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Last reply · posted in Over the Air Television By RabbitEars.Info
Hello all!

I just bought a travel trailer has a TV and vhf/uhf antenna. I was curious if it was possible to get a High Def receiver to hook into the analog tv, so that I might be able to get HD channels if I'm in range of the HD UHF broadcast...

If so what is a decent/yet cheap way to go...this is a camper, lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Buzz
8 Replies · 3193 views
Anole
I don't know if the Satellite FTA section of the forum is the right place for this, but since I don't fully understand the question, maybe it is... :)

First, terrestrial hi def broadcasts to homes are actually on UHF.
Second, an analog TV won't display hi def.
Now, there are some satellite (or other) hi def receivers which will get the signal and down-convert to go to your analog TV, but then the picture would be... not hi def.
It would be crisp and clear, as long as you got a solid hi def (digital) signal from the station.

The better solutions are:
Get a hi def TV with built in tuner. I have one and love it.
Get a hi def monitor to go with whatever hi def tuner you buy.
Watch digital FTA satellite transmissions on your analog TV. Most are very sharp, though not hi def.

DirecTV and Dish both offer versions of their satellite receivers with local hi def tuners.

At least one of our forum advertizers offers the Coolsat 8000 hi def FTA satellite receiver.
It has a terestrial hi def tuner. See review in our FTA Review section for more info.

Not sure if any of these answers are what you were looking for.
If not, ask more questions and I'm sure someone will be able to get you a better answer.

. . . so what is a decent/yet cheap way to go...this is a camper, lol.
Yes, when you find a good campsite, get up at dawn and enjoy the clean air and beautiful views.
If necessary, carry Windex for your glasses.
No TV needed for camping. :D
R
buzz263, there are old satellite receivers that have atsc tuners (terrestrial hdtv) that can be bought real cheap now on the auction web sites. you wont be viewing high def through an ordinary analog tube type tv. the receiver gives you the option to letterbox or crop the image. most people, once they see digital broadcast tv through an old tv the high def dosnt matter you wont go back to analog unless you really must catch the next episode of a tv show and there isnt a digital channel for that network where you are at. if you decide to purchase an old satellite receiver be very cautious about purchasing the voom receiver the link below gives you all the information you need.

roashru < link
old satellite receiver purchasing info
Anole
This probably doesn't meet your definition of cheap, but . . .

I was searching for "cable HDMI" on the Radio Shack site. (try that for a good laugh)
At the very end, I ran across a Toshiba D-R550 DVD Recorder with Built-in HD Tuner .
Just goes to show ya what the manufacturers will think up. :cool:
dodge
This probably doesn't meet your definition of cheap, but . . .

I was searching for "cable HDMI" on the Radio Shack site. (try that for a good laugh)
At the very end, I ran across a Toshiba D-R550 DVD Recorder with Built-in HD Tuner .
Just goes to show ya what the manufacturers will think up. :cool:

All manufacturers will have to add atsc tuners in all vcrs, dvd recorders and tv's because analog goes by bye in 2009!!!
B
Thanks for all the helps guys, and sorry for posting in the wrong forum!!

Buzz
Peter Parker
I don't know if the Satellite FTA section of the forum is the right place for this, but since I don't fully understand the question, maybe it is... :)

First, terrestrial hi def broadcasts to homes are actually on UHF.
Second, an analog TV won't display hi def.
Now, there are some satellite (or other) hi def receivers which will get the signal and down-convert to go to your analog TV, but then the picture would be... not hi def.
It would be crisp and clear, as long as you got a solid hi def (digital) signal from the station. :D




Not all HD is n UHF some is VHF now and some statiosn will be broadcasting from their VJF positions after 2009.


I have a standa lone digital receiver and I while it is not HD on my old analog set it ws stll better reception---and more channels than I got with an analog tuner.
M
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I have Dish with Hopper3. I choose to get local channels OTA and had a "guide list" established at my previous home. Having moved a few miles away, I wanted to update the list by appending a couple new stations via a rescan. As many would know, some stations come in with the UHF/VHF antenna aimed in one direction, while others come in better with a different direction.

