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KE4EST
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
Just wanted to start a discussion and get some ideas as to what is most important to the guys/gals here when it comes to your FTA receiver.
I know this can be more than one thing. I also know everyone would like that magic box that does it all and never has bugs. However, what is the most important things to you? What are the things, that a box must have or you will not even consider it. Also what are some things within reason you would like to see in a FTA receiver.
I know one thing I have wanted in years. That would be a RTC(real time clock). Just like on every computer you buy, with a little coin cell lithium battery. I know why it is not top priority, because most of these boxes are designed for the European market. Why do you need that when you can get the time form the satellite? You don't and it is an extra cost. However, here in NA the time is all over the place. RTC chips these days can be real accurate. With a RTC installed, there would not be anymore problems with recordings, ever. :)
I know most of these boxes have a LAN connection now. There are still lots of people that don't want to have to run an Ethernet wire to their box. We all also know how Wi-Fi can hiccup at the wrong time!! So I wish RTC would be implemented.
So what is most important to you?
What would you like to see?
66 Replies · 7702 views
Lone Gunman
SINGLE INLINE CHANNEL LISTS SUCK! THAT is the one major complaint I have with these Micro HD receivers I have. When you got 100 channels on a satellite and you need to get to #50 that means you have to scroll up or down though half the list to get there, IF, you remember where it is in that list that is.

As close as the Micro HD GUI is to the Openbox S9s I have you would have thought that making the channel list layout on the Micro in 3 columns like the Openbox would have been a no brainer, but not so. This is one reason I still use those S9s as much as I do as they are easier to use.

Real time clock would be nice also. That and the channel lists in multiple columns is about the only thing the early AZ Boxes had going for them.
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Lehman bud farm
SINGLE INLINE CHANNEL LISTS SUCK! THAT is the one major complaint I have with these Micro HD receivers I have. When you got 100 channels on a satellite and you need to get to #50 that means you have to scroll up or down though half the list to get there, IF, you remember where it is in that list that is.

That is a huge drawback on any receiver. I would like to see it more like the Azbox channel design where you can have the channels appear by satellite or by a complete listing.

However one major downside to any new FTA receiver is that they stick in them all these outdated frequencies that you need to go in and delete all but one before you get started.
With the blindscan feature on the receivers now, why not have a dummy transponder on each satellite and allow the user to scan in or manually enter what they want.
Before the blindscan feature came about it was nice to have the channels listed and then make the changes but it no longer makes any sense to do so if there is a blindscan feature available.
KE4EST
I think a new out of the box receiver should contain at least a couple of known transponders for each satellite. This list will have to be kept up with and updated as needed, before shipping out a new receiver.
For us seasoned folks, I agree a dummy xponder is all that is needed. However, for an absolute beginner it is nice to have something in there that is relevant, to help get them started.
A list of 20 or so, though I agree should not be done. Just blind scanning every bird and then saving the list. Then, putting that list on every receiver that ships out is a bad idea; that I have seen done in the past.
stargaze
Just blind scanning every bird and then saving the list. Then, putting that list on every receiver that ships out is a bad idea; that I have seen done in the past.
I have seen in they past where they went to Lyngsat and just added everything that was on that site into the dvb fta receiver, even the digicipher signals! That was a senseless waste of junk.

One channel that is known on a satellite is all that is needed even for a beginner as they should get accustomed to doing a clean blind-scan anyway. Not every system is set up properly and many may be off frequency which also makes things a real treat when the system is pre-loaded with transponders that will not work for them anyway.

For an absolute beginner it is also a good thing to get as accustomed to a receiver as quickly as possible.
KE4EST
Yep, I meant to add that to my reply above. That is really annoying when someone in China, sits and punches in transponders from Lyngsat.
Jim S.
My favorite is when they're not even using a current copy of Lyngsat. I've seen channel lists with low-band Ku transponders on AMC 6. There were never any low-band Ku transponders on AMC 6, they were on a satellite called Nahuel 1 which hasn't worked since before I got into FTA, but it was at 72 degrees.

However, what's more annoying than a bloated transponder list (on a modern receiver that doesn't blow up from a bloated transponder list, anyway...) is a receiver that won't overwrite a transponder, or even add a new one, when the symbol rate changes. I don't know how many times I saw the Amiko A3 find transponders on a blind scan, then not scan them for channels, til I figured out that that's what was happening.
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.
524 Replies · 17827 views
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Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
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Scott Greczkowski
I have been optimizing the site the past few days... and got us here now. :) We are rocking now!

Screenshot 2026-10-15 144737.webp
Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
I rebooted my MacBook Air and it's zipping right along. Sorry, but it was taking over 20 seconds to load pages, with the pulsing blue bars so it was munching on something.
Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
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Foxbat
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum
Wasn't exactly sure where to post this. Just had a customer come in inquiring about internet. He has HughesNet and had heard good things about mine. He asked if we provided email addresses and it kinda caught me off guard. I said he should be able to keep whatever email he had been using....my sister in law is still using a BellSouth email addy and they haven't been around here for many years. He said he had gotten a letter from HughesNet stating that they had until Nov 16th to save, move, forward, whatever, their Hughesnet emails because they would lose them after that date.

