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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!pad-thai.aktis.com!pad-thai.aktis.com!not-for-mail From: flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: Satellite TV Frequently Asked Questions List Followup-To: rec.video.satellite Date: 9 Jun 1993 00:00:20 -0400 Organization: Great White North Uplink, Inc. Lines: 1087 Sender: faqserv@GZA.COM Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Expires: 23 Jul 1993 04:00:07 GMT Message-ID: <Satellite-TV/FAQ_739598407@GZA.COM> Reply-To: flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us NNTP-Posting-Host: pad-thai.aktis.com Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) about TVRO (Television Receive only) Home satellite systems, and should be read by anyone interested in knowing more about Satellite systems. X-Last-Updated: 1993/06/08 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.video.satellite:12975 rec.answers:1136 news.answers:9208 Archive-name: Satellite-TV/FAQ Last-modified: 1993/06/04 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 co-incide with the earth's axis, enabling it to "track" the satellites, which are spread out in geo-stationary orbit in a band of the sky called the "Clarke Belt", named after Arthur C. Clarke, who dreamed up the concept of geo-stationary 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. 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. 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 70mhz. 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 Chaparal 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 has 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) Just about everyone could find themselves in ONE of the above categories. 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 primative 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. If you want this article, just ask for it by writing to flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us and requesting the SCROUNGER'S GUIDE. 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@triton.unm.edu 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 implimented. 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 ARE THE NETWORKS SCRAMBLED? ABC is almost entirely scrambled, except Monday night football. NBC and CBS still have quite a bit in the clear. Almost certainly all three networks will eventually scramble everything. 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. FOX is NOT scrambled, and NBC is in the clear with one C band feed, and several clear feeds on KU band. The upstart PRIME TIME ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK (PTEN) backhauls its programs several days before they are broadcast on the over the air TV channels. WHAT CHANNELS WILL NEVER BE SCRAMBLED? For the forseeable 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 tranmission" 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, bachhauls, 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. In truth the audio quality is not up to that of CD at all. It is only an 14 bit system, and those with "golden ears" detect a very raspy tonal quality to VCII type audio. 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 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 symple 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 Carribean, 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, GI (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. In mid 1993, 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. 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. 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. 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 using it on their KU feeds on T-401 by early 1995. The skies are NOT going to go dark. The programmers are NOT going to stop offering their programming to subscribers. DIGICIPHER is actually going to be a nice piece of technology, which COULD bring prices down in the long run. Basically this new system is a video compression scheme, which can allow up to 5 channels to occupy ONE transponder. Is it an accident that there are now 5 HBO services? I don't think so, since HBO is already testing with ALL their services on ONE DC Datastream. There is already a receiver being manufactured with the new decoder in place. DIGICIPHER uses MPEG2 video compression, which has been extensively tested, and will become the industry standard, not only for satellite, but for CABLE as well. GI and AT&T are behind the hardware, and PBS and HBO have already committed to it. PBS has placed an order for 10,000 units to be placed at schools, and T401 will have NUMEROUS educational feeds using the technology. Those who bemoan the new technology have the same mind set that would have us all listening to shelac 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 GI instead of calling them the ENEMY. WHAT DOES THE NEW DIGICIPHER 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. We will have a much better view of the future by late 1993. If you DO want to enjoy scrambled services NOW, a VCII+ can be a worthy investment, especially with the reductions in subscription prices that are FINALLY starting to take place. A VCII+ board can be had for $375 or so if you know where to get it (Morgan Engineering in Rose City Michigan for one). 