Ok, so how do you set it up, how does it work, and is it worth it... thinking about a pansat.

10/6/2005 10:00:41 PM

you need a huge dish, a reciever, and a tv.

getting them installed costs around $300.

you can get a fixed or motorized mount (i'd choose moto).

it's worth it to me b/c i get to see tv from other countries.

unedited, non blackout sports are a HUGE plus.

it's cheap, non dolby digital, analog. not that big a deal if it dies.

you have to set/scan for each channel every time you move the dish.

10/6/2005 10:33:38 PM

i like playing with the motorized mount and pretending im in a spaceship

10/6/2005 10:34:46 PM

educate me on how this works. I've looked through http://www.lyngsat.com. How the heck do you actually get free sat TV.

10/6/2005 11:46:21 PM

set it all up.

find the cooridnates of the sat's you want to see.

move the dish.

use the access code (depending on which box you get, you might have to save or input info everytime you move the dish).

finto.

10/7/2005 12:12:23 AM

is it legal?
what sat do you get?

10/7/2005 5:12:46 AM

pretty sure it's illegal

10/7/2005 10:03:37 AM

how is something that is unencrypted, illegal?

[Edited on October 7, 2005 at 2:13 PM. Reason : i watch al-jazera a lot.]

10/7/2005 2:12:32 PM

dvbn.happysat.org

10/7/2005 4:17:27 PM

Quote :

"how is something that is unencrypted, illegal?"

Yea, but seeing as how most people use these dishs to get free dishnet/belview, which are now using Nagra2 encryption...

Not that I haven't/don't/wouldn't do this, but just saying

And for reference, the pansat 2500 is a pretty decent box that isnt too pricey, just be ready to input your "keys" every so often

p.s. anyone know a good highdef free to air box? (if they even exist), haven't been able to come across a good one.

[Edited on October 7, 2005 at 5:48 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2005 5:47:48 PM

yeah, so i'm just not finding out about this stuff (i hadn't really heard of fta before)...if i were to get the pansat 2500, what else would i need? let's say i want to do this fta stuff, what all would i have to have for basic satellite television?

10/11/2005 2:40:21 PM

answer my questions!

10/11/2005 6:42:42 PM

OK...
So you want to know about FTA....

FTA = Free to air receivers..
FTA is NOT illegal.
Well...it is possible to do illegal things with it but, used correctly, it is not illegal..and it is fun to do.

We all know about Dishnet and DTV. Combined, they have about a dozen satellites (birds) in the sky.
They encrypt their channels so you need a subscription to view anything on these birds.

BUT...there are HUNDREDS of birds in the sky above N.America.
And the only thing you really need is a FTA receiver and something to point at the birds.

As for the giant dish like we all saw in the 80's....they are used to pick up the C band birds.
There are many KU band birds in the sky and one of those 18" dishes will pick them up.

This is actually a very popular way to get TV in parts of Europe.
(That is how I got started...my wife is European)
Keep in mind that many places are nowhere nearly as advanced as the US.
Therefore local TV stations are not profitable in many areas.
In these areas, it is common to view TV via FTA.

There is something else to think about too.
There is the DVB-S card.
This is a PCI card for your PC.
This, with the right program, will allow you to use your PC as a FTA receiver.
If you have video out on your card, combined with sound out,you can view this over your TV.
Think of it like this...
The DVB-S PCI card with the correct program is to the FTA receiver what the DVD drive and the correct program is to the stand-alone DVD player.

I actually have toyed with the DVB-S card.
You plug the dishes directly into the back of your PC into the card.
A couple of good programs to try if you use the DVB-S card is ..
MyTheatre..you pay for this one..
ProgDVB..freeware but takes donations

Both programs have pretty good websites that you can view and walk you thru the entire process.
Just google the program to find the websites.

As for the dish itself...
You have a few choices...
One..you use a single dish.
You only get one bird at a time and you move the dish around as you want to view different birds.
You can also view multiple birds at once with a Disqec switch. You can be pointed at up to 4 birds at once with this.
Or..you can mount a dish or dishes on motors to move around to view what bird you want.

Now...as I understand it, it is possible to view Dishnet with a hacked version of some software.
I do not know how it is done however and I do not care to find out how so I can not tell you where to find the info. There is plenty in the sky without breaking the law. So don't ask.

10/12/2005 3:55:48 AM

i do not consider myself "in the know" as far as stealing satelite tv from dish network or directv but my understanding is that the new nagra2 encryption has not been broken. am i mistaken about this?

This website has information about directv lawsuits and busted dealers. registration is required to view the forums but it's pretty interesting to read about...

http://forums.wumarkus.com/

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:11 AM. Reason : added link to wumarkus]

10/12/2005 8:06:56 AM

You are mistaken

10/12/2005 8:19:11 AM

well then this must be a pretty recent development -- in the last month or two. i was pretty sure that nagra2 had not been hacked when i was reading about it this summer.

10/12/2005 9:03:37 AM

i understand a lot more now...i already knew that you could receive "free" channels using fta, which is the main purpose...but for some reason i read this thread as to say that you could essentially watch basic satellite for free (that what you're paying directv for is the equipment, the installation, and support)...now gotcha...i wasn't looking for illegal satellite hacks, just confused as to what you could do with fta

10/12/2005 2:32:30 PM

eventually we as a generation aren't going to want to pay for anything

i should start cross checking and see if any of the posters in here ever complain about the "Welfare State"

10/12/2005 2:42:37 PM

nagra 2 has been cracked, crack originated in europe, has been in US for about a month now.

10/12/2005 7:23:24 PM