HD & DVB-S2 FTA Receiver for Under $50.00

[el bandido]

Cheap and affordable fta receivers have been available in the U.S. since 2010. The first cheap FTA receiver was sold under the Solomend brand name which was later changed to Openbox S9. Many people have purchased the Solomend and Openbox S9 receivers and I have seen mixed reviews and comments about them.
The original firmware for the Solomend was a dog. You had a few basic features and a blind scan. You could not use a switch and a motor at the same time (universal lnbs excluded), plus the clock did not work. The Solomend was discontinued and it was replaced with the Openbox S9. Firmware for the S9 has slowly improved over the past two years. Now we have several features that are available on the S9.
Today we have Openbox S9, S10, and Openbox S11 FTA receivers. Ram memory was greatly improved in the S10 model, and this allowed for the use of a different firmware than the S9. Some firmware has been written that works on the Openbox S9, S10, S11, and the newer Skybox S12 receivers. IMO, a single firmware for multiple Openbox receivers does not allow the full potential of the S10 and later receivers to be realized because the ram memory limits have to be equal to the S9.
The Openbox receivers got a little cheaper as new versions were produced. Today, it is not uncommon to see new S10 receivers selling for 100-125 U.S.dollars. Close to the end of 2011, the Skybox S12 receiver became available for the U.S. and Canada on Ebay. The S12 receiver takes the same firmware as the S10 and the S11 Openbox receivers.
One thing that separates the S12 from the other Openbox receivers is its size and design. The S12 is tiny when compared to the original Solomend or an Openbox S9. The power supply for the S12 is built into the wall plug which allows for a more compact size for the receiver. The S12 can also be easily powered with 12 volt dc batteries which make it attractive for campers and hunters.
The smaller size of the Skybox S12 also allows us to have a smaller shipping fee since these receivers are made in China. I bought a Solomend directly from China in 2010 and I paid close to 50 U.S. dollars in shipping fees. You can compare that to the 21 U.S. dollar shipping fee that can be paid for a S12 in 2012.
The Skybox S12 is available now to anyone at Mixeshop.com for 49 U.S. dollars plus shipping. Mixeshop.com is located in China and they accept payment from PayPal, Western Union, or Wire Transfer Payment. PayPal is the only form of payment that I recommend because with PayPal, you do have some buyer protection.
There are several shipping options available for the S12, and the cheapest is about 21 U.S. dollars for Airmail. This would bring the total for a Skybox S12 purchased from Mixeshop to about 71 dollars with Airmail shipping. (Shipping will be lower per receiver if multiple receivers are purchased.)
Not all Skybox S12 receivers are equal. I purchased a S12 in 2011 that did not have a display, and I figured all of the S12 receivers were like that. The S12 that I got from Mixeshop has a nice digital display plus a working clock.

I think the Skybox S12 is a very good deal, especially when you consider the $49.00 price and all of the options the latest firmware has.


El Bandido
1-16-2012


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[Bellboy]

Just ordered one should get the info soon.

[Bellboy]

EB what is the S12's Home site?

[el bandido]

The S12 does not have a homesite that I know of.
Files can be found in the link.

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[Guest]

Great bang for the buck, can't go wrong.

[Bellboy]

Going to have to wait to the end of the month they are on holiday there lol

[Bellboy]

Just got the S12 Wow what a small unit. Going to have something to play with today. lol

[ViP3R]

Just got the S12 Wow what a small unit. Going to have something to play with today. lol

You don't really want me to respond to that do you? lmao

[Bellboy]

You don't really want me to respond to that do you? lmao

From time to time U get me back LMAO

[Bellboy]

This unit IMO great for the price. $70 includes shipping & I get it in 7 days. Easy to setup & the smallest I have seen U can put it in your pocket.

[el bandido]

Excellent!!! Good to hear that you are satisfied.
I am real happy with mine too. IMO, for the money, you cannot beat this receiver. EB

[Bellboy]

I would recommend this unit to someone starting out & doesn't have a lot of money to spend. It was also easy to setup. Small & U can't beat the price. Hope this makes other units think about their prices. lol

[rrob311]

Its too bad this doesn't have RCA outputs. I was thinking of buying one to use with my handheld tv for a signal meter.

[Guest]

As all ali chip receivers I have tested, that would be 3 of them, the signal meter is not reliable. It will show you signal but will not fluctuate any higher then a certain percentage even if signal strength did improve. For the price I paid for this mini receiver, it's well worth every penny but this is a bare bones box which works great for fta but does lack in some parts.

