BUT WILL IT WORK?

[MikeinBaja]

I've been an FTA board lurker for awhile and from what I've read here - I'm thinking of an experiment. I've done quite a bit of DTV and D installs (and own a Birdog) so I'm somewhere between a newbie (to FTA anyway) and someone who has just enough sat knowlege to be really dangerous when it comes to FTA!

Someone I did a little side job for gave me a Coolsat 6000 Premium box for free, which is why I got to thinking. Looking at the box itself, the factory tape seals are still in place, so I don't think the "guts" have been tinkered with.

Rooted through my used dish stack in the back (amazing how often I pull something out of that stack to use) and ran across a used Hughesnet dish complete with LNB. As I recall, there was nothing wrong with it - guy got DSL and didn't want it anymore so I took it for the "farm".

I seem to remember reading somewhere that you could use the old Hughesnet/Direcway dishes for FTA. My questions:

1. Did I really read where I can use the Hughesnet rig? Any mods required?
2. Shouldn't the Coolsat box have a card in the slot (or am I still thinking Direc & Dish)?
3. Any hope of pulling in 123 W Galaxy with this rig before I start? That seems to be where a majority of the decent FTA programming is.

This may turn into my winter project.

 

[Lak7]

1 - Yes, no mods
2 - No Card necessary
3 - Depends on your location, most likely Yes

I would just set it up and try.
Here is a link....
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/136369-hughesnet-direcway-dish.html

 

[MikeinBaja]

Thanks, location is about 20 miles due south of the US border on the coast in Baja Mexico lat 32.283, long 117.050. LOS should not be an issue.

Thinking of rigging up a stable (but temporary) tripod mount on the deck for testing. I do imagine that if I get it to work and decide to keep playing with it that there is no way to do a motor since these things are heavier than the devil. Or is there???

 

[SatPhreak]

Check any of the sponsers for motors. I'm not to sure of the size of your dish but most of the motors will move a 4'(1.2m) dish using the power put out for the lnb. Almost all FTA receivers will operate a diseqc 1.2 or USALS(1.3) motor.
Once you are motorized there are many sats to hit with the click of the remote control.

 

[turbosat]

depends

Is it the white direcway dish or the earlier gray direcpc dish? I have one of those white ones, and it is damn heavy. I suppose if you can fab a mount to hold it to a motor, removing all that "heavy metal" that's on there now, it could be done. Might be easier to just find an old primestar dish in your pile (you got one, right?) and just use it. They're bigger dishes (better for signal strength) and the mount, while heavy also, isn't so bad as those direcway dishes' mounts.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Is it the white direcway dish or the earlier gray direcpc dish? I have one of those white ones, and it is damn heavy. I suppose if you can fab a mount to hold it to a motor, removing all that "heavy metal" that's on there now, it could be done. Might be easier to just find an old primestar dish in your pile (you got one, right?) and just use it. They're bigger dishes (better for signal strength) and the mount, while heavy also, isn't so bad as those direcway dishes' mounts.

Actually, I looked again and I do have both a white one and a grey one (but no primestar). Since I've never messed with FTA - think I'm just going to use what I have on hand as a project just to see if I can get it all going.

Might think about replacing the "dishborg" I'm thinking of creating down the road - but why not mess with what I have on hand - or am I missing something big that will sour me on FTA?

 

[SatPhreak]

Try it as a fixed dish first. It took me about 1 1/2 years of manually moving between birds (mostly because I'm cheap) before I finally got a motor. If you want to motorize it later check the motors weight limits before ordering. Some motors can handle more more than others.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Try it as a fixed dish first. It took me about 1 1/2 years of manually moving between birds (mostly because I'm cheap) before I finally got a motor. If you want to motorize it later check the motors weight limits before ordering. Some motors can handle more more than others.

Actually, I may be cheaper than you (for now). Planning to mount it on a piece of old plywood on a set of sawhorses out on the deck to see if I can get it to work. Initial investment $0. Only expense I see right now is power to charge up the Birdog and power to drive the TV & Coolsat while I play with it. Coax, etc are all left overs from other Direct & D install jobs .

Plan on starting tomorrow if the Santa Ana winds let up some - will post my progress (or lack thereof).

