What to buy
On the previous pages you have been reading what's available in the satellite business. Most owners of satellite equipment will in the past probably have bought a card and maybe even a programmer. For those of you who haven't got such stuff and for those who want to change to something else but don't know what; do read on, this info is meant for you.
Please keep in mind that all the information contained in this web site is a reflection of my own experience and preference. Surely others will have different preferences based on different experiences or habits. I don't claim to have found the most user friendly programs. I merely describe those programs that I like because of their functionality, versatility or other virtues.
The receiver:
It is very hard to give a good advice about receivers. First of all because there are lots of different receivers which all have their own pros and cons. But also the prices for receivers range from very cheap to very expensive. To offer a good advice, I would have to know more about your available budget. So that's not within the scope of this website.
What I can do however, is give you a few tips to help you make your choice.
1. Make sure you buy a multicrypt receiver. A receiver that will allow you to use seperate CAM modules. That is the most flexible system possible, which is good when thinking about the future.
2. If you have made a preliminary choice, then the next step is to find out if there are people involved in altering the receiver firmware. If firmware patchesare available for that receiver, then that is an indication that there is a knowledgeble crew working on that machine. And that means more possibilities for you.
3. Finding out which receiver has a large install base amongst the real die hards in the sat business is your first challenge. And chances are that if you have found out which one it is, you cannot buy one anymore. So you might have to look for second best. In the link section (Links list) you will find several good receiver oriented sites. Start there and do your research well. In the end it will save you a lot of money and fustration.
The CAM:
Try to find out if your receiver does have any restrictions. If not, that's good, because then you are not limited in your choice.
You can determine what CAM you want/need in two ways:
1. Have a look at the Provider/Channel lists. On the link page you will find such links. For instance Lyngsat is a good one. Find out which providers do offer the kind of channels you want to look at, and establish what coding system they use. That's the CAM you need.
2. If you don't have any specific preferences, you could make your choice, based on other criteria like pure quantity of available channels for instance.
The programmer:
There are many different programmers on offer. And as you might expect, they are all praised as being 'all you will ever need'. But sadly, reality is often different. For the serious sat hobbyïst, the MasterA/MasterCRD/SC-Master/VX-Multi are the ideal programmers.
There are other that offer almost similar possibilities, but some software programs and/or cards require special functions. For instance the Phoenix mode is such a function, which you will need if you want to read or edit your MOSC. Some programmers can program all cards, but don't offer a Phoenix mode. So in that case, your MOSC will not be readable.
The cards:
Here the situation has changed drastically.
Although all the well known cards still have their use, the funcard seems to become more and more the favourite card as a basis for all new developpements. The funcard comes in many variaties, but the only difference is in the amount of memory on the card. They can all be programmed in exactly the same way.
There is one special field though for which the silvercard is still needed. The MoscAS/DarkMosc etc. systems, require you to use a silvercard. They are special systems (or techniques) to create Seca MOSC clones. With the decreasing number of providers that use Seca 1, they are slowly but steadily getting obsolete. But the whole technique is great study material. Very educative. And you can always use it for DS9 as well.
The software:
This I can be brief about. The amount of software, freely available on the web, is so overwhelming that you will never have to buy any software. With all the software available on this website, you can program every card and operate any programmer that's reviewed here. If you use a real multi programmer like the MasterA/MasterCRD/SC-Master/VX-Multi, then do download ChipCat, CardWriter, DMSSC & MasterBurner. With that software you can program every available card for SAT use, except the MOSC cards.
Conclusion:
If you don't have anything yet, then go for a multicrypt receiver (and maybe an extra CAM for your preference) and do order a MasterA/MasterCRD/SC-Master/VX-Multi too. And don't forget to order 1 or more funcards and maybe a Silvercard too.