zacc replied:

i would go the cheaper set all you realy need is a decent sized dish about 64cm will do . you can also get the hole setup of ebay cheaper . you will need an optus aura card which you will pay about $100.00 for . then you will have to ring up and active the channels . sbs and abc no worrys . it all depends on where you are for the other channels to be activated . central can not be activated in w.a as for the telecomunication laws . also you can get win and gwn but can not have gwn , win and central at the same time they will not allow it , or you can get a goldie which is a pirated card ( which is illegal ) and they will have all the channels on gwn, win ,central , all the sbs and abc channels. some people will try to sell you a satelite decoder with all the channels pre programed so you do not need the card . i personaly would not buy one of these as the keep changing the frequencies so one day you will have a channel the next day it will be gone . hope this helps.

DIO replied:

You can be assured that there have been several recent changes (over 12 - 18 months) of the codes necessary to access the Optus transmissions which have compromised the effectiveness of the 'pirated cards'. The only way to go is with the legitimate card which will require you to contact them to arrange activation for the respective 'zone' that you wish to view. It can be a slight inconvenience but most people seem to be able to get by with the arrangement. You really don't need to pay a lot of money. Good reliable systems can be purchased from as lo as $299.00 Link + p&h.The most difficult aspect for most people is getting the dish aligned with the. Using simple means this is something that can be learned very quickly enabling complete set up within a matter of minutes (5 - 10). Providing the dish has a clear 'view' of the sky (no trees etc) and it is not raining heavily (it can affect reception) you will get crystal clear digital signals all the time. You will also have the means to access heaps of radio broadcasts ABC, VOA etc etc. If you are still unsure about buying a cheaper package have a look at this supplier (I have no link with them) whith whom I have dealt and can recommend their service and support. Their prices are very reasonable and competitive Link

Member - kevin Y (SA) replied:

first the optus card will only be activated when your out of a commercial tv zone.

2nd if you have foxtel or select tv at home you can only recieve and use those on the set top box you already have to operate them , the set top box for satelliite box you get with dish set up wont work these.

i recomend you google -- free to air satellite forums also austech satellite forum ------there you can get all the info you need, along with info for optus C1 and pass 8 satellites and what is needed to hook up.

first time it took me a week to sort it out, now i can do it in 10minutes---have fun

Gone Bush (WA) replied:

Norm,

do you have Foxtel?

If so you can get a set top box called a Dreambox. This can be programmed on your PC to pick up all free to air stations and, as well, you can put your Foxtel card into it and receive all your normal Foxtel.

When we travel we don't actually use it very much because we would rather yak around the campfire but when it's in use we can watch all our Foxtel as transmitted in WA, ie on WA timezone and the local ABC news which is handy, as well as Imparja, interstate Ch9 etc and even Al Jazeera, which is actually a very good current affairs/news show.

However, and it's a BIG however, you really need to have a good friend who knows how to program it on their PC because the companies DO change their codes (not Foxtel tho).

cheers