How To Hack Winegard Portable Satellite Dishes

[@xyzabc4574]

Dude wanted to stop recording a video and geek out on that sky map command. But he didn't. He pressed on and delivered a video. What a legend. An absolute hero.

[@saveitforparts]

I definitely have to come back and poke at that some more!

[@VroomvroomNY]

​@@saveitforpartsI'm curious too!

[@sethswheelhouse]

I say let the ADHD win. I want to know what the sky map command does!!

[@benayers8622]

i doubt people like this will exist after the ipad and Ai generations grow up🤦‍wish my friends were this smart lol 👍

[@rosso4122]

not all heros wear capes

[@myfavoriteviewer306]

Your disclaimer about hacking gave me a good chuckle. Just yesterday, my daughter told me about her day at school. She has just got in to Minecraft and was excited to talk to her friends at lunch and found some great "hacks" for the game then said, "But don't worry, dad. They're not, like, you know, bad hacks. Just cool things you can do." 😂

[@morcova]

That is freaking adorable.

[@timothyreeves615]

This is exactly the kind of content that I love to stumble upon: passionate people talking about things they’re passionate about. No fluff, no drama, just “look at this cool thing!” Love it!

[@FailedSquare]

Those are stepper motors, no gears inside. What youre hearing sounds really bad but its actually not hurting any gears. Its just the motor cogging as it tries to bump to the next pole.

[@lutomson3496]

was going to say the same thing he has no idea of the mechanics behind

[@DerrangedGadgeteer]

I was gonna say it probably has a breakaway clutch. They sound horrible and chincey, but you can just let a breakaway cluch grind almost indefinitely without breaking anything.

[@paulforester6996]

Like an Apple iie 5 1/4" floppy drive?

[@hooskworks]

This is it. Sensorless homing of things with steppers isn't too uncommon because end stop switches are just another point of failure compared with turning down the drive current and skipping steps against the mechanical stop.

[@TheLifeOfKane]

Buncha nerds up in here 😂😂 it got increasingly nerdier, like you had to out-nerd one another 😂😂 Tell us you're intellectually insecure without telling us you're intellectually insecure 😂

[@highseassailor]

"I'm not doing anything illegal, up in space..." "No, special agent, I can guarantee he was still down here on the Earth at the approximate time of his last transmission..."

[@robertl5282]

HAL stands for `hardware abstraction layer`, we use it as a term for software that lets us interface to the bare hardware and its drivers from the operating system.

[@alisharifian535]

Windows has one, Hall.dll in system32

[@John-wd5cb]

​​@@alisharifian535Cortana please find Hall.dll in the system folder. Cortana: I cant let you do this Dave..

[@JxH]

"I'm afraid that I can't do that Dave."

[@patchvonbraun]

I haven't watched TV on any kind of regular basis in probably 25 years. I don't miss it at all.

[@TryItAgainTomorrow]

I saw the thumbnail and thought for a second Technology Connections was doing a video on the history of hard hats :D

[@saveitforparts]

Lol!

[@oliverbyrne3209]

I have no understanding or knowledge of anything engineering based with regards to radios or satellites etc but I found this channel fascinating😂😂😂 watching from the UK. 👍

[@nickldominator]

Regarding the G3, you might want to find and lookup the FCCID of the device. The FCC requires RF equipment to be inspected before being sold commercially in the US. The FCC will tear-down the devices and take high-resolution pictures of the internals, and publish information about the frequencies it operates in as we as sometimes the modes. This might provide some information as to if it has Bluetooth or WiFi or some other RF control capability. I use this method all the time to figure out what chips & signals are used in devices I want to hack around with before I buy or teardown a device and potentially kill it.

[@jfbeam]

That's true of transmitters, not receivers. But sometimes you get lucky.

[@friendly_alkali]

sadly i couldn't find anything that looked promising under the winegard company id (C3D), but it's definitely possible that there's some module that may be subject, or things were certified under a different company

[@themoncolefish]

Glad I found this channel. Loving Gabe's personality. This is a great channel to watch.

