What to do with 4 Digital Satellite Receivers (forclosed home came with them)

[Donna DeLong]

I bought a foreclosed home and it came with two satellite dishes and four
things called "Digital Satellite Receiver", e.g., Sony SAT-B55 with an
"Access Card" in the slot in back.
What would you do with these four satellite receivers?

I should mention I can call DirectTV to ask them to take them back but does
Direct-TV actually come to my house to get them (which is a pain) and will
they insist on removing the two antennas on the tile roof?

I don't see anything useful I can do with the four Direct TV satellite
receivers so they can have them but I don't want anyone crawling on the
tile roof to break even more tiles (I already have to get dozens of broken
ones fixed, presumably from their installers).

In summary, is there anything "useful" I can do with these four direct TV
digital satellite receivers (what would YOU do with them?)?

[JIMMIE]

Post by Donna DeLong

I bought a foreclosed home and it came with two satellite dishes and four
things called "Digital Satellite Receiver", e.g., Sony SAT-B55 with an
"Access Card" in the slot in back.
What would you do with these four satellite receivers?

I should mention I can call DirectTV to ask them to take them back but does
Direct-TV actually come to my house to get them (which is a pain) and will
they insist on removing the two antennas on the tile roof?
I don't see anything useful I can do with the four Direct TV satellite
receivers so they can have them but I don't want anyone crawling on the
tile roof to break even more tiles (I already have to get dozens of broken
ones fixed, presumably from their installers).
In summary, is there anything "useful" I can do with these four direct TV
digital satellite receivers (what would YOU do with them?)?

I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.

Jimmie

[Donna DeLong]

Post by JIMMIE
I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.

Maybe someone can tell me what good these are.

Here are the four that were left, cordless, in the house (all with cards):
* Sony SAT-B55 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in rear slot)
* Sony SAT-B65 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H10 HD Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H11 Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)

What would a typical person do with these 4 boxes (and the two dishes on
the tile roof)?

[IGot2P]

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by JIMMIE
I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.

Maybe someone can tell me what good these are.
* Sony SAT-B55 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in rear slot)
* Sony SAT-B65 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H10 HD Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H11 Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
What would a typical person do with these 4 boxes (and the two dishes on
the tile roof)?

Search "completed auctions" on e-Bay and you will find a bunch of them
that have sold. That should give you a pretty good idea of their value.
It appears that the majority of them bring somewhere in the neighborhood
of $20 each.

Don

[aemeijers]

Post by IGot2P

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by JIMMIE
I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.

Maybe someone can tell me what good these are.
* Sony SAT-B55 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in rear slot)
* Sony SAT-B65 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H10 HD Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H11 Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
What would a typical person do with these 4 boxes (and the two dishes on
the tile roof)?

Search "completed auctions" on e-Bay and you will find a bunch of them
that have sold. That should give you a pretty good idea of their value.
It appears that the majority of them bring somewhere in the neighborhood
of $20 each.
Don

If you bother to post an ad, make sure you call the satt company and see
if they can be activated first- that is the first question the potential
buyer will ask. If the magic number off the box or card has money owed
on it, all it is good for is parts. I buy them for the hard drives, if
they are DVRs. I wouldn't go ebay, shipping is absurdly high for the few
bucks you will get. I'd go local ad paper or Craig's List.

--
aem sends...

[Donna DeLong]

call the satt company and see if they can be activated
If the magic number off the box or card has money owed
all it is good for is parts. I buy them for the hard drives

What exactly do I ask the DirectTV company? Do I ask "can these be
activated?"

And, how would I know if money is owed on them? I suspect if the previous
ownes were foreclosed, they didn't pay their DirectTV bill (I heard the
gardeners were never paid so they broke all the sprinklers as revenge.)

The one good thing about hard drives is I use the curved magnets on my
refrigerator so it will be interesting if they have decent hard drives in
them.

[Oren]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 15:47:39 -0800, Donna DeLong

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by JIMMIE
I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.

Maybe someone can tell me what good these are.
* Sony SAT-B55 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in rear slot)
* Sony SAT-B65 Digital Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H10 HD Receiver (card in front slot)
* DirectTV H11 Satellite Receiver (card in front slot)

Good for nothing unless you subscribe to DTV service and activate the
units. Likely they would send a new card (?) for the boxes.

Post by Donna DeLong
What would a typical person do with these 4 boxes (and the two dishes on
the tile roof)?