Unfortunately, when a scan is done (bringing in 25-30 stations for that particular antenna aim), the dialog screen does not present the established guide list; it presents an empty field to the right that the scanned stations may be selected one by one and added to the empty guide. But because of antenna aim, some stations originally saved are missing, and would have to be retrieved with a different antenna aim. But as I explain, if a 2nd​ scan is done with a different antenna aim, the stations saved from the first scan are lost.

It troubles me that Dish didn't develop software that would allow a user to simply append only 1 or 2 channels to the established list. :mad:

Any thought on this? Has anyone experienced this or heard of this from others?
1 Replies · 19 views
dishstaller
I hear complaints from customers each and every day. I chose not to install OTAs with a doggle for a reason.

BTW, I like your user name


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MXNU6pQFkok
R
Last reply · posted in Computers and Gadgets
After having continuing trouble with my eight+ year old Dell Inspiron laptop I am looking to hopefully catch a good deal on new one. My options to buy is Costco and Sam's Club. It seems like a lot of new laptops are 2 in 1 which I do not need. I use the laptop to mainly surf the web and keep up with my finances, money and bills. I would like to have at least a 15" screen and having a touchscreen is a plus. The keyboard would need to lighted also. I don't game any. It would have to be Windows instead of and not Mac. The brands I see the most are Asus, Dell and HP. My two last laptops has been Dell's. Of these brands are there any standouts over the other brands. My budget (hopefully) is $600+-. Also while researching I noticed that do not have ethernet ports.
8 Replies · 122 views
EarDemon
Why not do a CTO directly through the manufacture? Get exactly what you want. Plus It's quite common to find 10%% (or higher) discount codes for Dell and HP.

Backlit keyboards are pretty much standard, and in the constant effort to try to make devices and thin and dainty as possible ethernet ports are becoming rarer, if not a normal ethernet port, you may be able to find a laptop with drop-jaw style one.
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TRG
TRG
Dell and HP are usually heavily discounted during Black Friday sales. I picked up a Dell from Best Buy for 50 percent off. I ordered it online and picked it up locally at the store. Black Friday deals are just a couple of weeks away.
arlo
Can't really help with an exact set of suggestions. I can say that if you have a set budget. And $600 these days wont get you much. One thing I can say is check out Dell Refurbished.
I've suggested and even configured, ordered a few for friends who were a bit iffy in deciding what they needed and wanted.
Refurbished doesn't mean that they came back defective and were repaired. Companies and organizations who order quantities of the same computers often cancel or modify their requirements.
Dell builds usually on demand. Their direct refurbished line will be brand new, unused. Perhaps not exactly the "today" specifications of the latest-greatest. And you can get a nice pc for quite a bit less with full warranty.
Just a suggestion.
"I use the laptop to mainly surf the web and keep up with my finances, money and bills. I would like to have at least a 15" screen and having a touchscreen is a plus".

As far as Asus, HP goes. And others you may consider. I'd think $600 (new) would get you a laptop. A quality, long lasting one? Not so sure. Now. If you could get a $1000 lappy for $600. Good deal, don't you think?
Surf the web doesn't need a killer Nvidia graphics chip. Nor a pinnacle, top of the line Intel, AMD processor.
12-16 gigs of memory will get you by just fine.
I'm personally an Asus fan. Brands aside. The one thing is the batteries. We discussed that here someplace else.
I repair these critters. Batteries. Cheap laptops have cheap batteries. Asus suggests that you don't keep the charger plugged in all of the time to make them last. Like you see on phones where 85% vs full charge is suggested to preserve battery life.
harshness
Why not do a CTO directly through the manufacture?
Because there are fewer economies of scale with custom products. Savings come from giant contracts with major retailers.

RAM and GPUs make buying a computer now financial suicide. In 2023, I bought two 16GB RAM modules for my lone Windows machine. The cost was under $100. Now that equivalent RAM goes for $260.

One can opt for an on-CPU GPU, but you can't opt out of RAM. While Microsoft goes on and on about Windows 11 eventually being happy with 8GB of RAM, we know how that always ends.
Foxbat
GB is the new MB (remember when Windows used to be happy with 8 MB of RAM?)

