Cable Descramblers FAQ'S This page was designed to answer most of the consumers questions about cable descramblers and the dynamic behind the industry. 00. I heard I can build a descrambler with parts from Radio Shack. Is this true? 01. Are descramblers legal? 02. Are all descramblers alike? 03. Do you need a descrambler if you have the cable company descrambler? 04. Which descrambler is best for me? 05. What is a cable descrambler / descrambler? 06. What is a descrambler? 07. What is a descrambler/descrambler? 08. What is an addressable descrambler? 09. Cable terms: Basic cable, Premium cable, Pay-Per-View services? 10. Can your descrambler work anywhere? 11. What do you do if your descrambler doesn't work? 12. How can you improve the quality of your descrambler reception? 13. What happens when there isn't a replacement for your cable company descrambler? 14. What are "bullets"? 15. How do you determine the replacement for your cable descrambler? 16. How can you tell if you're dealing with a professional descrambler company? 17. What if my cable company upgrades or changes to a different descrambler? 18. What is the difference between filtering and scrambling? 19. How do I determine if filtering is being used by my cable company? 20. What kinds of channel filtering are there? 21. Are there Digital Descramblers? 0. I heard I can build a descrambler with parts from Radio Shack. Is this true? First of all, Are you stupid ? Secondly: We can’t believe how many people actually believe this crap. Why stop at building a descrambler, why not build your own space shuttle while you are at it. Then you will have something to watch on your trip to Uranus. Thirdly: The device that this refers to is not a descrambler in any way, shape or form. It is an RF filter. It will have NO EFFECT whatsoever on scrambled channels. The only type of system it might even work on are old, outdated systems that do not use addressable descramblers. The bottom line is : There are many progressive cable companies out there using all kinds of advanced scrambling and encryption techniques that require highly skilled engineers with complete knowledge and understanding of interactive cable systems and how they work. We hope this dispels this farce for you. top.  1. Are descramblers legal? Perfectly Legal. According To FCC Regulations It Is Perfectly Legal For You to Own Your Own Cable Box. The Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 makes it very clear that you are allowed to own and use third party cable boxes. You may view the FCC FAQ concerning this Act at: www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/News_Releases/nrcb4009.txt | the copy hosted on our site In this text you will find that it says: "Cable operators may not prevent customers from using their own cable box if such equipment is technically compatible with the cable system." Back to top. 2. Are all descramblers alike? No. Prices can range from $15 to $400 depending on the quality and amount of features included in the equipment. Some companies offer to sell you a description of how you can build (implied), with only 7 parts from radio shack, a descrambler. Some sell old descramblers that are barely in date and likely to be replaced by the cable companies by higher technological grades of equipment Some cable descrambler sellers provide systems that hardly provide any benefit to the purchaser where the quality of reception is poor, without recourse. State-of-the-art cable descrambler companies will provide the most recent technology in a variety of packages tailored to fit the customer’s budget. They should provide two-piece systems, refurbished RAN baseband descramblers in conjunction with the latest tech versions. Of course, you get what you pay for. But there are reasonable values out there. Back to top. 3. Do you need a descrambler if you have the cable company descrambler, VCR or a cable-ready TV? Yes you do. In order to establish a non- addressable system, it is essential to have a descrambler. A cable ready TV, VCR and a Cable Company descrambler do not provide for this feature and in not doing so, cannot replace a descrambler. You must have a descrambler to use a descrambler. This is especially true if you desire a descrambler / descrambler that cannot be altered or addressed by your cable company. Back to top. 4. Which descrambler is best for me? You have two choices when purchasing your cable equipment, a single-unit (one-piece) system or a system containing two units (two-piece). Combination descrambler advantages: The one-piece system is based on a combination of descrambler and a descrambler, installed in a single descrambler. This unit is referred to as a combination unit. The plus's: Easy to hook up, Available in both generic or name brand , similar to systems used by cable companies. Separate component advantages: The two-piece systems is based on two separate units, A descrambler and a descrambler, that are connected together and function as one-piece system. The plus': lower cost, components can be individually upgraded, and interchangeable components. We recommend one piece units. It has been our experience that one piece units work better to replace your cable company’s descrambler than a 2-piece unit. Although 2-piece units tend to be less expensive, they tend to work less efficiently as well. As the saying goes, "You get what you pay for. " Additionally, our 1-piece units cost less than other companies’ 2-piece units. Back to top. 5. What is a cable descrambler / descrambler? An electronic tuning device that transposes all available channels from the cable company into either channel 3 or channel 4. A descrambler is