[@randalltockes2247]

I love how you're figuring this out as you go. It's cool to see other people work through the hurdles. Awesome channel

[@NerdiestPerson]

Always nice to see things like this being used for things they were never really intended. I've discovered that I really like Node Red for interfacing with serial devices like this. In this case you could not only throw together a simple GUI for the interface in a few minutes (probably less than an afternoon including install/learning time for Node Red), but you could use it to process that sky map data into a file, chart, database, etc. I did something similar for an HDMI matrix switch with a serial USB port I had picked up to create a "phone app" for it (before determining that the remote was just less of a hassle and reclaiming the Pi).

[@JabrinkTheStink]

Im here early! Just found you a couple weeks ago and I am captivated. I am not an RF engineer or a hobbyist, but I am amazed at the things you do in these videos. Love your stuff man

[@ItzRetz]

I have never done anything satellite/antenna related in my life, but I still find videos like this so fascinating. This sort of thing seems like exactly the kind of hobby that I'd like to get into.

[@memostothefuture]

I love the energy of your videos. Never stop.

[@markintexas9258]

RS45 is used in a lot of point of sale systems to connect receipt printers and other peripherals.

[@williamteuthorn7413]

Slot machines too.

[@classicalgasemission]

I believe industrial tech uses RS485 because it's less susceptible to noise interference.

[@Peter_S_]

Lots and lots of multi-station HVAC control systems use RS-485 between the thermostats, the controller, and the remote air dampers.

[@RyuAzuku]

Bruh your vids are so cool. Never realized any of this was easy enough for a casual person to do(as long as they have the right equipment)

[@h.e.pennypacker4728]

I have almost zero interest in satellites but keep coming back for each vid, keep the content flowing!!

[@brianbarker2551]

I could watch you play with these all day, now I really want to see what you can get them to do.

[@n3lee]

FYI - The debug connection may actually be INSIDE the injector on your G3 -- as that's what's sending the commands, not the board on the motherboard, it appears.... or, it can communicate using sideband data through the modem connection.... worth trying anyhow!

[@horsthorstmann2480]

Great, a new video and it’s even 30min long 😅 that’s exactly what I wanted right now 👍🏻

[@FalconwingAC]

Love your content! I'd explain what you're doing as more like "Kit bashing" instead of "Hacking". Was coined from taking pieces and parts from different model kits to make something new model. Pretty similar to what you do! 😁

[@311engineering]

I still love the mesh fold up dish you got. If you don’t need it anymore, I know a person who would love it. Still good stuff, cheers.

[@saveitforparts]

I still use that one for a lot of projects! :-)

[@testcardsandmore1231]

When I started collecting brochures and booklets from my local electronics stores as a kid in the late '80s, Winegard was one of the first brands a came across. I live in Sweden and we never really had those 10 feet plus dishes here but they were still quite big. Too big and too expensive for my parents at least. :) It's cool that Winegard is still around. Many other brands and manufacturers of satellite equipment are long gone...

[@mushroomsamba82]

A good wipe down with some vinegar helps to get rid of the smoke smell along with giving it some time to air out.

[@anantakesharipanda4085]

Diluted bleach solution does the trick too! It also removes some discolouration or yellowing as an added bonus.

[@RinoaL]

I find it interesting how some people would spend so much money to have TV or internet at their campsite. They tended to be the people who didn't appreciate being there so much, and spent too much time preoccupied with what I would consider "playing the game that human civilization presents to us as an optional waste of time". Careers and money and such.

[@NotDrDre]

Good stuff as usual. I’m eager to see what you learn about the signal scan program you found on the G2.

[@SawdustSoftwareSiliconChippy]

Wow, it's using Cassegrain reflectors. That's usually more difficult to design, than the usual vanilla parabolic style. And then to skip-out on 20c limit switches? Bean counter mindset (and the profits from designed obsolescence). Taking the 'dish' on family picnics.... And 'they' say, American can't do sarcasm 😆 At least you have 'control' of your humor! 😆 Another great presentation!