I had great experiences with Dell's Refurbished systems in the past. I ended up getting Business desktops instead of the Home PCs since they didn't come loaded with bloatware and the one Desktop I got for Mrs. Foxbat even had a license for MS Office Professional included.
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in The Chit Chat Club
Dang female lions don't mess around when it comes to their kiddos....aka whelps.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vvefv5xW77s?feature=share
0 Replies · 10 views
TheForce
Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
139 Replies · 2033 views
harshness
Gone are the days when Apple "perfects" what debuted years earlier on an Android phone.
comfortably_numb
Gone are the days when Apple "perfects" what debuted years earlier on an Android phone.

Or better yet, innovate something "completely revolutionary!"
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S
Or better yet, innovate something "completely revolutionary!"
when was the last time they innovated something:rolleyes:
Foxbat
when was the last time they innovated something:rolleyes:
I'd probably say when they came up with their M-series of processors with integrated memory. That allowed Apple to get away from the inefficient Intel CPUs that were limiting their notebook computers.
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
180 Replies · 3039 views
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osu1991
:mad:..I hate playing in Ames.
Jimbo
:mad:..I hate playing in Ames.
I hate playing in LA ... :oldmad
Buckeyes had 2 weeks off and came out and looked absolutely terrible ... broke in a new Freshman Qb, but that wasn't the worst part ... undiscipline play, at last count they had 10 penalties.
Freshman in the end of the game trying to play catch up, had a lot of Over throws ... Bucks lose ...

#1 Miami struggled but pulled away in the end beating North Carolina by 3 ...

Tuesday the CFP brings out thier Playoff Top 12 again ... Buckeyes should drop from #2 to about #22 (they won't) had they had thier Starting QB, it would have been a different game ...

They could lose the rest of thier games at this point.
Foxbat
:mad:..I hate playing in Ames.
My in-Laws came from Iowa, she was a graduate of ISU. Unranked Iowa teams beat the #24 and #25 teams on Halloween.

And I heard that your QB made a poor choice after scoring the tying touchdown, leading to a fifteen yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. The Cyclones were then able to take advantage of the resulting field position to get close enough to score the winning field goal.

In a NCAA Football season of bizarre endings, this has to rank right up there.
osu1991
My in-Laws came from Iowa, she was a graduate of ISU. Unranked Iowa teams beat the #24 and #25 teams on Halloween.

And I heard that your QB made a poor choice after scoring the tying touchdown, leading to a fifteen yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. The Cyclones were then able to take advantage of the resulting field position to get close enough to score the winning field goal.

In a NCAA Football season of bizarre endings, this has to rank right up there.
Yep, but wasn't the QB. Was WR. Offense had a great game but defense didn't show up at all. I don't think they were even in the State.
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osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs

My health Insurance renewal for 2027 just came in. Going from $827 a month to $1,187 a month. Deductible going up a $1k to $9,350. Max out of pocket also going up $1k to $11,000. Doctor co-pay of $40. Urgent Care co-pay $50. ER 50% coinsurance after deductible. That's all in network. Out of network is double, should it be needed.

Have to think about this. I'm really tempted to just go without now. I only go to the doctor once or twice a year. I pay out of pocket for Tirzepitide and can do without the Rosuvastatin (crestor) now. Really tired of spending over $10k a year and getting nothing out of it.

After years with Blue Cross I switched last year to Ambetter as my Blue Cross premium was going from $1200 to $1800 for a Silver plan and the Bronze plan was still going to be $1300 at BCBS. Ambetter was $827 for the same coverage with a Bronze plan. Didn't think it would jump this much so soon.

