The feedhunter is a committed individual. Whether they are tracking down feeds for their own enjoyment or for the benefit of others, they have a nose for finding the interesting, sought-after or just plain bizarre live satellite transmissions that Joe Public were just not meant to see.
Feeds can take many forms and cover many things. More often that not, they are located on the deliberately shifting sea of weaker transponders on satellites that have maybe moved on from full DTH commercial service.
They are hidden from public view only by their unusual placement in the crowded digital skies and often little else. Most are simply Free to Air, or maybe just encoded in 4:2:2 format. Keen feedhunters have the equipment to cope with 4:2:2 though. It could be as simple and inexpensive as a ***star2 PCI card.
Some satellite feeds are encrypted however. Some employ systems which have been ‘hacked’ – i.e. the encryption system has been compromised, whilst others are secure. This all adds to the mystery and suspense.
There is also a good deal of competition between recognised feedhunters to find and publish top feeds like Premiership football and other live sporting events etc. before anyone else.
But most of the top guys don’t have any fantastic secret weapons in their arsenal. Sure, they have nice satellite kit, large dishes and fast-scanning receivers, but nothing that you can’t go out and buy on a reasonable budget.
And that’s the whole point. For those that want to have a go, it’s well within your reach. All you’re lacking is their experience, but don’t let that hold you back!
