enitan2002:

@ toxnaija,
i know that all our local stations are in terrestrial transmission, but do ou remember the first few weeks hitv rolled out, do you also know they were also in terrestial Xmission? just telling you in case you don't know or perhaps forgotten.
There's a difference between mode of Xmission and Types of Xmission, the MMDS you were talking about simply stands for Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service and this can be categorised under the MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) Network group.
SO in type of Xmission, we can have either analogue or digital, while in mode of Xmission we can have in either Satellite, Terrestrial or Cable Platform. Even the so-called HD(High Definition) has to belong to either of these 3 modes, the HD has to just do with Picture quality also with MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 is same with HD.
As we both have Trend on satellite package, they also have those channels in terrestrial platform, thats just the reason why i can get those trend stations on my Television through the Bush Idaptor. Here is how it works.
Those cable/satellite stations have so many satellite dishes installed at their premises tracking so many birds, so they filter out the desired stations out of all these birds, and they multiplexed them them into a single channel in the UHF spectrum and this is sent out. How the viewers received these packages depend on the type of Xmission offered by the company itself. If its in analog format you'll just have to connect your antenna straight into the Tv or via your Video Player, the function of the down converter is just to power up the circuit in the antenna so as to convert the propagated wave signal in space into electric signals to be passed through your coaxial cable. This can also be likened to your LNB being powered up by the decoder. The difference between the analog and Digital is that when the signal is even encrypted but still in analog format, your TV which is connected straight to your antenna will still able to recieve those signals but you will be able to see the descramled picture.
But when it is in digital format if your TV is connected straight into your antenna and the channels were not encrypted you wont be able to see any picture at all because there's not a converter along the way to convert the analog signals coming from the coaxial cable from your antenna to digital format, and thats where the decoder i talked about come in place, it's just being connected between the down converter and your TV. So when the digital Xmissted channels are encrypted and u use the deocder you will be able to view the channels but it will show your locked or enrcypted but not the scrabling effect you will see like during the analog signals.
All my explanations will be best understood by those who have been watching Discom stations right through the analog/free to analog/scrambled to digital/free(which is now)

exactly where are you in southern nigeria. i am in lagos and i have not been able to get this channels you mentioned. Please help specify the hardware that you are using and if possible, some pictures.

Hi All,

I have seen a few questions about different terms often mentioned on the forum, so I have put the following together, with a bit of help from some articles on Wikipedia and other forums. This may also be called definitions. I have completed my motorised 1.8m dish in lagos, I will soon post the pictures here for you.


Encryption

Television encryption, often referred to as "scrambling", is encryption used to control access to pay television services, usually cable or satellite television services.


Conditional Access (CA)

Conditional access (CA) is the protection of content by requiring certain criteria to be met before granting access to this content. The term is commonly used in relation to digital television systems, most notably satellite television.
Under the DVB, conditional access system standards are defined in the specification documents for DVB-CA (Conditional Access), DVB-CSA (the Common Scrambling Algorithm) and DVB-CI (the Common Interface). These standards define a method by which a digital television stream can be obfuscated, with access provided only to those with valid decryption smart cards.


Conditional Access Module (CAM)

A conditional access module (CAM) is an electronic device, usually incorporating a slot for a smart card, which equips a DVB television or set-top box with the appropriate hardware facility to view conditional access content that has been encrypted using a conditional access system. They are normally used with direct broadcast satellite services, although the UK digital terrestrial pay TV supplier Top Up TV also uses CAMs.
Some encryption systems for which CAMs are available are Nagravision, Viaccess, Mediaguard, Irdeto, Conax, PowerVu and KeyFly. NDS Videoguard encryption, the preferred choice of Sky Digital can only be externally emulated by a Dragon (T-Rex) brand cam. The NDS cam which the Sky viewing card ordinarily uses is built into the Sky Digibox thus not visible. Dragon and Matrix, two popular cams with satellite television enthusiasts are multicrypt meaning each is capable of handling more than one encryption system. Matrix is more likely to be used by a novice as it can be upgraded via the PC card port in a laptop personal computer whereas a Dragon cam update is done via separate programmer hardware.
The standard format for a CAM is a PC card which takes a smart card to authenticate, although CAMs with the 'smart card' burnt into memory can be found. In addition, CAM emulators exist for many systems, either providing an interface to allow the use of more than one type of card, or a card not designed for that receiver.
The most popular CAMS are the Diablo and T-Rex4.6 multiCAM's at this time.
Note: This does require a receiver with an available CI slot, such as 9300C and 9400 models.


Common Interface (CI)

The Common Interface (CI) is the slot on a digital television receiver into which a conditional access module (CAM) may be inserted for satellite television. Receivers normally have two common interfaces. A receiver with a common interface allows the user to access encrypted television broadcasts as opposed to free-to-air (FTA) channels. The NanoXX 9300c (Cable), and 9400 (Sat) models have 2 x CI slots.


Emulation (EMU)

Emulation refers to something slightly different in ISO 7816 than in other computer design applications; it is the connection of a personal computer in place of a smartcard using an ISO 7816-compatible "season interface" for test or development purposes. The PC is programmed to simulate the entire instruction set of the smartcard's microcontroller to allow smartcard code to be developed more readily. As some encryption systems require an application-specific IC (ASIC) on the card to perform decryption, a pirate would also use a card which had been "auxed" (reprogrammed to pass received computer data directly to the application-specific decryption chip) in order to employ such an emulation system.