I'm guessing a Silver plan is probably over $2,000 a month for 2027.
29 Replies · 413 views
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Foxbat
Why isn't this Political thread over in the Pit? This is why there is a Pit, and why I rarely use the Chit Chat Club. But someone said, "The Pub is Elitist since you have to pay dues to enter, so please post in the Chit Chat forum so more guests can read and participate."
harshness
Why isn't this Political thread over in the Pit?
Because health care shouldn't be a political issue?
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osu1991
Such a scam. Healthcare.gov shows me cheaper individual plans available for 2027 from ambetter that ambetter doesn't show on their website. Looked it up. I've spent $68,000 in premiums the last 5 years and got nothing out of it except a few doctors visits and labs. 😡
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dishstaller
I've spent $68,000 in premiums the last 5 years
That's why I cancelled ours and just started saving the money. We're about to do the same thing with our home insurance.....not cancel it outright but do away with the portion which covers wind damage. We're paying over $5k right now and that is AFTER I dumbed things down...and it keeps going up. Got a couple trees I want to have taken down first before I do that however. After we do that, it will knock about $3k off our annual premium.
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osu1991
I'm still 7 yrs from Medicare eligibility, but I'm leaning towards going without for at least the next year
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dishstaller
I'm still 7 yrs from Medicare eligibility, but I'm leaning towards going without for at least the next year
It probably depends on your health. My Wife and I are very careful about our health and I take a crap load of supplements, especially antioxidants. Sounds like you don't have any health issues so it might be worth the gamble.
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Foxbat
Everyone's experience and circumstances is different. When I was working, we had a High-Deductible Medical Plan the Company and I paid for. We never hit the $3,600/$7,200 deductible as we were healthy, but even with a couple of sports-ball related injuries to Foxbat, Jr., the costs were in-line. He even had the same surgery that the Arkansas QB had to stabilize his ankle joint after a fibula break during football practice. The HSA plan worked as intended, letting us put pre-tax dollars into a fund that could then be used to pay for medical expenses and prescription drugs, or kept year after year to build up in case of a major medical emergency. Sure, I had to pay ~$89/pay period for the Family Medical coverage, but that was under $3,000 a year.

Now that I'm retired, I'm paying under $300/mo. for Part B, under $15/mo. for Part D, and ~$200/mo. for Part G Supplemental. Call it $6,500 a year. I'm sure this will increase as time goes forward, but it depends on how much our AGI is.
WhiteBeard
:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs

My health Insurance renewal for 2027 just came in. Going from $827 a month to $1,187 a month. Deductible going up a $1k to $9,350. Max out of pocket also going up $1k to $11,000. Doctor co-pay of $40. Urgent Care co-pay $50. ER 50% coinsurance after deductible. That's all in network. Out of network is double, should it be needed.

Have to think about this. I'm really tempted to just go without now. I only go to the doctor once or twice a year. I pay out of pocket for Tirzepitide and can do without the Rosuvastatin (crestor) now. Really tired of spending over $10k a year and getting nothing out of it.

After years with Blue Cross I switched last year to Ambetter as my Blue Cross premium was going from $1200 to $1800 for a Silver plan and the Bronze plan was still going to be $1300 at BCBS. Ambetter was $827 for the same coverage with a Bronze plan. Didn't think it would jump this much so soon.

I'm guessing a Silver plan is probably over $2,000 a month for 2027.
I'm on Medicare but the rest of the family is on ACA. ACA is ridiculus. The ACA premium has been about about $1900/month with a $9K deductible for the past 10 years - no eye or dental. A lot of money and yet we get so little in return. I haven't signed up for 2027 yet but I expect the cost to be higher.
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WhiteBeard
Because health care shouldn't be a political issue?
It's political because government has inserted itself into the loop.
WhiteBeard
That's why I cancelled ours and just started saving the money. We're about to do the same thing with our home insurance.....not cancel it outright but do away with the portion which covers wind damage. We're paying over $5k right now and that is AFTER I dumbed things down...and it keeps going up. Got a couple trees I want to have taken down first before I do that however. After we do that, it will knock about $3k off our annual premium.
Our home and auto insurance has been stable so I'll continue with it but I'm going to have see what I can do about medical insurance. The biggest impact would be an ER visit.
R
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I had an old Wireless Joey replaced by a Wireless Joey 4 (Android TV) - still have a Hopper 3 without the Hopper Plus. What do I have to do to get the EPG to show channel logos instead of "Dish"? This is annoying as hell and it's been this way for over a month…
1 Replies · 24 views
B
That kind of crap annoys me to no end.
That is one reason I haven't switched to h3and the same wireless joey 4
Hope you get it resolved.
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ewindowman
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
432 Replies · 14593 views
ewindowman
Correct me if I'm wrong but Dish borrowed lots of money to start a wireless company that was most likely doomed from the beginning. They bought spectrum at any cost to acquire enough bandwidth to achieve their goal. They signed leases and bought equipment and borrowed more money. They held onto the spectrum as long as possible. They then sold most of it to different companies and made a lot of money. Then they started to screw the companies that were installing and leasing the equipment and cell towers. Now they are going to claim bankruptcy under the Dish Network part of Echo Star while they have billions of dollars. So Dish basically took everyone's money that was involved in the financial part of this transaction made a huge profit is screwing everyone over from the banks to the little guy working on the towers and infrastructure.
nelson61
"
They note that the Dish Wireless radios at issue support the 2GHz and 800MHz spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar and Grain.

