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Allin4greeN

Last reply Nov 13, 2007 · posted in Computers and Gadgets

Considering a Mac questions...

Although my second computer was an Apple IIGs (first was a RS TRS80) I've been using PC's for the past 15 years or so. Recently, I've been considering a PowerBook Pro as my next home computer purchase.

I have a few assumptions that I'm basing my decision on and I'm hoping some forum folks can help me confirm or challenge my thoughts. TIA.

1) I'm running an 802.11g network, am I right in thinking that the PowerBook will be compatible with my existing network/router (Linksys)?
2) A few years ago I had a conversation with one of our IT folks and it revolved around the superior security characteristics of Mac's vs. PC's, from viruses and other less passive attacks. Is Mac still a "safer" choice? Would I still need to run protection software like antivirus or antispyware? This is one of my biggest considerations in switching.
3) Any other considerations in the debate between Mac and PC?

I've been a poweruser on PC's, mostly data extraction via SQL/Access and an intregrated information system but, in considering a new home computer, I'd like to slot it into my HT and begin using it more for AV duties (video, photo, etc.).

Help in making a good decision?

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shanewalker

Nov 11, 2007

I wholehearted encourgage your impulse to get a MacBook Pro.

They are excellent machines, and OS X is no slouch either.

I use Macs and PCs, and love aspects of both...but there's no arguing against the fantastic track record that Macs have had in my home. I have a 1997-era 9600 still chugging along as my household music server (including flawless streaming to my XBox 360 and main A/V rack, no less, with an astoundingly good little app called 'Connect 360' by Null River). I have a 2001-era PowerBook that I've upgraded over the years w/ a dual-layer burner, more memory and a bigger hard drive...its running the latest greatest media apps and Tiger (OS 10.4). Try doing that w/ a 6 year old PC laptop. I'm fairly certain that the tricked-out Toshiba laptop I bought in '06 won't be faring as well in a couple of years (but I do like it).

The BIG reason to buy Apple hardware over a PC equivalent--BOOT CAMP. Have one machine w/ the flexibility to be both a Mac AND a Windows PC...and a quality machine at that. In fact, you CAN have the best of both worlds. As a matter of point, the new MacBook Pro runs Vista better than anyone. I plan on getting a new desktop in the Spring, and its going to be whatever monster Apple unleashed at MacWorld '08--it'll be running dual boot OS X and either XP Pro or Vista (haven't decided). I'll be able to run whatever apps I desire on world-class hardware w/ great reliability and customer service...what's not to love?

Oh, if you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe, I dunno, PC World?:

PC World - In Pictures: The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007

EvilEuro

Nov 12, 2007

shanewalker said:
The BIG reason to buy Apple hardware over a PC equivalent--BOOT CAMP. Have one machine w/ the flexibility to be both a Mac AND a Windows PC...and a quality machine at that. In fact, you CAN have the best of both worlds. As a matter of point, the new MacBook Pro runs Vista better than anyone. I plan on getting a new desktop in the Spring, and its going to be whatever monster Apple unleashed at MacWorld '08--it'll be running dual boot OS X and either XP Pro or Vista (haven't decided). I'll be able to run whatever apps I desire on world-class hardware w/ great reliability and customer service...what's not to love?

You know, I would love to do that on my generic, hand built, custom component PC and run OS X in a nice virtual machine via VM Ware... but I can't because Saint Steve won't deign the regular masses to run his operating system on anything but his personally badged hardware. Sure, you can have the "best of both worlds"... so long as Steve Jobs himself benefits by having you buy his incredibly overpriced hardware.

There is one thing and one thing only that makes a Mac different from a PC in terms of the parts inside of it right now... the Trusted Platform Module. That's it. Everything else, motherboards, sound, processors, RAM, etc., is as absolutely generic as it gets. Without a TPM you can't install OS X on a machine and that's what allows Apple to take 1100 dollars worth of hardware and charge 7 grand for it (using an 8 core Mac Pro as an example).

Sure, I could build a Hackintosh to get around that, but then I've got to find patches for the things that don't work right (usually sound) and then do a little playing around with kernel extension files. And then there's still the chance that things might not work completely right after all is said and done.

It would be very easy for Apple to release a list of hardware that they say will work with their operating system so I can install it on a custom made PC. They can make it very limited, it's their right. They don't have to support it or, if they want to make easy coin, they can offer support on a pay-as-you-go basis while still promising that they can't guarantee a resolution to your problems since it's not Apple badged hardware. But by releasing a list of hardware that their OS works with (and eliminating the TPM check), they could open up their vaunted user experience to loads more people. But they won't because it would then make more widespread just how much an Apple customer is getting ripped off for the right to have that little half-eaten fruit put on their case.

Which brings me to this story in today's Inquirer: Apple charges fortune for memory upgrade - The INQUIRER. If that isn't taking advantage of your lemmings, I don't know what is. For a comparison, to go from 512MB of memory on an HP latop to 4GB of memory is "only" $450.

And this is from someone that would love to use their stuff on a more regular basis (I have in the past, still do occasionally now), but certainly is not going to pay a 150% premium (or more) on the hardware to do so.

shanewalker

Nov 12, 2007

EvilEuro said:
You know, I would love to do that on my generic, hand built, custom component PC and run OS X in a nice virtual machine via VM Ware... but I can't because Saint Steve won't deign the regular masses to run his operating system on anything but his personally badged hardware. Sure, you can have the "best of both worlds"... so long as Steve Jobs himself benefits by having you buy his incredibly overpriced hardware.

I don't want to get into the whole flame war thing about the "overpriced hardware" issue, but here's my 2 cents.

For those who love to build their own, my hat is off to you. I have good friends who do that for fun and profit (building for aquaintances for small fees) and I've worked with people who have insisted on building their own workstations and render farms in our post production facilities...so I 'GET' it.

Here's the thing...raw parts prices do NOT a total cost make. How many times do folks have to point out repeated studies and real-world stats that show that a personal computer COSTS not just what parts comprise it, but its functionality, reliability and maintenance, security and ease-of-use as well...its all about "cost of ownership." The VAST majority of computer users out there need a no hassle, fully warrantied machine that they can simply plug in and use, reliably.

Just like you could build your own kit car hot rod and claim it was 'cheaper' than a production model...you have to take into consideration your time to build and maintain the beast and its expected usable lifetime. I recall lots of times talking to my MYO buds and hearing of parts failures, lost weekends fixing 'mysterious' hardware issues and software probs (BIOS conflicts, etc.), and it seemed they were almost constantly chucking out systems and rebuilding them. Read the recent article in "Widescreen Review" on building your own HTPC and you see a very candid portrayal of the effort it takes to get a state-of-the-art machine together from scratch...it takes devotion, time and resources that most people would rather spend on other things.

So its all how you look at "value" and where you draw the line at the real cost of a computer.

And Apple's hardware costs are now in line with any major PC manufacturer--the old mindset of overpriced Apple-specific hardware are all but long gone. Feature-for-feature, Apple machines compare favorably with the likes of HP, Toshiba, Lenova, etc, etc. And look up Apple in PC World, Consumer Reports, etc. Best reliability, tech support and their price/performance is up at the top...

Like I said--I don't want to entertain a flame war. I just wanted to point out these alternatives to your view of things.

peallen

Nov 12, 2007

Food for thought.

Machinist: Tech Blog, Tech News, Technology Articles - Salon

EvilEuro

Nov 12, 2007

shanewalker said:
I don't want to get into the whole flame war thing about the "overpriced hardware" issue, but here's my 2 cents.

For those who love to build their own, my hat is off to you. I have good friends who do that for fun and profit (building for aquaintances for small fees) and I've worked with people who have insisted on building their own workstations and render farms in our post production facilities...so I 'GET' it.

Here's the thing...raw parts prices do NOT a total cost make. How many times do folks have to point out repeated studies and real-world stats that show that a personal computer COSTS not just what parts comprise it, but its functionality, reliability and maintenance, security and ease-of-use as well...its all about "cost of ownership." The VAST majority of computer users out there need a no hassle, fully warrantied machine that they can simply plug in and use, reliably.

<snip>

So its all how you look at "value" and where you draw the line at the real cost of a computer.

And Apple's hardware costs are now in line with any major PC manufacturer--the old mindset of overpriced Apple-specific hardware are all but long gone. Feature-for-feature, Apple machines compare favorably with the likes of HP, Toshiba, Lenova, etc, etc. And look up Apple in PC World, Consumer Reports, etc. Best reliability, tech support and their price/performance is up at the top...

Like I said--I don't want to entertain a flame war. I just wanted to point out these alternatives to your view of things.

I hear you on what most computer users want. However, the bit you quoted was really me snidely referring to the fact that if you own a Mac you have the option of either a) using Boot Camp to set up a dual booting system so you can have the benefit of both Windows and OS X or b) using Parallels or another piece of VM software so you can run Windows from inside of OS X.

Either way, you actually have the choice to do so because Windows will run on that hardware. There is no TPM restricting your ability to install it. If you have paid your money and have a license key to install Windows, you can do it.

The same does not work in the other direction. That's what bothers me and was the point I was making there.

In all honesty, I'd love to run OS X in a VM on my Windows box... but I'm not afforded that option because Apple won't allow it. If I want to have the best of both worlds, I have to pay my respects to Saint Steve... in cash.

mike123abc

Nov 13, 2007

One problem PCs have from major vendors is that they are filled up with useless demo programs. Yes they got marketing $$ for loading up your PC with this junk.

Apple also ships standard with some software that is hard to get quality software on the PC. Yes you can pay the big bucks for Adobe for Photoshop/Premier or you settle for some no name cheap or half demo program to make movies and such. Installing half these programs probably results in BSOD on windows from poorly written video capture drivers and other flakey behavior which the users put the blame on Windows.

Foxbat

Nov 13, 2007

I bought a Mac Pro 2.66 GHz quad-core Xeon system back in January from the Apple store's refurbished systems. It was priced $300 less than the "new/never-owned" system price. I expected the price to drop when the 8-core Mac Pros came out some months later, but today, the same system I bought 10 months ago is the same price. That's the first time that has ever happened to me with any electronic device.

Sure, this machine has more power than I really need, but Scott fixed that for me by introducing us to the Folding @ Home project. My main intent with getting the Mac was to get a cruncher with which I would run NewTek's LightWave. Looking at other workstations from HP and Dell, the same 4-core Xeon boxes from them actually cost $200-400 for the equivalent system at the time.

Plus, if Vista was going to require all new software (and possibly hardware) to take advantage of it, that tossed the whole backwards compatibility issue in the trashcan. My in-Laws have had Macs for some time now, so I was comfortable with the OS. I learned a lot migrating my PC mail files over to the Mac Pro, clearly not something to be done too often

. The Dashboard Widgets are pretty neat (Vista has Gadgets and there's Yahoo, too) and all the iLife applications are handy (iPhoto is great, especially now that photos are organized by events with the new version).

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply 6 minutes ago · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

New Gemini Box

The following is from Reddit. -
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/s/orzHBkmqQW

There appears to be a new DIRECTV Gemini OTT box, the C81KW-650.

