Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version VT3.3 7/21/84; site vortex.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!vortex!lauren From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) Newsgroups: net.tv,net.legal Subject: Re: Illegal satellite dish cleanup in San Francisco area? Message-ID: <372@vortex.UUCP> Date: Sun, 5-Aug-84 04:26:03 EDT Article-I.D.: vortex.372 Posted: Sun Aug 5 04:26:03 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 6-Aug-84 03:23:23 EDT References: <1674@sdccs6.uucp> Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles Lines: 41 Ah, now I know what's going on. Rich Wales asked about SATELLITE antennas. From the more recent message, I see we are actually talking about MDS (multipoint distribution) microwave antennas. These are receivers for terrestrial microwave feeds (most commonly) of pay TV channels. It's sorta the microwave equivalent of STV (subscription TV -- scrambled UHF) though usually not scrambled since the receiving equipment was (at one time) considered to be rather esoteric. It is much easier to do an independent survey of people who have THESE sorts of antennas, since most people who have them quite openly point them in the directions of the transmitter (line-of-sight transmission) and it is usually VERY obvious which way they are pointing. Since the transmitter locations are very well known, it is a fairly simple assumption that if someone has a small dish (or other type of MDS antenna -- some look like a horn or a long white dildo) pointed at the local transmitter that receives, say, HBO, that they are probably receiving the service illegally. Fairly recent law changes make such reception quite clearly illegal -- they specifically address this situation). Now, there IS ham equipment that looks very similar to the MDS reception equipment and operates at similar frequencies, so there are going to be some receivers around that wouldn't appear on the MDS company's books but still would not be illegal. On the other hand, these units also would normally not be pointed at the local MDS transmitter. This sort of situation would be more complex. In any case, the situation we are talking about (sending out of mass "threats" to people) sounds pretty fishy. It seems obvious that the company involved is attempting to avoid the hassle and cost of individually invoking the legal process (search warrants and the whole bit) against each individual location they suspect of illegal reception. --Lauren-- P.S. Driving around L.A., I fairly frequently see obvious "unofficial" MDS receivers on houses, including some of the homemade "snow sled and coffee can" variety. --LW--