Alan,
yeah ... I have one of those BUDs (big ugly dish). I've had them since the mid-80's .... got into it just when everything started going dark (scrambled). It was the only choice back then, and I think it still is. With BUD, I buy a-la-carte. In other words, I pay for just the channels I want .... and I am adamant about not supporting sports. No sports programs allowed on MY dish ... hahaha.
I've looked at DSS on and off over the years, but I have the same problem as I do with cable. They dictate what you can see (see above for Sports phobia) and they have you as a captive audience so everytime the management needs new Rolls-Royces ... up go the prices.
Back in the boonies in Alberta, I had a lot more time available and used to "use" the dish. I had C-Band and added Ku band so I could have fun "searching the skies". Used to watch the stuff straight from the cameras before the network chose the soundbites they'd put on the news. Got to see a lot more of the stuff like Waco, the Gulf War and other "news" than most did.
Don't have time for that now .... wife is always upset that I won't sit and watch the box with her. As I mentioned, I bought the 4DTV box to add digital capability to my setup .... but haven't bothered to install it yet (also have a DVD/VCR deck to replace the current VCR .... and that's been sitting in the garage for 4 months).
I currently have a deep fringe antenna on the roof on a 5 foot extension with a rotator .... but I've been unhappy with it since day one ... so this winter, I stripped an old 30 foot tower, repainted it .... and I just need to dig a hole, mix some concrete and install it .... as soon as I can buy some TIME. I want to get it up so that I can FINALLY install the weather station (yeah, it's been sitting in its box for at least 6 months) and get more accurate readings. Of course ... right now there's no rain to measure anyway ...
As you've gathered, most of the TV equipment is there for my wife ... who's happily retired. I just like playing with electronics .... /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif