Thanks for the reply.
The original remote works just fine, but it is a UHF/IR combo remote, so perhaps the IR is the problem?
I'm using a 8811 remote with the 0775 code.
It almost always misses the macro commands to turn on or switch to HD or SD mode. When I hit the SAT button and then power, it always turns on.
When entering a channel #, it usually misses one of the digits. I've heard of other people having similar problems with Harmony remotes and with TIVO. Some have had to train the remotes to enter double commands to get it to work. I suppose I could try that with my macro commands with the risk of turning it on and then off immediately!