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. It is NOT FM, so your present receiver may not be VCII+ compatible. I personally think you will find that the more savvy receiver manufacturers will offer a demod board that will hook up BEFORE the FM detector to provide the digital datastream to the DC board. This is only my opinion, but it is certainly doable. From that point, it would be easy to interface to the new DC board. The CABLE version of DIGICIPHER is going to cost $200, so it will certainly be in the same price range as the present VCII+ boxes. If GI is smart, they COULD make the new DC boards the same size and shape as a VCII+ module, so it would slide into your present receiver, and the demodulator COULD be made as a field upgrade installable by your satellite dealer. I say they COULD. I do not know if they WILL. In any case, you can't fight it. So instead, LOOK FORWARD to DIGICIPHER. It will bring MANY NEW CHANNELS to us, and in the long run will be a good thing. Something else to know: There are at least THREE different kinds of DIGICIPHER, and ALL of them are incompatible. PBS will use a method of encoding different than HBO, for example. Eventually it will all shake down. 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. BUT even smaller dishes are on the horizon. In 1994 a new venture featuring 200 watt transponders from a fixed location will start operation. This new service called DirecTV is backed by Hughes-Thompson-RCA, and will probably succeed where SKYPIX did not. The system will employ 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 DirecTV will be nothing more than a CABLE COMPANY IN THE SKY. Your receiver won't work if you don't pay the monthly bill, which will be about $20 for basic, and $10 for each premium channel you want. Pay Per View movies will also be available, probably for $4 each or there abouts. For some people, this system 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. DirecTV will be a monopoly. It will not be compatable 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 100 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 DirecTV 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. For more information about DBS, get the DBS FAQ. It is available from: 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 dont 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). 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 Intellsats, 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 8 feet. Intellsat K is predicted to put a signal well into the USA when it goes up in a year or two. 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. 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. 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. 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, albeit expensive, especially if you have to MOVE to another part of the country to play. As far as we know, there are no corresponding services available on the west coast. WHAT ARE THE (DIS)ADVANTAGES OF KU BAND? Ku band satelites don't require as large a dish to recieve, 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. Ku band satelites 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. Other than NBC feeds, their are very few regular Ku channels. The main scheduled KU programmers will be in the DBS or Direct Broadcast Satellite category, such as PRIMESTAR. These require a subscription, and you must buy your receiving equipment from them. These and any other DBS systems are seen as an alternative to cable, and may or may not serve your needs. Most of those who read these postings are experimenters. HOWEVER: In 1993 both PBS and CBS will be moving to KU band, both on the T-401 Satellite. This could be the push that gets many folks to upgrade to KU. WHAT DOES IT COST TO ADD KU TO MY SYSTEM? If your dish is KU compatable (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 $200 and $300 depending on where you buy, and how sensitive your KU LNB will be. KU LNB's are measured in DB, rather than degrees Kelvin (as C band LNB's are measured). .7 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. 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. HOW LONG DOES A SATELLITE "LAST" AND WHY DO THEY GET REGULARLY REPLACED? The average lifespan for a communications satellite is about 10 years. While the electronics inside the satellite can last many many years, the determining factor is the "station keeping fuel". Satellites only "appear to be stationary because of their location in the clarke belt, in reality they are whirring about the planet, and their orbits become eccentric if left alone. So each satellite has small rockets on board to regularly adjust the orbit of the bird. After 10 years this fuel runs out, and the satellite can no longer be adjusted with respect to its position. This causes the satellite to start to appear to "wobble" up and down in the orbital plane, and eventually become unusable. Before this happens, a replacement bird is launched, and the old satellite is unceremoniously "kicked" up into a higher "parking" orbit. While it is a nice thought that some day a space salvage company could go up there and refuel all those old birds, it is unlikely, and the rapid changes in technology make the older low power satellites nothing more than curious antiques. WHAT IS SCPC? SCPC (Single Channel Per Carrier) is a method of transmitting audio over satellite. Primarily this is a service for Radio Stations, and is not meant for the general public. This alone makes it fascinating to receive. There are hundreds of SCPC channels in use. Radio Networks, Sportscasts, Music services, talk shows, all are heard on SCPC, as well as major market radio stations. SCPC can be received with a special receiver, and there are a number of "tricks" that netters have used to pick up these signals, which can not normally be received on consumer satellite receivers. If one has a satellite receiver that has a "70 MHZ LOOP", a cheap TV band Radio can be used to tune SCPC. While it is also possible to use SOME scanners that tune the 70 mhz loop (such as the RADIO SHACK PRO-2006) the results are very poor. The TV radio actually sounds MUCH better. The reason for this is due to the "step" frequencies of the scanner. With SCPC the main problem encountered is one of BANDWIDTH. SCPC signals can be found as narrow as 50KHZ bandwidth to as wide as 150 or more. By comparison, The TV band radio receives approximately 75khz bandwidth and a normal scanner in narrow mode receives 5KHZ. For this reason, a standard scanner will not give a listenable signal, even if it is modified to tune the 70 MHZ loop. Some receivers, with VIDEO FINE TUNE can be used to shift the 70MHZ IF band UP to the low end of the REGULAR FM band. This can give fair results, though usually the entire SCPC spectrum can not be tuned this way. For satellite receivers that do NOT have a 70 mhz loop, it is necessary to use a DEDICATED receiver that can tune the 950-1450 mhz band. The ICOM 7000, 7100, and 9000 have this capability, though they are quite expensive. The less expensive (~ $600 ) ICOM R-100 is an extremely wideband receiver which tunes from 100KHZ to 1800MHZ. This includes the whole 950-1450 block, so it can tune direct signals from the LNB. To connect the R-100 or a similar receiver, one uses a DC BLOCK SPLITTER. The isolated side goes to the R-100, and the other side goes to the Sat Receiver, which is necessary to power the LNB. The R-100 is very desirable because it also tunes Standard Subcarrier (available through the RAW VIDEO Jack on your sat receiver) as well as FM SQUARED audio. It also is a nice public service scanner, and SHORTWAVE receiver. This one radio does it all AND it doubles on sax. There are two DEDICATED SCPC receivers. The simpler HEIL SC-ONE, which features analogue tuning and sells for around $450. The newer UNIVERSAL SC-100 features 50 memories, digital readout and a built in amplifier. BOTH these receivers lack MULTIPLE bandwidths, which mean they do not give perfect reception of all SCPC signals. Also, SCPC signals are compressed on a 3 to 1 DBX encoding, which means reception is lacking in dynamic range unless a suitable decompression scheme is used. There is no PERFECT consumer SCPC reception system, but the above methods DO work, and can provide a lot of enjoyment AND the reception of several hundred new signals. Author note: A detailed discussion of audio subcarriers is available in a written transcript of a recent radio show I did regarding the various methods of tuning satellite audio. Write if interested in a copy of this transcript. Also, a listing of SCPC audio stations is available as part of Robert Smather's Satscan Chart, regularly posted to the rec.video.satellite / HOMESAT lists. WHAT ARE DATS AND SEDATS AUDIO, AND HOW CAN I RECEIVE THEM. DATS is Digital Audio Transmission System, and SEDATS is Spectrum Efficient Digital Audio Transmission System, which are replacing SCPC for many national services. All the Major networks, CBS, NBC, ABC, MUTUAL and quite a number of syndicators (Howard Stern, etc) are now on DATS and SEDATS. These signals are primarily on the Aurora (C5) Satellite. There is no home DATS or SEDATS receiver, and no known experimenter project for receiving this audio. We understand that the manufacturers of these receivers WILL sell them to anyone, including home dish owners, but the $4000 price tag for a mono audio only receiver has thus far placed this technology out of reach for 99.9% of the audio experimenters we know. WHAT DIGITAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON SATELLITE AND HOW DO I GET IT? There are a number of different text information services available via satellite, some requiring no subscription fee, and others that are pay services. WST = World System Teletext. This system is very popular in Europe and is also available in the USA. Teletext reception requires you add a teletext decoder, a device that costs less than $300, and connects between your satellite receiver and TV set. The information is displayed as text on your TV screen, so no computer or other device is needed. Information includes News Stories, Sports Scores, Trivia and other features. The data is transmitted in the Vertical Blanking Interval of WTBS (Turner Broadcasting Service) G1/18. To receive the signal, you must be a subscriber to WTBS, so that you will have an unscrambled signal. The name of the text service is ELECTRA, and also features weather maps and other information displayed in text/graphics on your TV screen. WST Decoders are available from Astro Guard Insustries, 340 A Rancheros Road, San Marcos CA 92069. They have also been seen for sale on SHOP AT HOME 1-800-366-4010. X*PRESS X*CHANGE. By far the most comprehensive source of text news is X*PRESS. This service links you into all the major world NEWS WIRE services: AP, UPI, REUTERS, TASS and many others. To take advantage of this amazing service, you must have a computer just to sort the incoming data for you. X*PRESS allows you to select articles based upon key word search. This is a subscription service, and is not cheap. Expect to pay $30 per month for the service. You will also need an INFOCYIPHER decoder. Computers supported include PC clones, Macintosh, ATARI ST, APPLE II. A new PC software package was released in June of 1993 for MS/DOS machines which addresses problems of earlier versions. Full information on DIGITAL X*PRESS service can be had by dialing 1-800-7PC-NEWS. The fee is reasonable considering the amount of data available. The total news junkie will love it. This service is transmitted on G1/18. SKYLINK. This is also a service available for the home TVRO user, and offers downloads and some text information and TV schedules. Reception requires the purchase of a $150 box, and payment of a yearly $90 fee. The main appeal of this service is access to a HUGE array of public domain and shareware programs for MSDOS compatible computers. There are also weather maps and other services. The Shop-At-Home TV service operate SKYLINK, and market the box and the subscriptions. The data is fed on an audio