The customer supplied all the gear. I'm just a victim. :(

I tried removing the antenna, but I couldn't tell if it pulls off or unscrews. I didn't want to break it, so I left it on. The cable box responds perfectly well to the remote when I open the cabinet door and point it directly at it.

For whatever reason, it magically started working, again about 5 minutes after I made the post. wtf.

I explained to the customer that the base station may be flaky and he said he'll let me know if it starts acting up again.

It's Stella Artois time....