[@michaellichter4091]

You can never have too many satellite dishes, because having is better than needing. Who even watches TV with a satellite dish when there are so many other ways to use a satellite dish? Items from smoking households are really awful; I have a tape recorder that initially smelled really bad of smoke, but over the years it has lost the smell. The sound of gears when they hit the stop sounds terrible; it seems like a job for the 3D printer. With the disguised satellite dish, I’d be afraid that Bigfoot might stumble over me because he wouldn’t see me. That was very informative. Now I'm looking forward to the next videos. People disappear on the Appalachian Trail; I think the Appalachian Trail is a mystery.

[@raym9691]

It's great that you did a more independence how to video on hacking these units, im extremely interisted in making one if I could find one near me

[@wxfield]

That was a good one. Now I have to get one and figure out how to rig it with a light weight 2m/70cm antennas..

[@TheTrueMissingLink]

I absolutely loved hearing that knocking noise when the first model started up. The hardware likely didn't have a sensor to know what position it was in, much like an old Apple IIe floppy disk drive moving the read/write head to the outermost track 40 times making a similar grinding/knocking noise. I assume the same/similar thing is happening here.

[@daveys]

Two options Gabe: Either pipe the output to a file (if that’s an option), or… bear in mind that you can just take the RX pins of an RS232 to a second RS232 where you can read the data and pipe it into a file or get another program to record it, maybe Python. I’ve done this to get data out of devices and send it to programs that it wasn’t supposed to go to. Good luck!

[@saveitforparts]

Good ideas! I'll have to try that.

[@daveys]

@@saveitforparts - It was me who e-mailed you, but thanks for the reply here as well ;-)

[@drkastenbrot]

@@saveitforparts just use a different terminal program like tio. screen lacks a lot of features such as logging.

[@adamboggs4745]

Screen can log... You can pass it the -L flag to log everything, or C-a H or :hardcopy to log the scrollback, or C-a H: to toggle logging of the current screen, or jump into the scrollback and select text and copy it to a paste buffer, then paste it into another screen with C-a ]. I use screen daily for development and for a serial terminal as well.

[@drkastenbrot]

@@adamboggs4745 screen does not do any of the tty features well enough for me to use it, it wasnt meant to deal with the intricacies of serial communication and does not support modern autocompletion and syntax

[@eliotmansfield]

rs485 used on for modbus (such as electricity meters solar inverters and industrial control), ptz cctv cameras and still widely used in the entertainment industry for controlling lighting under the guise of DMX - as you noted it’s just a robust, longer distance and multi device(bus) version of 232 - so hardly “obscure”

[@sldkjh]

Dear Gabe. If I listen to your story about hoarding, I recognize myself. You know best how many satellite dishes you really need but after a while of typing in the same keywords into the different places you will see that a specific amount of satellite dishes can be enough, and you can stop hoarding them actively. Hoard as many as you like and use them as an array if possible. Good luck Gabe!

[@drunkonacid]

What are these keywords that I need to type and where am I typing them to know when enough is enough?

[@pappyjohn8142]

Iamgine being “that guy” who watched over 5 min only to find out its not one of those “hacking tv” videos….😂

[@johndeaux8815]

I'd love to see the analytics on unsubbed viewership around the 5:30 mark 😂

[@saveitforparts]

Lol, there's always someone who's hoping I'll show them how to get free sportsball and HBO :-P

[@moormoor4281]

Thanking you most kindly from England

[@UnitSe7en]

Skymap! Skymap! SKYMAP! You have to do skymap.

[@TRIPPLEJAY00]

You're never board. LOVE IT.

[@ThalassTKynn]

I wonder if you could tty into the G3's external box and control it through that. *edit* if you can do that, maybe you could use that to get the signal out of it, too. Then you could keep the dish housing intact, and mount it outside while the external control box (or a pi that spoofs its signals) inside somewhere like the monorail or the Sandland tunnels

[@pileofstuff]

I had the same thought. There might be a serial port of some type hiding inside that box.

[@micaelsilva]

Maybe the G3 can receive coordinates in the DISECQ protocol? If they can “dance” when the box is plugged in maybe that’s how it gets the commands

[@stormchaser300]

That's what i reckon too.