The FCC listing is partially available, and a Geekbench entry confirms it uses an Amlogic S905X5, a solid SoC for a set-top box.

I also see 4GB of RAM, and the manufacturer is SEI Robotics.

DIRECTV C81KW OTT Box - Android TV Guide

Ok found a picture of the Box too on Reddit:

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/comments/1twlex0/comment/opzeqi1/

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GRB1959

Sep 23, 2026

A new Gemini box for DirecTV streaming possibly becoming available in January of 2027? That would be welcome news.

I have been exploring leaving Dish DBS ever since a software update around Aug. 10, version H711 and now H712, is causing problems with IR signals and the Dish Hopper 3. As a result my Sofabaton X2 universal remote no longer works perfectly as it did prior to the H711 and H712 Dish Hopper 3 firmware updates.

I have been a little leary of the current hardware available for DirecTV streaming as the Gemini Ospry box fits my needs, however they are getting a little long in the tooth and finding the 4GB RAM (SKU: 60233) Osprey box complete with remote and power cable is somewhat challenging. I see that the 2GB RAM Osprey boxes (SKU: 60164) can be found on Ebay and at Walmart online used, however a 4GB Osprey box is preferred.

Now I wonder if I should just wait it out until the new Gemini box for DirecTV streaming becomes available. I want a box with an Ethernet port and the Gemini Air is WiFi only. If the new Gemini box does become available in January of 2027 will it be lease only via DirecTV or will we be allowed to purchase them?

slow_poke_pete

Sep 23, 2026

GRB1959 said:
A new Gemini box for DirecTV streaming possibly becoming available in January of 2027? That would be welcome news.

I have been exploring leaving Dish DBS ever since a software update around Aug. 10, version H711 and now H712, is causing problems with IR signals and the Dish Hopper 3. As a result my Sofabaton X2 universal remote no longer works perfectly as it did prior to the H711 and H712 Dish Hopper 3 firmware updates.

I have been a little leary of the current hardware available for DirecTV streaming as the Gemini Ospry box fits my needs, however they are getting a little long in the tooth and finding the 4GB RAM (SKU: 60233) Osprey box complete with remote and power cable is somewhat challenging. I see that the 2GB RAM Osprey boxes (SKU: 60164) can be found on Ebay and at Walmart online used, however a 4GB Osprey box is preferred.

Now I wonder if I should just wait it out until the new Gemini box for DirecTV streaming becomes available. I want a box with an Ethernet port and the Gemini Air is WiFi only. If the new Gemini box does become available in January of 2027 will it be lease only via DirecTV or will we be allowed to purchase them?

there leased at 10.00 per box. unless you can find em at ebay or wally world where people have gotten em before. or you could get a roku apple tv firestick if you don't need the channel numbers

GRB1959

Sep 23, 2026

slow_poke_pete said:
there leased at 10.00 per box. unless you can find em at ebay or wally world where people have gotten em before. or you could get a roku apple tv firestick if you don't need the channel numbers

I appreciate the reply. My wife will be using this as well so a numeric keypad to change channels that actually works is a must and I want it to have a hardwired Ethernet port so that leaves the Gemini box as my only real choice.

slow_poke_pete

Sep 23, 2026

GRB1959 said:
I appreciate the reply. My wife will be using this as well so a numeric keypad to change channels that actually works is a must and I want it to have a hardwired Ethernet port so that leaves the Gemini box as my only real choice.

oh and channel master did make a numeric keypad for the apple t.v. i don't know if they still do and if that would work with dtv channel numbers!

Reactions: GRB1959

KyL416

Sep 23, 2026

The DTV app doesn't respond to channel number inputs on 3rd party devices.

Reactions: slow_poke_pete and GRB1959

slow_poke_pete

Sep 23, 2026

KyL416 said:
The DTV app doesn't respond to channel number inputs on 3rd party devices.

This is good to know!!!

Tom Speer

Today at 9:19 AM

PUBLIC INFORMATION SUMMARY: DIRECTV's New Streaming‑Only Device (Model C81KW‑650)

I asked ChatGPT to summarize what is publicly known about DirecTV's new Streaming box. Here is what it said:

DIRECTV has a new streaming‑only device undergoing testing, publicly identified as model C81KW‑650.FCC filings and Reddit posts show it uses an Amlogic S905X5 chipset with 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, Wi‑Fi 6, Ethernet, and support for modern codecs including AV1 and H.266.It runs Android TV 14 and is manufactured by SEI Robotics.

Performance is significantly improved over the Osprey‑based Gemini and Gemini Air, with a faster CPU, stronger GPU, double the RAM, modern codec support, and better connectivity.

The FCC lists it as an OTT device, and all public information indicates it is intended for streaming service only.No official release date has been announced.

Making it also function as a Genie client would only be a matter of software, but that would not be able to use all the advanced codecs built into this device. That is clearly not a near term priority for DirecTV, if they ever do it at all.

b4pjoe

6 minutes ago

Here is what Google Gemini says about it:

The DIRECTV Gemini V2 (Model C81KW-650) is the successor set-top box to DIRECTV's original Gemini hardware (C71KW). Manufactured by SEI Robotics, details about the device emerged through FCC filings and hardware benchmarks.

It represents a significant performance upgrade over previous DIRECTV hardware.

Hardware & Performance Upgrades

Processor (SoC): Powered by the Amlogic S905X5 chipset featuring a quad-core ARM Cortex-A510 CPU (2.0 GHz). This offers roughly a 35–40% performance increase over the older Broadcom chipsets, resulting in much faster app load times and UI responsiveness.

Graphics: Upgraded to an ARM Mali-G310 GPU.

Memory & Storage: Equipped with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage—a substantial jump from previous models that allows smoother multitasking and plenty of space for third-party streaming apps.

Software & Connectivity

Operating System: Runs Android TV 14 out of the box.

Wi-Fi Upgrade: Includes Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) support, replacing the older Wi-Fi 5 standard for more stable wireless 4K video streaming.

Expanded Codec Support: Supports 4K Ultra HD with AV1, VP9, H.264, HEVC/H.265, and support for future-proof VVC/H.266 video playback.

HDR & Audio: Supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Core Ecosystem Features

DIRECTV Experience: Retains full integration with DIRECTV's unified interface—combining live satellite or internet channel guides with third-party streaming apps downloaded via the Google Play Store.

Voice & Smart Controls: Built-in Google Assistant voice navigation and Google Cast support.

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

57 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

We're less than 4 weeks away from Voyager 1 reaching a distance of one light day from Earth

I've always been super interested in things space related so this is a pretty cool event coming up. Nov 18, 2026 early in the morning, Voyager 1 will reach the distance of one full light day from Earth. Took almost 50 yrs. I was 13 when it launched.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share

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SatZach

Today at 9:30 AM · posted in General Home Theater Equipment

Remote feeds.

Hey everyone,
I got the all important spousal buy-in to get all my equipment back out for Sat, Terrestrial reception. The catch is that I can't add any more equipment to our main house and everything will stay in the out building ~250 feet from our house. My idea is to use the server I already have to encode the feeds from multiple sources into streams that I can then watch via plex in the main house. Has anyone done this or know of any decent turn key solutions?

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TvMind

Last reply Today at 9:06 AM · posted in C-BAND Satellite Discussion

SES 1 101° W Horizontal "Issues" a.k.a "I want my M(e)TV"

Howdy folks long time no write.

Issue(s): Horizontal transponders (esp. Weigel mux) breakup/mosaic/sputtering audio, JTV less so (but received perfectly up until a month or so ago.
Vertical is fine (Daystar). Up until recently couldn't even get any signal on Weigel Mux but JTV was perfect.

What I did to improve things: A slight westward move improved reception but only slightly (approx 72 on the micro HD, sorry no dB to post). I removed the 3-way C-Band splitter and used a 2-way to get a 1-2 db signal gain ( the power port goes to the Startrak - the micro HD doesn't have enough juice ! (1st clue) even after swapping the switching power supply it came with with a heftier linear 12 V supply (less RFI too !).
I have had issues with the uHD before signal breaking up that a reboot would clear up (clue #2 = dying tuner?) - FYI, I reinforced the IF input and removed all flux from the pcb completely with a Flux Removal Pen (MG Chemicals Cat No. 4140-P) which definitely makes a huge difference.

I went outside and pushed and pulled reflector slightly and no improvement. Pole (actually tower in yard - the neighbours love me..NOT) is plumb, checked with carpenters level. Dish was last peaked in 2017 or so, after overhauling 24" Von Weise, new Acme, fresh grease, etc. Focal length, f/d ratio etc meticulously adjusted. One panel has a tear so planning to repair that this weekend when my cousin comes over ( to help me out (old guy here) forecast calls for sunshine.

What has changed: My utility company has installed new high tension line poles (one smack dab in the middle of 101°W target! But they put it in last year and reception (of JTV (HOR) at least) was fine, BUT when they came out to transfer the wires over this year from the old (sawed in half) pole that's about when the troubles started (coincidence?), but again Daystar (VER) was fine. I always had this pole in the light of sight of 101° before with no issues. (fyi my zenith sat 74° is unobstucted, but can't test)

In the meantime Weigel mux is trying to break in MOSTLY in LATE at night (less cell usage?) (audio not video except for a frame here or there) so don't know what has changed with this mux which suddenly "woke up". I have never had to fuss with dish moves on this satellite ( the slightest move +/- motor clicks loses lock, wheres normally on C-band I can go significantly wider east or west and still have a strong signal ( have these gone "spot beam" or narrower somehow and what is the slight difference in Az listed on Lyngsat to 100.9° affect things ( isn't that the declination i.e. requiring a tweak of declination?).

Long story short (too late, ha), if I had another DVB-S2 box to try and / or a newer more stable PLL lnb ( I have been meaning to upgrade many a time but never got arround to it) I could determine if it's my antiquated receiving equipment, or my dish/feed alignment ( doubtful as it tracks everything from 55 °W to 133 ° W nicely.) or the dreaded 5G! (BUT only on HOR and not VER?).
I read another post where the OP (with his smaller 7.5 footer) played around with the illumination to peak desired transponder and reduce qrm on interfering/ stronger xpndrs (even on 103° W). So will play with that too - and cut away the RG-6 a and pull up a fresh section with new PPC and coax Seal. Open the throat cap see if any cobwebs are there and check servo operation (also changed in last maintence 10 years ago).

Finally, this will probably be the last chance I get to play with the BUD from the looks of it (providers leaving, auctioning off rest of spectrum imminent above 4.0 Ghz, and to keep the peace with neighbours so it would be nice to have that mux back for the long, cold and dark winters to comfort this old man before I call it quits and buy a VHF/UHF/FM Yagi and get MeTV, H&I from my Vermont local stations (checked at a friends today and they come in nicely - except ABC) .
Only one guy in town (Montreal) I may be able to get a receiver or PLL lnb from to try (RPS Sat) so hopefully with elimnate that as a possible culprit. Be nice to pick up a cheap or used PLL lnb to try w/o 5G BPF (money is tight )

Like others I couldn't care less about "tv" (well maybe just a liitle or a lot) it's the challenge that excites me , I can get MeTV other ways OTA (no pirate crap).

