# Illegal cable... gotta love it!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 25, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772 "2000-08-25T22:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/1 "2000-08-25T22:59:15Z")
Its so wrong and yet ohhhhh soooooo goooooooood!!! I did it… I bought an Illegal cablebox/descrambler from Ebay! It works like a charm too my friend… all the premium channels… all the HBO’s, showtime, cinimax, the movie channel… and YUP! You guessed it… free pay-per-view. It does it all! All for a hunerd and fity dolla!!!HEHE! …and let us not forget… 2 psudoporn channels after 10:30… I would never pay 7 bucks for one of those crappy things, but HEY! Its free… hehehehe…freee… hehehehe freeeeeeeeeeeeeeee WHOOPPIIE!!! Its enough to make a grown man cry. _sniffle_ I know… you either have one… your jealous… or my theiving ass sickens you… hehe 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SILENT-BOB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@SILENT-BOB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SILENT-BOB)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/2 "2000-08-25T23:06:26Z")
☹ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/3 "2000-08-25T23:09:54Z")
I agree, silent bob ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/4 "2000-08-25T23:12:03Z")
Bad move. Now you’re going to get a bunch of people saying, “You know, stealing is _wrong_!” or, “Ya know, you shouldn’t talk about that _here_!” Sissies! All of them! Personally, I’m just jealous. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/5 "2000-08-25T23:24:17Z")
HeHe I know Demo… but like I said… I _KNOW_ its wrong… duhhh!! …and… I probably shouldn’t talk about it here… hehe, but hey… I just have ta shout it out from the rooftops. Now. Who’s coming over for the next big fight??!?!?! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/6 "2000-08-25T23:38:51Z")
I’m _there_, dude. What kinda beer d’ya like? ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/7 "2000-08-25T23:54:21Z")
Don’t tell your neighbors or any freinds you dont trust, they offer huge rewards for snitches where I live. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/8 "2000-08-26T00:01:10Z")
Sounds like just the fun thing I need. how do you know what box you need? ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/9 "2000-08-26T00:06:41Z")
Ditto. Where do you live and who’s your cable provider? Or does that stuff not matter? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/10 "2000-08-26T01:20:44Z")
You have to pay for the basic cable though, right? Oh, and I love the disclaimers from the website selling those things. “We do not condon any illegal activity. It is your responsibility to inform your local cable provider that you are receiving the channels and pay their fees.” ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/11 "2000-08-26T03:25:37Z")
Whammo, can I come over? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/12 "2000-08-26T04:13:52Z")
These boxes have an ID number. One cable company in, I believe, CA, sent queries out over their cable. asking the boxes if they were registered IDs. If not, they were able to send a signal out to fry the box. Some morons were stupid enough to take their zapped illegal boxes in for repair. Do not do this. They were sued, fined, abused, etc, etc, etc. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/13 "2000-08-26T15:17:02Z")
'These boxes have an ID number. One cable company in, I believe, CA, sent queries out over their cable. asking the boxes if they were registered IDs. If not, they were able to send a signal out to fry the box. ’ Oh, another urban legend. However, some areas the box has an activation code. If it doesn’t match the one the comp gives you then you can’t use the box. ---
**Author:** ![wireless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@wireless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wireless)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/14 "2000-08-26T17:21:19Z")
Well, for 2 years I paid for cable. I asked for it, I got it, so I paid for it. No problem. Expanded Basic and HBO. Then things got _really_ busy at work and I didn’t pay my bills for a couple months, so they sent me notices: “we’re going to disconnect”, etc. (Got the same from the Phone and Electric cos., too.). Anyway, I did sit down and pay my bills one night shortly thereafter, everybody got their money (and late fees), but not before the cable termination date came and went. The next Saturday morning, I’m lying in bed watching HBO when a telemarketer from the cable company calls to offer me a great deal on “reconnection”. _Uh, no thank you._ Seems they missed actually turning off my service, even though they stopped billing me. And since it was their mistake, (and I paid them what they asked me for), I somehow rationalize to myself that it’s OK, and not my responsibility to tell them how they goofed. _ **Is that so wrong?** _ P.S. Someone has given me one of those descrambler boxes, but I haven’t hooked it up because somehow that _does_ feel wrong. Talk about moral relativism! ---
**Author:** ![Brood\_McEto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Brood\_McEto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brood_McEto)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/15 "2000-08-26T20:16:25Z")
My dad bought a card for his DSS system from some guy he knows. I thought, “Wow, now he has almost 400 channels that will never get watched! How great is that?” He was telling me that he can watch ALL the football games, baseball, etc. Woo Hoo. I have 3 channels and I don’t even watch those. The other day he told me that his card got erased. Seems like the DSS company puts a query out every 14th or so, and erases any cards that are illegal. I don’t think he has to ‘buy’ another card from that guy, but I’m thinking he should just leave it alone. Hell, he doesn’t even live in that house. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/16 "2000-08-27T00:58:16Z")
Theft is the reason that prices go UP a lot of times… ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/17 "2000-08-27T01:26:26Z")
But here’s the clincher… They only go up for those that pay for things. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/18 "2000-08-27T06:09:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*These boxes have an ID number. One cable company in, I believe, CA, sent queries out over their cable. asking the boxes if they were registered IDs. If not, they were able to send a signal out to fry the box. > > \*\* ACK! I laughed at his foolishness!!! Silly Carnivour! I thought… then tonight… it burned out! Well… it shut down with an Error 4 message… now I just have to call the guy I bought it from and ask what an error 4 means… sheesh… and only a week and a half old… 30 money back guarantee however Damn. ☹ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/19 "2000-08-27T15:11:56Z")
Like you don’t have enough problems already. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772/20 "2000-08-27T15:18:33Z")
Guinastasia, I pay for my cable & the prices keep going up still. As a matter of fact, if there is anyone who should pirate the better channels, it would be I. B’cuz only about 15% of the tv programs I get are captioned. So Im paying for 100% but only getting 15%. The cable comp said, after 8 years of asking them for a cheaper rate cuz of this, that it’s not up to them what programs are captioned or not so I just have to keep paying that full rate. sucks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-cable-gotta-love-it/30772.md?page=2)