"Buying compatible equipment already installed on towers could give SpaceX a head start on its wireless terrestrial network build and throw a big bucket of cold water on Verizon's four-to-six-year timeline and $300-$500 billion estimate for SpaceX's buildout," said the analysts."
S
Correct me if I'm wrong but Dish borrowed lots of money to start a wireless company that was most likely doomed from the beginning. They bought spectrum at any cost to acquire enough bandwidth to achieve their goal. They signed leases and bought equipment and borrowed more money. They held onto the spectrum as long as possible. They then sold most of it to different companies and made a lot of money. Then they started to screw the companies that were installing and leasing the equipment and cell towers. Now they are going to claim bankruptcy under the Dish Network part of Echo Star while they have billions of dollars. So Dish basically took everyone's money that was involved in the financial part of this transaction made a huge profit is screwing everyone over from the banks to the little guy working on the towers and infrastructure.
i heard charlie went to dubai begging for money. but he didn't get none... that should have raised red flags.
R
"
They note that the Dish Wireless radios at issue support the 2GHz and 800MHz spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar and Grain.

"Buying compatible equipment already installed on towers could give SpaceX a head start on its wireless terrestrial network build and throw a big bucket of cold water on Verizon's four-to-six-year timeline and $300-$500 billion estimate for SpaceX's buildout," said the analysts."
Back when Dish was installing antennas everywhere for their internet service I mapped several of the tower locations around me. One is less than a mile away from me and several more about three miles away in several different directions. If SpaceX does something with these I may be in a prime spot.
S
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S
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
This should hit a lot of folks with a dose of reality. I can only imagine how much more common this will get as AI progresses.

I read several stories on this and most are clear as mud. They say a lot of the stolen bitcoin has been "locked out" and that everyone will be made financially whole. I guess time will tell if either of these statements are actually true.

17 Replies · 268 views
Juan
Where would you spend 6.3 billion in crypto without anyone noticing?..In today's digital world most countries are watching purchases over 10k
dishstaller
Where would you spend 6.3 billion in crypto without anyone noticing?
They say it was North Korea so they'll probably just use it to buy things they need....oil, food, etc from nations and entities who don't care where the money comes from and since it is BTC...it can be spent anywhere with no blowback.
meStevo
They say it was North Korea so they'll probably just use it to buy things they need....oil, food, etc from nations and entities who don't care where the money comes from and since it is BTC...it can be spent anywhere with no blowback.
North Korea can't pay for oil with BTC. The money has to be laundered and cashed out first. Analytics firms can trace it on the public blockchain, and exchanges (including Binance) have frozen money traced back to prior hacks when it showed up. Much of it may still gets through eventually. It's just slow and lossy, not "spend anywhere."

Someone using AI would be able to see the purchase...plus if you were to buy a couple billion barrels of oil or any other commodity..someone would notice..or if you bought your own country

It can be traced, the rest of this is pretty much your usual nonsense though.

How does it have such billions simply "on hand" to replace stolen billions?

