mind set that would have us all listening to shellac phonograph records being played with steel needles. Rather than cry about it, the smart thing to do is to accept it. And buy STOCK in G.I. instead of calling them the ENEMY. Send EMAIL for transcripts of the interviews with Jim Shelton and Peter Knowles regarding the future of digital TV. WHAT DOES THE NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY MEAN TO ME... BOTTOM LINE. If you now subscribe to HBO or any of the other scrambled services and just got your new VCII+ RS unit, you can count on being able to enjoy it through to the end of the warranty period (three years). They won't turn off the VCII+ datastream next year REGARDLESS of what the DOOMSAYERS are saying. They can't. The cable companies won't let them, and they would be in legal hot water from many other entities if they did. If you do not have a descrambler yet, and can live for the moment WITHOUT pay services, WAITING is an option. However if you really want scrambled programming, Then spend the $360 and get the VCII+RS Descrambler, as we firmly believe programming will be there using this technology for several more years, though GI is really pushing Digicipher now like never before. Programmers also have bundled packages that include the VCII+ RS descrambler. Go for it if you want to be a REAL couch potato. All the VCII+ signals are now on ONE end of the arc, and jumping from bird to bird is VERY FAST now, almost as fast as CABLE channel flipping. SOMETHING TO KNOW: DIGICIPHER uses a completely different modulation scheme. As we understand it, there will be no such thing as a Digicipher "Module", as in Videocipher. You will have to buy a completely new receiver, called an IRT or Integrated receiver Transcoder. While there was initially some talk of a possible stand alone front end receiver, I would not hold my breath. I would begin saving. Figure that a DIGICIPHER receiver will be a High End device, priced around $1,500 to $2,000. PBS is using Digicipher ONE initially but will go to Digicipher TWO when it becomes available. Digicipher TWO receivers will receive BOTH formats, as well as the older VIDEOCIPHER, which is good news. This new receiver will thus bring you ALL the available subscription programming. HOW SMALL A DISH CAN I USE, AND WHAT IS THIS DBS THING? While many of us dream of the BIGGEST dish possible, for some reason I can not fully comprehend (except that it has to do with Wives and Neighbors) some folks want a teensy tiny dish. Obviously a small dish will not bring you the joys of the chase, or the WIDE variety of things those of us with full capability systems enjoy, but as they say, different strokes for different folks. For C band, a 7 foot dish will give very useful performance these days. If you are primarily interested in just cable type stuff, a 4 or 5 foot dish will bring you reasonable reception on some of the more powerful C band satellites (Like G5, home of the SCI FI CHANNEL) and a 3 footer will bring in some of the more powerful KU satellites. A caller to my Friday Night Live Satellite Talk Show said he was listening on a 2 foot dish. BUT even smaller dishes are available now. A new venture featuring 120 watt transponders from a fixed location has started operation. This new service called DirectTV is backed by Hughes-Thompson-RCA, and will probably succeed where SKYPIX did not. The system employs an 18 inch dish, and a special addressable receiver. This receiver will NOT receive other satellites, ONLY the one fixed system it is designed for. It will be fully addressable, AND basically DirectTV is nothing more than a CABLE COMPANY IN THE SKY. Your receiver won't work if you don't pay the monthly bill, which will could run you MORE than cable depending on your options. Pay Per View movies will also be available, probably for $4 each or there- abouts. The hardware will cost you between $700 to over $1000 just to have the priviledge of PAYING for EVERYTHING YOU WATCH. You can scrounge a TVRO (big dish) system for the same or less, and see PLENTY of FREE stuff. For some people, though, DBS will be just the thing they have been waiting for, especially those who can not get cable and WANT cable. These folks will see the costs as justified, and won't mind dealing with only ONE source. However, one thing to bear in mind. For now, DBS is a monopoly. It will not be compatible with any other system, including all the millions of dishes and receivers already in place. Remember, if you can tolerate a larger dish, you can receive over 200 video and HUNDREDS of audio channels for FREE, no monthly charge. We personally feel this is a greater value, and if you DO want premium or pay programming it is ALL available already NOW with a conventional satellite system, which can be had for very little money when you come right down to it. Still, we do believe that DirectTV will probably be a big hit. In Europe, the ASTRA satellite system has revolutionized the distribution of TV shows. Cable did not have a very strong foothold there in most countries, and there are thousands of ASTRA systems being sold every month. We expect this will happen in the USA as well. What it means to the present satellite industry remains to be seen, but we know this much: Nothing stays the same especially when it comes to SATELLITE TV. A consideration: at present there are TWO different DBS systems, DSS and PRIMESTAR. They use two totally incompatible methods of signal delivery. Other DBS systems are