Woodbury Cable Company and Cox Cable and Viacom Cable all use descramblers and 
converters to provide and protect their signal. This technology was created by 
NASA for high quality security transmission.
    
Since cable descramblers have become illegal, it is tough to get the right 
equipment to receive a clear signal. Some times this is right under your nose. 
If you are fortunate to live in a Viacom area and you are receiving one of the 
scrambled channels, you have a good shot. There are two methods used to prevent  
cable theft (which by the way carries a stiff penalty) 1. a loop type 
interference device that is on the pole connection and or the use of a 
converter/descrambler or "box". Viacom cable uses OAK INDUSTRIES boxes. They are 
commonly available in three configurations. 1) Set top 35 channel box that is 
descrambling one or more channels,2) a wire remote that does the same, 3) a 12 
channel coverter only. If you have one of the two that descramble a channel or 
two, there is a way to get them all! 
 
    Open the OAK box (you may need a special wrench-available at US General in 
Hicksville) and notice that there is a flat pc board that is connected to the 
tuner knob from the inside. A copper contact you will notice skates accross the  
many channel traces (looks like spider legs extending from a central point) as 
you change the channels. You may also notice that there may be a "cut" accross 
one of the traces. I'll bet that this is the scrambled channel you receive. The  
obvious thing to do is to cut the other traces that correspond to the other 
scrambled channels that are available to you......16,20,23,26,30,32. If you 
aren't trapped at the pole, you now have the whole nine yards!!!
 
     P.S. Say hello to HBO cause it's SHOWTIME at the PLAYBOY CHANNEL where the  
MONTAGE deserves a BRAVO! And remember boys and girls cable theft is not a joke, 
but like any other type of stealing, a real crime that has punishment at the 
other end. BUT...like an old rock'n'roll singer once said.."they got the guns 
but we got the numbers...."
 
bye now and maybe next time we'll discuss things like constructing a DUMMY LINE  
LOOP and how  to drill through Cinema 100 line traps.