help in Afghanistan

[saylor240]

hello all, new to site. i'll try and keep short and sweet.
Little to no internet, in small site in Afghanistan. Purchased VIP receiver Model Number VIP FTA 963/VIP CXCI 909 also on front of receiver 963 SUPER have supermax dish on HOTBird 13E great signal have 700 channels. PROBLEM only 300 channels not scrambled and 5 channels i can watch in english. there is a "smartcard" slot. PROBLEM no one at the bazzar can get me a "smartcard". very new to this. i will soon have cable to connect to the 9pin serial port on the receiver so i can at least do upgrades and new sofware. So how, where and what good is a smartcard going to be, how do i upgrade software? can i get AFN channels with this box?...thank you all in advance for reading this and trying to help.

 

[FaT Air]

For subscriptions utilizing smartcards, I would think you'd have to contact the provider and get the smartcard, or at least where to get one. Compatibility with the receiver may also be involved. Don't know as they're not used this side of the pond.
AFN, I believe they don't use smartcards, only their own authorized receivers. AFN Europe
How to do updates to firmware- (If needed) A "Loader program" is run on your connected computer. Should be available for download, and the update firmware itself, at the manufacturer, distributor or sales website for the brand of receiver.

 

[saylor240]

problem is, I dont know provider. we just hooked up the receiver and dish and getting free to air from hotbird 13e. have looked online and no manf website. On the user manual it says "distributed by: AL Naizak Satellite-Dubai www.vip_digital.com" . i tried that site and no luck, site is down. from some of the online research i gather this may be a "clone" box from korea. will any smart card work?...dont know what else to do.

 

[SatelliteAV]

You most likely will not receive any information about the subscriptions on Hotbird from the receiver reseller or distributor. Receiver manufacturers usually do not sell subscriptions or provide information about subscriptions.

Many different providers of scrambled services on the Hotbird satellite. You should view website Lyngsat.com for the Hotbird satellite at http://www.lyngsat.com/hotbird.html. Each channel will indicate the type of encryption that it uses and have a link to the broadcaster or have the Service provider listed where you can inquire about buying subscription to that service.

 

[Mr Tony]

great signal have 700 channels. PROBLEM only 300 channels not scrambled

god I wish we had that problem here in the states

 

[hd fan]

heck i just realised it took me to long to post this and was beaten by 2 posters, lol. there it goes anyways.

saylor you are asking the wrong guys I guess, if you have the problem that out of 700 channels !!!! on a single sat ONLY 300 are in the clear with 5 in English !!!! , well over here out of 700 then only 5 are in the clear !!!! and yes there are 300 English channels but all are scrambled with no subscription access at all. In any case I am sure someone will help you further, stick to the raft ... well if you are a not cuban saylor then stick to the powered boat , lol.

now seriously, www.lyngsat.com has the info for all channels available on every sat in the planet and it will show you the name of the provider as well. i just looked at it and there is lots in english in the open , with providers like ViaCom and Globesat with some english networks encrypted. give them a call they will point you in the right direction or contact a local satellite dealer. Some providers like the mentioned AFN wont let you use a smart card and you need to buy their authorized equipment but other will allow you. Over in Europe I am told you are even allow to share the smart cards.

there is info about this receiver on this board, VIP receiver!!?? [Archive] - RDI-SAT Forums . mind everyone no idea what they talk about is allowed on our board or not. you will likely be better served by asking on a european board rather than this one. in any case you are welcome here and free to ask , guess we will learn along.

this link, ÝáÇÔÉ Vip - Fta 963 ãÌÑÈÉ - ãäÊÏíÇÊ ÝäÇä ÓÇÊ has even a picture and provided you can understand or translate it it might be very helpful. it seems to be a popular receiver in the middle east since lots of info in arabic.

 

[saylor240]

thanks for all the input guys, i will look at lygsat and contact providers and see how to order a smart card. i guess there is no other way to get more clear channels. just have to wait for our internet to be hooked up here.

 

[hd fan]

well there is a way , you could try a motorised setup to be able to aim the dish automatically to different satellites. it is a small motor that rotates the dish accordingly when instructed by the receiver. it is more difficult to setup and costs around 70 usd here. only problem it is a 1 receiver solution otherwise other receivers will loose signal when the dish moves to another sat. there are several manufacturers with the italian STAB being the best in my opinion. make sure you get the proper motor for your dish size though. Usually they manufacture one for the 90 cm dish and another one for bigger dishes like 120 cm.

Check lyngsat first for available channels on other sats in your area , maybe there are plenty in english in the open in some other sats, then it becomes convenient to have a motor. for bigger dishes over 6 feet (1.8 m) actuator arms are mostly used instead of horizon to horizon motors.