Acquire "satellite" signals from space, for your television viewing.

Are you certain the dishes are mounted on the roof?! They sometimes
need adjustment, so going on the roof is burdensome. In my town of 2
million people, I've never seen one on the roof.

Check to see if they are mounted on the fascia board with lag bolts,
and not on the roof. Simple to remove using a ladder and hand tools.

[Char Jackson]

Are you certain the dishes are mounted on the roof?! ... In my
town of 2 million people, I've never seen one on the roof.
Check to see if they are mounted on the fascia board with lag bolts,
and not on the roof. Simple to remove using a ladder and hand tools.

I travel extensively between Omaha-KC-OKC-Dallas-San Antonio and very
frequently see dishes mounted on rooftops. I'm not sure I've seen them
on tile roofs, however. That does sound unusual.

[Donna DeLong]

I'm not sure I've seen them on tile roofs, however.
That does sound unusual.

It was my mistake. The two gray DirectTV dishes are actually on the boards
at the lip of the roof (not on the tiles themselves).

Lots of tiles are broken so I figured the guy who put them up walked on the
roof as the wires are draped across the roof, but maybe he used a ladder.

I'm wondering if I should leave them there (perhaps they are of some use
somehow to me, no or in the future?) or have the DirectTV company pull them
down.

What would you do with the two dishes on the boards near the lip of the
roof?

[Char Jackson]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 22:36:18 -0800, Donna DeLong

Post by Donna DeLong
I'm wondering if I should leave them there (perhaps they are of some use
somehow to me, no or in the future?) or have the DirectTV company pull them
down.
What would you do with the two dishes on the boards near the lip of the
roof?

If it were me who purchased a house with a couple of dishes installed
and I had no intention of using them now or in the foreseeable future,
I'd remove the dishes and caulk the mounting holes.

To me, they look ugly. Even more so if they aren't being used.
Secondly, when the wind blows, the dishes are putting extra stress on
the boards on which they're mounted.

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Char Jackson

What would you do with the two DirecTV dishes mounted near the roof?

If it were me who purchased a house with a couple of dishes installed
and I had no intention of using them now or in the foreseeable future,
I'd remove the dishes and caulk the mounting holes.

I wonder if the two ~18" DirecTV dishes would be useful as a WiFi antenna?
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/
http://www.trevormarshall.com/biquad.htm
http://martybugs.net/wireless/biquad/

Or maybe I can repurpose the DirecTV dishes as Free-to-Air TV antennas
(with a suitable FTA receiver)?
http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air

Any experience out there in that?

[Smitty Two]

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by Char Jackson

What would you do with the two DirecTV dishes mounted near the roof?

If it were me who purchased a house with a couple of dishes installed
and I had no intention of using them now or in the foreseeable future,
I'd remove the dishes and caulk the mounting holes.

I wonder if the two ~18" DirecTV dishes would be useful as a WiFi antenna?
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/
http://www.trevormarshall.com/biquad.htm
http://martybugs.net/wireless/biquad/
Or maybe I can repurpose the DirecTV dishes as Free-to-Air TV antennas
(with a suitable FTA receiver)?
http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air
Any experience out there in that?

You must be the same Donna troll that used to hang out here, asking some
lame-ass question and then keeping the thread going for 1000 posts or
so. What was your old nym, again?

[Tony Hwang]

Post by Smitty Two

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by Char Jackson

What would you do with the two DirecTV dishes mounted near the roof?

If it were me who purchased a house with a couple of dishes installed
and I had no intention of using them now or in the foreseeable future,
I'd remove the dishes and caulk the mounting holes.

I wonder if the two ~18" DirecTV dishes would be useful as a WiFi antenna?
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/
http://www.trevormarshall.com/biquad.htm
http://martybugs.net/wireless/biquad/
Or maybe I can repurpose the DirecTV dishes as Free-to-Air TV antennas
(with a suitable FTA receiver)?
http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air
Any experience out there in that?

You must be the same Donna troll that used to hang out here, asking some
lame-ass question and then keeping the thread going for 1000 posts or
so. What was your old nym, again?

Hi,
Don't feed troll.

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Oren
Acquire "satellite" signals from space, for your television viewing.

But do the satellite dishes do anything for me (perhaps in the future)?

Post by Oren
Are you certain the dishes are mounted on the roof?!
Check to see if they are mounted on the fascia board with lag bolts

Oh. You're right. Both are mounted at the corners (two opposite corners) on
the wood vertical boards. A 28' ladder might get to them w/o walking on the
tile roof so your suggestion is a good idea.