I have never heard of a company simply mass-deleting email accounts (the customer still has his HughesNet service). From what I understand, in the past, the company who was ditching their email service simply sold the customer base to a company like Google.

Anyone else getting this letter. He said he would show it to me tomorrow when I go out there and set up his internet.
4 Replies · 58 views
Foxbat
Doing a Google of the HughesNet Email notice, it seems that HughesNet has been trying to eliminate hosting emails since 2019. And with HughesNet filing Chapter 11 back in August, it would be a smart move to switch to a more stable Email provider. Even AT&T farmed out their Email to Yahoo! years ago.

SpaceX's Starlink and the Cellular 5G Home Internet solutions have pretty much relegated HughesNet and its high latency, low bandwidth Internet service to History. If Earth had shorter days, maybe a Geostationary Internet Solution might have stood a fighting chance…
dishstaller
Well, I helped him set up a gmail acct....I actually wanted to see what the new process is for setting up a gmail acct since it had been years since I set mine up. Anyway, I showed him how to forward the emails he wanted to keep over.
navychop
If Earth had shorter days,

Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Foxbat
Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Still the same number of years, just more Sunsets…😉
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Can't help but wonder if a worker overlooked checking the harness. I rarely ride a roller coaster anymore but when I do I check the harness myself pretty aggressively.
Can't imagine what the son is going through.

22 Replies · 174 views
Jimbo
Back on the Goliath Roller Coaster ... I'm interested to find more details as well ...
Like where on the track did this happen (somewhere I read that it was on the climb up the top), which is impossible ...

They really need to take that ride and add at the very least, seatbelts ...

The Park is opening back up on Friday, the ride will Not be opening ... personally, I would keep it closed until different type of restraints can be designed and installed (over the winter).

I find it hard to believe that this ride is even allowed to be running with the restraints that exist at the moment, there are other rides that use the same type and they have been shut down across the country.

You got to believe that every ride has at least 2 types of restraint systems in place.

I wonder what and when we will hear from the Manufacturer ... and whatever governing bodies control these ...

Just think, this is a Major Amusement Park .... I would not have any problem getting on the Roller Coasters I have rode ...

Imagine what these County Fairs and others like them, I would not be caught Dead on one of them ... they get put up and tore down every other week, where is the safety for those rides ... No Thank You.
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Jimbo
navychop
I would not be caught Dead on one of them

Yet IF you were on one, you might be caught dead.
dishstaller
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
Jimbo
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
It makes sense, however, I would want more types of restraints, so if one doesn't work, the other does ... the restraints coming over the shoulder I would have expected ... with a Seat belt as last resort.

Fwiw, I inquired with what they use on Coasters at Cedar Point, various Coasters, different restraints according to what the car and track requires ...

NONE of the Coasters at CP use THAT particular system :)
I'm glad to see ...
dishstaller
with a Seat belt as last resort.
According to the article, when you see a seat belt on a ride like this, it is basically used as a way of making sure the rider isn't too large/fat to safely ride the ride.
H
Last reply · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support
I just received 6 receiver 2 port mini Multiswitch and it work great, no external power need it, and you can connect 6 receiver instead of 4 on most Mini Multiswitches... If anyone is interested in where they can get one PM me....
IMG_1786.webp
2 Replies · 44 views
Titanium
Have you tested using external power? Over the years, have found unpowered polarity switching to be unreliable. Especially problematic when used with DiSEqC motors or switch stacking.
H
No I have not. I just got it the other day and it is connected to six receivers working just fine. What I do is non power mini multi-switches work best with LNBF's and with LNB's
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 7 views
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?
2129 Replies · 214621 views
TheRatPatrol
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
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Jimbo
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
Was Gibbs still there when you quit watching ?
If so, A Lot has happened ....

It's been pretty good all along , once you get use to Gibbs being gone.
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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 ???
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 9 views
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
I bought the fixed color version of these bulbs for my store several years ago...work great and no more replacing ballast. Finally had one go out and when I went back to Amazon I saw that now they come in selectable versions so no more guess work as to what color light would do best in a certain area. They are now double OR single ended...used to be strictly one way or the other. If any of you are looking at replacing the old style 4 or 8 ft bulbs, you might want to give these a try. The 8 footers are BRIGHT. I put 5 in my shooting/target shed and you can get a decent tan if you are in there long enough.

1 Replies · 27 views
Foxbat
When we re-lamped my in-Laws' house for sale last year, we were able to get all the Edison bulbs and a few fixtures with switch-selectable Color Temperature. We tried a few and settled on 3000°K as the best fit for the house. Matching the lighting in all the rooms made for an inviting experience. The Shop was the only place that we went with 4000°K for the LED 4' fixtures.

The house was sold within a month of going on the market, so we must have done something right.

The other advantage is if the new owners decide that they prefer a warmer light, they can unscrew the bulbs (I think it was close to 70 bulbs) and set them to the 2500K/2700K settings.

I'll have to check these out. Thanks!
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