[@classicalgasemission]

I worked as a technician at an RV place (I was the satellite / solar guy). I, too questioned how this was "camping". I was told that it actually isn't camping, but "RV-ing". I suppose a house on wheels make all the difference. Anyway, I used to work as an electronics technician and regularly used a piece of DOS software called "Telix" to communicate with various electronics via the serial port. I had one piece of tech that involved me typing things into it, noting the results and writing them down. Thankfully, Telix has it's own programming language called "SALT". I learned how to use it and wrote a program that interacted automatically with this particular piece of tech, and even generated a test report. The nice thing about SALT is it's geared specifically towards using the serial port and log files. Might be something for you to look into to make your programming life easier. It should theoretically work with DOSbox. Just don't count on it being Y2K compliant ;)

[@saveitforparts]

I remember trying to camp (like with a tent) near Los Angeles and every "campground" I called asked what size RV we had. When I mentioned a tent they acted like I was homeless :-P

[@dmacpher]

And to think I woke up this morning and asked this exact question! 😂

[@joshearhart6142]

Gabe we need some proof of life footage of the kitties....

[@michaelterrell]

Wineguard has been in business for over 50 tears. The manufactured outdoor TV antennas and related items The other big player was Channel Master.

[@pauls5745]

Even if you didn't want these for the dish, it's a quick position-able turntable, mount anything on it, but I'm thinking to experiment with a laser pen first.

[@thomasvnl]

RS485 is a lot more robust over longer lengths of wire because it uses differential pairs. Also, HAL can stand for Hardware Abstraction Layer (although it might not in thise case, but who knows, its an embedded software term)

[@amtrak1007]

RS-485 aka DMX is what the entertainment lighting world runs on. Also DCC for your model trains.... For trivia purposes ;)

[@DoRC]

I know it sounds terrible but the noise you're hearing is just the stepper motor losing steps. It's basically the rotor inside the stepper motor bouncing back and forth between two magnets. The sound is being amplified by the design of the mechanism which definitely makes it sound worse. That being said it's unlikely it would ever actually cause a problem.

[@captmulch1]

I’m using Linux, and don’t have to use Windoze nonsense. You da man bro …

[@oldnit10]

Sick video man one idea I had was maybe you could mount solar panels on these and track the sun over the course of the day if you have so many

[@Maaniic]

RS485 is still extremely common in buildings and industrial control, usually as the physical transport for Modbus-RTU. It is great great for long distance low/medium bandwith multidrop communication that works in fairly noisy environments.

[@DonnyLA]

Cool vid 👍 any vid with HAL is cool 😂 sky map sounds interesting 🤔

[@KyleQuamme]

For those that don't have the RS232 and RS485 stuff laying around, you can buy a FTDI or similar USB to RS485 cable instead of having to convert RS485 to RS232 and then RS232 to USB.

[@johnandrews23]

I grew up in Burlington, some of the locals who worked for that company called the place Wine-O-Garbage. 😅

[@myself248]

Next step: Glue a small Pi or something to the back of the brainboard and either stick a battery in there, or tap power from the brainboard, and just interface to it over wifi. When you plug in the USB A-A, first sudo dmesg -w which will watch the kernel messages so you can see any messages from a new device being plugged in or detected. I might have to nab one of these G3's to poke at it!

[@JamesHalfHorse]

RS485 is great for what it is. I think without reremembering it's basically balanced serial just like balanced audio compared to line. Great for noisy enviroments, going long distances, etc. It's just like you said not much in the consumer or even the pro world I don't think I use any at our radio station but seen it a lot in industrial. Also digital signs and access control that use UHF RS485 modems to program instead of digging up the parking lot to run the lines at least until wifi bridges became more common and reliable. I am wondering now if you could use the guts of one of those to drive larger motors to move a much bigger dish... Great now I am getting ideas.

[@Gunbudder]

those 485 adapters can get EXPENSIVE lol. you can usually find a 485 to USB adapter though to avoid having that extra 232 to USB in there. StarTech has a 232/422/485 USB port for about 100 bucks which is actually really cheap considering that some of the National Instruments 485 adapters can run up to $1000. you just have to remember that 422/485 does NOT have a standard pinout and you need to look up the pinout for every single different adapter you own. sometimes the pinouts will be different for adapters in the same brand lol. i usually made up a cable for each manufacturer that converted their pinout to my lab's "standard" pinout that our devices all used.

