[hookem]

Hello. I am using the Hughes STB to pick up OTA signals and am connected to DirecTV (including phone line). The picture is great and I am pleased overall, but I have had a significant problem keeping the digital signals stored in the program guide. Here's what happens:


1) I get 90 to 100 in signal strength, at all times, on the five digital stations in Houston when I test it out in the installation menu. (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and FOX).


2) When I first used the box and I "scanned" for digital signals with the antenna, I picked up all the digital channels (i.e. 2-2 for NBC and 32-1 for ABC). After a while, however, the channels for CBS (11-1), ABC (32-1) and FOX (27-1) all are lost from the guide and I cannot access them even when I manually input them (i.e. punch 11-1 into the remote control).


3) What shows up for ABC, CBS and FOX instead are "DT" stations (i.e. 32 for ABC, instead of 32-1). But these are shown as analog signals, not digital. Moreover, these stations come with complete program guide information, although they are not tuned in on my TV (i.e. I see no picture). When these stations appear in the program guide I lose access to the digital signals, even when I manually input 32-1 (etc.).


4) The only corrective action I have is to go into the Installation menu and select Dish Setup, and then under local program guide go in and zero out the zip codes under "Program area." At this point the receiever takes a few minutes to "update program guide" and then I get the digital signals back.


5. However, if I turn the receiver off for an extended period of time, or I access the program guide for any purpose over the course of a few hours, I lose the digital signals (i.e. 32-1 can no longer be found, 32 comes up instead, which is of course blank.) Then I have to go back and do step no. 4 to temporarily get the digital signals back.


This obviously is very annoying. The only difference between CBS, ABC and FOX is that they are XX-1 channels whereas NBC (2-2) and PBS (80-3) do not have the suffix "1". Has anyone else encountered this problem, or do you have suggestions that might ease the problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[larry stern]

I have the same problem but have found a solution. Here's what you do. First, go into dish setup menu and set satellite dish to "none." All your correct OTA digital, virtual channels will be automatically restored. Next, under dish setup, restore your satellite to dual dish or whatever. Your guide will be re-acquired. Immediately go into setup under local channels. Select each (one by one) actual physical OTA channels and scan for analog station. For example, CBS digital, physical channel is 35 (11-1 virtual channel), so select channel 35 and scan for analog channel. Do the same for all physical OTA digital channels (32 is ABC; virtual 32-1). You will then have both local virtual and physical "slots" occupied. You will no longer lose the virtual OTA digital channels in the program guide. I hope you follow the above.

 

[wjbjr]

We have a similar problem in the Miami area with the Mitsubishi HD-5, which is identical in operation to the Hughes STB.


Two of our DT stations, 8 and 22, were unobtainable via scan or keying. Scanning picked up analog channels 8 and 22 in Key West, 150 miles away, and not viewable from Miami. Like your case, the programming appeared in the guide. The problem was caused by the inclusion of those stations in the Miami zip code coverage by DirecTv. Chances are that you will find that there are analog stations bearing your troubled numbers in a city or cities not too far away.


Other Miami area HD-5 users apparently eliminated the problem by expunging the zip code from their set up. (This eliminates local program description from the guide.) I was not so fortunate, as, even without the zip code, my guide repeatedly reverted to the Key West set up, eliminating the two local DTs. A soft reboot (SAT, ACTION, POWER) restored the proper channels for about fifteen minutes.


I spent an hour on the phone with Mitsubishi in a vain attempt to clear the STB memory. They finally agreed to give me a new STB, which was accomplished in a very civilized manner via a swap with my local dealer.


In connecting the new STB, I did not enter the zip code; and a scan gave me the proper channels sans program descriptions. This lasted for three days, when everything reverted back to the Key West arrangement. (I neglected to mention that it also brought back the local analog stations that I had unchecked.) A soft reboot corrected the situation; however it has recurred every three days since!


Now, the STB does not know where it is located, so I can only conclude that DirecTv is sending out a guide update that is zip code oriented. They know my zip code, as I subscribe to the local Miami channels. Phoning DirecTv was a waste of time and Mitsubishi said that the problem would be eliminated with the promised September guide fix. I can only hope.


I hope that Larry's solution works for you. Please let me know ([email protected]), as I don't want to mess with this thing any more than necessary.


Larry --

I thought that all of this trouble had made me a set up "expert", but I must confess that I am a bit confused as to what to do for each channel. Would you please spell it out for me in more detail? Many thanks.




