On January 15th 1998, DirecTV began transmitting data to reconfigure the way in which their DSS authorization cards handle authorization information. It has been reported that DirecTV is transmitting 18 new codes to legitimate DSS authorization cards. The reason for this data stream software upgrade is to strengthen the security and disable back doors that allowed many underground developed test devices to work. (The following information was provided from sources within the satellite underground.)
Most plastic DSS authorizaition cards that have a legitimate subscription accepted the new codes and continued to function normally, however, cards with only a Bloomberg subscription or using a false authorization got 99ed when the data stream upgrade occured. If your plastic access card, has taken the new codes, it will no longer accept the authorization comands from a DDT or Boss style hardware interface, however, any false channel authorization that it received from the DDT or Boss prior to the ECM will continue to work until it expires. Different channels have different expiration periods, PPVs are the shortest, USSB channels are the longest.
A similar situation occurred in the summer of `96, when the "switch over" took place about 6 weeks after the ECM. None of the Battery or L-card hardware hacks were physically damaged or "toasted" by the ECM, they just simply stopped working after the legitimate plastic authorization cards received all the code updates .
The information below will inform you as to the operational ability for most of the current hacks:
Blackjack: Lost PPVs, but all plastics inserted in to this device survived. There are also confirmed reports of Blackjack "resurrecting". Goto the spending limit screen on your receiver and enter "001", which activates the blocker. You might need to try this on a different receiver or reboot your current receiver. Also, the 001 will have to be reentered each time you shut off the power on your receiver or if you pull card out of receiver. Most of the Blackjacks that were not in the receiver at the time of the ECM are still working.
DDT: (original, II, and III) are down or still dying. Most people with legitimate subs did not get their plastic 99ed, but people with only a Bloomberg sub, or false activated plastics did get their cards 99ed' including using a 3M or Activator card in the DDT. Apparently, the DDTs with the small subscriptions like Bloombergs were the first to go. Some DDTs using bigger subscriptions like Total Choice or higher are still up and running. There are also some reports of DDTs still working for USSB only, but that's only because the tiers take longer to expire for USSB channels. Red Barron: Lost PPV, with blocker turned on, the plastics are OK. To turn on blocker option, enter "001" at the spending limits. Using "002" will turn blocker off.
Blocker is included with version 4 and up, older version 2 is down. In the version 4, blocker is default on: "001" turns on the blocker, and "001" again will turn it off. In version 6, blocker is default off: "001" turns it on, "002" turns it off. The change was necessary in order to be compatible with 3rd generation RCAs which cannot toggle. In version 7, blocker is automatic, if you put legit card in, it will not block. If you put in 3M, activator, clones, virgins, it will block. Use "090" to erase tiers on a legit and allow the DATS to continue to work until the switch over takes places. The easiest to tell is if light is blinking, blocker is on, if light is off, blocker is off.
Activator: Software is up if used alone with the receiver. DO NOT put an Activated plastic in any of the hardware hacks, especially the DDT, it will get 99ed.
3M plastic cards: Are up from both East and West groups. Isolated reports of a few older version of the 3M going down from the East group, but almost all of cards that were released after the November ECM are at this time still fully running.
PASS: Still up according to AXA, but he expect them to go down. AXA did give his followers some new hope in the #DSS IRC channel earlier by saying "We also believe this update will allow us to obtain (finally) a full dump of the entire P2 which will be of great help in making a quicker release of the PASS." We will keep you posted as new developments occur.
Important, Your Action Required! FCC To Regulate And Charge For E-Mail Usage.
Folks, do your thing if you believe this is wrong. Your response won't take but a few minutes and may save us all a bunch of money. Take care.
Tell your friends, tell everyone who uses E-Mail. This is to inform you of a very important matter currently under review by the FCC.
Your local telephone company has filed a proposal with the FCC to impose per minute charges for your internet service. They contend that your usage has or will hinder the operation of the telephone network. E-Mail, in my opinion, will diminish if users were required to pay additional per minute charges. The FCC has created an email box for your comments, responses must be received by February 13, 1998. Send you comments to ""isp@fcc.gov"" tell them what you think. Every phone company is in on this one, and they are trying to sneak it in just under the wire for litigation.
Let everyone you know here this one. Get e-mail address to everyone you can think of. Guys, this is really important. If we have to pay for e-mail or go back to faxing all messages, the cost is going to skyrocket. Please make your opinions known to the FCC.
Howdy All
I hope 1998 is being good to you. Well it looks like the Underground will be busy at work watching for new events to take place this month as far as the data stream.
By now we should have seen the total effect of the ECM. I have been informed by the engineers, that the ECM is being studied very closely and that everyone should just sit tight until the February 3rd tier change.
New radio show on Wokie. I am hosting a new radio show on the Wokie radio network. The show is entitled Wokie Raw. The format is non-technical and the topic is just about anything that is worth talking about, with emphasis on just having fun. The show airs Wednesday night from 11:30 pm to 12 midnight EST. Tune in and check it out.
The Dayton Hamvention is just around the corner. The Hamvention will be held on May 15th, 16th and 17th. Again this year we will be broadcasting from the Rib Shack, formerly the Orchard Lounge, located across the street from the arena and to the left of the auto dealership. I look forward to seeing you all there.
Marriage is in the air here at SWN. I would like to say con-gratulations to our Service depart-ment manager, Gary Prentice. Gary and his bride Angel celebrated and exchanged their wedding vows on the 24th of January 1998. All of us here at SWN wish you both many great years of happiness together.
The Wonderful world of WEB Radio. As most of you know by now, My DB-1 radio show can be heard on the Internet each Wednesday evening from 9 to 10 PM est. Getting my show on the internet is quite an undertaking which requires a great deal of dedication by the folks who perform these tasks. I would like to thank Rocky for all the hours of time that he personally donates to the effort of encoding my radio show, both in real time and also for delayed rebroadcast. The folks who furnish my Real Audio sites being Dave at Discount Satellite an Zoraq at Whole Systems. Thanks for all you do. Until Next Month
Well here is yet another few words from docazoid. When the equipment you have is all staring you in the face you say, "What now eh?" You have chosen a frequency, your antenna is all assembled and the basic "in studio" stuff is accounted for, you must now MAKE IT WORK!
I want to begin at the studio side of the operation. You must have audio generation. That comes in two flavors. Live and recorded..... oh yes maybe a third C or Ku band studio feed. With that done be sure that ALL of your audio is of good quality. The audio inputs should be fed to the input of the mixing board. This can be of varying quality. The least perhaps a Radio Shack four channel with left, right pan sort of like our political types up there, or the really cool and highly expensive commercial gear to die for! Any way no loss of life please! We had also said to you "do-it-yourself-types" that you may use effects such as delay, compression and even echo to enhance your sound so that you too may get that professional sound so that when you knock their socks off by actually telling the truth (what a thought!) and get a four share of the local market, the local licensed station will call the jack boots and you too may have the experience of your life even though you do have the right under their rules and regulations. Isn't that special!?
See might really does make right doesn't it? Moving right along, you now have your work cut out for you. Get the really clean, hum free audio signal to the input of the stereo transmitter. Be sure always to use good quality shielded cable. You can get this at your local "we have answers" place but if you really want to do it up right, look at hamfests or ham trading magazines or the great do it all tell you stuff publication Nuts and Volts, which is for my money just about the coolest publication there is. (Way better than Q street eh?). Like I care about the dx to your next solar system and write it down so your neighbors really think you are brain screwed kind of thing. (Did you get that?)
Also, the one common thread going through all this gear is the power supply. Much of what is used today is low voltage very moderate current units. There is of course an up and down to this all. Much of the hum created by the power supply is removed by getting the power supply the heck out of the immediate area. I will also add that you should NEVER use the same low voltage supply for both the transmitter and the audio string. The reason being that the transmitted signal contains the RF or actual signal and this WILL mix in some very unfriendly ways and give you and very large headache. So here we are just about to get the antenna up plug it in and watch the smoke! What a day! (This is better than Mystery Science Theater huh?)
I do want to add a few things at all this. I am watching the developments in our Nation's Capital with total disbelief! If there was ever a time in our history we need any true voice in the dark, it really is now. I sincerely hope that in some small way I can convince you into doing something using off-the-shelf technology to educate our fellow private citizens. Please help! You can still email me at docazoid@i-star.com.
Good night Sharon
Docazoid