Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!news.cs.indiana.edu!nstn.ns.ca!uupsi!rodan.acs.syr.edu!amichiel
From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: "spiking" of cable-TV descramblers
Message-ID: <1991May23.190150.3982@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Date: 23 May 91 19:01:50 GMT
References: <13867@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Distribution: na
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Lines: 39

In article <13867@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> bender@oobleck.Eng.Sun.COM (memory fault - core dumped) writes:
>Sometimes, I'm amazed at the lack of a sense of humor on some of the
>newsgroups on the net.  I posted ... cable company "spikes" to
>disable (illegal) descrambler boxes. ,...

   The really sad or confusing thing is that something sorta similiar is
what some cable companies are doing.  Many of the new boxes are addressable,
meaning that the main office can communicate with the over the cable wire.
Illegal boxes can be defined as boxes which, the serial number responds from
the wrong zone/location or boxes which respond from several zones/locations,
or boxes which respond telling the office it is descrambling servies that don't
match the office billing records, or boxes which the office doesn't have 
serial numbers on file for, or similiar things....   These illegal boxes can
be told, by the office computer to shutdown or 'break'.  But no 'high-voltage'
is involved untill you come into the office with the broken box to get it
repaired.
   This brings to mind a story, some people I knew, paid a local field cable
guy (with limited morals...) to do a illegal hookup.  The cable company had
several services, hbo, sho, cim all available without ANY box, using 'jumpers'
at the street.  From time to time, during rain storms or whatever, the cable
went out or got really fuzzy.  Of course the tennants knew enough not to call
and complain, but to wait for the problem to go away, get called in by a 
neighbor, or find this original install person.  However, for the summer,
they sublet the appartment to some goofy guys w/o this worldy experience.
One friday night, during a hobo boxing match, out went the cable.  Right on
the phone went these drunk guys, with mouths like sailors and....  Quite a
bit of trouble was had, and the original tennants ended up paying a ton of
money for back cable services.....
   Now they are actually throwing people in jail for theft of services, etc.
I'm not sure how much a year of my life is worth, but legal cable at X$ per
month sounds cheaper than Y$ for a illegal box + the % chance of getting 
caught * a year of my life.....
al


-- 
Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University
 InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu  amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu
 Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE