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  1. mbarnes

    Reverse Satellite Aiming Software/Calculator

    Very cool site. Thanks!
  2. mbarnes

    Reverse Satellite Aiming Software/Calculator

    Looks like that should work. Thanks.
  3. mbarnes

    Reverse Satellite Aiming Software/Calculator

    I'm looking for software or a calculator for satellite locating. But, I need something that works in reverse. That is, instead of giving me the azimuth and elevation to point my dish at a specific satellite from a given location, I need to enter a location, azimuth, and elevation and find out...
  4. mbarnes

    Coolsat 6000 - Still any good?

    I haven't been here in years. I was planning to do some FTA stuff, but never got to it. I got a new Coolsat 6000 receiver. Are these things still of any use? Or has technology passed me by? I don't know whether to keep it and try in my new location (moving soon) or put it in the yard sale or...
  5. mbarnes

    How to record more than 5 episodes

    I've got a DirecTV HD DVR I've set up to record several series. Sometimes a channel will have a marathon on a series, but I only get five episodes, the earlier ones get dumped. Is there a setting someplace where I can set the number of episodes to keep? Thanks, Michael
  6. mbarnes

    Receiver rack mount

    North American Cable has exactly what I need, but they don't sell direct. DirecTV doesn't even know what I am talking about. No surprise there. Supposedly a reseller from NACE will contact me. Anyone on here do mail order business?
  7. mbarnes

    Receiver rack mount

    I've got a bunch of D11-500 receivers in an eight slot rack mount. These are slowly dying and DirecTV is sending me D12-100 replacements. Naturally, they are just slightly thicker than the D11-500, so they don't fit the rack slots. Does anyone know where I can get a rack mount that will hold...
  8. mbarnes

    NASA Mandatory HD Upgrade?

    From DirecTV website: Yes, DIRECTV will still offer NASA TV on Channel 289. However, starting August 3, 2011, NASA TV will only be available to customers who have DIRECTV HD equipment and are subscribed to HD Access ($10/month). But please note: NASA TV will remain a standard definition channel.
  9. mbarnes

    NASA Mandatory HD Upgrade?

    Today I am getting a banner on the NASA channel that says I must upgrade to HD to continue to receive NASA, even though it will still be a standard def channel. What other channels are affected by this mandatory upgrade? How much are they charging for this? Sounds like another D* ripoff.
  10. mbarnes

    Anybody try a Multi-dish array

    Has anyone tried using a multi dish array of small dishes instead of one large dish? I know they do it for space communications and radio astronomy. Instead of having one humongous dish, they use an array of smaller dishes all pointed at the same place. That way, they use three or four 40m...
  11. mbarnes

    The list?

    If I understand this thread correctly, NASA is no longer "free" on DishNetwork? Rats, I just got a dish and receiver specifically for the purpose.
  12. mbarnes

    Most people don't know what FTA satellite TV is

    I haven't read all the pages in this thread, so forgive me if this is a repeat. Promotion costs money. Newspaper space, radio spots, billboards, etc. are not cheap. There must be a return on investment. Sure, promoting FTA will help Sadoun and other vendors, but to stay in business, the ROI...
  13. mbarnes

    Presidential Event Channel

    I was recently visiting a location that uses a lot of FTA stuff. One of the monitors showed the Pres Seal and said "Presidential Event Channel." Unfortunately, I was not in a position to get a better look at equipment or ask questions. Apparently, this is a feed by the White House...
  14. mbarnes

    Which satellite to choose?

    I finally got a dish up. It's an old DirecPC, the bigger one. It is fixed and a real pain to get to it to aim. So, if you had one Ku satellite to point to and see something worthwhile now and then, which one would you recommend? Please, no extensive recommendations on adding LNBs, etc...
  15. mbarnes

    question on finding coax

    I think the word you are looking for is cross-talk. But you've got the right basic idea. Pick up a line tracer set. It has a little box with clip leads and puts a strong tone on the cable. The other part is the "wand", usually about 8" or so with a point at one end and a small speaker at the...
  16. mbarnes

    Viewsat bad boy

    It appears the owner of Viewtech, the company that imports FTA receivers and sells them under the Viewsat brand has been indicted for "conspiracy to violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act." He allegedly hired a couple guys to hack the new Dish Network encryption codes for Nagra 3...
  17. mbarnes

    Channel Master Satellite Meters

    I was looking around thinking of getting a new meter. I found the Channel Master 1008IFD. It is actually a pair 1007IFDs in one case, so you can measure two LNBs at once. Now the curious part. Some vendors have them listed anywhere from $179 to $305. Then there are a bunch listed for $89...
  18. mbarnes

    Recommendations? (New reply, old thread)

    I know this is an old thread, but I just ran across it while searching for something else. Here's some FWIW info. CRC program providers like USA, Moody, etc. on the CRC carrier almost never know their PIDS. They have no need to and have no control over them. The providers backhaul their...
  19. mbarnes

    WNGS on 123W Galaxy 18

    Most of my favorite oldies I never see listed anywhere. Every now and then somebody will carry some old Lone Ranger episodes. But whatever happened to Whirlybirds, Ripcord, Rescue 8, Casey Jones and Wild Bill Hickock? They sure don't make good shows like that anymore. BTW, Mary Ann was my...
  20. mbarnes

    Pipe for Dish

    So far, I've been lucky. I've been able to back the truck right up to the dish. After I get the dish down, I take a short chain, throw two or three turns around the base of the pipe and hook it to the truck. Drop into 4-LO and ease on the gas. Comes right out. Haven't found one yet I could...
  21. mbarnes

    Pipe for Dish

    It depends on the dish. If you have it on hand, measure the mount for proper diameter. If you are acquiring it, either get the specs from the vendor or wait until you get it and measure it. Six foot dishes, depending on manufacturer, may need 2, 2 1/2, or 3 inch pipe. Normally pipe that...
  22. mbarnes

    Birdview harvesting, California style:

    Nice score. Looks like it will do you well. I try to find ones I can back the truck right up to. I take off the tailgate and take loose any elevation hardware and birdbath the dish. I back right up until the bumper hits the pole. Swing the dish around and lower the edge onto the sides of...
  23. mbarnes

    ? Video in posts ??

    If you're concerned about bandwidth, then use a text type browser (like w3m or lynx) from the command line. I've got DSL and in w3m these pages load in about a half a second. On a dial-up, I imagine some of the pages might take 3 or 4 seconds, but your bandwidth usage is minimal. You could...
  24. mbarnes

    Enter to win: Tool kit from Sadoun - Ends 3/31/09

    Any contest is worth a shot to me. I used to take care of a lot of satellite and related equipment. The most common problem I ran into was bad F connectors. There were always different makes and they all used different crimp tools. The outdoor ones always needed to have coax seal all over...
  25. mbarnes

    Fixed dish, which satellite?

    If you had one dish, no motor, no extra lnbs, preferred whatever you got in English, which satellite would you point to? First, second and third choice. Thanks.