So what do you guys (and gals) think ?. p.s. I don't have a spectrum analyzer and there are def/ cell towers nearby (half a Km or so away).
Oh and time permitting will hammer out dings too and wire damaged mesh on one section for an extra dB or two. Hesitate to touch Declination, Elevation and pole mount but will play around with those a little too... Why is this mux for finicky suddenly ?(8psk, 5/6 fec, beamwidthetc.. man wish they went back to VER I think everthing would be fine! For the engineers out here does 5G QRM affect one poliarization (HOR) more than another (VER)? I understand the strong interference swamps out the input mixer/local oscilator in the hapless old C-band lnb (I think it at time affect KU too esp. LPB on 101°W KU - incidentally thos were weak or "gone' but are back almost at the time MeTV improved..hmm Terrestrial interference?

Any thoughts or suggestions ( cheap or free solutions please) greatly appreciated. Cheers.

p.p.s. Micro HD can't display Decades and Toons but records them fine so I can watch on another box/media player (Ali chip set issue). Another reason to upgrade.

Anybody interested in a nice C/KU system free ? (for next Spring/Summer 2027)

[Sami 10' mesh, Corotor II+, Eagle Aspen (very old) C-band lnb, Norsat Ku lnb, Channel Master C/Ku (H/V) switch, Startrak 400 Analog receiver w/ motor control, Geosat uHD DVD-S2, CW600S for Mpeg-2]

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brownsfan1

Monday at 9:22 PM

TvMind said:
Howdy folks long time no write.

Issue(s): Horizontal transponders (esp. Weigel mux) breakup/mosaic/sputtering audio, JTV less so (but received perfectly up until a month or so ago.
Vertical is fine (Daystar). Up until recently couldn't even get any signal on Weigel Mux but JTV was perfect.

What I did to improve things: A slight westward move improved reception but only slightly (approx 72 on the micro HD, sorry no dB to post). I removed the 3-way C-Band splitter and used a 2-way to get a 1-2 db signal gain ( the power port goes to the Startrak - the micro HD doesn't have enough juice ! (1st clue) even after swapping the switching power supply it came with with a heftier linear 12 V supply (less RFI too !).
I have had issues with the uHD before signal breaking up that a reboot would clear up (clue #2 = dying tuner?) - FYI, I reinforced the IF input and removed all flux from the pcb completely with a Flux Removal Pen (MG Chemicals Cat No. 4140-P) which definitely makes a huge difference.

I went outside and pushed and pulled reflector slightly and no improvement. Pole (actually tower in yard - the neighbours love me..NOT) is plumb, checked with carpenters level. Dish was last peaked in 2017 or so, after overhauling 24" Von Weise, new Acme, fresh grease, etc. Focal length, f/d ratio etc meticulously adjusted. One panel has a tear so planning to repair that this weekend when my cousin comes over ( to help me out (old guy here) forecast calls for sunshine.

What has changed: My utility company has installed new high tension line poles (one smack dab in the middle of 101°W target! But they put it in last year and reception (of JTV (HOR) at least) was fine, BUT when they came out to transfer the wires over this year from the old (sawed in half) pole that's about when the troubles started (coincidence?), but again Daystar (VER) was fine. I always had this pole in the light of sight of 101° before with no issues. (fyi my zenith sat 74° is unobstucted, but can't test)

In the meantime Weigel mux is trying to break in MOSTLY in LATE at night (less cell usage?) (audio not video except for a frame here or there) so don't know what has changed with this mux which suddenly "woke up". I have never had to fuss with dish moves on this satellite ( the slightest move +/- motor clicks loses lock, wheres normally on C-band I can go significantly wider east or west and still have a strong signal ( have these gone "spot beam" or narrower somehow and what is the slight difference in Az listed on Lyngsat to 100.9° affect things ( isn't that the declination i.e. requiring a tweak of declination?).

Long story short (too late, ha), if I had another DVB-S2 box to try and / or a newer more stable PLL lnb ( I have been meaning to upgrade many a time but never got arround to it) I could determine if it's my antiquated receiving equipment, or my dish/feed alignment ( doubtful as it tracks everything from 55 °W to 133 ° W nicely.) or the dreaded 5G! (BUT only on HOR and not VER?).
I read another post where the OP (with his smaller 7.5 footer) played around with the illumination to peak desired transponder and reduce qrm on interfering/ stronger xpndrs (even on 103° W). So will play with that too - and cut away the RG-6 a and pull up a fresh section with new PPC and coax Seal. Open the throat cap see if any cobwebs are there and check servo operation (also changed in last maintence 10 years ago).

Finally, this will probably be the last chance I get to play with the BUD from the looks of it (providers leaving, auctioning off rest of spectrum imminent above 4.0 Ghz, and to keep the peace with neighbours so it would be nice to have that mux back for the long, cold and dark winters to comfort this old man before I call it quits and buy a VHF/UHF/FM Yagi and get MeTV, H&I from my Vermont local stations (checked at a friends today and they come in nicely - except ABC) .
Only one guy in town (Montreal) I may be able to get a receiver or PLL lnb from to try (RPS Sat) so hopefully with elimnate that as a possible culprit. Be nice to pick up a cheap or used PLL lnb to try w/o 5G BPF (money is tight )

Like others I couldn't care less about "tv" (well maybe just a liitle or a lot) it's the challenge that excites me , I can get MeTV other ways OTA (no pirate crap).

