Stupid "Smart Cards"

One thing I was unaware of when I purchased a receiver was how the "Smart Cards" work on the Dish Network units.I wanted to get a second receiver for my father. I found a unit identical to his that was refurbished, it did not gee with a smart-card, but I thought that was no big deal - we can just use the smart card from his current system.Lesson 1) Smart Cards are linked directly to an indivdual unit and cannot be used in any other receiver.Ok, now I know I need a unit with a smart card. I found a good-working used receiver with a blue smart card.Lesson 2) The blue smart cards are no longer supported by Dish Network.So I now have two receiver which are essentially useless, and no gift for my 80 year old father.Dish Network says they will sell you a Smart Card that will work (in both cases), but it costs around $60.-Matt