Not sure what FTA receiver to buy , opinions?

[Odinbear2]

Had an Openbox s9 (just died), using a backup box (dreambox dm500s), but already not much liking it. Reason is our setup is a 10ftmesh dish, c-band lnb ( KU side needs replacing. Anyone have one to sell?), Motorola 4Dtv unit to change polarity ( & move dish occasionally). Dish stays on G16 and with the Openbox we watched , all the ABC itch feeds, FOX itc (ARK), Wvgn, KCWY and a couple other channels . The dreambox doesn't seem to pick up MPEG4. Which some of those channels are and it doesn't do DVB-S2.

Budget under $150.00, I see 2 boxes , the Geosatpro MicroHD and the AZbox PremiumhD .
Which is best?
Also, how do I get rid of the Motorola 4Dtv (dish mover) and move the dish/switch polarities with the FTA receiver?

 

[lilo74]

the best boxes is azbox premium hd,but it costs azbox no is 150dlrs. is more

 

[KE4EST]

microHD is currently not avaiable, there is a new one coming I hear, the AZbox Premium is no longer supported really. I would go with the Amiko Mini HD SE, faster than the others and more features with a nice price.

 

[Odinbear2]

Can't even find the Amico on google . Actually I now have. Looking at it. Thanks.

 

[Odinbear2]

Yes Azbox premium HD is close to 300.00. TOO MUCH. my mistake, thought I saw that one at 150ish.

 

[Odinbear2]

Thought I saw the MicroHD on eBay.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes gotCband I think has a few left.

 

[Odinbear2]

The Amico doesn't seem to have DVB-s. Or DVB-s2 in the specs. Just mpegs 1, 2. And parts of 4? Correct

 

[Odinbear2]

Thanks ke4est.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes the Amiko does dvb-s and dvb-s2 that is just standard these days.

 

[Titanium]

DVBS2 receivers are backwards compatible to include MPEG1/2 standards. Not much MPEG1 anymore.

 

[pwrsurge]

Yes Azbox premium HD is close to 300.00. TOO MUCH. my mistake, thought I saw that one at 150ish.

Please be advised that the AzBox Premium HD Plus has been discontinued for well over a year now. To my knowledge, all new genuine AzBox Premium HD Plus units in North America have been sold out. However, there is at least one unauthorized retailer in Canada selling counterfeit AzBox Premium HD Plus units so buyer beware as these units would NOT be covered under our 2 year warranty!

If you are looking to purchase a new AzBox, we recommend the AzBox miniMe American Edition which is the only current model at this time and natively supports 4.2.2 which is used by CBS on their HD distribution feeds and a fair amount of wild feeds as well. It is currently out of stock at the moment but will become available again within the next week or so once our new shipment arrives in Canada.

 

[Nov-01]

just received one of these, looks like I'm skd ot receive my SatAV dish a week from today:
Amiko Mini HD SE

 

[scarecrovv]

Maybe you can fix the s9.....If it's only the power supply they can be got fairly cheap and are easily installed.

 

[Odinbear2]

Maybe you can fix the s9.....If it's only the power supply they can be got fairly cheap and are easily installed.

Red light only. Think that is a PS? Wife said it was on, then it just "went"

 

[soundman65]

Remove the cover of your S9.....It may be just blown capacitors on the power supply. My S9 was a little different........it would power on and work for a few seconds then lock up. I found two blown capacitors and replaced them and so far it is still working perfectly.

 

[Dee_Ann]

It’s a shame the MicroHD isn’t sold anymore. I have one and it’s been rock solid. It’s the first STB, and I’ve been through several of them, that isn’t a piece of junk.
I quite like it. I’m really surprised they dropped it so quick.

But I guess things change so fast nowadays. :/

 

[scarecrovv]

It’s a shame the MicroHD isn’t sold anymore. I have one and it’s been rock solid. It’s the first STB, and I’ve been through several of them, that isn’t a piece of junk.
I quite like it. I’m really surprised they dropped it so quick.

But I guess things change so fast nowadays. :/

I thought they were just reworking the micro hd and were going to have more in stock soon..... It's a shame if they stop production on that one.

 

[FaT Air]

I wouldn't 'write off' the 'uHD' so quick. Been said. by SatAV in other threads, that they are only 'out of stock' presently.
But will 'bet' the OP's S9 could be repaired with a simple capacitor replacement in the PS section.
If the OP elects to purchase new, send me the 'corpse', I'd like to do the autopsy.

 

[egnard]

I got the Geosatpro about 9 months ago and my opinion is that it's incredibly quirky. I hope they do rework the stupid thing maybe I'll buy the upgrade. The picture and reception are good and I have a motorized dish which works well. But other things about it really suck. I just found out that when I program it to record a program through midnight it just stops at midnight. It looses about 1.5 minutes a day when on manual time and will not work right when I use the GMT time function. Try leaving town and record something with that, eh? At that's just the tip of the iceberg with this thing. I will say this, it beats paying $$$$ for the commercial satellite stuff. I get Montana, Oklahoma and Louisiana PBS (Ku band, 39" dish) , which is about all I'm interested in these days. So even with the quirks, it's worth it for me. I just wish it were a bit more reliable and user friendly. But for all I know, they are all like that.