From what I've read here, I'm sure I'll be so frustrated by this time tomorrow that I'll be curled up in a fetal position sucking my thumb!

 

[SatPhreak]

$0 investment is good. You shouldn't have many problems aiming it, its much the same as a little dish except you need to set up the installation screen in the reciever and do a blind scan to get the channels loaded.

 

[Woofle]

Good luck and enjoy!

Given your past experience and your Birddog meter, I'm sure you'll be successful.

A larger dish is fussier about accurate pointing, and the signals are a lot lower than the DSS satellites, but you're way ahead of where I was when I set up my first FTA dish.

I think G18 at 123 West is probably just about due south for you in Baja, and you're far enough south that it will probably be pretty high in your sky.

I predict success!

 

[Anole]

fixing a DirecWay on 123/125

I think my post yesterday, should have been into this thread... but it probably doesn't matter.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/136369-hughesnet-direcway-dish.html
Everybody reads the entire forum , so you'd have found it anyway... right?

 

[MikeinBaja]

Given your past experience and your Birddog meter, I'm sure you'll be successful.

A larger dish is fussier about accurate pointing, and the signals are a lot lower than the DSS satellites, but you're way ahead of where I was when I set up my first FTA dish.

I think G18 at 123 West is probably just about due south for you in Baja, and you're far enough south that it will probably be pretty high in your sky.

I predict success!

Looks like it is 179.4 degreeg magnetic from here (give or take a tenth for lat/long error on my part) so you can't get too much more dead south than that! Elevation is estimated at 51.9, so you are right it is pretty high in my sky. I was a little surprised at the skew (9.3L), was expecting something around 13 or 14. We will see.

Downloaded the manual for the Coolsat 6000 last night (thanks to everyone who posted manuals on the thread) - not a great deal of help there but I'm thinking this isn't really like starting a nuclear reactor anyway (the voice of overconfidence - that'll come back to haunt me I'm sure!).

Just realized over coffee this morning that G18 isn't saved in my Birdog's settings list, so I need to download updated files to the meter before I get too far along. I've been meaning to to that since the DN change on their 110 bird anyway, so it's a good time to update all of the old dog's files.

We will see what the day brings - thanks to all for your replies.

 

[melgarga]

Mike,
Welcome to the hobby! Part [most?] of the fun is scrounging and trying new things, sounds like you'll fit right in. Just wait until the C band bug bites you too!
The Coolsat 6K is a good solid box but I suggest checking the FW version [see menu]. It is possible it is loaded w/hackware and this is a baaaad thing. You dooont want that. The OEM factory flash used to be on the Coolsat site, but I havent looked in a while. If you need it and cant find it, I'm sure we can get you fixed up.
A couple of things, since you already have an installers skillset, a piece of plywood on a couple of saw horses?...........just remember, plumb is the word, very important if you intend to move to different birds. A blind dog can catch a circular sig on a pizza pan, especially when youve got a spotbeam smoking you at 30 over, but like woofle said, these linear birds are lower tp power and a bit harder to peak. Be patient and give the your 6000 time to lock. Also, if you find that a published tp is unfindable, bump the tp freq up or down by a mhz or two and try again.
Good luck and again, welcome to the hobby!

 

[MikeinBaja]

Day 1 (This is a little long, but worth it I think)

After I posted my work plan this morning while enjoying my coffee I was promptly informed by the cute little readhead that has put up with me ALL these years that the cat had the flu and needed to go to the vet. Any guess who was elected?

Anyway, only 1 1/2 hours lost (glad I live in Mexico - complete exam, 2 shots given and 5 more shots - 1 for each of the next 5 days - sent home with us). Total damage $15US. Cat no longer thinks I'm her buddy and left me alone all day.

Got to work on the project somewhat later than planned. Stripped the transmitter off the old DWay dish, built a solid platform and was just finalizing the level of the tripod mount when favorite neighbor #1 comes by in a panic. Her TV doesn't go anymore. Packed up my tools & headed over - loose & corroded connection - 15 minutes to find - 2 minutes to fix! Sweet, gonna get much project work done today!