[@sleepib]

HAL may be Hardware Abstraction Layer.

[@lefthandedcat8766]

you should definitely look into wireless serial adapters for interfacing with these especially when you don't know if they're going to spin around like a top whenever they feel like it as part of the homing sequence. they're available for pretty cheap online and won't risk you unplugging or breaking a cable because of a bad command

[@ferrumignis]

I'd be looking closely at those unpopulated footprints on the G3, especially the 8 pin one near the reset button as it's quite common for debug ports on commercial devices to not have the connector populated. If you can get the part number of the processor you should be able to find out which pins can be configured for UART operation and then get your multimeter out and see if they end up at some unpopulated connector footprint.

[@stevec5000]

Since DirecTV receivers can control these dishes and direct them to go to the satellite you could hook up one of them and monitor the signals to see how it works. If you change the LNB you can use those for FTA satellites, at least the stronger ones since they are pretty small. I just checked FTA again and the satellites have moved, what was once Galaxy 25 is now Galaxy 19!

[@madmike178]

Fun video! As for your serial port woes you probably are not in group dialout in /etc/group

[@MaxRenke]

How have I been watching you for over 2 years and just now learning your name is Gabe?

[@johndoughcrypto9688]

Really enjoy your channel; I just like learning about electronics and other cool things and your content fits that for sure! I'm curious, what kind of work do you do for a living?

[@saveitforparts]

I just have a boring office job :-P

[@Huhsaywhat1964]

Nice video Gabe. I have been diligently trying to find something about your Bendix dome you have. Did you find out what it is? Maybe a portable weather radar something???

[@saveitforparts]

Never did figure it out. I have an idea for how to use it, just haven't had time to put stuff together.

[@Huhsaywhat1964]

I’m not gonna quit dammit !!!!

[@spacenomad5484]

HAL ist Hardware Abstraction Layer, basically just libraries provided by the processor manufacturer so the developers don't have to mess with the hardware's specific addresses and bits to do stuff, they can just write "start a serial connection on periphery device #1" without any knowledge of how to talk to that peripheral. On the G3 model, I'd start to poke around the "ICSP" header above the AZ(imuth) cutout on the board. It's the In-Circuit Serial Programmer/ing port used for, among other things, flashing the progam image onto the controller while it's mounted (in-circuit). As the name suggests, it should use a simple serial connection (UART). The "WiFi-Looking traces" on the board look to me like controlled impedance transmission lines for the RF signals. The CPLD JTAG header I assume is for some kind of FPGA/DSP implementation, basically the RF Frontend used to process the received signal into its demodulated representation, so I think JTAG is not necessary to tinker with the controller itself. BTW the ICSP header is a somewhat-standard pinout along with the mounting holes, I've seen connectors that clip into the holes and make a connection with the pads on the board using pogo pins, but I don't know the exact name of that connector.

[@robertstratton6444]

Would LOVE to find any of these with linear LNBs. Even though the DTH services and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) transponders aren't the flamethrower that the DBS services have, it is surprising what one can catch with a comparatively small dish and a decent LNA.

[@saveitforparts]

Some of these use a fairly standard LNB, and some use a low-profile model. Maybe you could swap in one of the FTA LNBs? I haven't done much with that since I can't find any good FTA channels here.

[@thaboom4]

I'd open up the G3's power supply. It looks like it has two way communication to control and get status from the dish. There may be a serial interface in there and it might be compatible with the G2 as well.

[@EmmetEdwards]

You got so many dishes and other related stuff you may as well make a bird bath. That definitely seems like a project you would do.

[@saveitforparts]

We have a goldfish pond in the garden, the little tweety birds like it :-)

[@datmanflyliketeca]

Do a video on the skymap, I'm as interested as you now!

