So I've been using the URC MX line for about two years now and I must say that the RF interference is terrible. It seems to be more of an issue along the front range near the foothills, ie, Golden, Gennessee, Erie, Westminster, etc. Does anybody else have the same issues in this area?

The reason I ask is because I'm doing a little research into whether or not I should move to RTI. I have tried the new MSC-400 from URC with the RFX-250 "narrow band" reciever, but it didn't cut the cheese for eliminating RFI, just made it a little more sporadic. I have read a lot about the superior RF capabilities of RTI, but I would like some testimony specific to my working area.

The time spent on troubleshooting RF and walking around a room staring at a little red light is costing way too much. We do a lot of multi-zone set-ups were RF is the best option, so we need a reliable solution that can be installed efficiently and smoothly.

Bring it on!

I think you should give me a call. Robert Ridenour of Colorado Springs has his guys using our systems all over the foothills, haven't been describing the issues you are describing. I was just talking to him tonight. Why don't you give me a chance to send someone to one of these installs you are having so many problems with?

Best Regards,

-Eric

Eric - we would welcome and love to have one of you guys at one of our prolematic installs as well. I would say we are having problems with about 5 out of 6 installations. Some are impossible to figure out and we switch to RTI or IR. Just las week we had a dead signal in the ENTIRE house in Conneticut, and we had to switch to RTI and had no problems. We really push your line and have a great demand/customer base for it, but we are spending too much time on troubleshooting problems with RF. We are in the central NJ vicinity and do work in the tri-state area. Let me know if this can be arranged.

Regards,
Vincent

I may have a relative in the Springs? Sweet...

Eric, I found this in my research:

[Link: citymtnviews.com]

I think that these radio towers on Lookout Mountain are causing enough intereference to completely cripple the MRF. This site has a map of the tower's coverage and the areas of my problems are mostly in this range, which does not cover Co Springs and therefore explains why Robert my not be having these issues.

Any interest in sending an engineer over to test this? It would be greatly appreciated since we do many if not most of our jobs in this affected area.

By the way, I have been on the line with URC tech support numerous times on this issue and I keep getting the standard "just move the antenna to a new location or try relocating the base unit." In the end I seem to be told that I just have too much RF intereference. I have stopped calling since no one ever came up with a better solution.

It appears that I am not alone in the RF interference camp. From what I'm reading many of you are experiencing the same problem that I'm having with my MRF-350/RFX-250 in my system. I move the antenna around until the red light stops blinking/glowing. All is good for awhile and then nothing works and the red LED is on solid. Eventually the interference goes away but always comes back.

Looks like there is still more work to be done on RF interference with URC products.

I am in the Front Range and exclusively use URC MX. Most my work is on the south side of town, Cherry Creek, Littleton, Castle Pines and the foothills and now have no problems.

A while ago I went through a bunch of 250's that sucked but ever since I changed to 300's I have not had an insurmountable problem since. I have four townhome's attached with twelve MX850's scattered throughout the units with no problems in Cherry Creek.

I think of course Golden would have issues with the antenna farm, although I do have two homes in Applewood right off 32nd and Youngfield, one has two 850/300's, the other a 900/300 with no problems.

I would think the worst place of all for RF would be around Colorado Springs with things going on we as citizens could never dream about. Lots of secrets in those hills.

*thread hijack*
Who do you work for? I'm also in Central Jersey.

I can second RMHT's experience (right down to the Applewood location, which is directly east of Golden) and a bunch in Boulder with no issues. We have had some issues north of Longmont but, there are radio towers on the next mesa over. We have had great luck all along the Front Range.

I have no issues in Cherry Creek as well, just further west. Unfortunately, I have a lot of clients in the "trouble spots" it seems.

I was on a service call to Brighton yesterday to takle a "sluggish" remote issue. MX-850 with MRF-300/RFX150, installed six months ago. Six months ago I found a spot in the equipment nook under the stairs that seemed free of intereference. Now, I found that when the heat kicked on, it caused the red light to blink (intereference). Not being able to find an acceptable location for the 150, I turned the range limiter all the way down. It works great now, and we are lucky it is only a theater in a small basement and the seating area is about 15 feet away from the equipment; when I went to the other side of the room signal was too weak.

I was really excited to get the RFX-250 with the MSC-400 since we have a client on Lookout Mountain that cannot use the RFX150/MRF300 setup due to intereference. The 250 also succumbed. Since this will seem to be the case in all of my clients and future clients in this area, we need a solution that can be used for controlling multi-zone systems with the convenience of RF and a lower pricepoint than Crestron.

Don't get me wrong, I love the product. I am just looking for a solution for a problem that is costing the company, and the client, valuable time.

I will gladly accept any troubleshooting tips, since you may have more experience on this equipment than my 2 years.

Thanks!

Between the MRF-300/RFX-150 combo and the MSC-400/RFX-250 combo is the MRF-350/RFX-350 combo which has solved a lot of problems for installers.

Sometimes I am a prophet....just in the news today....

[Link: news.yahoo.com]


By the way Ridenour I have no tips except I use the MRF300 only now, will use MSC400 when called for, and spend a little time tweaking placement and settings of the 150 until I get an acceptable operation.

Classic!!

Its the "acceptable" operation that gets me... last week I had to do a service call on a set-up that was acceptable when I installed it, but since had become nonfunctional due to an unforseeable change in RF intereference.