I'm inclined to leave them (in case I need them in the future, but, w/o the
receivers, I'm not sure what good the satellite dishes are).

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Oren
Likely they would send a new card (?) for the boxes.

I checked each of the DirecTV cards in the 4 receivers.

They seem to be the latest DirecTV "P4 ISO7816 smart access cards" (which
came after 2002) as shown in the picture on this web page.

http://www.topbits.com/kinds-of-directv-access-cards.html

[joeturn]

Post by JIMMIE

Post by Donna DeLong

I bought a foreclosed home and it came with two satellite dishes and four
things called "Digital Satellite Receiver", e.g., Sony SAT-B55 with an
"Access Card" in the slot in back.
What would you do with these four satellite receivers?

I should mention I can call DirectTV to ask them to take them back but does
Direct-TV actually come to my house to get them (which is a pain) and will
they insist on removing the two antennas on the tile roof?
I don't see anything useful I can do with the four Direct TV satellite
receivers so they can have them but I don't want anyone crawling on the
tile roof to break even more tiles (I already have to get dozens of broken
ones fixed, presumably from their installers).
In summary, is there anything "useful" I can do with these four direct TV
digital satellite receivers (what would YOU do with them?)?

I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.
Jimmie- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Yep Engadget has a build your own bi-quad using the dishes picks up
wifi 30 miles away and using this bi-quad as digital antennas for tv
are ten times more stronger because of the huge surface area of the
collector concentrating the signal to a focal point verse an array!

Hooked to rotor you can get local stations twice as far away ,as an
array,without pixelization!

[Donna DeLong]

Post by joeturn
Engadget has a build your own bi-quad using the dishes picks up
wifi 30 miles away and using this bi-quad as digital antennas for tv
are ten times more stronger because of the huge surface area of the
collector concentrating the signal to a focal point verse an array!

Interesting. Do I understand this right? You're saying I can "repurpose"
the two spare satellite dishes and 4 receivers as a "regular" TV antenna
(and a WiFi antenna too)?

That would be wonderful!

There is no cable or DSL up here in the mountains so it would be useful to
pluck "regular" TV right out of the air (just like in the olden days).

Is this the article you're referring to?
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

[Donna DeLong]

You can "repurpose" a DirecTV dish as a TV antenna and/or a WiFi antenna
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

I'm beginning to realize I should just throw away the 4 satellite receivers
and concentrate on finding a use for the 2 dish antennas.

I noticed there is something called "Free To Air" satellite reception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air

Do you think I can use the existing 18" circular DirecTV dishes and just
buy a FTA receiver to replace the 4 DirecTV receivers in the house (as
suggested here)?
http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html

Do I understand FTA correctly that all I need is one FTA receiver and I can
get free television signals from an existing DirecTV dish?

[Mike Russell]

Post by Donna DeLong

You can "repurpose" a DirecTV dish as a TV antenna and/or a WiFi antenna
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

I'm beginning to realize I should just throw away the 4 satellite receivers
and concentrate on finding a use for the 2 dish antennas.

Yep - since these are tied to a proprietary receiver box, etc.

Post by Donna DeLong
I noticed there is something called "Free To Air" satellite reception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air
Do you think I can use the existing 18" circular DirecTV dishes and just
buy a FTA receiver to replace the 4 DirecTV receivers in the house (as
suggested here)?
http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html

Normally FTP requires either a 1.7 meter ku-band dish, or an 8 foot analog
dish. The second one will receive a greater number of interesting FTA
channels - for example Classic Arts Showcase. There are also a lot of
relatively low priced subscriptions services directed at North American
markets, available for the 8 footers. I did my own survey several years
ago, when I decided to drop cable, and as far as I could tell the FTA that
the ku-birds carry is mostly religious junk, though there are exceptions,
things like NASA.

The best way to have fun with ku-band is to move to Europe, where most
material, including some HBO channels, is nationally funded, in effect FTA.

Post by Donna DeLong
Do I understand FTA correctly that all I need is one FTA receiver and I can
get free television signals from an existing DirecTV dish?

You also need the receiver box, and a motorized mount so that it can aim at
the various satellites. There are kits for this in the several hundred
dollar range that include the dish, mount, and computer card to drive the
dish. You are still limited by the poor selection of channels available in
the US.

I'm posting from the gps group - I'd aim a virtual dish at some of the
alt.satellite.tv groups for more info.

[Mike Russell]

Oops - ku dishes are less than a meter in diameter - as small as .7, not
1.7m as I said in my last post.

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Mike Russell
Oops - ku dishes are less than a meter in diameter - as small as .7, not
1.7m as I said in my last post.

Your information allows me to conclude the DirecTV dish antenna is too
small for FTA TV reception.

I guess the only options left for the DirecTV antennas are:
1. Leave them on the roof or give them back to DirecTV (the default)
2. Turn one or both of the DirecTV dishes into 802.11 WiFi antennas
3. Turn a DirecTV antenna into a TV antenna

The latter two might be of use since my WiFi signal doesn't cover all
corners of the house and since there is no cable TV on this side of the
mountain.

I see some people take two dish antennas to make a home WiFi extender.
http://people.wallawalla.edu/~Rob.Frohne/Airport/Primestar/Primestar.html

[joeturn]

Post by Donna DeLong

You can "repurpose" a DirecTV dish as a TV antenna and/or a WiFi antenna
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-an...

I'm beginning to realize I should just throw away the 4 satellite receivers
and concentrate on finding a use for the 2 dish antennas.
I noticed there is something called "Free To Air" satellite reception.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air
Do you think I can use the existing 18" circular DirecTV dishes and just
buy a FTA receiver to replace the 4 DirecTV receivers in the house (as
suggested here)?http://www.topbits.com/what-is-free-to-air.html
Do I understand FTA correctly that all I need is one FTA receiver and I can
get free television signals from an existing DirecTV dish?

the dishes are no good for fta it requires a minimum of 30 inches for
ku band fta, a 36" one will work good on h-h90 motor.
The lnbs will do just fine> yes that is the modification to get wifi
for your lap top and local ota digital signal for your tv.
Engadgit took it from Trevor Marshal
About the fta do some reading on this site it seems to be a lot more
than just nasa.

http://www.fridgefta.info/forums/index.php

[joeturn]

heres a channel list from that site see if your interested?

http://www.ftalist.co.cc/

[Donna DeLong]

modification to get wifi for your lap top
and local ota digital signal for your tv.

I have a question about both of these uses.

1. For the WiFi laptop access, is the point that we could pick up free WiFi
access points out of the air? Or is the point that inside our house, we
could increase the WiFi signal distance from one end of the house to the
other?

2. For Over-the-Air digital TV signals, does the repurposed DirecTV antenna
have any advantages over a commercially bought TV antenna?

[g***@neo.rr.com]

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 00:51:23 -0800, Donna DeLong

Post by Donna DeLong

modification to get wifi for your lap top
and local ota digital signal for your tv.

I have a question about both of these uses.
1. For the WiFi laptop access, is the point that we could pick up free WiFi
access points out of the air? Or is the point that inside our house, we
could increase the WiFi signal distance from one end of the house to the
other?
2. For Over-the-Air digital TV signals, does the repurposed DirecTV antenna
have any advantages over a commercially bought TV antenna?

#1 - If you are up in the mountains, I doubt you have any wifi signals
nearby to pick up. Maybe a neighbor who didn't protect their wireless
router, but that is a questionable practice anyway

#2 - Repurposed DirecTV dishes have a distinct DISadvantage for
picking up broadcast digital TV signal. They were not designed for
the frequencies involved and will not work unless the TV signals are
so strong that the coax lead-in picks them up. Buy a real TV antenna
and throw the old DirecTV stuff away (unless you subscribe to their
service.)

[Donna DeLong]

Post by g***@neo.rr.com
#2 - Repurposed DirecTV dishes have a distinct DISadvantage for
picking up broadcast digital TV signal. Buy a real TV antenna
and throw the old DirecTV stuff away (unless you subscribe to their
service.)

From what you said, the DirecTV antenna is probably useless for TV or WiFi.
Someone said the only thing useful was the DirecTV dish coax cable already
installed and running throughout the house.

So, I started researching Over-the-Air (OTA) TV reception via antennas.

This FCC site gave me the GPS coordinates of the mounted DirecTV dish:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

And this site gave me exact TV coverage maps for a TV antenna:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=90

These sites told me which type of TV antenna antenna I need:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas

Putting it all together, the web pages say I need a large directional UHF
and Hi-V TV antenna with a pre-amp (violet type) and a remote-controlled
motor to aim the chimney-mount (tile roof) antenna about 150 degrees north
to south.

Specifically, due to line-of-sight terrain problems, my OTA TV reception
realistically is only these 4 channels:
1. PBS UHF Strong (-37dBm, ESE 123 degrees)
2. CBS UHF Strong (-51dBm, N 8 degrees)
3. NBC HiV Medium (-60dBm, N 6 degrees)
4. FOX HiV Medium (-67dBm, SSE 141 degrees)
And maybe:
5. ABC HiV Weak (-84dBm, ESE 123 degrees)

I found a lot of TV antenna information at
http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/ but I haven't found a good online
supplier for what I need.

Any suggestions for an online supplier for TV antennas?

[Char Jackson]

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 09:35:10 -0800, Donna DeLong

Post by Donna DeLong
I found a lot of TV antenna information at
http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/ but I haven't found a good online
supplier for what I need.
Any suggestions for an online supplier for TV antennas?

I know it's not a sexy answer, but I used Amazon to buy my last OTA
antenna, the DB2. That model works for me because I'm in a flat
terrain suburban area. The DB4 and DB8 are increasingly directional,
but provide more gain in the aimed direction. Before that, I used
Ebay.

In my experience, antennaweb is slightly pessimistic on what I should
expect to receive.

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Char Jackson
In my experience, antennaweb is slightly pessimistic on what I should
expect to receive.

Interesting. I did notice the FCC reception dBm were different than
AntennaWeb (http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps).

AntennaWeb suggested a large directional antenna with a preamp so I'm
trying to figure out how to figure the size of the preamp (antennaweb
doesn't say).

Is there an online calculator to figure out what preamp power I need?

Given the various received power answerrs from the FCC and TVFool and
AntennaWeb URLs, I can summarize my OTA TV signal reception as:

1. PBS UHF Strong (21.1 miles, path 1Edge, Pwr -64 dBm, NM 26.8 dB)
2. CBS UHF Strong (51.4 miles, path LOS, Pwr -51.4 dBm, NM 39.5 dB)
3. NBC HiV Medium (42.1 miles, path 1Edge, Pwr -62.2 dBm, NM 28.7 dB)
4. FOX HiV Medium (-42.1 miles, path 1Edge, Pwr -70.0 dBm, NM 20.9 dB)
And maybe:
5. ABC HiV Weak (76.9 miles, path 2Edge, Pwr -105.2 dBm, NM -14.3 dB)

I'm still not sure of some of this stuff yet (eg LOS vs 1Edge, vs 2EDGE or
NM power vs dbm power); so my main dilemma now is which amplifier to get.

What is the recommended way to calculate required antenna amplifier power?

[Donna DeLong]

I used Amazon to buy my last OTA antenna, the DB2.
The DB4 and DB8 are increasingly directional, but provide more gain

Your suggestion is a good start.

Taking this description of the more powerful $120 DB8-HDTV antenna:
http://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idproduct=5187

The two specs that seem relevant appear to be:
# High gain across entire UHF band (UHF channels 14-69)
# Max Gain 15.8 dB

How do I determine if "15.8 dB is enough for my reception area?

Grom the FCC coverage maps, I receive:
1. PBS UHF (-37dBm, NM 26.8 dB)
2. CBS UHF (-51dBm, NM 39.5 dB)
3. NBC HiV (-60dBm, NM 28.7 dB)
4. FOX HiV (-67dBm, NM 20.9 dB)
5. ABC HiV Weak (-84dBm, NM -14.3 dB)

How do I determine if the DB8 antenna, at 15.8 dB, is enough for me given
these dBm and dB reception numbers (and is an amplifier warranted)?

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Donna DeLong
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas

CORRECTION:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html

[Donna DeLong]

Post by g***@neo.rr.com
#1 - If you are up in the mountains, I doubt you have any wifi signals
nearby to pick up. Maybe a neighbor who didn't protect their wireless
router, but that is a questionable practice anyway

On Windows, I installed the recommended Network Stumbler v0.4.0 from
http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

I thought it strange that Netstumble didn't find ANY WiFi access points but
then I realized that I don't broadcast my SSID and I guess none of my
neighbors do either.

Anyway, it seems like there are no wireless APs in the area and even if
there were, it seems logically to me that BOTH sides would have to have the
stronger antenna to work, so, I agree, a stronger WiFi isn't the way to go.

