# What to do with old receiver?



## Tenor (Sep 3, 2007)

Hey everyone, I would just like to know what you guys are doing with your old receivers? When I say old, I have a Sony SAT-A2, which is probably like around 10 years old.

The reason I am asking is because I would feel horrible to pollute the environment by throwing it in the garbage.

Any advice is appreciated.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Have you met: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=141733


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Electronics Recycler. 

Sadly that is about all you can do. I had one of the original Sony receivers for Directv and no one wants them. Considering for $50-$70 you can get a brand new one with all the latest and greatest features, most just go that route.

About the only exception are the Directivos which you can get a bit of money for on eBay and such.


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## navy8ball (Mar 23, 2002)

if you have an old receiver and it still works give it to a friend that doesn't have a dish or cable if they can see any type of programming it maybe very welcomed.i gave a dish 510 to my niece and they watch the free shows on it even though they don't subscribe.they can't afford cable or satellite so they only get ota programming.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I threw mine in the garbage, sans the two I sold. I could careless about the environment, I just wanted them out of my way.


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## Tenor (Sep 3, 2007)

Grentz said:


> Electronics Recycler.
> 
> Sadly that is about all you can do. I had one of the original Sony receivers for Directv and no one wants them. Considering for $50-$70 you can get a brand new one with all the latest and greatest features, most just go that route.
> 
> About the only exception are the Directivos which you can get a bit of money for on eBay and such.


That's the thing, every recycle program I've seen says nothing about accepting old satellite receivers.


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## Tenor (Sep 3, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> I threw mine in the garbage, sans the two I sold. I could careless about the environment, I just wanted them out of my way.


Wow.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> I threw mine in the garbage, sans the two I sold. I could careless about the environment, I just wanted them out of my way.


:nono2: :nono2: :nono2: :nono2: :nono2: :nono2: :nono2: :nono2:


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

If it makes you hippies feel better, I don't throw my DVD Players in the garbage, I take them to the local pawn shop and get some $$$$$. That's the only green I'm into. My VCRs however, are rotting in a landfill somewhere though. As long as it's not in my way I don't care.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Tenor said:


> That's the thing, every recycle program I've seen says nothing about accepting old satellite receivers.


Our area transfer station does take "electronics" for recycling. But I'm not so sure that's a good thing as I really don't know where they are going. Probably to China so that the poisons can be concentrated in one small geographic region to the detriment of the poor people there. I know the local green folks would be appalled but I really think we affluent Americans ought to poison ourselves, not others.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

phrelin said:


> Our area transfer station does take "electronics" for recycling. But I'm not so sure that's a good thing as I really don't know where they are going. Probably to China so that the poisons can be concentrated in one small geographic region to the detriment of the poor people there. I know the local green folks would be appalled but I really think we affluent Americans ought to poison ourselves, not others.


Even the Chinese Government admits the problem.

http://www.env.go.jp/recycle/3r/en/asia/02_03-4/08.pdf

All this stuff goes into shacks of the poor to take apart and sell the components to be used in new electronic gear or extract marketable metals. What is left is causing real bad pollution. That DVR you have may have parts taken out of an old computer. :eek2:


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> If it makes you hippies feel better, I don't throw my DVD Players in the garbage, I take them to the local pawn shop and get some $$$$$. That's the only green I'm into. My VCRs however, are rotting in a landfill somewhere though. As long as it's not in my way I don't care.


Do you understand how you're perceived when you say things like that? I know you say you don't care what others think, but I'm just curious if you _know_ what others are thinking when you spew isolationist garbage like that.


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## Jaspear (May 16, 2004)

tcusta00 said:


> Do you understand how you're perceived when you say things like that? I know you say you don't care what others think, but I'm just curious if you _know_ what others are thinking when you spew isolationist garbage like that.


I like it and agree completely with him. The people at my transfer station station tell me that if the county can't break even "recycling" items (including electronics), they just haul them off to a landfill. I would much rather _actually_ recycle something at a pawn shop and get paid for my effort, instead of having some gubbermint bureaucrat haul it to a landfill or "recycle" it in China. I'm just sayin'....

