DSR905 4DTV Digital Sidecar - By Motorola

[PopcornNMore]

Are there any FTA digital channels available using the Motorola Sidecar? If so, are they all C-Band or is there also KU-Band digicipher channels available?

I have a sourse where I could get one for $199 that I thought was a good price. Why was the Motorola Sidecar discontinued? You shouldn't have to be stuck in buying only one companies satellite receiver to enjoy 4DTV.

Could the Motorola Sidecar be hooked up to a FTA receiver or does it need to be hooked up to an analog receiver only? Then could you hookup an analog receiver, FTA receiver and the Sidecar all together?

Thank you,
Dave

 

[mkm4]

There are some signal on both C and Ku, but a 4DTV MUST be able to receive C band so that it can download the channel maps it needs to operate.
It also can't move a dish, so any receiver it is paired with, must be able to move the dish.

 

[voomvoom]

Are there any FTA digital channels available using the Motorola Sidecar? If so, are they all C-Band or is there also KU-Band digicipher channels available?

You can't get FTA digital channels with DCII. If you mean DCII channels ITC, there are some. But, the only sat I can think of, that's DCII ku, is X4 (G4 ku side). American Life TV Network is ITC. You may have to have a subscription to at least something before it will work. Meaning the Motorola 905 Sidecar would have to be Authorized by somebody at some point. At least I think it would.

Al

Edit: While looking at another thread, I was reminded of K3 (AMC3 ku). It's also ku and has PBS as well as GPB. Both are ITC.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Thank you very much guys.

Does anyone know why the sidecar was discontinued?

 

[lilyarbie]

I thought all of those models were discontinued. With the decline in C-band subscribers over the years, I thought Motorola got out of the TVRO business. I've been checking the official 4DTV page on Motorolas home site and it shows nothing being there. Also, NPS said that Motorola wasn't going to make a newer updated receiver that would outperform the 920, 922, or the sidecar. They're not even going to make a consumer model to support megapipe subscription. That's why NPS was wanting to sign on with Auroras in order to get TVRO customers access to more channels.

 

[Tron]

Popcorn, the only way to get these Ku DCII FTA channels is to either use a DCII receiver that was authorized to receive them in the past or use certain DCII commercial receivers intended for broadcasters (my Digitrans 7150, a Motorola 4800 clone, works for FTA DCII. It is commercial gear, though, and costs about $600-$700 used).

 

[mkm4]

Does anyone know why the sidecar was discontinued?

It didn't sell very well.