on the horizon. Those first on the market are not always the ones that survive. Remember the Quasar Great Time Machine VCR? Remember BETAMAX? Remember the SELECTAVISION CED VIDEODISK that played with a needle? Remember 8 Track audio tapes? Early adopters sometimes get left holding the bag. A third DBS system is slated to arrive in late 1995 or early 1996, run by Charlie Ergen. This venture will be called ECHOSTAR. As of now, it is not known what technology he will use. It could very well be a THIRD incompatible system! In any case, since the DBS dishes do not move, even if they were compatible systems, you are pretty well locked into ONE supplier of audio and video, and you PAY for it all. With a BUD or TVRO, you can chose from MANY different suppliers, and also you have a ton of FREE channels. For more information about DBS, get the DBS FAQ. If you have USENET ACCESS you should FIRST look in rec.video.satellite.dbs If you absolutely can not find it there, then and only then write to the author: Rich Peterson <rich@ncs.com> This FAQ discusses the new and forthcoming DBS systems, primarily DirectTV. You will find it very informative. CAN I USE A SMALLER DISH FOR AUDIO ONLY. For strong subcarrier signals, a smaller dish will work quite well. For general reception of most wide band and some narrowband signals, a good 6 footer, such as the new Orbitron 6 foot dish with MICROMESH will provide perfectly satisfactory reception. 4 or 5 foot dishes will give good audio performance on wideband audio carriers and if you can accept some noise, a cheap 3 foot dish would at least provide you a signal on BBC or other strong signals, though there will be some hiss, it will still be better than shortwave reception. Experimenters claim to have gotten decent audio with a two foot dish. However if you live on the outer portions of the USA (Florida, California, Washington State, Maine, etc) you will need a bigger dish to get the same quality as someone in the central USA in most cases. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIMESTAR AND DSS? This question answered by Monty Solomon Primestar is a service similar to DirecTV/USSB (often collectively called DBS or DSS) but different in several respects. WHAT PRIMESTAR AND DBS HAVE IN COMMON: The provider (DirecTV, USSB, or Primestar) decides what programming to put on their system, and if you want the Mack Truck Channel and the provider has chosen not to include it in its lineup, you are SOL. In this way, your relationship with the provider is similar to that with a cable company. A comparitively small dish is used and there is no need to rotate it. You must pay the provider monthly fees for the programming you want; there is no free programming. Choices include package deals, ala carte channels, PPV, etc. Programming is sent on the (roughly) Ku band, so rain storms can cause outages or poor pictures. HOW PRIMESTAR AND DBS DIFFER: The Primestar equipment is leased, so you don't have to go out on the limb of buying the equipment without knowing how satisfied you will be with the result, whether your interest will decline, etc. There is, however, a non-refundable installation fee ($150?), so you are risking that. While DBS dealers may encourage you to pay an installation fee, most people can do it themselves. With Primestar, you do not have this option. The Primestar system can only receive Primestar, while the DBS system can receive either DirecTV, or USSB, or both at the same time. Primestar currently does not compress their programming, so pictures can look cleaner than on a good DBS setup. However, I understand Primestar is in the process of adding a large number of new channels and will soon be compressing. With Primestar, you get the dish and the programming directly from your local Primestar office; there is no shopping around for the best deal at Sears or whatever, then going to a third party for the programming. CAN I GET STAR TREK: VOYAGER ON MY SATELLITE DISH? WHEN IS IT ON? If you have DBS, you can *NOT* get Star Trek Voyager. No current DBS service offers a UPN affiliate, and for now there are no plans. If you have DBS, your only possible source for UPN is to use your regular TV antenna or rabbit ears. If you have no UPN affiliate in your area, and don't want (or can't get) cable, then you have only ONE CHOICE: BUD! Many TVRO owners got into Satellite TV just for Science Fiction programming (It is ALL up there, including a channel of nothing BUT Sci Fi) All the current running network and syndicated SCI FI shows are broadcast by satellite, and as a dish owner, you have the chance to see MOST of these shows *FOR FREE* BEFORE they are shown on the local station, because the tapes are transmitted TO the stations and networks BY SATELLITE. In the case of Star Trek: Voyager, Here are the particulars: ALL THESE FEEDS HAPPEN ON MONDAY..... T1/03 PARAMOUNT SYNDICATION LEASED TRANSPONDER: 3:00am (EST) FIRST Secondary feed, no logo T1/19 UNITED PARAMOUNT LEASED TRANSPONDER: 5:30pm (EST) SECOND Secondary feed, no logo 8:00pm (EST) Primary EASTERN feed, UGLY UPN Logo in Lower right 11:00pm (EST) Primary WESTERN feed, UGLY UPN Logo in Lower right STEREO: 6.2L 6.8R MONO: 5.8 WIDEBAND We feel it is important enough to repeat: Star Trek: Voyager is *NOT* available in *ANY* form on the DBS dishes (Either DSS or Primestar). They do not have a UPN Affiliate, and at least for now they have NO plans to add one. If you want Star Trek: Voyager, and can't see it on your local channel, the