So what do you guys (and gals) think ?. p.s. I don't have a spectrum analyzer and there are def/ cell towers nearby (half a Km or so away).
Oh and time permitting will hammer out dings too and wire damaged mesh on one section for an extra dB or two. Hesitate to touch Declination, Elevation and pole mount but will play around with those a little too... Why is this mux for finicky suddenly ?(8psk, 5/6 fec, beamwidthetc.. man wish they went back to VER I think everthing would be fine! For the engineers out here does 5G QRM affect one poliarization (HOR) more than another (VER)? I understand the strong interference swamps out the input mixer/local oscilator in the hapless old C-band lnb (I think it at time affect KU too esp. LPB on 101°W KU - incidentally thos were weak or "gone' but are back almost at the time MeTV improved..hmm Terrestrial interference?

Any thoughts or suggestions ( cheap or free solutions please) greatly appreciated. Cheers.

p.p.s. Micro HD can't display Decades and Toons but records them fine so I can watch on another box/media player (Ali chip set issue). Another reason to upgrade.

Anybody interested in a nice C/KU system free ? (for next Spring/Summer 2027)

[Sami 10' mesh, Corotor II+, Eagle Aspen (very old) C-band lnb, Norsat Ku lnb, Channel Master C/Ku (H/V) switch, Startrak 400 Analog receiver w/ motor control, Geosat uHD DVD-S2, CW600S for Mpeg-2]

I had the EXACT same problem happen to me with 101w, MeTV mux (Weigel). Working great when about 3 weeks ago I started to get the pixelating, especially at night. Sometimes Jewelry TV would also do it, sometimes not. Tweaked my dish. I have a Titanium 240 feed with the 5G filter 4.0-4.2 band pass. Every other satellite is working fine. Something on their end for sure. Power reduction? My signal seems fine like always. Running a Winegard 8.5 ft dish using a GT Media UHD V8. I'm sure my receiver isn't maybe sensitive enough for lower signal levels. Frustrating here too. I'm in the Canton, Ohio area. Thanks!

arlo

Tuesday at 10:22 AM

To me it looks like all of the intelligent things to diagnose the problem 'on the cheap' are being done.
I have my own thoughts of lnbf's using an external filter between the feed and coax. It would be cool to see what Brian could add.
Do his units have the filter before the actual LNA chip in the circuit? In other words, signal is focused at the lnbf throat. The probes for h & v polarity send the signal to.......filtering......then to the lna IC......
Or probes, lna, then filtering. Makes sense to trap the bad stuff before amplification to me.

On the cheap sometimes leaves questions. Enosat and El Bandido both use dvb-s pci cards and TBS USB receivers.
With those, and software. Signal analysis becomes sort of easy. Or tapping into your coax with a dc pass splitter, decoupling capacitor, and using a spectrum analyzer. Tuning across the LO band. Finding signal spikes. Digging deep.

Still making my decision on a (most probably) TBS PCIe tuner card. But I have tapped into my coax with my ancient but quite impressive HP spectrum analyzer and tinysa.
I don't have 5G interference so far that I know of. But have my suspects because I'm only able to snag signal from 131W in the winter when the leaves drop. But out of curiosity do scan it in the fall. And seem to be getting a signal that 'shouldn't' be there and a scan shows no channels. Far as I got.

An idea pops up to rig up an LNBF on a stick. Along with the tinysa and power supply and do some rogue signal searches. War Driving, of sorts. But. I wouldn't think that a chinabox, firmware based receiver would be of much help.
From what I see scanning across the frequency band. 5G cell transmission is always on and is very wide spectrum.
Whether anyone is actually using talking, texting, watching stupid human tricks on YouTube Makes no difference. The RF is there. So why would a C Band setup come and go? And what if you dumped the corotor and went modern voltage controlled polarity?

Another thought. Since you've learned the optimal position to place the scalar to illuminate out to the dish rim. And peaked the feed. There's most of a roll of aluminum flashing out in my garage that would most definitely wrap around my dish perimeter. That and a bag of large binder clips from the office supply. wally world. Ideas?

brownsfan1

Yesterday at 8:23 PM

arlo said:
To me it looks like all of the intelligent things to diagnose the problem 'on the cheap' are being done.
I have my own thoughts of lnbf's using an external filter between the feed and coax. It would be cool to see what Brian could add.
Do his units have the filter before the actual LNA chip in the circuit? In other words, signal is focused at the lnbf throat. The probes for h & v polarity send the signal to.......filtering......then to the lna IC......
Or probes, lna, then filtering. Makes sense to trap the bad stuff before amplification to me.

On the cheap sometimes leaves questions. Enosat and El Bandido both use dvb-s pci cards and TBS USB receivers.
With those, and software. Signal analysis becomes sort of easy. Or tapping into your coax with a dc pass splitter, decoupling capacitor, and using a spectrum analyzer. Tuning across the LO band. Finding signal spikes. Digging deep.

Still making my decision on a (most probably) TBS PCIe tuner card. But I have tapped into my coax with my ancient but quite impressive HP spectrum analyzer and tinysa.
I don't have 5G interference so far that I know of. But have my suspects because I'm only able to snag signal from 131W in the winter when the leaves drop. But out of curiosity do scan it in the fall. And seem to be getting a signal that 'shouldn't' be there and a scan shows no channels. Far as I got.

An idea pops up to rig up an LNBF on a stick. Along with the tinysa and power supply and do some rogue signal searches. War Driving, of sorts. But. I wouldn't think that a chinabox, firmware based receiver would be of much help.
From what I see scanning across the frequency band. 5G cell transmission is always on and is very wide spectrum.
Whether anyone is actually using talking, texting, watching stupid human tricks on YouTube Makes no difference. The RF is there. So why would a C Band setup come and go? And what if you dumped the corotor and went modern voltage controlled polarity?

