I suppose I HAVE been operating under a "preconceived notion."

It seems pretty reasonable to me, though, that when several years' worth of DirecTV receivers have responded to RF control when you get and use an RF remote, that this will continue to happen unless the distributor happens to tell you that this and such new receiver needs not only the usual and accepted RF remote, but that the antenna is not built into the unit.

This brings up another subject: is there a unified place for DirecTV products comparable to, say, the Yamaha website, where receiver specifications for all current models are given?

Now expand that to a clear and complete list of LNBs and SWiM products, a list that would make it possible to know ALL about the current models and system arrangements. A LOT of information is out there, but it's all incomplete and therefore not necessarily accurate.

It actually seems like DirecTV doesn't want all their information to be available from one place.