ONLY way to get it is on a BUD! WHAT DOES "BUD" MEAN (I SEE IT ALL THE TIME IN POSTINGS) Bud is an accronym for "Big Ugly Dish", the kind of dish we love. The term was originally used to denegrate the TVRO type dish by the purveyors of DSS in their attempts to somehow convince the general public that their system is better. On our Friday Night Live Radio show, I made it a point to praise the BIG UGLY DISH, and Robert Smathers shortened it to "BUD". Now we are seeing the term on other networks and even in magazines. A "BUD" is any dish of 10 or 12 feet. A 7 foot dish is called "BUD LITE". Eric Knippert coined the phrase LSD for Little Silly DIsh, refering to the smaller DSS type dishes. We personally LOVE the larger dish and see them as beautiful sculpture in our yards. More importantly, we find the variety and value of the larger dish to be a main deciding factor in our choice to "Go all the way". When you say "BUD", You've said it all! HOW CAN I KNOW WHICH NBA AND NHL GAMES ARE ON THE BIRDS? There is a schedule, put out by Sports Scheduling P.O. Box 5756 Fargo, ND 58105 When a local station or sports network has a game there is usually a "Backhaul" (direct feed from the event back to the studio, if the game is out of town from the originating station. (Otherwise they don't need a bird). Now some of these satellite channels are known in advance, for example the games broadcast on the superstations like WTBS or the various SportsChannels. This is *not* the case, however, for the "feeds" from the arenas back to the local broadcast station. These feeds are paid for by the hour, and (usually) the cheapest or most convenient satellite and transponder are utilized, so it's not generally possible to predict in advance exactly what satellite "channel" will be used for a given game. Mike Northam regularly posts the games that he sees in Oregon, AFTER the fact. Some wonder what value there is in this. Mike says: >My listings, taken over time, however, do show patterns. For example, I >know from experience that if I want to see a Blazer game, the *most >likely* location for a feed is on G6. So far this season, all the Blazer >Cable games have been on G6-14, so that's going to be the first place I >look for a game. Most of the Utah Jazz games have been on G6 or T1. The >Bulls tend to be on G2, etc. When Portland plays at Utah, I'll look on >G6, since a lot of Bonneville (Salt Lake uplink) transmissions are found >there. Most NBA cities similarly have "preferred" locations, either due >to limitations/preferences of the transmitting uplink or the downlink >(for example, KSTU in Salt Lake City may have only one fixed dish >available for such purposes). NOTE: In 1994, the NFL scrambled. Backhauls are not available and Feeds for FOX and NBC are LEITCH Encryped and not available to the home dish owner. That is the BAD news. For those who are football fans, the GOOD news is that ALL the games ARE available via SEASON TICKET, and all on the T-303 satellite. The not so good news is that the costs is $139.00, which may or may not be a good value depending on how much you like football. Also if you live in a blackout area, your team games WILL be blacked out. The transponders being used are the same ones TVN uses for pay per view movies and events. Many football fans are happy because they did not like "Hunting" for their games. CAN YOU WATCH MORE THAN ONE TV AT THE SAME TIME? In a single LNB, single receiver system, you can watch a single channel on multiple Tvs, if you have cabled from your receiver to each TV. It is not possible to watch different channels with this system. To watch different channels you need DUAL LNB's for C and DUAL LNB's for KU. You will also need a separate receiver for each location, and a fairly complex means of splitting and distributing the incoming cables. It can be done, cable companies do it all the time, but it is probably not worth the effort, especially if you want to view subscription channels because the bad news is you will need to pay another subscription for EACH LOCATION. That can be expensive. However, having at least two receivers is not a bad idea, and fairly easy to do. However, you can only watch signals on ONE satellite at a time doing this. One alternative is to RECORD programs ahead of time for viewing by others in the family. In this case having a couple of receivers, a couple VCR's and splitting subscription channels between the two will let you build up a nice collection of tapes in no time. Once the family is really sold on the dish, it will not be hard to convince them you need ANOTHER one. Or two or three. CAN I RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL SATELLITES ON MY DISH? This depends on where you live, what size dish you have, and how low you can "aim" your dish to the horizon. Playing with the Intelsats, Panamsat, and the Russian Statsionar birds is something that folks on the East coast of the USA do all the time. You should have a LARGE dish though, 16 to 20 feet to really do the job, though people HAVE picked up signals with dishes as small as 7 1/2 feet from as far west as Minnesota. With the average 10 to 12 foot dish you may do just fine. To receive the signals, you will need a few modifications to your system. You will need a circular feed, as unlike Domestic USA birds that are Horizontally or Vertically polarized, International satellites use Right Hand, or Left Hand Circular Polarization. If you have a monster dish, you can get by without the proper