------------------


Bill Brenner

 

[hookem]

Larry...


That's an ingenious idea! I just tried it and, for now, it's working. Whenever I reset the guide before I maintained the digital signals for about a day before they disappeared. So, I guess by tomorrow night, I'll know if it's working. However, it seems to make sense that you could block the other channels from appearing by selecting them in the guide. I'll let you know how it turns out.


Bill,


Sorry to hear about your grapplings with this nettlesome problem. Sure is annoying, eh? Anyway, here's what Larry suggested to do. You can hold off a day to see if it works for me, but I don't think it will hurt anything for you to try it now.


1) Go into the Installation menu and select Dish Setup. On that screen set your Dish Type to none. Exit the menu and then reopen it. Select your dish type to Dual (you do have a Dual dish, right? If not, select your type.) This automatically resets your digital channels (probably like a soft reboot does. I suppose that would work in this case, too. The point is, get your digital channels reset.)


2) Immediately after resetting the digital channels, from the Installation menu, select Local Area. In this menu, all of your digital signals should have been reset. Find a channel where the DirecTV digital channel shows up. For example, in Houston, ABC is at 32-1. However, the DirecTV channel that the guide eventually finds, which bumps the desired digital channel, is at channel 32. So to protect channel 32-1 from being lost you would go to channel 32 and scan for the analog channel. This will show up as a blank screen on the TV when you flip to it, but that's a small price to pay, me thinks. Do this for all the digital OTA channels.


3) At this point things should be protected.


Feel free to ask more questions about what Larry suggested and I'll try to help. What software update is coming in September?

 

[wjbjr]

hookem --

"...you would go to channel 32 and scan for the analog channel..."


I guess this thing has scrambled my usually useful brain; however I do not understand what this means or how to accomplish it. Would you please give me a detailed step by step procedure. I know of only one way to scan, and it does not involve first going to a channel.


I will await a report of your results.


The September software patch is advertised as a fix for all of the guide deficiencies. They specifically mentioned the guide speed and the truncated movie descriptions. There are other items, which I hope include the zip code problems.


This information came from Mitsubishi, but they are working on it with Hughes and DirecTv, so it most likely will apply to all three of the Hughes manufactured STBs. The September timing is because they are working very slowly so as to not cause new problems to occur.


------------------


Bill Brenner

 

[aakcpa]

Based on info in this thread I tried a solution and it worked. I am in South Florida and was having guide problems described by the other South Florida poster, Wjbjr. Since channels 8 and 22 in the guide which caused the problems originated in Key West, I change from a Broward County zip code, 33076 to a Palm Beach County zip code, 33434. The latter is far enough south to include all Miami and Ft Lauderdale stations and too far north to include Key West stations. BINGO!! All HD stations are now in the guide permanently.

 

[hookem]

Ok, after two days the solution offered by Larry is still working for me. Thank you very much, Larry.


Bill:


Perhaps it is the word "scan" that is throwing you off. What we mean by this is, after you have restored your OTA digital channels: Go to the menu where you select which local channels you want in your guide, and push the "Select" button on the empty channel where the DirecTV "digital" channel will eventually show up. This, in effect, blocks the empty channel from being filled by the DirecTV digital channel and allows your OTA digital channels to remain in effect.

 

[wjbjr]

hookem--

Yes, we were having a Texas-Florida language problem. Maybe we should communicate in Spanish.<G>


Do you mean that the offending channels

should be checked?


*****


aakcpa--

How long since you changed your zip code? I tried that once, but went north only to Ft Lauderdale. Not far enough.


Does your guide show the program information for the local analog and DirecTv channels?


By the way, (if I read your name correctly), are you familiar with the newsgroup misc.taxes.moderated ? It is populated by many CPAs and EAs who opine (and sometimes pontificate) on tax queries from non-pros and each other. No tax protestors allowed.


------------------


Bill Brenner

 

[hookem]

Bill: Yes.


I'm guessing the communication problem we're having is that the setup menus are configured differently on our models. But, yes, check the offending channels right after you get your OTA digital signals back and that should work.

 

[aakcpa]

Unfortunately the zip code solution sounded promising but did not hold. After switching zip codes, I found that the HD channels reappeared without scanning, so I thaught I found a solution. However, after turning the system on and off a couple of times, I found that they disappeared again.


I tried Larry's solution and so far so good.


Wjbjr,


You did read the name correctly, but I'm not familiar with the forum you mentioned. I get enough tax discussions at the office and prefer to discuss home theater on the net.