Did you or a relative have C-Band?

[Mr Tony]

Here is just a crazy question

Did you or a relative have C-Band say 5-10 years ago or more as a subscription service?

just wondered how many of us actually got to see the old C-band setups back in the day

(this has to be yourself or a relative...not "the guy down the road")

 

[PSB]

Had one back in the UK then, if that counts

 

[dfergie]

I've had C-Band since the early 80S... before HBO and the videochipher II changed the freeview C-Band into subscription...

 

[Mr Tony]

When we bought or cabin in 1997, there was a 6 foot mesh dish (may have only been 5 foot) and an old Rat Shack receiver. It was a G5 only setup (receiver couldn't move a motor...it has a coax input and a polorotor..thats it)

Still had programming on it and we used it for a year. The only problem was where it was mounted (down by the lake) the lake kept eroding the shore and one day...KABOOM.....dish fell in lake

busted dish, broken panels. We replaced it with this Dish Network.

 

[Mr Tony]

Had one back in the UK then, if that counts

why not?
Of course it counts...now vote properly

 

[voomvoom]

Me and my neighbor (my dad) have had one since 78-79, we shared, with him having the master control of the dish until we went solo in 84 (I think) when I got my own dish to control. In the 90's he eventually quit using his and I now have control and use it occassionally. Lately, he's been talking about using it again, but has yet to commit on it, and he's quite welcome to get it back, if he chooses.

Al

 

[jayelem]

We got a Birdview Dish and receiver in 85 or 86, used it till we moved from that house in 1990.

The new owners of that house tossed it last year and we picked it up , so technically we still have it, minus the feeder support arms, receiver ,and LNB.

No subscription service.

 

[iafirebuff]

I drooled for years over the C-Band outfits in Radio Shack and Skyvision catalogs My father in law has one to this day.

 

[icstephen]

I had one back in 91 when I got out of the army (I miss it), had an 8.5 ft dish and a Uniden reciever...loved the dish hated the reciever (it was a POS) the newer unidens are much nicer.

 

[K4LK]

My first system was installed in October 1993. Those where the days

 

[icstephen]

I will have one again if I can ever find someone to install it...yup its too bulky for me to try and do it by myself. If I ever do get one again I am going to get at least am 8 footer.

 

[sikma]

Got my first 10-footer in 1985 when everything was still 'in the clear.' Then had to sub. Wasn't bad though, I bought my channels ala carte and paid yearly to keep the cost down. I've moved several times but always had a BUD until 1997 then moved into the small dish world. It wasn't until I found this site I got back into ku now just last week started playing with c-band again. My most challenging install was putting a 10' mesh on a 30' piece of well-casing.............talk about trying to capture the clarke belt from 30 feet in the air. (Had to use a two truck to help hoist the bad boy in the air. Also, my wife video taped the endevour in hopes of winning $10,000 on AFV)

 

[grampaD]

I purchased a new system in1986- 10 foot mesh dish ,saganaw positioner,C band lnb, Macom T1 receiver, and a T100 positioner for $2400.00. This was after a sizeable discount from a cousin of mine that sold and installed systems at that time. The system was not cheap, and I used it for 12+ years with no problems untill the positioner failed and I couldn't fix it as cheaply as I could install a Dish 300 system,so it still sits in the yard unused for over 8 years. During the time that I used it I subscribed through Netlink, Superstar Connection, and Turner Vision, always happy with the performance of the system,I am thinking of putting a c/ku lnb on it and using it for G 10.

 

[pabeader]

I used to install those bad boys back then. I eventually learned how to do one man installs. Yep, I said one man install of 10' dish. Also did repair for a local company. Actually had prints of VC-II and ALL Echostar and Houston Tracker equipment. Even designed a bench test for LNBs and LNAs. Still have a 10' that I drag with me whenever I move. Waiting for Aluminum prices to go up and then off to the melter it goes.

 

[john green]

My Father-in-Law had one since about 1985.10 foot mesh dish with Houston Tracker VIII Plus.He gave it all to me last summer when he swithched to Dish.I will set it up as soon as I get a chance to sell my house.

 

[sdoradus]

Our first one was an aluminum 15 footer put in the summer of 81 and still had a few sparklies using a dual feed and two 120 degree lna's and two receivers. Seems like it cost about 12K at the time. Now all that remains of that system is the dish cut back to an 11 footer and the polar mount. Turned out the extenders on it that took it to 15 ft did not focus at the same point so were useless and of course all the electronics had to be upgraded for current use. Also added a 10 ft and 7 1/2 ft mesh since then along with the 1M channelmaster my wife primarily uses.

SD

 

[jjpicou]

I've had several C-Band dishes. The first one I had was a channel Master 4 footer. I used a miltary surplus 8 foot dish normaly used for ground communications and added a tighter mesh screen over it to get C-Band signals back in 1988. I still have that huge dish crated up behind the garage .
I remember getting the movies channels and cable networks in the clear.When they converted to Videocypher, I got the standalone decoder. then went thru the upgrade proceses when they changed to VC-2 then to Digicypher and to date still use the motorola 920 (along with the Traxis FTA receiver)

 

[DK_Sat]

I got my first system back in 1989 from Skyvision a SX 8.5 ft Orbitron mash dish with a Uniden UST 9000 receiver that did not take a VC II decoder

DK

 

[KE4EST]

Still have one, and enjoy playing with it.

 

[pabeader]

If I remember right, the UST 9900 could be used with a standalone VCII