In the case of NanoXX receivers, the EMU function is able to function directly on the receiver, without a need for a PC connection.


Keys

A number of pairs of hexadecimal numbers that are needed in conjuction with the EMU for opening channels from specific providers. Sometimes the keys become public on the internet - but you will have to look elsewhere, as this forum does not permit keys being posted. The interval between key changes varies from provider to provider. Some don't change keys for months, while others like t#s change them every few minutes. When the next series of keys are known, it is possible to load them in software, this is called AutoRoll.

Sometimes it is possible to emulate the function of a CAM and smartcard, to automatically update the keys. This is called AutoUpdate or AU.


Card Sharing (C/S or CS)

Card sharing is a term used concerning Satellite television piracy. As technology has made the security of smartcards in conditional access systems increase, card sharing has become a more popular method of pirate decryption. Much of the development of card sharing hardware and software has taken place in Europe where national boundaries mean that home users are able to receive satellite television signals from many countries but are unable to legally subscribe to them due to licensing restrictions on broadcasters.
Card sharing is a method by which independent satellite receivers obtain simultaneous access to a pay television network, using one legitimate conditional access subscription card. Typically, the legitimate card is attached to a personal computer or set top box, which is connected to a computer network, including the internet, and is configured to provide the legitimately decrypted control word to other receivers who request the information. This decrypted control word is then used to decode an encrypted conditional access service, as though each other receiver were using its own subscription card.

It is possible to use card sharing on NanoXX 9600IP receivers, by connecting the Ethernet port on the back of the receiver to the internet.
Other receivers such as VisionNet, Innovative and Ebox have a similar arrangement, while open source (Linux) receivers like Dreambox, Triple Dragon, and Relook have the ability to use private card sharing programs like Gbox, which enable access to private card sharing groups.


s3rv3r

In the 9600IP Application, Servers are personal computers with support for multiple subscription cards, such that the decrypted control words (keys) are provided via the internet to NanoXX 9600IP


Smartcard

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit(s) card (ICC), is defined as any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. Although there is a diverse range of applications, there are two broad categories of ICCs. Memory cards contain only non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps some specific security logic. Microprocessor cards contain memory and microprocessor components.

Specifically to Pay TV applications, they are normally found as official subscription cards supplied by Pay TV providers following one off payment or signing a subscription agreement. There are also pirate applications, using programmable cards (Anaconda, Cerebro, OPOS, K3), or Modified Official Smartcards (MOSC), which may be expired official cards, that have had their subscription attributes modified.

The NanoXX receivers have a card slot that supports smartcards.


Free-to-air (FTA)

Free-to-air (FTA) is a term used to describe television (TV) and radio broadcasts which are broadcast unencrypted and may therefore be picked up via any suitable receiver. The term should not be confused with free-to-view (FTV) which describes TV which is available without subscription but which is encoded and may therefore be restricted geographically. Neither of these options can be described as pay-TV which describes a subscription (or pay-per-view) service which is encrypted. The term usually refers to delivery by satellite television, but in various parts of the world where encrypted digital terrestrial television channels exist, broadcast on UHF or VHF bands, it can also be applied to those systems.


Free-to-view (FTV)

Free-to-view (FTV) is a term used in the United Kingdom for certain television channels on the Sky Digital satellite platform which require a working VideoGuard receiver and viewing card to decrypt the signals, but do not require any form of continual subscription.


Pay television

Pay television or pay-TV refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analogue and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly by digital terrestrial methods.
Pay per view (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay TV services in that you must pay to have the broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-off payment for a single or time-limited viewing.
"Free" variants are free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV), however FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to a pay TV bouquet or can be purchased for a one-off cost.


Satellite Dish

A satellite dish is a type of parabolic antenna designed with the specific purpose of transmitting signals to and/or receiving from satellites. A satellite dish is a particular type of microwave antenna. Satellite dishes come in varying sizes and designs, and are most commonly used to receive satellite television.

The parabolic shape of a dish reflects the signal to the dish’s focal point. Mounted on brackets at the dish's focal point is a device called a feedhorn. This feedhorn is essentially the front-end of a waveguide that gathers the signals at or near the focal point and 'conducts' them to a low-noise block downconverter or LNB. The LNB converts the signals from electromagnetic or radio waves to electrical signals and shifts the signals from the downlinked C-band and/or Ku-band to the L-band range. Direct
broadcast satellite dishes use an LNBF, which integrates the feedhorn with the LNB. (A new form of omnidirectional satellite antenna, which does not use a directed parabolic dish and can be used on a mobile platform such as a vehicle was announced by the University of Waterloo.)

Modern dishes intended for home television use are generally 43 cm (18" to 80 cm (31" in diameter, and are fixed in one position, for Ku-band reception from one orbital position. Prior to the existence of Direct broadcast satellite services, home users would generally have a motorised C-band satellite dish of up to 3 metres in diameter for reception of channels from different satellites. Overly small dishes can still cause problems, however, including rain fade and interference from adjacent satellites.

Motorised satellite dishes are still popular with enthusiasts, and three competing standards, which are often all supported by a set-top box, DiSEqC, USALS, and 36v Positioners.

