4DTV 920 dead? What options

[rtrowbridge]

I think my 920 receiver is on the way out. After a power flicker this morning as I was heading out the door, it will only display the number 1. I couldn't get it to respond to any button presses on the unit or on the remote (I didn't think about pressing Options, so I'll do that when I get home). I've tried unplugging it, but after the warm up, it still showed '1.' I'm worried that I might have a dead battery and now have a nice big black door stop. The receiver did survive a several hour long blackout a few months ago.

So if this is true, what options do I have? I know Skyvision has their DSR410, but I don't know anything about that receiver. The price is right when compared to a replacement 922. But I like to browse the satellites and was just getting used to using the generics a little. Can the DSR410 even change satellites? The website talks about having everything on one satellite, but I like to check out M5 and C7 once in awhile. I also don't see Food TV listed and my wife gets grumpy without her Alton Brown (Good Eats) fix on a regular basis.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[tdti1]

The 920's do that once in a while, does a master reset after a blackout, I am not sure why the remote no longer works, have you tried the main buttons on the 920?

 

[truckracer]

my dsr-905 sometimes won't respond to the remote and then it will buffer up all the commands I sent it trying to get the remote to work and start flipping on and off , going from analog to digital mode, flipping channels.

All I can do at that point is wait for it to finish then resume what I was doing.

 

[rtrowbridge]

It has remained totally locked up. I have unplugged it from 5 minutes to three hours at a time. After warming up, it just displays '1' and won't respond to any button presses on the unit or the remote. I can't get to the options screen to even check if I've lost my ID number.

At this point, I am pretty sure I have a dead unit. I'll probably be replacing it with a 922 in the next couple of months. The DSR410 just doesn't look like the way I want to go. At least my dish ended up pointed at G1.

 

[Corrado]

Give ATS Electronics a try. I just got my beloved 905 sidecar repaired by them for $59+ shipping. It took about 2 weeks. Certainly cheaper than buying another unit at today's prices and receiving a bad one.

I gave up on it a year and a half ago when I thought lightning ruined it. At the time they thought it might need a new board which was like $180 plus labor, which was a guesstimate over the phone. After thinking about it, I finally sent it in for evaluation.

As it turns out, it was much simpler. I wish I had it repaired back then instead of buying a 922. At least now I have 2 fully functioning 4DTV receivers.

 

[rtrowbridge]

I just heard back from ATS this morning that my 920 has been repaired. They had to replace a capacitor, reflash the firmware, and replace the battery. So sometime near the end of next week I'll get to reinstall my receiver (I took pictures of the back to help me get all the wiring correct) and probably remap all of my satellites. But at least it will be working again.

Thank you for your pointers.

Ross

 

[rtrowbridge]

It's back and working just fine. I hooked it up late last night. I only had time to lock in 6 satellites, but my programming is still there and I could get the guide. I'll get the rest in tonight. I still need to get M5 through T4 in, but hopefully that won't take too long. One of my first projects once I'm done is to write down all the satellite locations so I don't have to hunt for each one as I go.

It's nice to be back.

 

[gabshere]

here's an arc chart

 

[tvropro]

my dsr-905 sometimes won't respond to the remote and then it will buffer up all the commands I sent it trying to get the remote to work and start flipping on and off , going from analog to digital mode, flipping channels.

All I can do at that point is wait for it to finish then resume what I was doing.

My 922 will act funky like that if I'm on a generic satellite and hit the guide button. The more buttons I push the longer I wait for it to come back. I learned if I push any button when that happens is hit power and just wait. Eventually it catches up and all is well. I think the processor is real slow in these since it is early 90's technology and its just like an old computer you load it up and have to wait.

 

[tvropro]

I just heard back from ATS this morning that my 920 has been repaired. They had to replace a capacitor, reflash the firmware, and replace the battery. So sometime near the end of next week I'll get to reinstall my receiver (I took pictures of the back to help me get all the wiring correct) and probably remap all of my satellites. But at least it will be working again.

Thank you for your pointers.

Ross

A electrolytic cap in the power supply probably dried out and was dragging down the voltage. Happens all the time with electronics.