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T
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
I've seen various lots of Wegener Communications' Unity 4000 IRDs on eBay. The cheap ones all seem to be branded for FX/Fox/Fox Sports.. I bought one of these a little while back because it was quite cheap and thought it would be fun to play with a commercial receiver.

I found out after getting the box that it has custom settings on it that lock out the end user from changing any of the useful settings and using it for FTA type reception. Control was only enabled via the Compel network stream :(

I decided to open it up and see what was going on inside and see if there was a way to do some sort of factory reset. I gave up, and contacted Wegener to see what to do.. they said it was going to cost $400 bucks for them to reload the system with proper settings and be useful to me again.

This was unacceptable to me.. and being the reverse engineering kinda guy that I am, decided to take it upon myself to make my purchase useful, instead of an over-sized paperweight. Inside the box the only easily removable IC was a 24c16 serial EEPROM. This bugger looked like the cheese, especially since it had a sticker with the serial number of the box taped over it. I theorized this guy was holding the settings for everything as well as locking me out of the controls.

At this point I'd like to say that this has NOTHING to do with the theft of Fox and/or subsidiary programming! I was merely looking for a way to change the LNB LO, down freq, etc to my heart's content.

I would like to continue my story and include technical data on how to do this yourself -- but am unsure if it is allowed on this forum. Admins/Moderators, your input on the matter?
14 Replies · 7152 views
T
I decided to go back and take a look at my receiver again. Turns out whatever signal I was feeding it for testing before wasn't appropriate for the unit. Not sure what I was doing wrong in the past, and I've moved and set up shop again since then. I have been able to unlock the unit to allow regular MPEG2 stream decoding and output.

On a whim, I decided to give it another shot today and after updating the settings to a current transponder, it immediately locked and worked! In the coming days I'll post what changes are necessary to the config EEPROM to release a network-control-only receiver (the ones branded for FX/Fox Sports, etc).

I'm going to do some simple testing on an available Compel stream before I release any information to make sure this does not somehow enable theft of service. If this hack passes that test, I will release everything I know (firmware map).

Stay tuned..
Tron
Sounds great, looking forward to any info you can post :) ...
T
Had some issues with the big dish.. namely, my 15 year old actuator arm seized up. I was able to put another used one I had laying around into service for the time being but I'm going to ultimately need to buy a new one.

Anyway, I got my box locked onto a Compel stream on G17 and it immediately said it was "not authorized." and gave me it's own style of "blue screen of death." This did not cripple my receiver or attempt to put it back under network control. I'll be pulling out the EEPROM and checking what, if anything, was changed for my notes.

There is still the potential of using what I put forth for malicious purposes, but that's only if Wegener has a bug in the firmware for the 68711 processor (I.E., a malformed piece of data inserted into the EEPROM causing an overflow allowing code execution. EVEN THEN, the decryption is done on a custom logic chip, that you'd need to read (but can't)) However, I feel that the information that I have figured out is by no means enough to do anything illegal.

Here's the jist of what is required, a full writeup is forthcoming. It's ridiculously simple. All you need to do is remove a socket-ed serial eeprom from the mainboard and blow away all the configuration information on it with the exception of the first ~10 bytes, which contain a unique ID, serial #, and checksum. The receiver can then rebuild any configuration information on it's own, or you can also write it to the eeprom yourself to save time pressing buttons on the front panel.

I'll provide a simple circuit that uses a PC serial port, 2 zener diodes, some resistors, and a power supply to read/write to most any serial eeprom. I will also give a what's-what listing as to where parameters are stored, and how to manipulate them to change settings.

If you have a locked down Unity 4000, don't throw it away...

I have a busy weekend ahead of me and hope to have this information neatly formatted on a website sometime next week. If you already have a serial eeprom reader or know how to make one, feel free to take yours out and dump the config, MAKE A BACKUP, and play around.
M
I got a programmer on-line and fooled around a bit. I can change a lot of the parameters, but as soon as the unit locks into any signal, I lose all control again... I can program the receiver to look for any particular signals, but I haven't been able to figure out how to get it to leave me the controls...
T
Again, all I did to get it to play nice was to zero everything out except the beginning of the EEPROM. The information I was supposed to post a while back is here:

http://people.oregonstate.edu/~akeym/unity4k/

I never finished the page, but it gives some insight as to what's going on, as well as some sample EEPROM dumps.
T
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
2 Replies · 25 views
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Juan
Not alot of dish customers any more
Foxbat
I'm not a big fan of the new layout, especially on my Apple TV. It used to look like the old Guide layout on the Hopper 3, but they changed parts of that, too.
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meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
110 Replies · 1605 views
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Y
Selfish Drake Maye holds back on giving the ball to Bills unlike Jags game, gets the win on the road.
Y
Selfish Drake Maye holds back on giving the ball to Bills unlike Jags game, gets the win on the road.
A big win for the Patriots, and they are now 3-2.

