The only upgrade that is required is in the modification of some of the outside electronics at the dish. The upgrade involves the feed and LNB, which are above the center of the dish, usually under a plastic cover. DBS Basics DBS stands for Direct Broadcast Satellite. DBS is broadcast by medium and high powered satellites operating in the microwave Ku band. These high powered, high frequency satellites make it possible for the signals to be picked up on a small dish.
Digital compression makes it possible to have many channels on a single satellite.
The current DBS systems that are operating in the USA are DSS, DISH Network, and Primestar. The DSS and DISH Network systems both have 18 inch satellite dishes. Primestar has a 3 foot satellite dish. One of the big advantages of DBS systems is that the small dish does not have to move. All current DBS systems in the U.S. have nothing but scrambled channels and require descrambling with their own special receivers.