A common misconception is that the LNBF (low-noise block/feedhorn), the device at the front of the dish, receives the signal directly from the atmosphere. See, for instance, this BBC News 24 countdown that shows a "red data stream" being received by the LNBF directly instead of being beamed to the dish, which because of its parabolic shape will collect the signal into a smaller area and deliver it to the LNBF.

In Europe the frequencies used by DBS services are 10.7 - 12.75 GHz on two polarizations H and V.

This represents a total of 4.1 GHz of spectral bandwidth which is split into 4 polarization/frequency bands. On the coaxial cable between the LNBF and the receiver frequencies 950 - 2150 MHz are allocated for the satellite service. Lower frequencies are allocated to Cable and Terrestrial TV, FM radio, etc. There are 4 bands - Vertical High, Vertical Low, Horizontal High and Horizontal Low, each of these bands needs a separate cable from the LNBF to the receiver or the receiver needs to select one of the 4 bands at a time.

In a single receiver residential installation there is a single cable and the receiver uses different power supply voltages and pilot tones to instruct the LNB to select one of the 4 bands. In a larger installation each band is given its own cable and there are 4 cables from the LNB to a switching matrix, which allows the connection of multiple receivers in a star topology using the same signalling method as in a single receiver installation.

The quality of a satellite dish is usually expressed as a G/T ratio. This is the "gain" (I.E.: signal amplification) of the dish divided by the amount of noise the LNB produces. The gain depends on many factors including surface finish, accuracy of shape, feedhorn masking, and size (the bigger the dish the better). The amount of noise an LNB produces depends on design, temperature, and losses in the cables.


DiSEqC

DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control) pronounced "Die-Sec" is a special communication protocol for use between a satellite receiver and a device such as a multi-dish switch or a small dish antenna rotor. It is compatible with the actuators used to rotate large C band dishes if used with a DiSEqC positioner. It relies only on the coaxial cable to transmit both bidirectional data/signals and power.

DiSEqC is commonly used to control multiswitches and claims to be more flexible than 13/18 volt and 22 kHz tone or ToneBurst/MiniDiSEqC techniques. Despite its name, it has been used on fully analogue or only partially digital-capable (Astra Digital Radio) satellite receivers.

A number of variations of DiSEqC exist:

DiSEqC 1.0, which allows switching between up to 4 satellite sources
DiSEqC 1.1, which allows switching between up to 16 sources
DiSEqC 1.2, which allows switching between up to 16 sources, and control of a simple horizontal-panning satellite motor
DiSEqC 2.0, which adds bi-directional communications to DiSEqC 1.2
All four variations were standardised by February 1998, prior to general use of digital satellite television. They are all back compatible - a DiSEqC 2.0 receiver can control a 1.0 switch; but a 1.0 receiver cannot control motorised features.

The terms DiSEqC 1.3 and 2.3 are often used by manufacturers and retailers to refer to other protocols (1.3 usually refers to USALS receivers), but these uses are not authorised by Eutelsat, the developers
of the system, who now act as the protocol standards agency.

Eutelsat apparently developed the system to allow satellite users in Continental Europe to switch between the more popular SES Astra 1 block of satellites and Eutelsat's own Hotbird system. As a result, the vast majority of European satellite receivers support at least DiSEqC 1.2, with the notable exception of all set top boxes manufactured under the Sky Digibox name. This is thought to be to protect Sky's monopoly of the UK satellite television market, and keep public awareness of other satellite systems low. All supporting receivers have received certification to carry a logo specifying which variation of DiSEqC they support.


USALS

Universal Satellites Automatic Location System (USALS), also known (unofficially) as DiSEqC 1.3, Go X or Go to XX is a satellite motor protocol that automatically creates a list of available satellite positions in a motorised satellite dish setup. It is used in conjunction with the DiSEqC 1.2 protocol. It was developed by STAB, an Italian motor manufacturer, who still make the majority of USALS compatible motors.

Software on the satellite receiver (or external positioner) calculates the position of all available satellites from an initial location (input by the user), which is the latitude and longitude relative to Earth.

Calculated positions can differ ±0.1 degrees from the offset. This is adjusted automatically and does not require previous technical knowledge.

Compared to DiSEqC 1.2, it is no longer necessary to manually search and store every known satellite position. Just by pointing to a known satellite position (for example 19.2ºE) is enough. This position will act as the central point. The USALS system will then calculate visible satellites position within the offset. It is advisable to align to the satellite most southerly to your position, although not essential.

As it is not an open standard, for a receiver to carry the USALS logo it must undergo a certification test STAB's laboratories. If successful the manufacturer can include an USALS settings entry in its own menu, as well as place the logo on the front of their unit. However, a large number of manufacturers of both receivers and motors provide compatible modes which have not received certification, leading to use of unofficial terms.


LNB

A low-noise block converter (LNB, for low-noise block, or sometimes LNC, for low-noise converter) is used in communications satellite (usually broadcast satellite) reception. The LNB is usually fixed on or in the satellite dish, for the reasons outlined below.

Satellites use comparatively high radio frequencies to transmit their signals.

