access card

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv,rec.video.satellite.dbs (More info?)

Hi. I just purchased a Hughes DirecTV receiver off of ebay. If I call DTV,
and tell them I want to add the receiver to my existing setup, with the same
programming package, will they send me a new access card for the receiver?
I realize they will charge me for it, but I got a really good deal. And of
course I will have to pay 4.99 for the extra receiver. Anyone with any
experience in this area?
Thanks.

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv,rec.video.satellite.dbs (More info?)

Depends on which card you have. They periodically change out cards as
you may know, and have just stopped sending instructions for the
P3/HU/Football player card. They would ask you for the card number and
go from there. If you need a new card you'll get one, whether you'll
have to pay for that or not I'm not sure. They make money on
subscriptions, not access cards.

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:33:13 GMT, "shag dawg" <shaggy78@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Hi. I just purchased a Hughes DirecTV receiver off of ebay. If I call DTV,
>and tell them I want to add the receiver to my existing setup, with the same
>programming package, will they send me a new access card for the receiver?
>I realize they will charge me for it, but I got a really good deal. And of
>course I will have to pay 4.99 for the extra receiver. Anyone with any
>experience in this area?
>Thanks.
>

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv,rec.video.satellite.dbs (More info?)

In article <nl6d8096n477j42dtf3fdmmbli2nkb8vlh@4ax.com>,
RockinRick <none@no.way> writes:
>
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:33:13 GMT, "shag dawg" <shaggy78@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Hi. I just purchased a Hughes DirecTV receiver off of ebay. If I call DTV,
>>and tell them I want to add the receiver to my existing setup, with the same
>>programming package, will they send me a new access card for the receiver?
>
> Depends on which card you have. They periodically change out cards as
> you may know, and have just stopped sending instructions for the
> P3/HU/Football player card.

If it was bought off of eBay, chances are good that the card is used. My
understanding is that, although it's technically possible for DirecTV to
transfer a card to a new account, they almost never allow it. Thus, if the
receiver (or more precisely, the access card) has been used, DirecTV will
almost certainly insist on sending a new card, even if the existing one is
a P4 card. If the card has not been used, though, DirecTV might activate
it. (I seem to recall hearing of some such cases where DirecTV insisted on
sending a new card, though.)

The bottom line is that you'll just have to call DirecTV to find out --
unless it's an older (HU) card. As others have said, DirecTV is shutting
off the HU stream, so those cards are now useless.

--
Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv,rec.video.satellite.dbs (More info?)

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004, Gary Tait wrote:
> Yes, they would like the card back. I don't know of the repercussions
> for not returning it though.

Well, I just called to ask. They told me just to hold on to the card, and
if I didn't hear anything more in the next couple of months then it's a
wall-hanger.

I imagine that since the football player cards are all useless now, they
no longer particularly care about their fate.

I wonder how long it will be before I have to go through this with my
other cards. Besides the receiver that got the new card (the RV) I have a
living room and a bedroom receiver, both with cards that have a "4" on it.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.