RCA DSS Receiver

[Jonathan]

Directv was launched in 1994 (to my knowledge). There were two "DSS Providers"(back when DSS was an actual standard and not completely baught out by the monopoly now) which were Directv and USSB. Life was good then. There was an actual standard and standardized equipment which providers abided by the standard(as close to a standard as it was). Hughes, who owned the satellites contracted RCA to make two models of the very 1st generation of DSS receivers. They were the DRD102RW and the DRD203RW. They used seperate mpeg2 video and mp2 audio decoder ICs ST Micro, a transport stream demultiplexor from ST, a micro controller from ST, a video encoder from Bt(now Conexant), and a Ku band tuner module from Comstream.

These two receivers are like the 621TS or the 630TS of postwar, or the CT-100, being the first of their kind. They are also my favorite that I use, despite how obselete compaired to the newer receivers directv has out right now. Being curious, I want to know how this receiver works and I really want to take a look at the service manual. This has nothing to do with directv piracy, as it cannot be done because of their new cards, nor is this to figure out how it can be done with their new cards. I have no interest in that, as I'm a happy subscriber since October of 1996. I want the service manual because I want to look at the schematic, and just see how it works. I like to read service manuals just for the sake of reading them, because I like to know how things work.

My question is, to all of you current or past RCA techs, do you have or can you get the service manual for the RCA DRD102RW or RCA DRD203RW? I repeat, it's not for the advancement of satellite piracy as that is proprietary information held at directv. I want it so I can play around with it, possibly adding different tuner modules, dump the mpeg video data, or even design my own. It will also prove invaluable when the power supply goes.

RCA claims that satellite receivers are send in for repair items only, and no data is available. I believe, that in the past, there were service manuals a bit for freely available, because partsolver.com had the DRD102RW manuals available, until they were probanly told to pull it because directv was afraid of that info be out in the public.

If anyone can get it or has it and can fax/mail/e-mail to me etc. it will be greately appreciated. I'll even pay a decent amount of money for it. I've been trying to track it down for a while, and all leads went dead. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again.

Jonathan

[old_tv_nut]

FWIW, my guess is that a service manual won't tell you much - everything really interesting is inside digital IC's, so unless it's a tutorial piece, all you learn is how many pins the IC has and which pins connect to which on other ICs.

[Jonathan]

Thats pretty much all I want.