I had kind of a simalar problem and it ended up being a faulty power supply. I know just changing out between mrf250 and 300's one might forget to change out the power supply. Just a shot in the dark though. As for this ATI stuff has anyone worked with it and does it actually do better RF wise?

ATI ot RTI?? if RTI, the RF has never been a problem for any I have done. I have done a few in places the URC would have never worked...close to neon transformers, above metal drop ceilings, close to foil backed insulation, close to conduits...Oh..did I mention this all was on 1 RF receiver in a house and still had 70-80 ft range

I like that take off on the Mastercard commercials....Hehee...that is one of the main reasons I say to stick with IR as often as possible, unless you are creating a "whole-house" system. Even then, think again and try and craft an IR solution.

I would prefer to add a SpeakerCraft, Niles or Xantech IR system before I use RF, whenever possible. Just my $.02

Dave

bcf1963: I will try your suggestion, for all I have to loose is about 10 minutes and some foil. And don't worry, I'm smart enough to not even be thinking about IR until the RF problem is solved.

AHEM: IR repeater is currently in place and functioning, but we want the ability to control the system from several different rooms, as it is also the center for our distributed audio system (We were super rushed on pre-wire and stupid sales person didn't think of keypads for zone control). We are thinking of trying an RTI system including:

T2+ Universal System Controller
RP-6 Remote Control Processor
RM-433 RF Receiver

I have never programmed RTI before, but I have extensive programming experience (Niles Intellicontrol, Pronto, Xantech, URC), and I have read many good things about the RTI products on the RC forums.

Brad Humphrey: I know the IR is good because all of the equipment I am using on this job is equipment which I have personally installed and programmed many remotes for in the past. I have an extensive library of device profiles stuffed full of discrete codes for almost all of the gear our store sells, all of which have been compiled and tested by me before exporting to my personal library (run-on sentence? Oh, well). But just so you know it is:

Yamaha RXV-657 Surround Reciever (Not my first choice of reciever)
Rotel RDV-1040 DVD Player
Rotel RCC-1055 CD Changer
Comcast HD DVR Cable Box

Using the Yamaha's zone2 capability to control 3 Rotel RB-1050's for amplification of the distibuted system. Though I would much rather have a Rotel in the Yamaha's place, with the abundace of discrete codes I have for Yamaha the programming is dead easy and blind, deaf, no armed, one legged monkey could operate the system once I get done programming (redundancy is key).

Anyway, thank you to everyone for you input and suggestions, I will to continue to post updates as the situation progresses.

Bye for now.

ddarche: I actually prefer RF because it tends to eliminate the "customer can't aim a remote" trouble shooting calls.

Yes, that does take care of that problem...LOL. However, the IR receivers are getting so good and they have a surprisingly wide receive range.

Dave

I saw your response on Remote Central about rf problems with urc.
I am seeing alot of rf issues with the mx850 and 3000's we are installing. They work for awhile or not at all then jam up and or are very intermittant.
I think we have tried alot of the standard stuff, moving the receiver, adjusting sensitivity, changing receiver ID address i'm starting to think holy water or excorcism.....
Have you had any success???
I think about 1/2 our rf installs of those remotes work but the other half are hell.
I hope you don't mind me sending this to you just thought you might have some other insight other then rti.

Jay, Have you tried relocating the base station away from the equipment?

1. Start with the remote on IR only(unplug the MRF from power), does it work the way it should?? yes- goto #2, no- look over your programming

2. power up the MRF and set it to 0 and unplug all emitters, does the led flicker??
if yes you have interference and need to isolate the problem..start with unplugging components untill it stops or move MRF around until it stops, if no set ID to 1-9,A-F and set up remote to same ID and RF only

3. Press buttons on the remote, does the status light blink with all of the button presses?? if so add 1 device at a time until it stops working

here is a link to more instructions:
[Link: remotecentral.com]

Its a bit more detailed but it should get you there
Its for the MX800/MRF200 but should work on all remotes and base stations

Let us know what you come up with
We just started on one thing and if it didnt improve anything we tried another..we eventually got it to work but took quite awhile..one job we spent about 1 1/2 days on

If you need more help call Eric direct..he will be traveling on Friday the 9th but will get to you asap here is his number 800-247-7001

I agree, any of these sites described in this thread could use my assistance. Sorry I haven't checked this forum in a number of weeks!

Give me a call anytime after 11AM Pacific on Friday or over the weekend.

Best Regards,

-Eric

Eric Johnson
VP of Technology
Universal Remote Control, Inc.

URC Technical Support - 1-800-901-0800
Direct Line to Eric- 1-800-247-7001

Eric has always been great help. Thanks Eric.

You're using Lutron Radio RA? If so put a delay before and particularly after these commands. The RA-IR does a terrific job flooding the area with RF when sending signals to the rest of the system.

One other very important step:

Unplug every single piece of equipment while watching the Status light (set to "0"). A couple months ago I had a SciAtlantic Cable box emitting RF. I replaced it with another box in the house and it cured the problem.

I have another job, where over a year's time, the cheap 43" plasma is now screaming RF to 8' when on. We'll be returning with an MRF-300 to get the antenna out of it's range.

How about those surge protectors/line conditioners?

This is probably way too obvious but assuming IR is already solid, make sure all the emitters are plugged in ALL THE WAY. There is a final click there that you may miss if you haven't done a few of these.

Echoing the last comment, I had a no RF interference setup that went wild when I sent any command to the preamp processor. Only when a command was sent to it did it become an RF transmitter out to 30' and beyond. It created an RF feedback loop where the initial transmission fired the preamp's first command, but then RF was everywhere and the RF LED stayed lit for several seconds or longer. Kinda made the macros worthless.

Ended up with a Xantech IR repeater for that one. All my other URC RF installs have been picture perfect.

My mistake. I already said everything I wrote here just now.

Just goes to show -- read the whole thread before posting!

URC has a cheap and dirty RF solution that works well for whole house access. I don't hessitate to give them a try for simple access from a pool area or something like that. But I have been burned by thier poor RF on more involved and critical jobs and have made a commitment to try RTI on the next ones. As was said. Too many unbillable hours wasted. I also had a couple of issues with the servcie department that left a bad taste in my mouth. Should have just called Hank directly on that one.

I use Universal Remote products exclusively. Often I have 4 or more MX850/MRF250 or 300 stations in every home. If you are getting any interferance first try removing the antenna. I have even gone as far as cracking open the reciever and removing the antenna bracket. URC's problem is not range, it is noise rejection. I have maintained dependable operation of >40' without the antenna. I have noticed that homes on large hills have had the worst problems. I'm in Cincy and every condo/house on the banks of the ohio river have giving me many grey hairs.