And yeah.....I know exactly how I'm perceived. I'm completely guilt free about that, too.


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## cjever19 (Jun 2, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> I threw mine in the garbage, sans the two I sold. I could careless about the environment, I just wanted them out of my way.


How about your water supply? Care about that?

Nothing like a little lead and mercury in your shower water.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Jaspear said:


> I like it and agree completely with him. The people at my transfer station station tell me that if the county can't break even "recycling" items (including electronics), they just haul them off to a landfill. I would much rather _actually_ recycle something at a pawn shop and get paid for my effort, instead of having some gubbermint bureaucrat haul it to a landfill or "recycle" it in China. I'm just sayin'....
> 
> And yeah.....I know exactly how I'm perceived. I'm completely guilt free about that, too.


Ok, thanks for throwing in your two cents. Like cjever said, do you actually care about your water supply?

Anyhow, :backtotop

Sorry for deviating...


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Please, don't feed the troll.


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

My first thought was Yardapult, but I can't find any links to that old SNL fake ad.

Second thought is donating to a thrift store. Hobbyists seem to find some good parts in them old receivers.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Donate to a trade school to be used in class for teaching or repair. When I went to electronics school they welcomed old consumer electronics products to use in labs.


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## Jaspear (May 16, 2004)

tcusta00 said:


> Ok, thanks for throwing in your two cents.


You're welcome! 



> Like cjever said, do you actually care about your water supply?


Yeah I do. Which is why I would rather have them recycled at a pawn shop or taken to a modern landfill, rather than poisoning the water supply in China. But if doing that makes you feel less guilty, knock yourself out.


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

The Chinese send us Melamine in return.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Jaspear said:


> You're welcome!
> 
> Yeah I do. Which is why I would rather have them recycled at a pawn shop or taken to a modern landfill, rather than poisoning the water supply in China. But if doing that makes you feel less guilty, knock yourself out.


I wasn't commenting on the pawn shop idea... if you _really_ think I'd have a problem with someone taking old electronics to a pawn shop... well, I don't know, maybe you have a reading comprehension problem - what pawn shop takes VCRs anymore? Else you were trying to pick a fight.

I got good money on the latter. :sure:


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## Jaspear (May 16, 2004)

tcusta00 said:


> I wasn't commenting on the pawn shop idea... if you _really_ think I'd have a problem with someone taking old electronics to a pawn shop... well, I don't know, maybe you have a reading comprehension problem - what pawn shop takes VCRs anymore? Else you were trying to pick a fight.
> 
> I got good money on the latter. :sure:


Oh, I don't know....... "spew isolationist garbage" sounded pretty confrontational to me, but what do I know? 

You asked if I cared about my water supply. I answered you. The guilt trip comment was just a bonus.


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## 87vert (Aug 31, 2008)

I've seen them at the local thrift stores so you could always donate it.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

I'm not so sure about electronics recycling outfits anymore, after watching the report on them on 60 Minutes last night (11/9). That was pretty horrifying seeing where a lot of "recycled electronics" end up in China.


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## jclewter79 (Jan 8, 2008)

I know that E* will give you $10 for old receivers when doing an upgrade even if they are owned, althought you do not have to send an owned one in if you do not want to. Might call D* and see what they say.


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## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

I keep one old RCA around in case the inlaws or my daughter comes to visit for more than a week. Then I just activate it for a couple of weeks so they have something to watch in the guest room. It was kinda comical the last time I activated it. The DTV CSR on the other end of the line kept asking for numbers that weren't on the box. I'm guesing software they use to process activations needs the number on the access card plus another serial like number from the receiver. My old RCA just has the number from the access card. After about 20 minutes of trying various things we finally got it to activate.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

jclewter79 said:


> I know that E* will give you $10 for old receivers when doing an upgrade even if they are owned, althought you do not have to send an owned one in if you do not want to. Might call D* and see what they say.


D* won't take them back. I had an R15 that I deactivated and tried to sell on eBay (which D* does not allow - auction was canceled). I called to ask them about it and said I'd just send it back so it didn't end up in a landfill. The CSR said they had no way to handle that. They could only send me a recovery box for leased equipment. I ended up giving it to a friend.


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