Howdy Ron,
I do not have good news for you.
From the Build Your Own PVR (BYOPVR) web site.
http://www.byopvr.com/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=5
"Also you can't use any DirecTV or DishNetwork equiptment to view FTA.
Nothing about them is compatable with FTA (or even each other)."
From the Eye in the Sky "Questions and Answers" page, they answer the
following: "Can I use a Dish Network satellite system that I have now
and order DirecTV programming?"
http://www.eyeinthesky.net/main/qa.html#A4
"No. Dish Network products only receive Dish Network programming and the
same rule applies for DirecTV. ... DirecTV and Dish Network programming
is not free, so therefore you can't receive FTA signals with Dish Network or
DirecTV equipment. ... you can't receive DirecTV or Dish Network channels
with a Free-To-Air system, with a handful of exceptions. To see some
of the current Free-to-Air channels, check out our FTA programming
page."
From the COOL.STF web page titled "What can be received with Echostar and
AlphaStar receivers"
http://www.coolstf.com/mpeg/#dbsreceivers
"Not too much really. Both receivers are package receivers and therefore
have fixed SR and FEC values.
...
There are a few signals (other than Echostar's own) that will work with
Echostar receivers."
You will want to go to the above web page and read the details if you
like technical stuff, but I will summarize for you.
You can possibly use the old dish and LNB with another receiver, but any
of the few channels you might receive will almost certainly be scrambled.
In other words, the word "junk" is a good summary. Better to start from
scratch if you want to go the FTA route. If you hacked around enough you
might get something (some of the audio stations are not scrambled) but it
just wouldn't be worth it.
Here is what I hope is some good news for you. I worked on another Answer
on FTA (Free-to-Air) equipment that you might want to read. I think the
FTA route could be lots of fun, and hope to do some experimenting with it
myself later this year.
"Purchasing a Free-to-Air television receiver"
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=312780
"You can get complete systems, or piece one together without too much work so
you can get the exact features you desire. Complete packages start at under
$200, so not too expensive of a hobby."
If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.
Search Strategy - Prior research on Free-to-Air
Google search on: FTA Echostar US
://www.google.com/search?q=FTA+Echostar+US
Google search on: FTA DirecTV US
://www.google.com/search?q=FTA+DirecTV+US
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher |
