I have a couple of new questions now.

[kev7477]

I have an LNB or I think it is anyway. All it says on it is Precision Blue Thunder. It has a bell or cone on one end that has a white plastic cover on it. Around the bell is the number zero with three dashes on either side of it and below that is an arow that says UP. On the other end is a coax hook up.....is this a KU or C band LNB?? It is an all in one unit, not one you would attach to your feed horn on your cband dish. Thanks

The other question is this. I have a couple of recievers from like DirecTV and PrimeStar etc. Are any of these able to be used for any other reason. I didn't know if they used a MPEG technology that would allow me to use them to search the skys with my C Band or Ku Band satellite.

As Always I thank you for all your input. I love this stuff even though I am not to knowledgable about it all. I do miss the old days of turning on your dish and discovering a multitude of programming out there just waiting for an audiance.

Thanks
Kev7477

 

[PSB]

The old receivers are usless for FTA TV (C or KU)
About all they are good for is pointing a satellite dish to one of the DirecTV satellites, then maybe switching to a linear LNB.

 

[lilyarbie]

The Primestar is a definate no. The technology in those receivers predates the technology in use on satellites of today. If I'm not mistaken, I think Primestar used MPEG 1.5 codec video in their digital signals. Now all of the satellites use mostly MPEG-2 codec video with some even switching to the new MPEG-4.

 

[Mr Tony]

Primestar used MPEG-1

 

[lilyarbie]

Thanks for the clarification Iceberg.

 

[Mr Tony]

I was wrong

They used DCI

PrimeStar, unlike modern high-powered DBS systems, was a medium-powered DBS-style system utilizing FSS technology that used a larger 3-foot (91 cm) satellite dish to receive signals (as most FSS satellites require). Unlike DirecTV, PrimeStar was owned by a consortium of cable television companies and the viewer did not own their equipment (the participating cable company did). PrimeStar was also more limited in its ability to add new channels to its system. PrimeStar used the older DigiCipher 1 system for digital compression of analog satellite signals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primestar