Browns lose a close one with... The Jets. That is a classic Browns loss (granted, any loss is a classic one it seems). 49'ers, Vikings, and Chiefs remain undefeated. The AFC north have a three way tie at 3-2 for second place. :eek:
osu1991
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M
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
Y
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
After having experienced Gus Ferguson trying to call soccer games, I'm uncertain why NFL football analysts get hate. Even the "worst" of them are pretty good.
meStevo
Jalen Hurts out indefinitely as they treat and monitor a superficial blood clot in his leg.


View: https://x.com/RapSheet/status/2111074303185989663?s=20
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in TV Shows
I had quit watching this show years ago because I ended up more annoyed than entertained. Well......I'm STILL more annoyed than entertained. I DO find it interesting to see how things work behind the scenes at many businesses. What annoys me is how utterly out of touch CEOs are with the companies they run. At the end of almost every episode the head of the company is amazed at how hard the employees have to work and many times have to work around impossible guidelines set forth from headquarters.

I found this one interesting because the new CEO had big plans for this company, Muscle Maker Grill, and it looked like the stores were all pretty busy. Recent history hasn't been good to this company however. I bet the covid lockdowns were the real killer.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIhZm0qkz0o
0 Replies · 2 views
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
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....
68500 Replies · 2670779 views
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ClarkGable
White Wedding - Billy Idol
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M
White Christmas - Elvis Presley
dishstaller
Dirty White Boy - Foreigner
Bobby
Tickle Me (Dirty, Dirty Feeling) - Elvis Presley
dishstaller
Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
1 Replies · 48 views
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Howard Simmons

Another Tulsa King spin off.🙄
Anony55
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.

They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.

Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.

On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.

It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.

I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
165 Replies · 7366 views
Nebugeater
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Former member 208119
Class action.
a hopper 3 with 6 firesticks and or if you wanna spend even more money apple tv's
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T
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.
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Nebugeater
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.


Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Anony55
Well, after nine months of being on pause, I finally figured out that I was wasting $5 a month. So I cancelled. For the first time since 2010, I no longer have a Dish account.

I do have to say that I did appreciate the account pause option. That just gives a person some time to see what the fallout of cancelling will be... without having to go all the way over the cliff first.

Since I never once had an "oh shoot, I need Dish Network for..." moment, the decision was a lot easier.

Funny enough, when I called to cancel (for real, not playing the pricing game), all of a sudden, they were offering me deals that I was told before that I couldn't get without changing out my VIP211k. Now, I could have had those specials with them just sending me a new card for the receiver. LOL!

Of course, my mind was already made up because of having not missed the service while on pause. That, and the fact that I bet the 211k still kills recordings.

All in all, I'm glad that I had Dish for all those years. I just outgrew the need, and they pressed the issue by deleting recordings. I would have eventually went this route without the deleted recordings issue. But, for sure, that did hasten the outcome.

I'll still pop in at this site from time to time. Believe it or not, I still have a C/Ku BUD that I intend on playing with again if life ever slows down.
dishstaller
Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
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Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
529 Replies · 18012 views
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Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
Foxbat
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
S
zipping right along here
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S
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you :biggrin
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Foxbat
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you :biggrin
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:
IMG_1990.webp
IMG_1989.webp
S
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:
OMG to freaking funny :biggrin
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comfortably_numb
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:

Not likely since that place closed down.
TheRatPatrol
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.

I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
2131 Replies · 214669 views
Jimbo

Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
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Howard Simmons
Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
Tony as the director.🙄
Jimbo
Tony as the director.🙄
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
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dfergie
I liked this episode and a toned down Tony...
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Howard Simmons
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
No. Bring in someone new.🤔 Tony is not serious enough for me. Parker is too close to the team and Tim is too young to take over IMO.
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
159 Replies · 3335 views
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meStevo
Oh weird, it was I think a 20 minute version of this.


View: https://youtu.be/nFM3BlYQJT4
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Foxbat
Weird F1 weekend is already over with a Saturday race.
dfergie
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
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Y
Today is the anniversary of Dan Wheldon's passing at Las Vegas in a dreadful crash that luckily didn't take more drivers' lives. I vaguely remember the crash, but I more strongly remember Paul Tracy trying to keep it together as he left the Medical Center knowing that Dan most likely wasn't going to.

The safety in these vehicles is beyond incomprehensible, especially relative to what it was 60 years ago, when dying wasn't unexpected. But it is still very dangerous. I always scoff at the prayer invocations, but never scoff at the risks these drivers take and the emergency workers out there who might need to pull short of a miracle to save a driver's life.
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
HBO Max has the live in car streaming without commercials, which provides an interesting take, but you are driving blind, knowing only what the team is telling the driver about what is happening on the track. The stages definitely ruin the NASCAR set up.