New to the Hobby with an X-Squared M1

[dsmith0429]

I'm new to the FTA hobby, started in March 2013.

I have the X-Squared M1 Receiver and for me it works great. However I plan to upgrade to a box with MPEG-4, PVR, & IPTV capabilities.

The only downside I have with the X-Squared M1 Receiver is I can't find software that will allow me to update the satellite database. Other than that, I love it.

I currently have it set up using 4 universal Ku LNBFs on 4 old recycled dishes from DirectPC, Dish Network, Primestar, and Starband. Currently I'm setup for AMC 9, 83.0° West, Galaxy 3C, 95.0° West, Galaxy 19, 97.0° West, and SES 1, 101.0° West.

I also use 1 dish to manually rotate and receive other satellites, I marked the post so I could easily find them again.

Planning on adding a motor to one of the dishes and eliminating the others. The Primestar is the largest of the dishes, and seems to have the best reception, and is manufactured by Channel Master (also the Starband, not sure about the others, they are not marked).

I also have an old approximately 8 ft. dish (appears to be fiberglass) that's cracked near the center, and was wondering if it's possible to repair and still get good reception for C-band. I was thinking of adding a homemade bracket/patch over the crack on the back and using an auto fiberglass repair kit to fill the crack on the front, sanding it smooth, and re-painting. Anyone know if this will work?

 

[Tron]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

If you are planning on a single, fixed (non-motorized) dish, you could consider 30W for movies. 125W has PBS network feeds, which can be very entertaining and informative. 83W has RTV (Retro TV) which has some classic TV shows. 103W has NBC network feeds and COZI (another retro network).

I have this sick addiction to the Atlanta falcons.

Very sorry about that.

There are some wild feeds of football games (usually college but sometimes pro) across the arc on various satellites. Using a blind scan-capable receiver and scanning before gametime will find the feeds.

 

[KE4EST]

Broke your post off of an old thread.

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to the site dSmith!!!

 

[wen]

I'm new to the FTA hobby, started in March 2013.

I have the X-Squared M1 Receiver and for me it works great. However I plan to upgrade to a box with MPEG-4, PVR, & IPTV capabilities.

The only downside I have with the X-Squared M1 Receiver is I can't find software that will allow me to update the satellite database. Other than that, I love it.

I currently have it set up using 4 universal Ku LNBFs on 4 old recycled dishes from DirectPC, Dish Network, Primestar, and Starband. Currently I'm setup for AMC 9, 83.0° West, Galaxy 3C, 95.0° West, Galaxy 19, 97.0° West, and SES 1, 101.0° West.

I also use 1 dish to manually rotate and receive other satellites, I marked the post so I could easily find them again.

Planning on adding a motor to one of the dishes and eliminating the others. The Primestar is the largest of the dishes, and seems to have the best reception, and is manufactured by Channel Master (also the Starband, not sure about the others, they are not marked).

I also have an old approximately 8 ft. dish (appears to be fiberglass) that's cracked near the center, and was wondering if it's possible to repair and still get good reception for C-band. I was thinking of adding a homemade bracket/patch over the crack on the back and using an auto fiberglass repair kit to fill the crack on the front, sanding it smooth, and re-painting. Anyone know if this will work?

Search for"X2 Premium HD Nov 06 2013 firmware" and you will find a website with X2 firmware archived for the Premium HD, but will not work on your M1 box.

This Premium HD version has a better satellite database and the box has decent editing capabilities if you need to make a few changes.

If you can find a 1 meter solid dish, it is better than the re-used dss dishes, but a little more expensive!!!

Fiberglass is easy to repair as the fiberglass has nothing to do with the dish operation other than holding it together. Get a fiberglass repair kit with a 3 sq ft or so piece of fiberglass flexible material, clean the dish where cracked, put on a heavy coat of the gel coating (probably comes in a quart can) and press the cloth in the gel coat. Finish off with a couple more coats of the gel coat and paint to match. If you are repairing a large hole, press a piece of aluminum foil between layers of the fiberglass cloth and the dish will be good as new! Good Luck.

 

[primestar31]

Search for"X2 Premium HD Nov 06 2013 firmware" and you will find a website with X2 firmware archived.

This version has a better satellite database and the box has decent editing capabilities if you need to make a few changes. It is a good fta box with much better blindscan than many boxes out there. The X2 has pvr capabilities and works very well on nearly all available HD channels.

This firmware won't work for the X2 M1 receiver. There is NO newer firmware for that receiver, and probably never will be. It's a $20 receiver. I use one for aiming.

 

[wen]

Thanks for the clarification primestar31. The X2 premium HD is still selling for only $54.95. Almost worth that to get the new sat list! It compares quite well with my AZbox Premium HD+ at 6x the price, although the picture quality is better on the AZbox, but all blindscans are on the X2 Premium HD. I clarified that in my reply after you pointed it out to me.

 

[. Raine]

This firmware won't work for the X2 M1 receiver. There is NO newer firmware for that receiver, and probably never will be. It's a $20 receiver. I use one for aiming.

Correct, I have both the M1 and X2, and they are different. I only use my M1 for stuff like aiming too.

Even though my X2 works real well, I want to replace it with something like a Micro. I really don't like the stuff they put in the firmware that shouldn't be in there.