[cdobis]

So, is that recommended for a newbee? Would that be the one I should start with?

[rrob311]

I would recommend it I think it only has HDMI out but if your TV has that it is a great setup. It will pickup more channels. You definitely want DVB-S2 capability.

[Guest]

So, is that recommended for a newbee? Would that be the one I should start with?

Can't go wrong, my fastest blind scanning receiver which is worth the price tag.

[el bandido]

So, is that recommended for a newbee? Would that be the one I should start with?

I would think so. Look in the link for more info. EB

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[wildbill]

Does RCA with CVBS jack switch to NTSC base band video. Otherwise would need a hdmi to video converter box ?

[el bandido]

Welcome to legit WildBill!
As far as I know, it should be NTSC video. EB

[wildbill]

My monitors are base band video. guess I will have to buy one and find out. It appears that there is no provision for 8K hd reception ?




Welcome to legit WildBill!
As far as I know, it should be NTSC video. EB

[Guest]

My monitors are base band video. guess I will have to buy one and find out. It appears that there is no provision for 8K hd reception ?

This tiny little unit will open all s2/8psk channels and feeds.

[ViP3R]

The LegitFTA-Shop will be opening soon, if your budget allows it.. The Optibox Gekko, Anaconda ect, would really make anyone happy..

[Guest]

I already have an s12 and am extremely pleased with it and its lightning fast blind scan but I will be opting for an optibox anaconda.

[wildbill]

I just purchased one through the advertizing link here. All the comments are useful and having the 8K is a plus will be interesting to play with looks like a good FTA receiver for the price. Buying from China does not bother my. My only complaint they need to supply a power adapter that fits out outlet not add an adapter.

[el bandido]

Good!
Please let us know how things work out for you.

[Guest]

I just purchased one through the advertizing link here. All the comments are useful and having the 8K is a plus will be interesting to play with looks like a good FTA receiver for the price. Buying from China does not bother my. My only complaint they need to supply a power adapter that fits out outlet not add an adapter.


You won't regret it for the price.

[wildbill]

I will post a review when tested.

[wildbill]

There is an ebay seller advertising a control box that goes between receiver and LNB to adjust voltage has anyone had this problem that now owns a openbox ?
///////////////////

From advertisement:

The easiest way to confirm that you have the Polarization selection issue is to go in to your Openbox/Skybox menu, then Installation, then LNB power setting and change this to 'Off'. If you can now view the channels previously displaying the 'No Signal' message (SSHD3) but not the other channels that were previously working fine (SSHD1) then this device will work for you!

A basic explanation of why this occurs is the LNB on your satellite dish requires a low voltage for vertical polarized channels (around 13 volts) and a high voltage for horizontal polarized channels (around 18 volts). A standard cheap sky quad or universal LNB will operate with the low voltage range as somewhere between 10-15 volts and high voltage as somewhere between 16-20 volts. The problem is the Openbox puts out a voltage of around 16-17 volts for low and 20-21 volts for high which means that the polarization remains horizontal even when it should switch to vertical. A decent quality LNB (like that in a motorized dish) will operate with low voltage as anything below 18 volts and high as anything above 18 volts hence why the box works fine on some set-ups, but not others. Our device corrects this voltage differential without adding any potentially damaging extra resistance to the tuner circuit, such as that caused by in-line amps (which can also lead to you losing other channels in some cases). Using our device means the Openbox will then work properly as the LNB can differentiate between high and low voltage, and in turn vertical and horizontal polarization.

[el bandido]

I do not see any reason to buy that.
How about supplying the ebay item number so we can look at it.

[cpr43]

I dont see the S12 ad anymore???

[el bandido]

That ad may or may not be back.
You can always use the link in this thread if you need a S12.

[Bellboy]

I dont see the S12 ad anymore???

I purchased mine from the link in post 1. Great service & got it within a week.

[wildbill]

ebay Item number: 251024340384 my openbox is still in shipment. Will measure the voltage on my receiver when it appears ?

Noticed that buying from a USA seller is only $10 more then China ? It my be worth the added cost.

Does the S10 and S12 both support 8K. In the spec sheet there is no mention of 8K. Have noticed some open channels that use it ? Dish and Express Vu they think the 8k receivers are used only on their service that appears not to be correct ?

[el bandido]

Really I think the ebay product is a gimmick. I have had several Solomend and various Openbox receivers. None of them had the problem he describes.
If you want to measure S12 voltage, do the test as close to the lnb as possible so you can see what voltage is actually reaching your lnb after traveling through the coax and switches(if any).