I'm going to concentrate on trying to pull down the OTA TV signals by
trying to figure out how to calculate which antenna will work in my area.

[Donna DeLong]

Post by Donna DeLong
I thought it strange that Netstumble didn't find ANY WiFi access points but
then I realized that I don't broadcast my SSID and I guess none of my
neighbors do either.

BTW, for whoever suggested Netstumbler, I just found out for Windows,
Netstumbler has been deprecated in favor of inSSIDer

http://www.metageek.net/docs/wireless-networking-tools

[joeturn]

Post by Donna DeLong

Post by Donna DeLong
I thought it strange that Netstumble didn't find ANY WiFi access points but
then I realized that I don't broadcast my SSID and I guess none of my
neighbors do either.

BTW, for whoever suggested Netstumbler, I just found out for Windows,
Netstumbler has been deprecated in favor of inSSIDer
http://www.metageek.net/docs/wireless-networking-tools

Donna you only need to try the engagit modification!
Its a fun project and with all your inquisition,I'll bet you'de
enjoy prooving to your self that,products for sale wont compare
to the enhanced signal you will get from the dish wifi/ DTV mod.

Now after reading your profile I noticed you have picked up
several ideas from a broad range of sites from betteter homes to sci
fi?
The dish mod wont help you increase your in-the-house connection
from your router to your laptop unles you had it mounted on your
phone/laptop, thats a bit much to ask!

It will however give you a greater signal of digital OTA signal than
any store bought array antenna because the collector sends a
concentrated
signal to a focal point!

It still will depend of LOS if your mountain blocks you now it will
block
you in that direction from now on soo nothing will help .

Save your money.

Move up on top of the mountain Nibiru is bringing 40 feet of water
that will last several months!

[m***@sushi.com]

Post by joeturn

Post by JIMMIE

Post by Donna DeLong

I bought a foreclosed home and it came with two satellite dishes and four
things called "Digital Satellite Receiver", e.g., Sony SAT-B55 with an
"Access Card" in the slot in back.
What would you do with these four satellite receivers?

I should mention I can call DirectTV to ask them to take them back but does
Direct-TV actually come to my house to get them (which is a pain) and will
they insist on removing the two antennas on the tile roof?
I don't see anything useful I can do with the four Direct TV satellite
receivers so they can have them but I don't want anyone crawling on the
tile roof to break even more tiles (I already have to get dozens of broken
ones fixed, presumably from their installers).
In summary, is there anything "useful" I can do with these four direct TV
digital satellite receivers (what would YOU do with them?)?

I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.
Jimmie- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Yep Engadget has a build your own bi-quad using the dishes picks up
wifi 30 miles away and using this bi-quad as digital antennas for tv
are ten times more stronger because of the huge surface area of the
collector concentrating the signal to a focal point verse an array!
Hooked to rotor you can get local stations twice as far away ,as an
array,without pixelization!

Direct TV dishes are marginally better than the biquad antenna by
itself. Pose the question to alt.wireless.internet. You really need a
big Primestar dish for wifi. Primestar is defunct, so getting the dish
for nothing isn't all that hard, but finding the dishes is something
else. I've seen Primestar dishes on abandoned houses, but the thought
of spending the night in some podunk jail keeps me from swiping the
dish.

Also, that biquad design in Engadget is not good. The feed to the
element needs to be coaxial rather than two wires. The loops can be
round too, which makes construction easier. This is really OT to
sci.geo.satellite-nav. On alt.internet.wireless, you will find the
gurus.

[joeturn]

Post by m***@sushi.com

Post by joeturn

Post by JIMMIE

Post by Donna DeLong

I bought a foreclosed home and it came with two satellite dishes and four
things called "Digital Satellite Receiver", e.g., Sony SAT-B55 with an
"Access Card" in the slot in back.
What would you do with these four satellite receivers?

I should mention I can call DirectTV to ask them to take them back but does
Direct-TV actually come to my house to get them (which is a pain) and will
they insist on removing the two antennas on the tile roof?
I don't see anything useful I can do with the four Direct TV satellite
receivers so they can have them but I don't want anyone crawling on the
tile roof to break even more tiles (I already have to get dozens of broken
ones fixed, presumably from their installers).
In summary, is there anything "useful" I can do with these four direct TV
digital satellite receivers (what would YOU do with them?)?

