Does anyone have any suggestions for setting up favorites for a C Band dish. Specifically, I am working with a General Instruments 650i. The problem is to get to HGTV for example requires you to first tell it satelite G1 then wait for an unpredictable amount of time (since depends on where the dish was pointed before) then tell it channel 20. I know how to get it to learn the G1 and the 20, but the timing is the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mickey

If you're using a FAV macro, all you can do is enter the maximum number of delay steps allowed within the 10 step maximum. For example, if your "G1" and "20" take three steps, you could fit seven delay steps inbetween which would give you 1.8 seconds of delay. I don't know how fast your dish accesses a channel, but that's probably not long enough.

You would have to use the MX-700 or 800 to give you a longer delay time.

Mike
www.SurfRemote.com

Forgot to mention that I am using the MX800. Thanks.

Mickey

In that case you could enter a delay on every FAV that would be equal to the longest time it takes your dish to access a channel.

I assume you mean take the worst case. Thus if FoxNews is all the way at one end of the arch and most others are on the oposite and it takes 1 min. to move from east to west then put in that delay? I understand what you mean but man that will be very irritating when you are really staying on the same sat but just different transponer (channel) number. If you don't give the dealy, then when they do go to the extreme then it won't work. The inconsistency will be bad. Surely, there is another way?

Mickey

Well, there's no way for the remote to know what channel you're on or how long it's going to take to get to the next channel. Putting in the worst case would be the only way to make the macro 100% reliable.

I guess if it were me, I would just program FAVs that only include the channel numbers in the FAV macro and keep the G1 key separate. Then you could control when the second step is executed. It would be two steps, but at least the channel number does not have to be memorized.

Mickey -

I have a 4DTV receiver and had your same problem two years ago. After much trial and error with every possible alternative, I determined that it is impossible to completely automate C or K Band channel selection with any remote control. The insurmountable hurdle is that the time delay in the shift between any one channel and every other is always unpredictable and thus potentially different.

I then decided to see if there was any way to at least partially automate the process and ended up with a setup in the way Mike suggested: a two-step button push that consists of two "Favorite" macros.

The first step is to direct the dish to any desired satellite location. This can be easily done through compiling the alphanumerical satellite name into a "Favorite" button (the letters are merely renamed number buttons, like a telephone). After the dish moves to the satellite and locks into position, the second step is to select the channel through other "Favorite" buttons that have the three-digit channel number compiled into them.

It does take some preplanning. The first step is to list all the satellites that you use, and then list your most used channels under each respective satellite. Determine how many "Favorite" buttons you will need - one for each satellite and one for each channel. Then arrange each Page layout for the most efficient usage of the buttons: for instance - G5 has a lot of channels that I watch so that the G5 satellite button and the various channels on G5 fill one page (1 satellite button and nine channel buttons). Other pages have (at least) two satellite buttons and their respective channel buttons.

The buttons can (obviously) be labelled "G5," "G1," "CNN," "A&E," etc. so that everything is clear. The only hurdle is that it will be necessary for someone to know that the satellite button must be pushed first, that the lock must be completed (evidenced by the onscreen display) and then that the channel button must be pushed.

It may sound weird and cumbersome but once you get the mindset it's easy. And easy to operate - my 11 year-old can get to the Cartoon channel at any time ...

Let me know if you need more information.

I had finally decided what you indicated that it is impossible. Since we have the small and big dish, I have used the small for everyone else to keep it simple and the big for just me & the misses. What I came up with is to like you make it a 2 button press with the user pressing the second button once the dish arrives at the correct sat. I will be using the left button on the page for the sat (G5) but it is labeled with the channel (FOX) and the right button for the channel # (11) after the dish arrives. This way I don't have to remember what sat number has what channels. The down side is that I can only get 5 channels per page but that will not really be a problem for us. Your insight was appreciated, but I had already racked my brain (and the remote) before I read your response. It is just one more nail in the C Band coffin. Thanks.

Mickey

You're welcome. Sorry that you/the technology can't come up with a more friendly resolution ...

"It is just one more nail in the C Band coffin."
I understand, but don't put that nail in. The much better picture quality and audio fidelity obtained from the Big Dish is worth a little extra effort!

Best regards,

- Hunter

P.S. I dealt with your concern by organizing the satellite button on the lower left corner of every page, with the channels on the other buttons. There's really only about five satellites that I routinely access, and for any others I just use the Guide.