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Pansat 2500A
Receiver Testing Manual
A Newbie Guide and Cookbook
For more advanced Testers, too
With a special entry on
Setting Up The Fortec Lifetime Ultra Receiver
Edited By GoodQ
Excerpted from FTA Receiver Testing Manual (2004 Echostar Testing Bible),
Pansat 2500A Quick Start Doc, Jtag'ing and your Pansat 2500A,
and other sources too numerous to mention.
Credit is given to all of the members of
http://forums.al7bar.tk/ and http://www.curious-contraptions.com/,
Especially the following people:
Dipper AEA SkinnyBuddha YONO DeadBeee
ELPASSO HippieFred 4q2 Chipster The Conductor
Stuart MoxNeo Bar_none Sweepers Wingnut101
Chas1962 Miles2912 AC Radio Dmac Paulcl
Quantumphase Warthog BlackSwan Inquisitive Dido_Smith
Forever Wilmero Blacksnake BlueWhale SharpC
Revision 10, Date: 10.05.2005
The most recent revision can be found here: http://www.curious-contraptions.com/forums/
DISCLAIMER: All information provided in this manual is based on reading on Internet forums and not by personal or actual experience
with any device, software, or other measure used to obtain subscription services without proper authorization. All information provided
here is for theoretical, intellectual, and educational purposes only.
Pansat 2500A Receiver Testing Manual
Contents
1 The FTA Receiver 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Hardware 1
1.2.1 Dish and LNB
1.2.2 DiSEqC Switches
1.2.3 DiSEqC Motors
1.2.4 Pansat 2500A, the Receiver
1.3 Setting up the Receiver 3
1.3.1 What you need
1.3.2 The Cable
1.3.3 Loading A Bin
1.3.3.1 Loading A Bin with the Downloader program
1.3.3.2 Download Failed!
1.3.3.3 Reviving A Dead Pansat 2500A
1.3.4 Adding the Channels
1.3.4.1 Loading a Channel List
1.3.4.2 Receiver Settings
1.4 Pointing the Dish 13
1.4.1 Introduction
1.4.2 Mounting The Dish
1.4.3 Preliminary Setup
1.4.4 In The Receiver
1.4.5 At The Dish
1.4.6 Watch TV Now! Or Add Your Locals
1.5 The Dish-500 Setup 16
1.5.1 Get The Numbers
1.5.2 Mounting the Dish
1.5.3 Preliminary Setup
1.5.4 In the Receiver
1.5.5 At the Dish
1.6 Setting Up a DiSEqC Motorized Dish 23
1.6.1 USALS and DiSEqC 1.2
1.6.2 General Installation Procedures for USALS and DiSEqC 1.2
1.6.3 Fine Tuning the Motorized Dish Setup
1.7 Setting Up The Fortec Lifetime Ultra Receiver 29
1.7.1 What you need
1.7.2 The Cable
1.7.3 Loading A Bin
1.7.3.1 Loading A Bin with the Downloader program
1.7.3.2 Download Failed!
1.7.3.3 Reviving A Dead Fortec Lifetime Ultra
1.7.4 Adding the Channels
1.7.5 Receiver Settings
1.8 How To Add Your Locals (Optional) 40
1.9 Scanning for the Channels (Optional) 42
1.9.1 Satellite Scan
1.9.2 Editing with Channel Master
1.10 Converting the Pansat 2500A to a Fortec Ultra and Vice Versa 52
2 Appendix 54
2.1 GTools Commands & Functions 54
2.2 All About LNBs and Switches 58
2.2.1 Identifying LNBs
2.2.2 About the DishPro LNBF
2.2.3 More About LNBs and Switches
2.2.4 LNB Specifications and Using Universal LNBs for DSS and FSS
2.3 Multiple Receivers and LNBs, and Antenna Settings 64
2.3.1 Connecting Multiple LNBs to Multiple Receivers
2.3.2 DiSEqC switches and 22 KHz Tone Switches
2.3.3 Typical DishNet/BEV Antenna Settings Used with the Pansat 2500A
2.4 JTAG the Pansat 2500A Receiver 73
2.4.1 Overview
2.4.2 CAUTION!
2.4.3 Building a JTAG Cable
2.4.4 Modifications to the Pansat 2500A
2.4.5 Making the Connections
2.4.6 JTAG to jKeys
2.4.6.1 Flash the image Bin
2.4.6.2 Reading a JTAG Image
2.4.6.3 Writing a JTAG Image
2.4.6.4 JTAG Errors
2.4.7 Conclusions
2.4.8 Disclaimer
2.4.9 References
2.5 Pansat Satellite Receiver 2500A Data Transfer (Receiver to Receiver) 84
2.6 Changing The Keys 85
2.6.1 Updating The Pansat 2500A Keys
2.6.2 Updating The Fortec Ultra Keys
2.7 Cooling Suggestions/Recommendations 89
3 Glossary of Terms 92
4 Acknowledgements 103
Revision 10, Date: 10.05.2005
The most recent revision can be found here: : http://www.curious-contraptions.com/forums/
1 The FTA Receiver
There is a reliable testing solution for those who want to have the freedom of using non-Echostar
receivers without being dependent on a dedicated PC. That solution is the use of a DVB Free-To-Air
receiver.
1.1 Introduction
As with DVB PCI cards, FTA receivers are not manufactured for the purpose of testing. In fact, 90
percent of all FTA receivers on the market will not work for testing! The purpose of such receivers is
the reception of unscrambled, in-the-clear television programming. In Europe, that's a multitude of
news, sports, music, and even movie channels--all completely free with no subscription required. In
North America, that's PBS and a few religious and public affairs channels. That's why there has not
been much interest in FTA receivers in the North American satellite TV market. The exception,
however, has been foreign nationals living in the United States. There are many unscrambled foreign-
language channels on Telstar 5 at 97 degrees West.
Recently, three FTA receivers were discovered to have a weakness that allows the receiver's software to
be modified to decrypt encrypted programming. These three receivers are the BlackBird, the Pansat,
and the FortecStar Lifetime--also known as the "Silver Bullet".
FTA receivers have proven to not be immune to ECM activity. Although the types of ECMs that effect
Echostar Dish/BEV receivers have no effect on FTA receivers, the weakness is the fact that these
receivers rely on software that is authored by a single individual in a faraway land. This weakness was
recently exploited by both Dish Network and Bell ExpressVu.
1.2 Hardware
The hardware required for the FTA receiver is the same as that required for DVB-S PCI cards. Dishes,
switches, and LNBs that work with standard Dish Network/Bell ExpressVu receivers may not be
compatible with FTA receivers without modifying the receiver's programming. This article describes
the hardware and programming that is necessary to enable your Pansat 2500A (or Fortec Lifetime Ultra)
FTA receiver to receive Dish network and Bell ExpressVu signals.
1.2.1 Dish and LNB
A standard 18" dish probably will work fine if you live in the 48 contiguous US states. You will need to
be sure that your LNB does not have a built-in switch. See Appendix Section 2.2.1 "Identifying LNBs"
for a qualified exception in the case of the new DishPro LNBs with built-in DiSEqC switch. Most
single Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu, or DirecTV LNBs will work fine. The basic LNB specifications
are: type = DSS KU band; Frequency Range = 12.2 to 12.75 GHz; polarization = circular; local
oscillator (LO) = 11.250 GHz. If, however, you want to tune into Dish Network's 105 or 121 satellites,
you will need a Standard FSS linear LNB. This is because the signal type and frequency are different
from the other Dish/BEV satellites. Unless you use a movable dish, you will need one LNB for each
satellite that you want to receive. A movable (DiSEqC motorized) dish will allow you to receive signals
from multiple satellites using a single LNB.
1
1.2.2 DiSEqC Switch
Unlike standard IRDs, the FTA receivers use a Digital Satellite Equipment Control (DiSEqC) switch.