simply a "channel changer" that cannot by itself descramble encoded premium channels. It allows you to receive all basic channels if your TV is not the cable ready type. When you add a descrambler to your descrambler, it allows you to view all premium channels. Back to top.   6. What is a descrambler? A descrambler is a device that restores the picture and sound of a scrambled channel. A descrambler must be used with a descrambler (in a two piece configuration) to be able to descramble all the premium channels of a cable system. Back to top. 7. What is a descrambler-descrambler? A single (one piece) unit capable of descrambling premium channels. This unit contains a descrambler and a descrambler, enclosed in a common descrambler. This is also the most common type of equipment supplied by the cable company to subscribing customers. Customers usually pay a specified monthly rental fee for such equipment.  Back to top. 8. What is an addressable descrambler-descrambler? This is a descrambler-descrambler that can be controlled by the cable company from their office location. Through remote coded messages sent via the cable system, the cable company can "address" the customers’ unit to begin descrambling selected premium or pay per view channels. An addressable unit allows the cable company to access your cable descrambler to change the descrambling configuration or program. This function provides the cable company the ability to add or delete descrambling on the channels that come in through your cable line. A non-addressable unit does not provide the cable company access to the cable descrambler program. The program remains stationary and is unchangeable. Both cable descrambler designs have the potential of receiving all channels, none or somewhere in between dependent on the descrambler program. Back to top. 9. Cable terms: Basic cable, Premium cable, Pay-Per-View services? Basic cable service: the least expensive cable service provided by cable companies to their customers. This service usually includes local TV channels which can be received directly from the broadcast signal of the TV stations. Premium cable service: additional programming service provided by the cable company to subscribing customers. The extra fee for such additional service may be based on per channel, per group of channels, or any other combination of channels. Pay per view: selected channels that offer movies and special events such as sports or adult entertainment, for an additional fee, on a per movie or per program basis. A special "addressable " descrambler is furnished by the cable company to subscribers of this service. Through the use of special equipment, the cable company can "address" the customers descrambler to descramble the program for which the fee was paid. Back to top. 10. Can your descrambler work anywhere? NO. descramblers are specific to each cable system. Different cable companies use different cable systems, characterized by manufacturer’s brand name and model number. You must use a compatible descrambler that works in your area, but it may not work in a different area. Back to top. 11. What do you do if your descrambler doesn't work? Call your descrambler descrambler source . Let them know that there are problems. Most companies want to correct any problems you are having . If you are working with a customer oriented company , they will work diligently or remedy your problem . Don’t just let it go . They will want a satisfied customer who will refer them additional business . The company may not have a quick answer for about 5% of the problems out there. Be patient and work with your cable descrambler company until you find the right descrambler descrambler for your area. Sometimes technology changes for your area and the source may need to do some additional research to get the desired image. Do this before the warranty / guarantee has run out. Even then there may be a solution. Back to top. 12. How can you improve the quality of your descrambler reception? Amplification may be needed to correct the problem . Whenever a cable signal is split between two or more TV’s or routed to some other video components such as VCR’s , the signal weakens and produces a poor quality picture. The weak signal may cause a "snowy" or gray picture, or may even result in weak color or lack of color. Since most cable viewers use several different video components, it is recommended that an amplifier be used to restore the signal strength and the picture sharpens. In most cases, the amplifier brings the picture " back to life " and restores its original quality. Consider using a 10db amplifier to improve signal strength. Back to top. 13. What happens when there isn't a replacement for your cable company descrambler? Most descrambler sources will carry the common brands such as Jerrold (General Instruments ), Pioneer, Scientific Atlanta, Oak, Tocom, and Zenith. When your company doesn’t carry your brand then you need to find out if they either have it in stock or have a source for your uncommon make and model. Usually the source has another outlet or may need to do research on your request. Back to top. 14. What are "bullets"? The terms "bullets" is very misleading and has grown way out of control in this industry. Cable companies transmit data, this is how all addressable cable systems work. Both, cable companies and cable dealers alike use the term "bullet" to describe this transmission of data. Bullets are nothing more than transmitted signal which affects the cable descrambler program. It does not fry the guts of the equipment but rather may shut the descrambler off temporarily, reprogram the descrambler, or shut the descrambler down in an error mode . The descrambler can easily be reset by unplugging it for 15min. This will allow the unit to reset and correct any error that has occurred. Back to top. 15. How do you determine the replacement for your cable descrambler? 