feed, but you will loose at least 3 to 5 db of signal. Chaparral makes a special feed for international satellites, at a cost of around $325. As an alternative, there is a plastic insert you can obtain that will convert your feed to circular. This item is quite cheap, about $20. International birds have a LOW look angle, very close to the horizon, so a horizon to horizon mount is recommended if you are serious about receiving foreign programming. The AJAX H/H mount is a worthy investment. You will also need a multistandard TV, or some means of viewing PAL and SECAM signals, which are different from the NTSC system used in the USA. If you don't mind black and white, though, a B&W TV is easily adjusted to pick up the European signals, and is suitable for the experimenter and tinkerer. The Panasonic AG-W1 VCR has a built in standards convertor, which will allow you not only to view these international channels, but also to record them (you can not use your USA VCR to record PAL or SECAM signals). Much of the international stuff is on KU band, and the European KU band is different than the American band, so you need a frequency agile receiver, and the ability to store and program the various frequencies. Even the C band signals are not quite the same channels as a domestic satellite receiver expects, so you may have to adjust your video fine tune to receive them. This aspect of the hobby is exciting, and if you are interested in NEWS events LIVE, or cultural variety the cost is minimal. While the east coast is the place to be for the best international reception, good signals can be picked up on intelsats in the midwest using a 10 foot dish. There is limited access to Pacific Satellites on the west coast. WHAT ABOUT THIS MYSTERIOUS KU BAND? Ku band satellites don't require as large a dish to receive, some have 32 transponders instead of the 24 on C band. The true satellite junkie will want KU because "it is there". In addition, there is talk of more and more transmissions on this band. SBS6, for example is one busy bird, with MANY sports and newsfeeds. KU offers a LOT to those who want to experiment and explore. G4 and G7 have beautiful KU signals, and if you live in the Northern USA, there is some very interesting stuff on the ANIK satellites on KU band. Ku band satellites are harder to tune than C band, often requiring extensive manual adjustments. Ku is also more weather sensitive. Ku programming services are not as well documented as C band. On a larger dish (like a 10 footer) the KU signals are as narrow as a laser beam. One brief touch of the actuator and the signal is gone. GETTING it in the first place (tracking) is not a job for the faint of heart. HOWEVER if you have your dish tracked for the KU band, it will be DEAD ON for C band. PBS is now on KU, and ABC also has feeds there, both on the T-401 Satellite. This could be the push that gets many folks to upgrade to KU. NBC feeds all its programming on K2, a KU satellite. The NBC programming is all in the clear, though there are rumors they may scramble. ALL NEWS CHANNEL is also seen on SBS6 quite often when the two CONUS channels are not being used for newsfeeds. The two ANIK satellites have a LOT of KU on them, including an UNCUT MOVIE SERVICE In the CLEAR, Two Music Channels, Regional Public Networks, ASN (Atlantic Satellite Network) and plenty of French stuff. These two birds can be seen well ONLY in the NORTHERN part of the USA, However. Conversely, There is MEXICAN stuff on the Morellos Birds that can only bee seen in the Southern USA. Such is the way of KU, much narrower spotbeams. KU is also the place to look for NEWS and SPORTS feeds, and backhauls of all sorts. International type programming (Chinese, Russian, Japanese language) and many educational feeds are all up there. For the dyed in the wool dish head, KU is where it is at. WHAT DOES IT COST TO ADD KU TO MY SYSTEM? If your dish is KU compatible (some mesh dishes are not) all you need to add OUTSIDE is a DUAL BAND FEED, such as the COROTOR II, and an additional KU LNB. The cost for this will be between $188 and $300 depending on where you buy, and how sensitive your KU LNB will be. To tell if your mesh dish will work on KU measure the size of the holes or openings in the mesh. If they are greater than 1/4 inch, you won't get good KU reception. KU LNB's are measured in DB, rather than degrees Kelvin (as C band LNB's are measured). .6 DB is considered good. 2.0 is considered junky, though you can probably find a 2.0 db KU LNB pretty cheap, and it CAN give acceptable signals on MOST birds, and might be a good place to start if you find one used. You obviously will ALSO need a receiver that can tune KU band. Most newer receivers can. There is also a device called the UST-55 KU convertor which was made by UNIDEN. These are sometimes still available from various dealers at a reasonable price. The convertor does two things. It INVERTS the video (KU video is inverted compared to C band) and it adds a fine tuning control to allow compressing 32 channels into 24 channels. There is no real standard for KU channel layout as there are in the C band. Various receivers number the channels differently. Some receivers like the DRAKE 1824 have KU SEEK which saves a lot of tinkering when looking for special KU feeds. Tracking your dish for KU is more difficult. The beamwidth is much narrower, and everything is more critical. If you get your system to track well in the KU band, your C band reception will be perfect.