This is required if you are hooking up two to four LNBs to your FTA receiver
It is very important to emphasize that the SW-21, SW-44, and other standard Dish Network switches are
100% incompatible with your FTA receiver. They cannot be used with the Pansat 2500A or in
combination with a DiSEqC Switch. The new DishPro LNBs (black DP label) have a built-in DiSEqC
switch and can be used with the Pansat 2500A.
Pictured above are examples of switches and LNBs that will not work with any part of your FTA setup.
1.2.3 DiSEqC Motors
This is an option not offered by Dish Network or Bell ExpressVu but is familiar to those who remember
C-band. Instead of having multiple dishes and LNBs for all the satellites, why not just have a single
dish that moves between satellites? That's what a Horizon-to-Horizon (HH) motor is for.
There are three types of HH motors. The one pictured above is a DiSEqC 1.2 motor. The other two are
the STAB/USALS motor and the DiSEqC 1.3. All three essentially do the same thing: move the dish
using the remote control of your FTA receiver. This is accomplished by connecting a standard coax
from the receiver to the motor and a second coax from the motor to the LNB. The receiver powers the
motor.
2
1.2.4 Pansat 2500A, the Receiver
The Pansat 2500A Receiver
1.3 Setting up the Receiver
The following describes how to convert a Pansat 2500A to receive Nagravision (Bell ExpressVu and
Dish Network) encrypted signals. Study the Pansat 2500A User's Manual and play with the receiver's
Menu to become familiar with the Menu system before you go any further. Be forewarned that the
Menu system will not be exactly the same after converting the Pansat 2500A, some options may be
missing or settings pre-configured. However, the new menu system will be very similar. I suggest that
you jump to the Appendix and read Section 2.7 Cooling Suggestions/Recommendations p. 89. Some
of the recent .bins cause the CPU to run quite hot and you may want to add some cooling the Pansat
2500A.
1.3.1 What you need
You will need the following:
1) D Sub 9-pin RS-232 Serial Cable with female connecters on both ends and with pins 2, 3, and 5
wired straight thru.
2) The a .bin Downloader program ("2300_2500_1500 Downloader.exe").
3) The latest X-85....bin file. Always check for a newer version before loading.
4) Channel Master 1.05.04 or newer: http://sharpc.dyndns.info/CM/update.aspx
5) Channel List (DIDO SMITH's channel list or any recent .gtd that suites your needs)
Note: If you are using a Dish-500 with a DishPro Twin or Quad LNBF, you must use a channel
list created specifically for it. You can find the latest Channel Lists at the channel lists
section of your favorite forum. See section 1.5 The Dish-500 Setup p. 16 and Appendix 2.2
All About LNBs and Switches p. 58.
6) Satellite Finding program, such as this one: http://www.arachnoid.com/satfinder
7) Compass
8) Satellite Finder tool (optional)
The above .exe, .bin, and .gtd files can be found in the Downloads section at http://forums.al7bar.tk/.
Look in both the Channel Lists and Pansat 2500 sections. This manual's instructions may not be
completely accurate when you use file versions that were not current with the writing of this manual.
Follow any special loading instructions that are included with the .bin in the .zip that you downloaded.
If there are no instructions included, follow those below. Unzip the files into a convenient and easy to
find folder.
1.3.2 The Cable
You will need a D-Sub (DE) 9-pin female-to-female cable to connect the computer's COM port to the
Pansat 2500A's COM port in order to load a bin and setup the channels. See the image below:
The maximum length of this cable is 6 feet and it has pins 2, 3, and 5 wired straight thru.
3
1.3.3 Loading A Bin
To ensure that you have no problems performing any of the following procedures, it is a good idea to
disconnect your computer from the Internet and your network before continuing. Then shut down your
firewall and anti-virus programs, since these can interfere with data transmission through your COM
ports.
1.3.3.1 Loading A Bin with the Downloader program
Note that the following procedure may become out-of-date with future .bin files. If you are using my
"Pansat 2500A EZ Start 2.zip", then the X-85...bin and .gtd files should be checked for newer working
versions before continuing.