subcarrier of their home shopping network service on G3/17. For more information on SKYLINK call 1-800-927-6468. In addition to these services directed at the home user, there are digital signals all over the sky, but these are commercial services, using proprietary encoding systems, and are directed at commercial users, which are either too costly for the home user to subscribe to, or not available at any price. Experimenters occasionally manage to figure out ways to tap into these systems, but such discussions are beyond the scope of the FAQ. If interested in such things, we recommend Tom Harrington's popular book: THE HIDDEN SIGNALS ON SATELLITE TV, even though much of the infor- mation in the book is a bit out of date. WHAT IS THE BEST SATELLITE SYSTEM FOR ME? We often receive this question, and it is not an easy one to answer. this depends on what YOU want. We recommend you go to a reputable local satellite dealer, and LOOK at the systems on display. Do not buy the first system you are shown, and if you are not sure exactly what you want, do not be pressured into buying immediately. The system will be there tomorrow AND the next day. You CAN save a LOT of money buying mail order, but you will have to install the system yourself. By looking at the types of receivers/dishes available, you will get familiar with what Satellite TV is all about. There are advantages and disadvantages with virtually EVERY receiver on the market, so there is no blanket answer to which system is the best for YOU. We suggest you spend a LOT of time looking at all the available systems out there. A good place to start is in your YELLOW PAGES under SATELLITE TV. Visit as many dealers as you can. You may still decide on mail ordering a system, there is no law that says you HAVE to buy from the local guy. Unless you want a totally installed system. Even so SHOP AROUND. Beware high pressure tactics to buy every bell and whistle available. ISN'T IT DIFFICULT TO INSTALL A SATELLITE SYSTEM? You and a couple of friends can assemble, install and track your satellite system in one day, even if you know NOTHING about the technology involved. You need only know how to dig a hole, pour concrete, and put a pipe into the concrete and get it plumb. There are many books on the topic of satellite TV that can help you, which should be available on loan from your library. Doing it yourself will save you around $500. However, if you don't mind spending the additional money, your local dealer will be glad to set your system up so you can just sit back and push the buttons on the remote control. This is up to you. Some people do not like to tinker and tweek. A do it yourself system can take some time before you are satisfied with it. MY COMMUNITY HAS RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS AND DISHES ARE NOT ALLOWED. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO WATCH SATELLITE TV? There are a number of things you can do depending on your resourcefulness, and also how much you are willing to invest. First, federal law takes precidence here. The LEGAL fact is, your community can NOT restrict you from installing a satellite dish. If you take them to court, you will win, but, of course, you have to hire an attorney and the fight will add $5,000 or so to the price of your system, UNLESS you can scare them by showing them the fact that the courts MUST side with the dish owner. It would cost you about HALF that price to get an FCC TVRO receiving license (Yes they are still issued), and as a legally licensed receive station you can also bring the government into play. However, there are cheaper ways. Hide your dish. There is one manufacturer that makes a dish look like a beach umbrella, complete with lawn chairs and a table. There is also a very ingenious system called "The Rock" which is a fiberglass (Microwave transparent) boulder that can go right over a dish and hide it. One fellow we know of found out that his restrictive covenants DID allow a homeowner to have one of those outbuildings (shed) where people keep their lawnmowers, etc. He built one of microwave transparent material, and put his dish inside and no one is the wiser. Such a system is actually preferable, it protects the dish from wind and the elements. (professional radar systems use RADOMES for the same reason) Of course if you have NOT purchased your house yet, the best thing you can do is to move into a community that is not so narrow minded. Especially if you get hooked and want MULTIPLE dishes (It CAN happen). The company that makes the replica boulder dish cammo system is: The Rock c/o QUB-L Vision Draw 609 Concord, CA 94520 I LIVE ON A WOODED LOT WITH LOTS OF TREES. IS THIS A PROBLEM? Not if you have a chain saw. Trees in the way mean you don't get a picture, at least in the summer time. Trees have a tendancy to block the microwave signals. If you are not sure of your situation, it is advisable to have a "SITE SURVEY" done by a local dealer. This should cost you no more than about $25. Usually you can find SOME place to put the dish to see the satellites, and mounting on a pole or your roof may help the situation. I HAVE A QUESTION THAT WAS NOT ON THIS LIST. HOW DO I GET AN ANSWER? Ask Away. You can post your question right on the net. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. We don't mind helping you get started. Or send me a note: flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us and I will try and answer, and include your question in future versions of this FAQ list. =End= -- / Gary Bourgois, WB8EOH, The Birdwatcher: Marquette Michigan USA \ ([-o ~ Tune FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE! S3/21 5.8 Fridays from 9-midnight ~ o-]) \ Now a snazzy new DOMAIN address! flash@lopez.marquette.MI.US / GEnie: BIRDWATCER FAX: (906) 228-7477 GWN BBS: (906) 228-4399