[@AuTo69420]

Ive got a raging clue about that USB port and the skymap output

[@brandoncstadler]

485 is used for non ip cctv ptz cams still. Also there's a way to wire 485 it work with 232 without an adapter. Side note I work with 232 every day

[@mblack4d]

JTAG is likely your rs485 or rs232 connection. It will take some doing with an oscilloscope or multi-meter. Would be interesting to see what dev tools are on the G3. I have a newer one I think g5 I’ll open it up and see what’s on it

[@archloy]

Speaking of wired connectors for RS432, 485, etc, you can find serial ports with RJ50 (if I remember correctly), just a bit bigger than RJ45 Ethernet. The Ethernet style connector will plug, do it's "clic", all fine. BUT the plastic borders will be aligned with the outer pins of the connector. It works nice for RS232, but protocols using the outer pins with the correct cable will not works correctly and it's a pain to fix.

[@ocsrc]

The system I saw for Hugesnet satellite two-way Internet had an XML file that you could edit to point to another satellite and add any satellite positions you wanted

[@tekvax01]

RS-485 is an addressable differential serial similar to RS-422. RS-232 is only a single phase serial signal, and is not addressable. RS-485 is not weird, nor is it obscure, it is still used everywhere.

[@Leon-kf2tx]

what a cute little dish

[@JxH]

Beware "trying" what seem to be Ethernet or other supposedly standard connectors. Some system designers misuse connectors for totally different signaling protocols. Best to reverse engineer the circuit (just a bit, adjacent chips) to make sure before connecting to your favorite PC. I wouldn't put it past them to (mis-)use a tempting connector for a power supply. 🙂

[@gjdunga]

@saveitforparts Hey Gabe, Regarding the G3, try opening up the power box and see if there is a RS484 port there..

[@saveitforparts]

Good idea!

[@yadabub]

When Hal wants to wait for the antenna to fail, don't do it. It upsets him.

[@VitorFM]

This is no ARM, this has a Freescale (philips/NXP IC's) microcontroller. Maybe it says something about serial connection on the datasheet. JTAG is a more low level debug and firmware extraction/programming.

[@anantakesharipanda4085]

And? Tell my man how he can get into the firmware of that G3 dish like the G2, before he dismantles it.

[@VitorFM]

@@anantakesharipanda4085 I don't have enough info to help him

[@hateercenor]

This is full duplex RS-484 hence the need for a converter to RS-232. Strange since normally RS-485 is setup with one pair in a multipoint configuration.

[@cheako91155]

BTW the raspberry pi has one or two serial ports built in that may be worth tapping into if you do a lot with rs232.

[@viruslab1]

interesting stuff ❤

[@briansouth9325]

If steve wozniak designed a mobile dish like the Apple 2 floppy drives lol

[@John-wd5cb]

Portable exploding satellite dishes. The new gig of NSA.

[@pixel_tortle]

on todays episode of my strange addiction

[@kenwoodjeff]

You can get rs-485 bluetooth adaptors that would work great to avoid cable tangles.

[@thecriss88]

The G3 probably can receive service commands via the coax cable. You'd need to reverse engineer that black box you connected to it.

[@charlesurrea1451]

The one Dome reminded me of Darth helmet

[@TerminalElement]

In the wilderness where you don't want to interact with the wilderness 😂

[@cupofsadge8359]

Man is his own Space Force unit

[@michaelscheel9533]

A couple of years ago I saw for sale at the local DAV store. Still kicking myself for not getting it.

[@cj691]

Plug is a Molex MX150 series.

[@ahbushnell1]

RS-485 is the bus in your car.

[@nickldominator]

Typically, cars will use CAN rather than 485. Newer cars might use LIN.

[@williamteuthorn7413]

WMS used RS-485 in slot machines. Scientific Gaming bought out them and other slot machine manufacturers so RS-485 isn't used any more.

[@Sven_Dongle]

485 is really just long range RS232, used in industrial and scientific applications. It can span kilometers of distance without repeaters.

[@ahbushnell1]

@@nickldominator CAN is a form of RS-485.

[@ahbushnell1]

RS-485 is a hardware protocol. CAN is hardware and the communication protocol.

[@ColaTai]

Love the video! UwU

[@brianklimowski8895]

Wonder if you could see a menu screen or "map" of skymap via the RF connection to the tv set while hacking in menus,.... ?

[@makenakkila6063]

Good channel, but the shooting angles is something else :D