Binance has had an insurance fund since 2018, funded by 10% of trading fees. It's around $1.2B, and Binance says it'll cover the rest from company money. As the world's largest exchange, it makes a lot in fees. On top of that, the ~$3B in frozen stablecoins can be reissued by Tether/Circle, so the actual hole is smaller than the headline.

You "print" it, of course. That's part of the magic of cryptocurrency.

Nobody can print bitcoin, Binance included. Supply is fixed by the protocol. The only thing in this story that can be frozen and reissued is stablecoins, because they have a company behind them.
R
They say it was North Korea so they'll probably just use it to buy things they need....oil, food, etc from nations and entities who don't care where the money comes from and since it is BTC...it can be spent anywhere with no blowback.

HA! That short/fat Dictator will buy more arms. He does not care about the people.
dishstaller
North Korea can't pay for oil with BTC. The money has to be laundered and cashed out first. Analytics firms can trace it on the public blockchain, and exchanges (including Binance) have frozen money traced back to prior hacks when it showed up. Much of it may still gets through eventually. It's just slow and lossy, not "spend anywhere."
Yeah, I read the same thing in multiple articles. However, when some type of hack takes place and a company's computer system is hit with ransomware, the culprits always demand BTC and those stories always say they want BTC because it is untraceable so the hackers are therefore never caught. It is contradictory crap like this that causes people not to believe any "official" statements when something like this takes place.
meStevo
Yeah, I read the same thing in multiple articles. However, when some type of hack takes place and a company's computer system is hit with ransomware, the culprits always demand BTC and those stories always say they want BTC because it is untraceable so the hackers are therefore never caught. It is contradictory crap like this that causes people not to believe any "official" statements when something like this takes place.
Bitcoin is pseudonymous, not anonymous; every transaction is public forever. Ransomware gangs ask for BTC mostly because it's easy for a victim to buy and can't be reversed, not because it can't be followed. The privacy-focused ones demand Monero instead.

The reason hackers often aren't caught is where they are, not the coin. If the wallet traces back to a group in Russia or North Korea, everyone can see the money and still can't arrest anyone. Traceable and catchable are two different things, and the media mashes them together.
dishstaller
The reason hackers often aren't caught is where they are, not the coin. If the wallet traces back to a group in Russia or North Korea, everyone can see the money and still can't arrest anyone. Traceable and catchable are two different things, and the media mashes them together.
Then doesn't that mean that NK can spend the BTC as it wants to or is there a way to flag the BTC, kinda like blacklisting an IMEI when it comes to cell phones.
meStevo
Operations returning to normal today as withdrawals are opening back up for Binance users.

Then doesn't that mean that NK can spend the BTC as it wants to or is there a way to flag the BTC, kinda like blacklisting an IMEI when it comes to cell phones.

Pretty good analogy actually. Bitcoin itself can't blacklist a coin since nobody runs the network. But the exchanges and cash-out points can, and do. Treasury publishes sanctioned wallet addresses (North Korea's included), and exchanges run every deposit through tracing tools. Coins traced back to a flagged wallet get refused or frozen.

So it's like a blacklisted phone: it still powers on, but no carrier will activate it. And just like those phones, the coins get shipped off to someone who doesn't check, in this case shady brokers who'll swap it for cash at a steep discount. NK can't walk up and buy oil with BTC, but after enough laundering, most of it does eventually turn into usable money.

Extending the analogy, if Bitcoin is an IMEI blacklist then stablecoins are like Apple's Activation Lock. The issuer controls it at the source, so once it's locked it's a brick everywhere. That's why the stablecoins in this hack got frozen within hours and the bitcoin didn't.
zippyfrog
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Over the past year I have been tracking the changes on Western Arc. The past 3 months have had a lot of changes that I posted in the other MPEG2 Western Arc shutdown thread. Now that 129 is (basically) out of commission, here is where Western Arc stands. This is just a national channel list, (no local channels) based off what I can see and what others have contributed. Thanks to everyone who has helped me come up with the locations of some of the channels – I would try and list all of you out, but I know I would forget someone! As has been suggested in other parts of the forum, it would be great to collect the spotbeam data for those who could contribute!