Another thought. Since you've learned the optimal position to place the scalar to illuminate out to the dish rim. And peaked the feed. There's most of a roll of aluminum flashing out in my garage that would most definitely wrap around my dish perimeter. That and a bag of large binder clips from the office supply. wally world. Ideas?

I did some more investigating and found I got the MeTV mux in the early hours, until about 6am then the pixelating starts. Gets worse until around 8am its totally gone. I suspect my local cell tower is ramping up traffic as the morning goes on. My Titanium feed does a super job and most everything is clear that wasn't before but this mux is aggravating! I seem to just be over the signal threshold to work until the 5G total overwhelms my system. I'm using an old 9 foot spun aluminum dish and was wondering if I went to a 12 ft dish this would solve the problem? I know bigger is better in most satellite dish related signal problems. If this is true I will be searching for a bigger dish. I like your idea of flashing put around the dish perimeter. I have some I need to dig out and try before I start ripping out my dish. Anybody have any ideas if the bigger dish would do better? Any help would be appreciated!

SDA_FL_USA

Yesterday at 9:13 PM

brownsfan1 said:
I did some more investigating and found I got the MeTV mux in the early hours, until about 6am then the pixelating starts. Gets worse until around 8am its totally gone. I suspect my local cell tower is ramping up traffic as the morning goes on. My Titanium feed does a super job and most everything is clear that wasn't before but this mux is aggravating! I seem to just be over the signal threshold to work until the 5G total overwhelms my system. I'm using an old 9 foot spun aluminum dish and was wondering if I went to a 12 ft dish this would solve the problem? I know bigger is better in most satellite dish related signal problems. If this is true I will be searching for a bigger dish. I like your idea of flashing put around the dish perimeter. I have some I need to dig out and try before I start ripping out my dish. Anybody have any ideas if the bigger dish would do better? Any help would be appreciated!

8 1/2 Foot mesh here with the c140 lnbf and a verizon 5g tower nearby. Got no issue with the Metv transponder. Are you sure you have the lnbf setup correct? When I set my c140 up I noticed it was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pushed in closer to the dish, sticking out of the scaler ring than my old lnbf was. Thought I may have trouble with that but my signal readings are higher than they had ever been.

brownsfan1

Today at 9:06 AM

SDA_FL_USA said:
8 1/2 Foot mesh here with the c140 lnbf and a verizon 5g tower nearby. Got no issue with the Metv transponder. Are you sure you have the lnbf setup correct? When I set my c140 up I noticed it was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pushed in closer to the dish, sticking out of the scaler ring than my old lnbf was. Thought I may have trouble with that but my signal readings are higher than they had ever been.

Thanks for the info. I'll do a detailed feed alignment this weekend. I have to be on a ladder to tweak this 101w satellite with the MeTV mux. Luckily I've got a V8 Finder so I'll put that to use. Funny, I got the MeTV mux fine this Friday morning. Jewelry TV was completely garbled though. I'm wondering if I'm having 2 degree spacing problems more than the cell tower affecting me. Seems strange some days I'm fine and others MeTV is completely destroyed. In the old days I could just move the dish to 99w and see what's there adjacent to MeTV. Maybe if I optimize my feed I can eliminate my problem either way. I have a 9 foot spun aluminum dish that may not have the best two degree isolation. Some of these were crudely made with a poor parabolic shape. I'll keep you posted and thanks to all for the advice!

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Bruce

Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 8:58 AM · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum

How things have changed

I was reading this article

Cable TV ‘cord-cutters’ became the majority in 2022

The steady decline of cable and broadcast television, and the rise of streaming services, reached a sort of inflection point over the past year. Last summer, for the first time, streaming ser…

thehill.com

That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.

And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.

Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.

There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.

In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.

Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.

Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.

So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households

So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.

That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.

But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.

Imagine what 2024 will be like.

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Bruce

Yesterday at 12:11 PM

Sony is discontinuing it's last 4K disc player, Panasonic has been rumored to be doing the same, the end of physical media is unfortunately, about to happen.

Bad News For Blu-ray Fans: Sony Has Stopped Making a Popular Player | Cord Cutters News

Sony has discontinued its final standalone UHD Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K, ending shipments of the device with no successor model announced. The move, first spotted by Japanese website Kunkoku.jp and confirmed through the status of the product on Sony’s own website, marks the company’s...

cordcuttersnews.com

Reactions: Foxbat, ncted and navychop

dishstaller

Yesterday at 2:54 PM

Bruce said:
Sony is discontinuing it's last 4K disc player, Panasonic has been rumored to be doing the same, the end of physical media is unfortunately, about to happen.

Hate to hear that. If you don't physically have something in your hand, you don't really own it.

Reactions: navychop

Bruce

Yesterday at 4:29 PM

dishstaller said:
Hate to hear that. If you don't physically have something in your hand, you don't really own it.

Even a physical disc purchase is considered a license, just extremely harder to pull access vs digital.

But once new players are no longer sold and older players quit working, that takes care of the access to your library.

See LaserDiscs for one example of that happening.

ncted

Yesterday at 4:42 PM

Bruce said:
Sony is discontinuing it's last 4K disc player, Panasonic has been rumored to be doing the same, the end of physical media is unfortunately, about to happen.

Bad News For Blu-ray Fans: Sony Has Stopped Making a Popular Player | Cord Cutters News

Sony has discontinued its final standalone UHD Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K, ending shipments of the device with no successor model announced. The move, first spotted by Japanese website Kunkoku.jp and confirmed through the status of the product on Sony’s own website, marks the company’s...

cordcuttersnews.com

I am so done with Sony on so many levels. This is just one small piece of it.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 8:50 PM

ncted said:
I am so done with Sony on so many levels. This is just one small piece of it.

I Love my Sony equipment

dishstaller

Yesterday at 9:27 PM

Bruce said:
just extremely harder to pull access vs digital.

And dangerous if you get my drift.

navychop

Yesterday at 9:34 PM

Jimbo said:
I Love my Sony equipment

That's an odd name for it.

Reactions: Jimbo

Bruce

Today at 8:58 AM

And again, 15 months in a row, streaming wins-

Cable and Broadcast added together-36.4%

Streaming with a massive 49.6%, 13.2% higher than Broadcast/Streaming.

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Booredatwork.com

Today at 8:52 AM · posted in BooredAtWork.COM

Revenge of the Folds

Time for another AWESOME video from BoredAtWork!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bxVEVr0PymU

Direct YouTube Link - Revenge of the Folds
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook

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TRG

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 8:44 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Prescription drug costs

Now that I'm retired, obviously I have different health care insurance. I take 2 prescriptions. With my old insurance I didn't have to pay for either of them, now I do. It's not a huge amount but it led me to dig a little into the cost of prescription medications. I have been using Walgreens for the longest time. But what I found was that Walgreens price is 4.8 times more for one of my prescriptions and the other is 2.3 percent more compared to the lowest price pharmacy. If you pay for prescription medications you might want to have a look at trumprx and see if you can get a lower price.

https://trumprx.gov/

Screenshot from 2026-10-22 15-43-53.webp

Screenshot from 2026-10-22 15-23-34.webp

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comfortably_numb

Yesterday at 6:09 PM

I run them through several different providers to see who has the lowest cost

Usually it's Walmart or Sam's + GoodRx

Also...

Homepage of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug homepage. Provides safe, affordable medicine or medication with transparent low prices.

www.costplusdrugs.com

You can also price them through the CareCard and WellRx apps.

Sometimes Amazon Pharmacy is cheapest.

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dishstaller

Yesterday at 9:39 PM

comfortably_numb said:
Usually it's Walmart or Sam's + GoodRx

I'm fortunate and don't take any medications. A couple years ago I had to take some antibiotics and used the GoodRx app. Went to Walmart and the person behind the desk knew me and told me to just buy them outright....the GoodRx price was a LOT higher. She said they aren't supposed to tell customers when they see they are being screwed.

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navychop

Yesterday at 9:49 PM

That's ok. I probably take enough for the two of us.

God knows what Bobby takes. Maybe so much they count as a meal?

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Bobby

Yesterday at 10:06 PM

navychop said:
That's ok. I probably take enough for the two of us.

God knows what Bobby takes. Maybe so much they count as a meal?

Actually I take just 2 prescriptions, Atorvastatin and Lisinopril. They cost me $6 each for 100 pills. Next year that will be nothing.

Reactions: AZ. and TRG

klang

Today at 7:41 AM

Bobby said:
Actually I take just 2 prescriptions, Atorvastatin and Lisinopril. They cost me $6 each for 100 pills. Next year that will be nothing.

Those are two of the three I take.

comfortably_numb

Today at 8:44 AM

dishstaller said:
Went to Walmart and the person behind the desk knew me and told me to just buy them outright....the GoodRx price was a LOT higher

Walmart and Sam's pharmacies have "zero rated" prescriptions lists where generics are $4 (or less). If yours are on that list, then of course GoodRx isn't going to help. Also, GoodRx isn't always the cheapest discount program. For me, the cheapest is usually Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs.

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TFLEV

Today at 7:12 AM · posted in TFLEV

The 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E Trail Is An Off-Road EV for $10K Less Expensive Than the Rally!

Time for another AWESOME video from TFL Electric Vehicles!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArA3QJefNsY

Direct YouTube Link - The 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E Trail Is An Off-Road EV for $10K Less Expensive Than the Rally!

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 6:13 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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long_time_Dish

Yesterday at 8:45 PM

Find A Way To My Heart - Phil Collins

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dishstaller

Yesterday at 9:32 PM

Heart of Glass - Blondie

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long_time_Dish

Yesterday at 10:13 PM

Magazine - Heart

hwkn

Today at 2:40 AM

Harden My HEART-Quarterflash

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ClarkGable

Today at 6:13 AM

My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 3:22 AM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Agentic AI Security: Why Unconstrained Agents Alarm CISOs #shorts

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N2oPp-plZEw

Direct YouTube Link - Agentic AI Security: Why Unconstrained Agents Alarm CISOs #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

Search

Search

Social Feed

Considering a Mac questions...

New Gemini Box

Hardware & Performance Upgrades

Software & Connectivity

Core Ecosystem Features

We're less than 4 weeks away from Voyager 1 reaching a distance of one light day from Earth

Remote feeds.

SES 1 101° W Horizontal "Issues" a.k.a "I want my M(e)TV"

How things have changed

Cable TV ‘cord-cutters’ became the majority in 2022

Bad News For Blu-ray Fans: Sony Has Stopped Making a Popular Player | Cord Cutters News

Bad News For Blu-ray Fans: Sony Has Stopped Making a Popular Player | Cord Cutters News

Revenge of the Folds

Prescription drug costs

Homepage of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs

The 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E Trail Is An Off-Road EV for $10K Less Expensive Than the Rally!

Song Name Game Part 3!

Agentic AI Security: Why Unconstrained Agents Alarm CISOs #shorts