Glad I found this site.
I have an MX-900 controlling 5 components stacked in a cabinet behind glass doors and a TV about 6' away.
When running a macro that includes the TV and several components I often have an issue when not everything responds and I'll have to send the macro a second time.
I know it's a pointing issue but rather than taking any more abuse from the family (you and your toys...) I think it's time to add an RF extender.
Taking into consideration that I'm on a tight budget, could someone please recommend the MRF that's best for me and a dealer in the Toronto area (or willing to ship to Toronto)?
Is ebay a good place for this? (I'm not concerned about warranty).

The MRF-260 is the cheapest URC base station. It has 4 ports, two of which have adjustable outputs. The RF antenna is contained inside the base station.

The MRF-350 has 6 ports, all of which are adjustable. The RF antenna is seperate from the base station which allows for greater freedom in installations, especially in situations with RF interferance.

Given a tight budget, the MRF-260 should do what you need it to do. You can use a dual-headed IR emmitter on components that won't compete. Or, some equipment (ie, recievers) have an IR in and out port on the back. You simply use a mono 3.5" cable from the base station to the reciever, and the IR emmitter from the reciever to the next component. Or, you can use the IR blaster on the front of the 260; although some have reported problems with that in cabinets.

The 350 gives you more flexibility, but is really only superior in problem-RF areas or systems larger than yours.

Thanks for your quick reply.
That 260 would be great but none of my components have an IR in/out and based on what I read, I don't think I can depend on the IR blaster. That leaves the dual-headed emitter, which I've never heard of before. I assume it's available as an optional extra?
Another thing I'm not clear on: What is the significance of outputs being adjustable?

Dual headed emitters are not available from URC, but can be purchased along with the MRF-260 or separately from other sources. Having an adjustable output helps with the direct IR connection dsp81 mentioned (you usually have to turn the output down a little to keep it from overloading the input). It also helps if you were going to increase the emitter length to go to a projector (for example), where you might need to turn up the output. Also, some of the older Tivo units needed the emitter output to be reduced to work reliably.

Mike

What am I missing here?
I thought the RF extenders where used to extend the remote control area to other rooms. The MX-900 works through glass doors with IR only; Why then would one get an MRF if all the components are in the same area?

Using RF gives you more consistency in macros. The remote doesn't have to be pointed at the rack to ensure the equipment receives the IR. RF base stations don't add much cost to the installation and greatly enhance the consistency of key presses.

The mrf-260 has proven to be a rock solid performer..........none of the issues with the previous base stations.

Not having to 'point' will make your family happy!

You could series two emitters if a dual isn't readily available.

I try not to use the built in flasher if I can.

It can overload some of the sensitive components.

We tried our first MRF-260 the other day in the field. We've been using the 350 and MSC exclusively (and the 300 before that) as I was a little weary of the days of old when the 250 was very unreliable.

To my surprise the unit operates perfect sitting in a small contained space along with a DVR and wireless TV transmitter (Sony location free TV). We rarely would have a need for it due to the port limitations but for smaller systems, it seems like a nice option.

Still haven't found anyone in the Toronto area, - or that will ship to here.
Ebay is probably a good option at $89 for the 260? Where would I get the double headed emitter or an extra emitter using in-series?
Will the 260 work with any MX-900? Mine is over a year old and I can't find a date on it.

Toronto is a big city. There has to be someone up there installing these. In fact here is one I found after searching for 5 seconds on Google.

Digital Protection
10-8707 Dufferin St. Suite 373
Vaughan, Ontario
email: [email protected]
416-854-4313

They serve all of Toronto with URC products


At own risk...obviously.


xantech part # x286m


Open battery door, remove batteries. Post all of the numbers/letters on the sticker here.

Thanks for the quick reply. I was trying to find a dealer through the URC website -without luck. Google does not guarantee me that the dealer is authorized.

Serial # is KBxxxxxxxx. According to URC website the first 6 digits indicate date. I can understand 1206 but then what does KB mean?

Edited to remove serial #.

All Complete Control remotes manufactured after November 1, 2006 have narrow band transmitters. MX-900s have always had narrow band transmitters.

Thanks for the info.
MRF-260 and a couple of Xantech 286M are on the way.

I hope you did not choose the EBay path. It really is a slap in the face to the dealer community.

Yes, the (faux)outrage over the loss of 1% of the market is palpable.