A couple of pieces of info:
  • Out of the 64 transponders between 110/119, there are currently 50 transponders that Dish is licensed to use. 22 are Spotbeams, 28 are ConUS transponders (14 transponders are licensed to DirecTV and Dish doesn't have access to them)
  • Those 28 ConUS transponders are divided as follows:
    • 10 are dedicated to National HD channels (ESPN, CNN, Disney Channel, etc). Dish is maxing out at 16 HD channels per transponder (note – in an earlier post I said there was one transponder with 17 HD channels, that was an error on my part. When I double checked my listings, one channel changed transponders). Before the transition, there was a maximum of 14 HD channels per transponder.
    • 1 transponder is dedicated to adult content
    • 2 are a mixture HD PPV Movies/4k channels
    • 3 are set aside for HD Sports channels that are only on for live games (NBA League Pass, the PAC 12 alternate channels, some PPV events, etc); 3 SD PPV Sports Channels are there as well.
    • 7 are for SD and/or music channels. Dish is maxing out at 26 SD channels per transponder thus far on the SD transponders.
    • 5 transponders on 110 I have no channels listed but Dish operates. (they are labeled as ConUS on my chart below) There are other things that could be on those transponders, like RV Distant Networks, internal testing channels, etc, that I can't see. They might be able to be used for additional content, but I am not sure exactly what is on those transponders.
There are two transponders that have lower than normal SD channels – 110, TP 21 and 119, TP 19. Previously those transponders contained the programming guides that get downloaded from the satellite when the receivers download EPG. I assume that is where the programming guides are still downloaded from, thus less channels there.

When I talk about number of channels on a transponder, all my numbers are unique channels – for example, channel 101 and 199 are the same channel mapped to two different numbers, but in terms of space, only takes up 1 channel worth of bandwidth on the transponder.

Finally, I have to give Dish a ton of credit. When it was 110/119/129, Dish had 82 transponders they were using – it took a lot to get it down to 50 transponders and figure out where all the pieces were going to go. What are the things they did to get there? Here are the things I saw:
  • During this migration from 129, Dish converted 7 ConUS transponders on 119 into Spotbeams – that is how they ended up fitting on all the HD locals that used to be on 129. (for those interested, TP 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 are the ones that used to be ConUS on 119 that are now Spotbeam)
  • Removed almost all SD duplicate channels that are offered in HD
  • Converted remaining SD channels from MPEG2 to MPEG4
  • There are also 2 subtle things that changed from the HD channel perspective
    • At the beginning of the transition, Dish decreased the number of PPV Movie channels – prior to this transition the PPV channels HD PPV movies were 502-522; now they are 502-517.
    • At the beginning of April when MLB, NBA, and NHL regular seasons were all going on at the same time and this transition began, there were a ton of games "joined in progress" for the HD feeds. That wasn't common since the days before the full time HD RSN's. The reason for that was prior to the transition, Dish had 4 transponders set aside for HD Sports – 2 transponders was the bandwidth set aside from the HD RSN's before Dish dropped the RSN's, then 2 transponders were for alternate channels. Now we are down to 3 transponders for HD sports.
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zippyfrog
Updated the listings on the first couple of posts - been very few changes over these past couple of months so not as much to update!
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zippyfrog
Today Dish brought back it's traditional Halloween Dish Scape on 303. It is on 119, TP 20. Clearly this is just a temporary channel and will be removed in November, so I am not including it on the channel list right now.
zippyfrog
With the extra hour I had this morning, I updated the listings. Another month has passed, and nothing has moved off 110 to 119 for the national channels. I really thought those handful of transponders on 119 would have been populated with the national channels from 110, but no change.

Can someone who has a Hopper tell me if the 4k channels are still on 110 and if so, what transponder?
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Bobby
With the extra hour I had this morning, I updated the listings. Another month has passed, and nothing has moved off 110 to 119 for the national channels. I really thought those handful of transponders on 119 would have been populated with the national channels from 110, but no change.

Can someone who has a Hopper tell me if the 4k channels are still on 110 and if so, what transponder?
They appear to be on 110, transponder 8.
zippyfrog
They appear to be on 110, transponder 8.
Thanks! I do have my listing correct then.