Ku-band linear-polarised LNBAs microwave satellite signals do not easily pass through walls, roofs, or even glass windows, satellite antennas are required to be outdoors, and the signal needs to be passed indoors via cables. When radio signals are sent through coaxial cables, the higher the frequency, the more losses occur in the cable per unit of length. The signals used for satellite are of such high frequency (in the multiple gigahertz range) that special (costly) cable types or waveguide would be
required and any significant length of cable leaves very little signal left on the receiving end.

The job of the LNB is to use the superheterodyne principle to take a wide block (or band) of relatively high frequencies, amplify and convert them to similar signals carried at a much lower frequency (called intermediate frequency or IF). These lower frequencies travel through cables with much less attenuation of the signal, so there is much more signal left on the satellite receiver end of the cable. It is also much easier and cheaper to design electronic circuits to operate at these lower frequencies, rather than the very high frequencies of satellite transmission.

The “low-noise” part means that special electronic engineering techniques are used, that the amplification and mixing takes place before cable attenuation and that the block is free of additional electronics like a power supply or a digital receiver. This all leads to a signal, which has less noise
(unwanted signals) on the output than would be possible with less stringent engineering. Generally speaking, the higher the frequencies with which an electronic component has to operate, the more critical it is that noise be controlled. If low noise engineering techniques were not used, the sound and picture of satellite TV would be of very low quality, if it could even be received at all without a much larger dish reflector. The low-noise quality of an LNB is expressed as the noise figure or noise temperature.

For the reception of wideband satellite television carriers, typically 27 MHz wide, the accuracy of the frequency of the LNB local oscillator need only be in the order of ±500kHz, so low cost dielectric oscillators (DRO) may be used. For the reception of narrow bandwidth carriers or ones using advanced modulation techniques, such as 16-QAM, highly stable and low phase noise LNB local oscillators are required. These use an internal crystal oscillator or an external 10 MHz reference from the indoor unit and a phase-locked loop (PLL) oscillator.


LNBFs

Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) dishes use an LNBF (“LNB feedhorn”), which integrates the antenna’s feedhorn with the LNB. Small diplexers are often used to distribute the resulting IF signal (usually 950 to 1450 MHz) “piggybacked” in the same cable TV wire that carries lower-frequency terrestrial television from an outdoor antenna. Another diplexer then separates the signals to the receiver of the TV set, and the integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) of the DBS set-top box.

Newer Ka band systems use additional IF blocks from the LNBF, one of which will cause interference to UHF and cable TV frequencies above 250MHz, precluding the use of diplexers. The other block is higher than the original, up to 2.5GHz, requiring the LNB to be connected to high-quality all-copper RG-6/U cables. This is in addition to higher electrical power and electrical current requirements for multiple dual-band LNBFs.

For some satellite Internet and free-to-air (FTA) signals, a universal LNB (Ku band) is recommended.

Most North American DBS signals use circular (not linear) polarisation, therefore requiring a different LNB type for proper reception. In this case, the polarization must be adjusted between clockwise and counterclockwise, rather than horizontal and vertical.

In the case of DBS, the voltage supplied by the set-top box to the LNB determines the polarisation setting. With multi-TV systems, a dual LNB allows both to be selected at once by a switch, which acts as a distribution amplifier. The amplifier then passes the proper signal to each box according to what voltage each has selected. The newest systems may select polarization and which LNBF to use by sending codes instead. The oldest satellite systems actually powered a rotating antenna on the feedhorn, at a time when there was typically only one LNB or LNA on a very large TVRO dish.


Dual/Quad LNB's

Two or Four LNB's in one unit to enable use of multiple receivers on one Dish.


Monobloc LNB's

A unit consisting of two LNB's designed to receive satellites spaced close together. For example in parts of Europe Monobloc's designed to receive the Hotbird (13E) and Astra 1 (19E) satellites are popular because they enable reception of both satellites on a single dish without requiring an expensive and noisy rotator.


Coaxial cable (Coax / Co-ax)

Coaxial cable is an electrical cable consisting of a round conducting wire, surrounded by an insulating spacer, surrounded by a cylindrical conducting sheath, usually surrounded by a final insulating layer. It is used as a high-frequency transmission line to carry a high-frequency or broadband signal. Because the electromagnetic field carrying the signal exists (ideally) only in the space between the inner and outer conductors, it cannot interfere with or suffer interference from external electromagnetic fields.

Coaxial cables may be rigid or flexible. Rigid types have a solid sheath, while flexible types have a braided sheath, both usually of thin copper wire. The inner insulator, also called the dielectric, has a significant effect on the cable's properties, such as its characteristic impedance and its attenuation. The dielectric may be solid or perforated with air spaces. Connections to the ends of coaxial cables are usually made with RF connectors.


F-Connector

The F connector is a type of RF connector commonly used for Over The Air terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or (in older installations) with RG-59/U cable.

The F connector is inexpensive, yet has good 75-ohm impedance match up to 1 GHz. One reason for its low cost is that it uses the center wire of the coaxial cable as the pin of the male connector. While lowering cost, this design drastically reduces the long-term reliability compared to other connectors, the copper wire being extremely prone to corrosion. The male connector body is typically crimped, or sometimes screwed, onto the exposed outer braid. Female connectors have a 3/8-32 thread. Most male connectors have a matching threaded connecting ring, though push-on versions are also available.

Push-on F connector ends provide poor shielding against airborne signals (for example, a nearby TV transmitter will interfere with a CATV station).


