How does a satellite account get verified?

jmcgsd wrote:
Not exactly keeping me awake at night, but I am curious about how a satellite provider (DISH, Sirius, etc.) validates that a legal device is connecting and determines what services are available to that device? I presume that even though there is no large transmitting antenna for the device, it somehow transmits a signal to the satellite, but would like a more detailed explanation.

Thanks.

No, no signal is broadcast to the satellite from the receiver. I am not sure what you mean by a legal device. The antenna certainly doesn't care and the satellite just broadcasts a signal so anything that can receive that signal will receive it. The signal is scrambled and the receiver decodes it so you can view it. The "card" that DirecTV use and the internal card that Dish uses is what tells the receiver that you are allowed to view the programming. Years ago there were a lot of folks using illegal cards and computer programs to defeat this options but that's all pretty much gone these days.
Maybe you could explain what illegal device you are hoping to use.