Get back home & decide to do the update on the Birddog to include the 123 bird. 45 minutes later come to the realization that serial port on PC is dead - so no update on the dog today.

Go back out to finish the mount - favorite neighbor #2 comes by - he decides that today is the day he is going to fix my icemaker in exchange for work I did for him a few weeks ago. Nice to have ice now - but lost another 1 1/2 hours.

Finally get DW dish mounted with rough AZ/EL set in and decide to just flip through the birddog to see if I just happened to hit something in it's program. Wow - hit 110 like a big dog! Sweet! Look at the listing for 110 on "the list" and decide to go ahead and fine tune in 110 to give me some practice with the Coolsat. Tune the dish to 95 ST and 70 on SQ (read somewhere to reset transponder freq to 10.750). Do a blind scan expecting to see the DN blurb come up.

Uh-oh, I get more than the DN blurb that I expected. Why do I get LA local stations off the 110 bird?

Now wondering if this is a hacked box - OK - how do I tell?

Don't want to go any further if it is, I don't play that way.

HOW DO I TELL?

 

[Lak7]

If it comes in, it's not magic, it's hacked.
I don't have a Coolsat, but you may need to load a "Cleaner" file to get the Factory to load.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Just cleared W/Iceberg that "unhacking" a Hacked unit is OK w/board policy @ hack talk (which I agree with). How do I unhack a Coolsat 6000? Am computer savvy - how does any software correction get to the unit - and how do I find the correction?

(Would like to keep this a $0 cost FTA experiment - got "on" for $0 - why break the string?) Installer creds with computer know how, poster child for FTA)

 

[Mr Tony]

If it comes in, it's not magic, it's hacked.
I don't have a Coolsat, but you may need to load a "Cleaner" file to get the Factory to load.

only the 8000 needs the cleaner...the rest load software like normal

 

[Mr Tony]

Just cleared W/Iceberg that "unhacking" a Hacked unit is OK w/board policy @ hack talk (which I agree with). How do I unhack a Coolsat 6000? Am computer savvy - how does any software correction get to the unit - and how do I find the correction?

(Would like to keep this a $0 cost FTA experiment - got "on" for $0 - why break the string?) Installer creds with computer know how, poster child for FTA)

attached is the loader and the software from ccolsatusa.com

need to unzip the files and you need a straight through 9 pin cable (NOT null modem). Open the loader and select the file
hit start and it will say "version XXXXX" detected and hit start. Let it download to the box and wait until the box reboots when done. Do a factory reset and that should be it

 

[Mr Tony]

Uh-oh, I get more than the DN blurb that I expected. Why do I get LA local stations off the 110 bird?

Now wondering if this is a hacked box - OK - how do I tell?

Don't want to go any further if it is, I don't play that way.

HOW DO I TELL?

just out of curiousity what other channels do you get? Reason I ask is on 119 satellite the 4 Miami locals are in the clear but on spotbeam so only folks in Southern Florida can get them. If you only get these then you should be OK...Dish just forgot to scramble them

to check the software go to system info and select software...should say like
"Version 1.01" or something l;ike that

 

[MikeinBaja]

just out of curiousity what other channels do you get? Reason I ask is on 119 satellite the 4 Miami locals are in the clear but on spotbeam so only folks in Southern Florida can get them. If you only get these then you should be OK...Dish just forgot to scramble them

to check the software go to system info and select software...should say like
"Version 1.01" or something l;ike that

Didn't even look at the 119 bird - nailed the 110 bird right off and it was late in the day and just wanted to get something (even the promo) on the first day (bragging rights?), since my dog download didn't cooperate with my initial goal of nailing 123 solid. I did get at least 12 feeds on the 110 bird though.

Will pursue the downloads you recommended on Friday (VA med appointment tomorrow) but one basic question - 9 pin loader same/same old serial port cable?

You guys are gonna squeal like little girls when I post my LOS pics this weekend!

Anybody have a good source - newbie guide - for unhacking a Coolsat 6000? I've installed more than a few D & DN systems so the hardware side for me is easy, but unhacking a box is greek to me. Hate to dump a free box and drive my cost to date beyond $0. (This "project" has now turned into a quest to see if I really can get a clean box "up legal" for $0 plus the old sat parts around my shed).