[17671]

I don't think you can.

A while back a relative gave me their old Dish network receiver but the bell rep was not able to add the receiver to my account, possibly because it was not in bell's inventory. Secondly, Dish dishes point to different birds in the sky than what bell uses so their receivers are also programmed to look for different birds than what the bell receivers are designed to receive and there is no known way to reprogram a dish receiver to look for 91 and 82 degrees, vs dish 110 and 119 degrees
lastly, im quite sure the answer is no

 

[Korpela]

I have a 4700 and a 3500 receiver from before I went to HD at my home with 6131 receivers which have been working well for several years. Is it possible to install one of my old receivers at my cottage and bring one of my smart cards from the 6131 receivers to the cottage and use it in the old receiver when I go to the cottage. Will it work? Is it legal? I pay Bell enough for my service at home and I'd like to think its portable by bringing the card with me and sticking it into another receiver.

 

[jdevlin]

Is it legal? Technically no. Only one location allowed.

Swapping smart cards between receivers does not work. However you should be able to activate the old receivers from your account. Or just try hooking them up and wait for them to update. Unless you called bell to remove them they should still work.

 

[Allan B]

Bell may or may not reactivate the old box's, try via the Web Site, see how that goes.

 

[57]

Is it legal?

No, it is against the terms of the agreement with Bell. If Bell calls your location and you are unable to provide the numbers on the screen (Location ID) for all of your activated receivers, they may shut you down, or leave only one box active. See:

https://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/10-bell-satellite-tv/158434-bell-calling-validate-receivers.html

 

[ExDilbert]

I've got to wonder if it's even worth activating 4700 and 3500 receivers. As I recall, these are SD models. Some channels are HD only so it will limit what can be watched. Channels that are available will be low quality and present issues such as letterboxing on HDTVs.

One option would be to simply take a 6131 to the cottage when you travel there. If the dish and wiring are identical then it won't even need a check switch. Another option would be to rent or purchase another receiver, either new or used.

According the Bell, the location must be changed every time a receiver is moved. If there is only one receiver on the account this is not an issue except for billing purposes. Having more than one receiver in different locations is against CRTC guidelines and requires a second account. That's because cable companies complained about satellite companies having an unfair competitive advantage due to free cottage accounts. Then broadcasters chimed in about losing revenue. (Note that this policy is directed at Shaw Direct. Shaw Direct once provided a free second dish but now discounts the second account. Bell and cable companies typically charge full price for a cottage account.) The requirement of a second account for the cottage is more about Canadian broadcasters and BDUs gouging customers than anything else.

 

[Korpela]

If I could get some OTA reception I would go that route, but there is nothing available without a high tower and large antenna. Having just SD is fine at my off- grid cottage. I think I can buy a used 6131 receiver off Kijiji for about $70 and a dual LNB dish for about $30. There is no phone service there so I can't attach a phone line like I do at home. How will this affect it's operation?

 

[ExDilbert]

Not being on a phone line will not affect the day to day operation for satellite TV service. It will affect PPV service. Just don't buy any PPV programs. Connecting the receiver to the internet for VOD could be an issue. It is also used for location and is a substitute for connecting it to a phone line. To avoid that use a media box, smartphone or other supported device for watching VOD. Using a smartphone or tablet away from home is perfectly legitimate. It may limit the available programming.

The one issue that might come up is Bell calling to verify receiver location. That happens infrequently and usually for people with many receivers. All that will happen is that the receivers that cannot be verified will become inactive after a time. In order to activate them, simply call back when they can all be verified.

 

[Korpela]

No internet service at my cottage unless I install Explorenet. I think I know what to do now. Thanks for the advice.

 

[bluedrongo]

I have a Bell HD PVR 9241 I'd like to get rid of. When I left Bell Satellite about 18 months ago, I unplugged it from the antenna/dish and last time I had it turned on, all the recordings were still there.
I am not sure about selling or donating it with all the recordings. It has an external HD that has a lot of recordings also which I can probably reformat and use for other storage.

Has anyone had this issue in the past and if so , how did you deal with it?
Btw, the PVR has never had an issue of any sort, it has never malfunctioned even though I bought new capacitors for it for when /if that happened.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jdevlin]

The recording will remain. You can delete them before you get rid of it if you want.

 

[17671]

I bought a previously owned receiver off someone in the past and had no problem activating it, and also found it still had his previous recordings on it. It was not a big deal, I always like to do a fresh start so I formatted the hard drive via the menus and did a full factory reset on it.

Some people prefer to use any purchased equipment as is in the state they bought it, and there are other people like me who wipe it clean and factory reset it before I use it. its a personal preference really.

As for the External Hard Disk Drive with your recordings on it, once you get rid of your receiver, the recordings are useless and cant normally be viewed. I'd format it and use it for computer use instead.

 

[bluedrongo]

I bought a previously owned receiver off someone in the past and had no problem activating it, and also found it still had his previous recordings on it. It was not a big deal, I always like to do a fresh start so I formatted the hard drive via the menus and did a full factory reset on it.

Some people prefer to use any purchased equipment as is in the state they bought it, and there are other people like me who wipe it clean and factory reset it before I use it. its a personal preference really.

As for the External Hard Disk Drive with your recordings on it, once you get rid of your receiver, the recordings are useless and cant normally be viewed. I'd format it and use it for computer use instead.

I don't have much use for a 2TB external HD, I prefer using WD my passport externals and I will probably swap them over for SSD's when they come down in price.
This is a Lacie, I was thinking that if I sell or donate the PVR the external could go with it.