Using my laptop, I want to download sounds from my satellite reciever
and then convert them over to MP3.

What types of software and hardware are needed?

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 09 Nov 2006 11:56 PST

jerry...

It will depend on how your media is configured. Presumably your
satellite receiver is connected through a Digital Video Recorder
into a multimedia receiver, or perhaps directly to the receiver.

Probably the simplest way is to record them, using an audio
output from the receiver connected to the audio input of your
computer's audio card. You can then activate an audio recorder
Windows comes with one, which is limited to one minute of 
recording time, but Drew of DAK industries has a tutorial that
shows you how to create a template .wav file for longer recordings:
http://www.dak.com/reviews/t_LP_SR.cfm

That tutorial also shows you how to record from an outside
source in general.

Once you've recorded it as a .wav file, you can use the same
program to convert it to the MP3 format of your choice. The
initial .wav file will take up a lot of hard drive space, so
make sure you start with enough room on your drive.

There are lots of other software options for recorders that will
record the audio as a .wav file and then convert the .wav file to
MP3 format. There may be one that comes with your sound card.

It can be that simple, but I won't post this as an answer until
you verify that it satisfies your needs.

Let me know...

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by jerrygarcia-ga on 09 Nov 2006 16:11 PST

I live in Costa Rica. We have no satellite radio service here. I
travel alot and the mountainous terrain here is next to impossible to
retain a radio station. Im wanting to set my computer up to down load
maybe 6 or 8 hours of recording from the music channel on my satellite
TV reciver. I only have a lap top. Sounds like I need a audio card and
maybe a external drive? amongst other things. Hope this helps.

Your probally wondering why I dont just download off the internet. I
only connect at 28 kbps. Super slow

I like the option of being able to download multiple songs of a
certain type of music at one time.

Jerry

Hello jerrygarcia,

Thank you for your question.

I have looked into this previously and the bad news is that you won't be
doing this unless you can get a satellite descrambler connected to your
laptop, transmission decoder software and recording software. All of
this is available only to the military and not to the general public.

Unless you can source this type of thing it is not even worth thinking
about trying. An alternative could be 3G GPRS wireless internet, however,
I'm not sure if Costa Rica currently has the infrastructure to support
3G. 

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but please don't shoot the
messenger anyway :)  I have saved you much time and wondering by
letting you know that this is not a possibility.

--keystroke-ga