JTAG

Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) is the usual name used for the IEEE 1149.1 standard entitled Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture for test access ports used for testing printed circuit boards using boundary scan.

JTAG was standardized in 1990 as the IEEE Std. 1149.1-1990. In 1994, a supplement that contains a description of the boundary scan description language (BSDL) was added. Since then, this standard has been adopted by electronics companies all over the world. Boundary-scan is nowadays mostly synonymous with JTAG.

While designed for printed circuit boards, it is nowadays primarily used for testing sub-blocks of integrated circuits, and is also useful as a mechanism for debugging embedded systems, providing a convenient "back door" into the system. When used as a debugging tool, an in-circuit emulator which in turn uses JTAG as the transport mechanism enables a programmer to access an on-chip debug module which is integrated into the CPU via JTAG. The debug module enables the programmer to debug the software of an embedded system.


Bootloader or boot loader

This program's only job is to load other software for the operating system to start. Often, multiple-stage boot loaders are used, in which several small programs of increasing complexity summon each other, until the last of them loads the operating system. The name bootstrap loader comes from the image of one pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps (see bootstrapping). It derives from the very earliest days of computers and is possibly one of the oldest pieces of computer terminology in common use

With what obnelly has said,there is no need looking for 4m dish to watch nile in lagos,even with good 1.8m dish and a very powerfull lnb someone can get some TPs. I will start research on Hispasat next month in lagos with 2.4m.

@obnelly

exactly where are you in southern nigeria. i am in lagos and i have not been able to get this channels you mentioned. Please help specify the hardware that you are using and if possible, some pictures.


@toxnaija

sorry for the misquote

@all gurus in the house good day to all.I have been doing some reading from www.lyngsat.com and found something I think the gurus will help us understand.
(1)Nilesat @7 degrees west and Badr 3/4/6/ @26 degrees East seem to have the same channels on free,but from Badr 3/4/6 EIRP(dBW) medium which covers Nigeria and also from dishpointer,you can use a dish size of 100-125cm.So my question is this,why can we not get Nilesat with that same dish size?the only difference I noticed from Badr 3/4/6/ @26 degrees East is that the frquencies are mostly in Horizontal polarity.

@obnelly and folo28 pls keep posting your experience.To all happy weekend.

@badaru1
do u know dat I have always enjoy ur postings, who will not? keep this up man.God bless you more and more.
you are a guru and you never blow any trumpet about it.

@guru in the house
don't let the questions from newbies bother you, refer them to previous posts, they will never 4get you for learning from u, remember that a lot of people don't have the real basic technical know-how to manipulate things themselves. a lot of people still depend on others to even tune their digital TV talk less of setting up FTA. pls show ur love and personality by helping others


@all
you will realise that this is a wonderful forum to be so let's keep keeping on,

@ iwes,
your quote goes thus,
'The major difference between DVB-T and DVB-C transmissions is The frequencies


DVB-T transmission Ranges are

channel (14 -20) ----- ( 470 - 512)MHz
channel (21 - 51) ----- (512 - 698)MHz
channel (52 - 69) ----- ( 698 - 806)MHz

and DVB-T receivers are design to received this above frequencies




DVB-C transmission Ranges are

(820 - 920)MHz and sometimes above


therefor a pay TV Company might decide to transmit on either DVB-T or DVB-C frequencies

You can received DVB-T Transmission with you DVB-T receiver connected to you normal TV external antenna provided the voltage rating conforms, but for you to received DVB-C transmission with your DVB-T receiver you need a frequent down converter or an antennae That have an in-buit frequencies down converter like the California yagi antenna'

I agree with you from the very beginning, but not the last statement.
The global california amplifier has a workable RF frequency between 470MHz to 820MHz, and this is a standard for receiving UHF/VHF channels in both terrestial/cable platform, it can also be called universal antenna but cant work for satellite signals. That is even the reason you can use the california antenna for receiving our local stations here in Nigeria. The major difference in this is the receiver being used, for DVB-T and DVB-C decoders to have been manufactured, that means they perform different function and consequently their operational circuit will be different. It is the circuit incorporated in these recievers that enables the frequency spectrum received from the antenna to be modified in such a way that will be operational either for a terrestrial or cable signal, all cable/terrestial signals are still within the UHF frequency (that is from 21-68), for you to be able to recieve them on your television, appropriate decoders need to be use, the down converter in the antenna is just used to power up the circuit in the antennae so as to be able to convert the propagated wave signals in space into electric signals that the decoder will be able to work with and later convert it back into frequency in the televison, and your picture appears on the TV.

@Eniitan

Are u using the DVB-C decoder presently? Do I get to see all the diskcom channels free. Please confirm. It will be very disastrous if we great nairalanders go buy this decoder and find out we can't get to view except we go to pay. Please confirm asap.

@Badaru

You are da bomb. those definition of terms are just more than helpful. they are eye opener. You know what? I for one learnt to install through this forum without getting to know what I am doing first. Trial and error you will say. But the newbies would not have to fall into ignorance pit like i did because of great pple like u, Tox9ja, juxt24, mide2008, pitodenz, all of u d guru's i cant remember all the names readily now but I am very greatful. Kudos to u all. I foresee a transponder been activated all because of this forum.

@ vickoy23,
it seems you have not taken your time to read with patience, all i've been saying is that the decoder am using is a
DVB-T decoder thats why i was able to get all the trend packages but were all locked, i couldnt get the discom package cos they are on cable, and presntly all their channels have been left open, so if you can get a DVB-C enbled decoder in ALABA inlt' market it will surely work for you, why not try to give me a midnite call on my number 08055458324 tonight so we can have a lengthy discussion, what do you think?

N.B: All the channels on discm package are opened at the moment, and dont hold me liable if at the end of buying the decoder you just got to watch the free channels for just some few hours/days/weeks or months. This is just like showtime keys, if badaru gives out ART/showtime keys and you entered it on your decoder and you were lucky to watch it for just some few weeks and after that it goes scrambled, will you hold badaru for that?
The same goes for me here also, but i am giving you a 100% guarantee that so far discom still leaves their package open even for the next few years and you are able to lay your hands on any 'DVB-C decoder', you will surely get to watch those channels for free.

All you guys are the best that's happenening to the 9ja fta and cabsat users.I've got a worry, i bought dstv,and it's expired,i need to reactivate,but i found this forum and i feel i actually need your help on what to do.Paying N9k for a service i'm not enjoying is annoying.No story i know guys have a similar experiences.

What do i do? i have all that comes with dstv package i.e dish,decoder[latest one].Somebody help me.Send response to vibestationventures@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks.

@ all,
i went to alaba international market to search for a DVB-C decoder i could use for my dormant discom setup to receive their signals and this is what i found out.
taking Enitan's advice, i went in search of a fairly used DVB-C decoder.
it took me a while to locate where i could find "tokunbo" decoders, and when i finally did, they really had alot of brands and models that are very compact and portable and cheap. the only snag there was that 99% of them are all DVB-T brands!!!!!! all they could pick were digital terrestial signals. i tested two brands namely PREMIO and I-BUSH receivers.
both could get all trendtv stations that are on Eutelsat W4 bird, like nollywood, trendsports, pcfi, fox news, ewtn, fashiontv, trace etc. and yes, they were all scrambled!!!!!!
the sad thing was that i could not pick discom channel signals after repeated scanning for them.
so, i feel getting a fairly used DVB-C decoder would not be that easy as anticipated. none the less, i will continue my search some other day because guys are bringing in more and more container loads of this stuff on a daily basis. so, who knows; i might just get lucky.
will keep you guys posted on my next trip to alaba market

@ enitan

Do you know why an Analog TV using normal TV antenna can not receive Analog Cable TV Broadcast, but an Analog TV using California yagi antennae does?


It is because the frequency range of Cable TV Broadcast is higher than the frequency range, normal TV RF Tuner are designed to receive. Before a Normal TV can receive Cable TV Broadcast, it's antennae has to be connect to a frequency down converter that will convert the high frequency range of Cable TV broadcast to Terrestrial Broadcast frequency range.


A frequency down converter functions like an LNB on a Satellite dish, which converts frequency range of (3.4 - 4.2) GHz To frequency range of (920MHZ --1.2GHz) for C-band and frequency range of (10.5 --12.15 )GHz to Frequency range of (920MHZ --- 1.2GHz)for KU-band

At Port Harcourt where I resides , Communication trend limited ( CTL) the parent company of Trend TV, Transmits on DVB-C platform. You can receive It's signals using a DVB-T receiver and a California Yagi antenna. Also there is another company called METRO DIGITAL that is Broadcasting on DVB-T platform. for you to receive it's signal You need a DVB-T receiver and normal TV antenna of 24 Volt rating, as that's the quantity of volt the receiver send out to the antenna.

Below is a definition of frequency down converter I got from the web.


Radio frequency downconverter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A radio frequency downconverter is a device that takes an input of radio frequency energy of a specific frequency range and outputs it on a lower frequency. Likewise, upconverters take an input frequency and reduce it to a higher output frequency. Both converters are commonly used in transverters and satellite communications. Downconverters achieve this frequency conversion via heterodyning, the same principle as modern receivers and transmitters to offset the frequency

to all beware of strong srt 4663x decoder,fake dey there oooo.I bought one today for jsc on nilesat but to my supprise it refused to open jsc1-3 signal pls be warned.Always check any decoder very well before you make bargain o.This is the 3 times i will go to alaba this week.srt 4653x is still the best ,the one i bought work very fine but the picture isnt sharp to my taste so i returened it ,Trust alaba boys instead of given me my money the want to improvise for me by telling me 4663x is good ,when i connected it and check the software them tell me say he no dey oooooo.I am going back to fight them there as a gentlement.so keep your eyes open.W3A BOYS CHECK OUR RTS1 ON WEEKENDS LIKELY SHOW SOME BALL NEGLECTED BY RDV.

obnelly:

to all beware of strong srt 4663x decoder,fake dey there oooo.I bought one today for jsc on nilesat but to my supprise it refused to open jsc1-3 signal please be warned.Always check any decoder very well before you make bargain o.This is the 3 times i will go to alaba this week.srt 4653x is still the best ,the one i bought work very fine but the picture isnt sharp to my taste so i returened it ,Trust alaba boys instead of given me my money the want to improvise for me by telling me 4663x is good ,when i connected it and check the software them tell me say he no dey oooooo.I am going back to fight them there as a gentlement.so keep your eyes open.W3A BOYS CHECK OUR RTS1 ON WEEKENDS LIKELY SHOW SOME BALL NEGLECTED BY RDV.

are you in lagos? am really keen on this nilesat thing. i have a 2.4m pan dish and i can't seem to lock it down.

@enitan
the stv is still breaking up, infact i have given up on it, and RDV is gone too, but i still enjoy CAF champions league on LC2 and LCF, will call you

iwes:

@ enitan

Do you know why an Analog TV using normal TV antenna can not receive Analog Cable TV Broadcast, but an Analog TV using California yagi antennae does?


It is because the frequency range of Cable TV Broadcast is higher than the frequency range, normal TV RF Tuner are designed to receive. Before a Normal TV can receive Cable TV Broadcast, it's antennae has to be connect to a frequency down converter that will convert the high frequency range of Cable TV broadcast to Terrestrial Broadcast frequency range.


A frequency down converter functions like an LNB on a Satellite dish, which converts frequency range of (3.4 - 4.2) GHz To frequency range of (920MHZ --1.2GHz) for C-band and frequency range of (10.5 --12.15 )GHz to Frequency range of (920MHZ --- 1.2GHz)for KU-band

At Port Harcourt where I resides , Communication trend limited ( CTL) the parent company of Trend TV, Transmits on DVB-C platform. You can receive It's signals using a DVB-T receiver and a California Yagi antenna. Also there is another company called METRO DIGITAL that is Broadcasting on DVB-T platform. for you to receive it's signal You need a DVB-T receiver and normal TV antenna of 24 Volt rating, as that's the quantity of volt the receiver send out to the antenna.

Below is a definition of frequency down converter I got from the web.


Radio frequency downconverter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A radio frequency downconverter is a device that takes an input of radio frequency energy of a specific frequency range and outputs it on a lower frequency. Likewise, upconverters take an input frequency and reduce it to a higher output frequency. Both converters are commonly used in transverters and satellite communications. Downconverters achieve this frequency conversion via heterodyning, the same principle as modern receivers and transmitters to offset the frequency

IWES, you have just opened my brain small, I was thinking of something possible but e get where my brain go reach e go stop. I am thinking of converting a satellite frequency to a terrestial frequency with a reason you may not find interesting. I d continue the experiment, if I succeed; their comes a new invention.

@mecussey,
your decoder has an incorporated circuit that allows satellite signals to be converted into RF mode, and it can use any UHF freq from 21 to 68, thats where your antenna RF port at the back of your decoder come into use. For more info on that be expecting that in any of my coming posts.

@ all,
i received a text message from a concerned member that went into research on that DVB-C/T decoders and the text is as follows:
Enitan i'd call u this night about discom. I got their freq on CH 29 but no content, though with DVB-T.

One thing i noticed on that terrestrial package, is that its a unidirectional antenna, it radiates all its energy in only direction. I can only get that trend packages only at a direction where my antenna is pointed, if it should move away from that position then the signal will be off

@ iwe if u say u re in ph, u ve not done ur home work well.Enitan post on dvb-c is 100% correct and u should stop cofusing people here with all this converter stuff.Just ask urself why the metrodigital u mention their attenna doesnt need any voltage,just an element.Or why re we still not able to pick cmtv signal with all these receivers-suwin,bush,goodmas e.t.c.My guy the diff.still remain the same(dvb-c is diff.from dvb-t).N.B.correct me where am wrong plz dont feel offended.

Obnelly

you said you bought the 4663x decoder to open JSC + sports channels, is it with a valid card or via another means such as using softcams?
Also, i went back home after reading your post and i am still not receiving any signals on the Tp 12341V27500 where MBc persia is supposed to be, although i freely admit my setup is not up to par at the moment, but i am record better signal levels than the ones u posted for other TPs but absolutely nothing on MBC persia, could you confirm for me that u r receivng it on the above frequency.

@ pitodenz,
you've just spoken my mind concerning this, cos i just dont know what else to say now.
Did you see the text i said i received from a fellow member, what do you think about that? is it possible to see the frequency but without content?

chk chanel 55 for 6chanels on dbt format

Re: Free-To-Air Satellite TV
« #2122 on: Yesterday at 05:17:47 PM »
Modify message
All you guys are the best that's happenening to the Nigeria fta and cabsat users.I've got a worry, i bought dstv,and it's expired,i need to reactivate,but i found this forum and i feel i actually need your help on what to do.Paying N9k for a service i'm not enjoying is annoying.No story i know guys have a similar experiences.

What do i do? i have all that comes with dstv package i.e dish,decoder[latest one].Somebody help me.Send response to vibestationventures@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks.

@pitodenz

The METRO DIGITAL antenna is just an ordinary antenna with no circuitry, that is energised by 18/24V from the DVB-T decoder. to comfirm the presents of voltage, use a Voltmeter OR Multimeter to test the Coaxial cable connecting the Decoder to the antenna at the antenna end.



About not receiving cmtv. let me ask, a few questions

1) do you know the frequency cmtv is using , so that you know the suitable antenna to use?

2) do you know the polarization (H or V) , so that you know are to position the antenna?

3) do you Know the stations on cmtv package, so that if you receive the signal and it is locked (encrypted), you can differentiate it from others?

ENITAN,
I am really disappointed in you.I will tell you what you did when I return to the thread .on Sunday evening

Nilesaters,
all keys are out.

iwes,
see you on sunday

@ toxnaija,
what do you mean by that last statement of yours. You should have opened up instead of postponing my 'rage', cos i dont know what i've done wrong, at least i've not snatched your lovely 'shade' from you. I'm already burning with rage now, so i'll just wait patiently till tomorrow.

@ wahwah,
may we know who you are, and please shed more light on what you just said.

@ NASH-FTA,
where have you been, we all in he house are missing you.

@ vickoy23,
are you giving the discom-thing a trial? or are you satisfied with you have presently on your satellite setup.

@ badaru,
you'll be hosting me next weekend at your abode just to check out your motorised dish and will want you to put me through some things. WHat do you think about that?

@ OLA,
how far with you installation, y not holla me this nite, i will be looking forward to that.

@ iwe
i still mentain that enitan is right,see my brother when digital sunwin was introduce in ph on so called metrodigital,i did a lot of experiment on this issue.u see i brought cmtv receiver and copy out the freq they were using and i found out that their (let me call it symbol rate)is different,of course it should be,so i tried to input the sr. in the dvb-t,that was when i found out this;

1.using the same receiver i was able to pick trend digital and metrodigital.

2.using the same antenna on trend digital with cmtv receiver i was able to get cmtv signal.

3.but that same sunwin cannot pick cmtv.

4.so i found out that the sr. in the dvb-t comes in whole number and cant be edited like 3k,4k,5k but
the cmtv has a sr. like 6.23k so i was able to see only signal strength but no quality.

5.cmtv boldly write on their receiver DVB-C.

N.B. nobody ll make me prove enitan wrong dvb-t cant get dvb-c signal,if u doubt bring a dvb-t receiver and get me this cmtv signal even if they re encrypted.but beleive me dvb-c can get it.and this people left their signal open for a long time before.enitan how do i get this dvb-c?i ve search all the remaining tokombo we brought and all is dvc-t.

@ pitodenz,
thats the same problem i think we all will be facing now, the DVB-C xmission is a technology that is already fading out especially in the UK which has been replaced by terrestrial, DVB-T. I think the only thing that can be done is getting a contact over there to help us purchase and we should give it a trial.
There's no need to argue the DVB-C/T stuff with iwes, i personally know how much of my time and resources i put into this research before coming to spill it out to you guys here.

I just checked the UHF 55 that other guys talked about and icouldnt find any damned channels, i checked using all available direction.

@ pitodenz,
is your dish a motorised one? reply back.

@ enitan
my dish is a 1.8m motorized dish.but my brother i regret going for 1.8m.am looking for a 2.4m pan dish motorize ready like eurostar.
the problem with pan dish is when they happen to fall from the jack holder,all work is lost.and 1.8m dish is not all that efficient with c-band signals mostly here in ph.though i was getting almost everything 2.4m should get except sabc's.

@ enitan
my dish is a 1.8m motorized dish.but my brother i regret going for 1.8m.am looking for a 2.4m pan dish motorize ready like eurostar.
the problem with pan dish is when they happen to fall from the jack holder,all work is lost.and 1.8m dish is not all that efficient with c-band signals mostly here in ph.though i was getting almost everything 2.4m should get except sabc's.
enitan lets chat.

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All,

We are in serious trouble in this FTA business. I think it was Pitodenz who first called attention to this business of fake strong decoders which looked exactly like the real ones it is impossible for even the officials of the mytv group to tell the difference. well, just like everything in the piracy industry the pirates have decided to take it one step further, Obnelly said something about buying a strong 4661x decoder which was a fake, well, i just finished doing a market survey after which i browsed the strong website and
1. Yes there is no strong product named 4661x/4663X
2. It is now the dominant decoder type sold in our electronic shops.

And the cool thing is it seems to even have added features the normal strong decoders don't have, it is PVR ready . Though i never got to turn anyone on as the marketers decided i wasn't going to buy, also, it is cheaper than the strong decoders by more than N1000 . what i am wondering now is if the decoders work like the normal strong decoders with respect to inputting keys and stuff like that, whether the 8282, 6969, 8280 and other codes work.

The problem with such pirated stuff is that the manufacturers pay less attention to standards than the original company, so the chances of hearing about fires and explosions from these receivers is a very real and present danger.

The question now is 'HOW ON GOD'S EARTH ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET ANYTHING ORIGINAL IN THIS OUR COUNTRY ANYMORE?'

@ pitodenz,
i will really like you to explain further on the number of stations (free ones) you can get in all the positions. Cos it seems i will be going for a motorised 1.8m dish very soon, but my problem is that my home is in the midst of the greatest enemy to satellite, which is obstruction, to my left which is facing towards the east is a storey building, and to my right is the west. If the dish is to erected at the front of the house it will have a clear view of the east, but the west will be obstructed cos of the story building to my right. If the dish is to be erected at the back of the house, it will have a a clear view of the west, but the east-side is also obstructed by the storey building to my left, but to a limitation cos the distance is more than 10 feet (ft), so what iwas thinking is that will that pose a problem to the dish when it is facing the satellites in the east position? Your fast response will be highly appreciated.

@ gangsta101
i also googled that strong 4663X decoder and to my amazement, i couldnt get that decoder brand even on strong website, boy i dey fear these ALABA guys