My TV is a 70s era console model hooked into a DVD/VCR which is hooked into a Motorola DCT2524/1611 CaTV box I rent from my cable company.
I'd like to own the box rather than continuing to rent. When I did an internet search to find sources, my only hits were on auction sites such as eBay and message boards such as this one. Although Motorola lists a DCT25** series, it doesn't have any flavors of DCT2524 in its product lists.
This makes me wonder:
Is this model so old that it is no longer sold through retail channels? OR Is it only sold to cable companies through a system that is so restricted that I have to have a secret company ID to even get any information on it?
If it is restricted to cable companies, did the ones in the auctions fall off a truck?
What is one worth? My cable company claims $500, the auction sites run from $50-100. What would be a reasonable bid on one?
I bought a Motorola cable box off ebay. I think it might have been the same model number but I had to jump through some hoops to get my cable company to activate it.
First check with your cable company as to what models they support. It's not as simple as the 2524, there are some other numbers to be aware of and I can't remember what they are.
Before you buy the cable box get the serial number and MAC address from the seller and contact your cable company to do a search. They search to make sure it's not stolen. If it is stolen they will not activate it.
If it shows up as being clean you can go ahead and buy it, then when you receive it you contact your cable company and have them activate it.