1) Get the brand name and model of the descrambler unit that was supplied to you by your cable company. The brand name is located on the front of the descrambler. The model # is located on the bottom of the descrambler on the tag. 2) Look at the companies list of cable descrambler products and their corresponding replacement description (your equipment model number) in their catalog. From this you can determine what you will need or consult in conjunction with your cable descrambler source for the right replacement. Back to top. 16. How can you tell if you're dealing with a professional descrambler company? First, of course, trust your own judgment. A company you can trust will be one that has at least a 30 day guarantee, and a 90 day warranty on their products. Offers of variety of equipment for most areas of the country and some areas of the world. The company will have the capability of delivering your equipment day air, 4 day ground, international, or other if agreed upon. The staff will be capable of answering most technical questions. The company should also have an 800 number for easy access for the customer. Back to top. 17. What if my cable company upgrades or changes to a different descrambler? All cable companies eventually upgrade-as technology progresses and new sources become available older equipment becomes obsolete. The fact is that cable companies do not change quickly or often. It is a huge expense for cable company to swap out all of its customers descramblers and replace them with brand new ones and upgrade the system to support the new scrambling methods. It usually takes a cable company a year or longer to complete an upgrade. Most cable companies upgrade every 10-15 years. Some sooner -some later.  Many dealers will sell you a low quality cable box that will burn out after 6 months. You want to make sure you are covered. Our cable boxes come with a 1-Year warranty the best in the business. If anything ever happens to the cable box we will repair it free of charge! Back to top. 18. What is the difference between filtering and scrambling? Most cable companies scramble all premium channels. (Premium channels refer to regular movie channels like HBO, SHOWTIME, etc and pay-per-view). Some cable companies, usually older systems, will filter some movie channels. Filtering and scrambling are totally different methods and one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Please note: Pay-per-view channels must be scrambled. Only regular movie channels (like HBO) can be filtered. A descrambler  will allow full viewing of all scramble channels ( not filtered). A descrambler descrambles a scrambled signal. When filtering is used,  the signal is not scrambled - it is being filtered. This requires something different. Back to top. 19. How do I determine if filtering is being used by my cable company? Remember, only regular movie channels can be filtered. Tune to a pay-per view channel on a T.V that has no descrambler connected ( the cable is connected directly to the T.V ). The picture should be clear ( no snow ) but will be unstable, wavy-this is a scrambled picture. Any channel that looks like this can be viewed with a descrambler. if the picture on any premium channel looks any different or has any snow in it, then it is being filtered and will not be viewable with a descrambler. Back to top. 20. What kinds of channel filtering are there? There are two types of filtering - positive and negative. Positive filtering is when a cable company injects cable noise or interference into a particular channel at the head end. This interference will cause this channel to appear snowy, may have flashing lines, and usually has beeping type noises. Sometimes positive filtered channels are almost viewable, sometimes they are very bad and not viewable at all. The solution to positive filtering is to get inline filters that screw into the cable. These filters remove the interference and clean the channel up so that it is viewable . Each channel that is being positively filtered requires a filter ( this means one filter per channel is required ). Negative filtering is when a cable company broadcast a certain movie channel unscrambled ( just like all the basic channels ). If a customer does not order this movie channel, then a filter is put inline outside at the pole or in the lock descrambler. This filter completely blocks out the channel from reaching the home. The only solution for negative filtering is to subscribe to channel (s) that are being filtered (or trapped out) and then the filter (s) will be removed-thus allowing the signal for these channels to reach the house. Negative filtered channels are usually completely snow -sometimes a very faint picture can be seen. Back to top. 21. Are there Digital Descramblers? WARNING!!! We receive hundreds of emails each week asking us to check out or comment on web sites or E-Bay ads offering universal digital cable boxes. THERE ARE NO UNIVERSAL DIGITAL DESCRAMBLERS IN THE MARKETPLACE TODAY, OR THE NEAR FUTURE. There are digital cable boxes available (because cable companies are distributing them) but these boxes are addressable and “not bullet proof”. If you are tempted to purchase one of these so called universal digital descramblers make sure you pay by credit card so you can dispute the charge when the box stops working. Back to top.

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