I see them all the time in second hand stores. Someone must want them.
Actually I think electronic hobbyist buy them.
Jimmie- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Yep Engadget has a build your own bi-quad using the dishes picks up
wifi 30 miles away and using this bi-quad as digital antennas for tv
are ten times more stronger because of the huge surface area of the
collector concentrating the signal to a focal point verse an array!
Hooked to rotor you can get local stations twice as far away ,as an
array,without pixelization!

Direct TV dishes are marginally better than the biquad antenna by
itself. Pose the question to alt.wireless.internet. You really need a
big Primestar dish for wifi. Primestar is defunct, so getting the dish
for nothing isn't all that hard, but finding the dishes is something
else. I've seen Primestar dishes on abandoned houses, but the thought
of spending the night in some podunk jail keeps me from swiping the
dish.
Also, that biquad design in Engadget is not good. The feed to the
element needs to be coaxial rather than two wires. The loops can be
round too, which makes construction easier. This is really OT to
sci.geo.satellite-nav. On alt.internet.wireless, you will find the
gurus.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Hog wash!

Satellite navigation has nothing to do with modifing a dish for wifi
for ota tv.

You must be trying to discourage the use of DTV dishes for practical
means!
THE ELEMENT works just fine the way engagit describes.You tell the
gurus
over at alt.wireles that a circular element will not improve anything
but looses db!

The Primestar dish was fiberglass and not as good a collector as a
metal DTV dish of a smaller size!

It too is a two wire connection(shield and center tap) and coax is
used on the engadget design.

They are either trying to sale you their gimmic or take advantage of
Trevor Marshal's expertise.

[joeturn]

Hog wash!

Satellite navigation has nothing to do with modifing a dish for wifi
or OTA tv.

For your imformation Digital was lobbied in to make the signal soo
weak that you could not pick up TV stations out of town.

This would drive the non-subscribers to buy cable or satellite tv in
order to get a good variety,without pixelization.

Notice all emergency,police and weather alerts remained on anolog
because of its supperior performance over digital!


You must be trying to discourage the use of DTV dishes for practical
means!
The ELEMENT works just fine the way engagit describes how to make it.

You tell the gurus over at alt.wireles that a circular element will
not improve anything
but loss of db gain!


The Primestar dish was fiberglass and not as good a collector as a
metal DTV dish of a smaller size!


The build-your-own-bi-quad is a two wire connection(shield and center
tap) and coax is
used on the engadget design.


Your gurus are either trying to sale you their gimmic or discredit
Trevor Marshal's expertise.

[Mike Russell]

Post by joeturn
Your gurus are either trying to sale you their gimmic or discredit
Trevor Marshal's expertise.

[etc etc]

Bad hair day, or did you just get out a big row of axes to grind for the
new year?

[joeturn]

Post by Mike Russell

Post by joeturn
Your gurus are either trying to sale you their gimmic or discredit
Trevor Marshal's expertise.

[etc etc]
Bad hair day, or did you just get out a big row of axes to grind for the
new year?
--
Mike Russell -http://www.curvemeister.com

my underware is too tight

[Donna DeLong]

Some people replace their satt or cable with a Netflix subscription, and being
perfectly happy.

I think the answer is as follows based on a summary of what I've learned.

1. The 4 satellite boxes are fundamentally useless for my needs
2. The 2 satellite dishes are also basically just as useless for me
3. What is useful is the existing cabling from the dishes to the rooms
4. Repurposing the dish antennas as WiFi or OTA TV isn't worth the effort
5. Netflix ($8/month for 1 DVD, $15/month for 3 DVDs) is one movie option
6. However if news or networks are desired, than TV is the way to go
7. Web-based TV (Hulu, Ninja & Fast Pass TV) work only with broadband
8. FTA TV has limited programming & comparable hardware cost to DirecTV
9. OTA TV has one-time investment in a yagi or DB8, plus a motor & preamp
10. Cost for OTA TV is about $250 ($150 antenna, $50 motor, $50 preamp)
11. Mounting on the highest part of the property will work (water tank)
12. Four OTA stations will be received well (PBS, CBS, NBC, FOX)
- PBS UHF Strong (KTEH, Analog channel 54-1, Digital channel 50)
- CBS UHF Strong (KION, Analog channel 46-1, Digital channel 32)
- NBC HiV Medium (KSBW, Analog channel 08-1, Digital channel 08)
- FOX HiV Medium (KCBA, Analog channel 35-1, Digital channel 13)