Analogue Satellite Descrambling Equipment

[afonsog]

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for going a bit offtopic (even if it is just by a small margin).

I am a satellite TV enthusiast from Europe and have been working with a team on a project called hacktv. Using the HackRF SDR, we generate and transmit a video signal that emulates the analog video encryption systems (Videocrypt, Eurocrypt, etc.) exactly the way they behaved in the 1990s, producing a signal that is recognizable - and decodable - using the old cards and devices. We literally keep these old machines alive!

This is, of course, well and truly only for research purposes (and nostalgia), as all analogue services have long ceased to function.

To acheive this, we depend on both the original documentation and by analysing the cards themselves, as they contain enough 'crumbs' for us to reverse-engineer and transmit the way the original channel would have done.

Having mostly done everything we can with the "standard" versions of Videocrypt that were used over here (by Sky in the UK and Multichoice in Central Europe), we are now turning our attention to the international "offshoots" of the system - Starcrypt, Newscrypt and "kiwi" Videocrypt. These were used around your parts both for pay-TV, both on Satellite and UHF.

At the moment, I am trying to find the following:
-Foxtel Analogue Boxes (Amstrad STU200 and similar - already have an analogue Foxtel card but could use another as well!)
-Sky Television NZ Videocrypt cards (there were at least two revisions)
-Videocrypt SVA3 decoder (used by EMTV and PNG)
-STARNet SND-105 decoders (used both by STAR TV and Indovision),
-Any sort of analogue viewing cards (might either say the provider's name or a more generic "News Datacom")

So I would like to ask if any TVRO "veteran" still has some of this equipment, and is willing to give us a helping hand. It's for a good cause!

If you're curious, you can check out a demonstration (on Videocrypt simulcryption) on the video below, made by my colleague Alex.


Thanks in advance
Afonso