[wildbill]

Ok thanks all the FTA receivers I have owned had 15 and 18v for LNB power.

Still the unanswered question does the S10 and S12 receive 8k ?


Really I think the ebay product is a gimmick. I have had several Solomend and various Openbox receivers. None of them had the problem he describes.
If you want to measure S12 voltage, do the test as close to the lnb as possible so you can see what voltage is actually reaching your lnb after traveling through the coax and switches(if any).

[el bandido]

If you mean 8psk, the answer is yes. The Openbox will not do the dishnet 8psk because it is a different variety.

[wildbill]

Ok that is what I wanted to know about 8k.

For your information the openbox was ordered on March 26 from Scobuy.com and was just shipped on April 8. I am not complaining just letting others know that they are slow. I purchased a volt meter from China seller after the receiver was ordered and will be delivered in 2 days.


If you mean 8psk, the answer is yes. The Openbox will not do the dishnet 8psk because it is a different variety.

[el bandido]

Thanks for the information. That is one reason their ad is not up anymore. EB

[wildbill]

I have decided after this has happened to pay the extra $10 and buy from a US seller. I know when ever buying out of country that there is extra time in delivery but when the company says they ship the next day and it is found out that was not true it gives doubt of their honesty ? I have had good results buying from China through Ebay.

[el bandido]

You can have problems with a U.S. seller as well as somebody from another nation. A couple of us have ordered these S12 receivers from the seller that is in post#1 without a problem. Shipping time was about the same as ground shipping from California for me.
Sorry to hear that you had problems but at least the seller you bought from has been removed from this site. EB

[ViP3R]

Scobuy has made excuses to me as well..the shipping time is ridiculous with these people! and all I got was excuses.

They wanted to renew there add banner here, but I pulled the plug..No way do I want members here waiting that long for a product to be delivered.

My apologies, even though it was out of my control..we do care about these things here.

[wildbill]

I do not worry as the receiver will deliver shortly. I can see why the banner was pulled and thanks for that.
Do not worry be happy. Life is too short.

[wildbill]

Order a openbox s12 and received a skybox s12 receiver without us power adapter. ordered from scobuy on 3-25 and received on 04/18/12 2:03pm and beware of the seller scobuy. have not tested receiver yet. Have purchased a S10 receiver from a us seller and plan to sell the s12. Just part of the game and I keep learning.

[el bandido]

I read the ad and I do not remember anything that said a power adapter would be included. Maybe it was there and I did not see it?
There is no real difference between an Openbox and a Skybox receiver except for the name and background image. If they told you it would have Openbox on it instead of Skybox, then they should have asked you before they sent the Skybox. EB

[wildbill]

I had an adapter in my parts but can say that buying from ebay sellers in china include an adapter because they know that it is needed in the usa. The S10 I just purchased from a USA seller has one. The power supply is 12v at 1.5 amp with center positive so it is common. Receiver works as advertised and for a low end unit is ok. I am testing on the PBS KU feeds and is working ok. Noticed the receiver sensitivity is slightly better then my sonicview 8000hd.
The interesting thing ebay gave me a 10% discount on S10 and that made price lower then could buy from China seller.


I read the ad and I do not remember anything that said a power adapter would be included. Maybe it was there and I did not see it?
There is no real difference between an Openbox and a Skybox receiver except for the name and background image. If they told you it would have Openbox on it instead of Skybox, then they should have asked you before they sent the Skybox. EB

[wildbill]

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[TurboPirate]

I read the ad and I do not remember anything that said a power adapter would be included. Maybe it was there and I did not see it?
There is no real difference between an Openbox and a Skybox receiver except for the name and background image. If they told you it would have Openbox on it instead of Skybox, then they should have asked you before they sent the Skybox. EB
Mine just came in the mail and it doesn't have an adapter,

[Guest]

Mine just came in the mail and it doesn't have an adapter,

Radio Shack Turbo or any electronics store. I had to buy one for my unit and my optibox receiver as well.

[SatelliteGuy]

I'm really looking forward to receiving my S12. I posted on another forum that I had purchased the S12 and I'm getting lots of grief that I shouldn't have wasted my money. I hope to prove them wrong. For less than $80 shipped I think I'll be happy with the purchase.

[el bandido]

Why are you getting any grief?
People should be happy that you are spending your money and time to try something.
As for a waste of money, well, it could arrive DOA. I do not know what would happen if it did. Even if it arrives DOA and nothing could be done about it, how much did you lose? Money for a tank of gas?

IMO, you are getting grief because other people have their own agendas and what you are doing is not helping. EB