Wading into the gray market - help me find flaws before Shaw does

Yes, I´m not to worried about that.

Good luck with your 75 in AR, let us know how it goes.

I setup a couple 75cm dishes last year and got great readings. They were as high as I get here in Calgary with my 60cm dish, plus there so easy to find the sats. The markings and construction of the 75 cm dish are so much better than the 60cm.
 
So I checked here when I got home, and a quick check has me seeing EcbNo values of 9.4 on my SD channels and around 6.9 on my HD channels. So maybe I can do better, but I'm not in any hurry to go out and mess with the dish.
 
Pulleeezzzze guys.....if you're going invade us for the winter, we welcome you, but at least get the abbreviation right....it's AZ. Heaven forbid anyone should confuse us with Arkansas, which is AR.....:D

LOL, since mellaby wrote AR, I thought that after Arizona, now he was headed to Arkansas. :D
 
Pulleeezzzze guys.....if you're going invade us for the winter, we welcome you, but at least get the abbreviation right....it's AZ. Heaven forbid anyone should confuse us with Arkansas, which is AR.....:D
AR is Spanish for Arizona!!!!!!!!! You know for all the time I spend down there AZ is on all my mail and info. Sorry next time I'll speak Anglish.
 
Update - watching CBC News Toronto!

So, to answer some of the question I asked earlier-

  • The box came unactivated.
  • My General Delivery address did not pass muster with Shaw. So I ended up getting a PO Box through the folks at KuSat.

<snip>

I have had Starchoice for a long time in the US and my current receiver needs to be replaced. Does anyone know if I will have to get the new receiver activated or since I am an existing customer through a broker, is it just a plug in kind of thing?

Also, if KuSat provided you a PO address, does that eliminate the need to use a broker in Canada for service in the US?
 
The answers to your questions likely depend on with whom you are doing business, and also upon what questions you ask of them.

I have a broker with whom I have done business for several years. My original hardware vendor no longer deals in Canadian satellite systems, but they recommended someone from whom I could purchase an up-to-date receiver. I asked nicely if that new hardware vendor would work with my existing broker to pre-activate the new receiver before shipment, and they agreed. So the box arrived ready-to-go. My broker charged me $10, as expected, for the activation service.

But unless you ask, your box will likely arrive unactivated, and you will need to then call your broker to get activated.

If your broker and hardware source are one-and-the-same, it might arrive activated, but I'm betting you will have to ask if you want it pre-activated, or call them once it arrives at your home.

Also, keep in mind that the minute you activate your new receiver, you will likely incur a multiple receiver charge of about $6/mo by Shaw. If you're going to take your old receiver out of service, you should so-state to your vendor/broker. I'm not sure if you incur this multiple receiver change if your de-activate the old at the same time as you active the new.

Also, if KuSat provided you a PO address, does that eliminate the need to use a broker in Canada for service in the US?

I'm not sure about KuSat policies, but normally a PO address is not sufficient to use as a "service address" for the purpose of establishing a Shaw account. I believe the "service address" needs be an actual property address.
 
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what joshuals said is true. it depends on whether you have a broker and who it is. if you do, ask them what the process is. I purchased a new 505 on-line and my broker activated it after i received and installed it. I had to wait like a day before I could watch, but the process was hassle-free
 
There are still a few brokers out there but they are extremely low profile. PM me for suggestions.
 
Thanks for your response. I'm wondering if I go thru KuSat if I will have the same luck as a PP in getting it activated prior to delivery by coordinating with my current broker. Will have to give them a call about that.
 
what joshuals said is true. it depends on whether you have a broker and who it is. if you do, ask them what the process is. I purchased a new 505 on-line and my broker activated it after i received and installed it. I had to wait like a day before I could watch, but the process was hassle-free

If this is the route I must go, was it just a matter of you plugging in the receiver and attaching the cable? The satellite doesn't need adjustment or anything like that?
 
The satellite doesn't need adjustment or anything like that?

By "the satellite", I presume you mean "the dish"? If that's the case, then, no. If the dish is working for you now, it should continue to do the same job for you after you attach the new receiver.

The only possible glitch I can think of is if your existing dish is capable of receiving AnikF1R only, and if you now purchase an HDef receiver, you won't get much in the way of HDef channels until you get a dish that can receive both satellites because the vast majority of HDef comes from Anik F2. But if you are currently using a 60e or 75e with the quad LNB, you should be good to go all the way 'round with the new unit.
 

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