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As title says, I've had my AzBox for 6 months now and thought I would share a few observations I found out but have not seen in other posts or on other forums.
This is my first FTA receiver. I have the two tuner model. The A tuner is hooked to a GeoSat Pro 1.2m Ku dish on a DG-380 H-H motor. The B tuner is hooked to a Sadoun 2.4m C-band dish through a G-Box V3000 positioner and a 24" actuactor.
For editing tools, I am using Filezilla 3.5.3, Maz 3.2.0.0 and ACC 1.1 to download, edit and reload the three criteria all_channel.dat and antenna_list.dat and DVBS.dat files.
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AzBox Premium + Observations:
1. There is a steep learing curve getting this box up and running and, probably even more so to get it stable. Very, very picky about settings and sequences. Not sure I would recommend this as the first box for someone getting into the hobby. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend time with a cheap and easy-to-use box to get my Ku and C band dishes up and running and then progress to the AzBox. For that matter, I'd never try the "C-band on a Ku dish" experiment at all (that was a waste of my time). Tough troubleshooting set up when you have not had anything working and you are trying to figure out where to start.
2. I did have the AzBox external power supply die on me within a few months. It was a component failure that took out an internal fuse. This appears to be a wider ranged problem that has been addressed in production. Got a warranty replacement; so far so good. If it goes again I plan on building my own using separate +24V and +12V power supplies and just wire them to the AxBox connector. That little power supply gets way to hot. I suspect it was designed in Europe for 240VAC and therefore draws double the current when running on US 120VAC.
3. The USALS works like a champ. I set my south satellite at 83W and was done after one tweak to get a better signal on PBS at 125W. I can get 30W to 125W on Ku. For some reason, I have to set the positoner to DiSEqC 1.2 not USALS for the satellite at 34.5W. The USALS puts the dish too far west. Tweaking it manually brings signal quality from <30% to a solid 80%. This is the only Ku bird I have to mess with at all, ever. Funny thing is USALS works for 30W and 45W on either side of it just fine.
4. There is very little control over audio in this box. For services that transmit AC3 audio on different channels like NBC does, you can make yourself crazy using the "yellow" button to try to find the audio as they switch commericals, show and news vocals. It is all but impossible to watch services that transmit the TV audio on the left channel and some radio station on the right channel like Silverbird TV on 37.5W at 3775 H 2143 for example. Need to be able to selectively turn off/on individual audio channels and have a redirect to a center channel so we can select what we want to listen to.
5. Not sure what is happening but some HD channels cause the box to take more than double the amount of time to change channels and respond to a remote key. For example, if I am on the Fox "Cops" feed on 99W 4060 V 27780 and am watching the SD feed, the box responds normally. If though I am watching the same HD feed, it takes ~10 seconds for the box to respond to a channel change. This happens only on HD channles but not all HD channels.
6. On the subject of HD channels, what is wrong with eScapes HD? Audio sounds great but the update rate is not HD. I can't watch this. Looks like it drops frames. I assume it is an AzBox issue as I cannot believe anyone would transmit that poor of quality and represent it as HD.
7. I find the AzBox to be very sensitive to antenna position for C band S2 signals ... even on the same satellite I may have to move it. I can get some signals at position X then need to tweak the dish a couple of click west to get one and then have to go back east 3 or 4 clicks to get another. Not all S2 signals have this issue but ones that do I have learned to just tweak it and be done. Satellites that I like to watch like 103W, 101W and 87W are among the worse that have this issue for me.
8. Finally, I find h.264 channels will lock up the box if I tune to them and the signal is poor for any reason. For example, on 99W there are some ABC h.264 feeds at 4120 V 30000 and 4140 V 30000. If they are blocky when I tune them in, the box will lock up and not display anything else until a reboot. I can change channels but nothing displays and no audio is played. The only thing I can do is a power reboot. After reboot all is well unless I tune right back to the poor quality h.264 signal where it will lock again.
G-Box V3000
1. The G-Box V3000 works well through DiSEqC 1.2 once it is set up. But... a blind scan causes the software limits to be reset and the dish will go to the full east or west limit and "Error-2" out. I have learned to go to Sathint.com and just look for changes and add them manually. Blind scan is very slow anyway with the AzBox and frankly I have not found much using it.
2. Moving distances either direction virtually guarantees the count will be off. This is another widely discussed issue it seems. I track the C-band arc from 37.5 W to 131W. If I move short distances from satellite to satellite... say 91W to 99W then to 101W I find the count error is small and the dish stops close enough to get a good Q signal. If I move a large distance... say 50W to 103W at one move, but when the dish stops it will not show a signal and will always need to tweak the position using the G-Box remote control. Lots of discussion out there about reed switches but it sure acts like a bug (way too predictable and repeatable and pervasive).
Edit Software Observations:
1. Do as much as possible with the edit tools and not in the AzBox itself. Deleting satellites or more than one channel at a time or renaming a channel can cause unpredictable results if you do it via remote control and AzBox.
2. Use Filezilla *only* to retrieve the three files. Use Maz *only* to edit the files. Use ACC *only* to relaod the files back to the AzBox. Use of any other tool or mixing use of these three can (will) cause unpredictable results.
3. Even in Maz, it is always best to do one thing, save the file and reload it rather than doing several of the same thing in a row. For example, deleting multiple channels off a satellite then saving can cause unpredictable results. It is always better to delete a channel, hit save, then reload before deleting the next.
4. In Maz if you get a memory violation error, stop what you are doing, do not save the file and start over at last save.
5. If you enter frequency and SR in Maz, be sure to always add three zeros to the field. 3710 H 27000 for example must be entered in freq as: 3710000 and in SR as: 27000000
6. Not sure why there is so much discussion and concern about this being a Unix-based box though. You do not need to be a Unix-guru to use this box. Having a real good understanding of how to get a wireless connection set-up will be of more use than knowing any Unix at all.
Hope this helps someone in setting up or making a buying decision.
===
Bill
This is my first FTA receiver. I have the two tuner model. The A tuner is hooked to a GeoSat Pro 1.2m Ku dish on a DG-380 H-H motor. The B tuner is hooked to a Sadoun 2.4m C-band dish through a G-Box V3000 positioner and a 24" actuactor.
For editing tools, I am using Filezilla 3.5.3, Maz 3.2.0.0 and ACC 1.1 to download, edit and reload the three criteria all_channel.dat and antenna_list.dat and DVBS.dat files.
===
AzBox Premium + Observations:
1. There is a steep learing curve getting this box up and running and, probably even more so to get it stable. Very, very picky about settings and sequences. Not sure I would recommend this as the first box for someone getting into the hobby. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend time with a cheap and easy-to-use box to get my Ku and C band dishes up and running and then progress to the AzBox. For that matter, I'd never try the "C-band on a Ku dish" experiment at all (that was a waste of my time). Tough troubleshooting set up when you have not had anything working and you are trying to figure out where to start.
2. I did have the AzBox external power supply die on me within a few months. It was a component failure that took out an internal fuse. This appears to be a wider ranged problem that has been addressed in production. Got a warranty replacement; so far so good. If it goes again I plan on building my own using separate +24V and +12V power supplies and just wire them to the AxBox connector. That little power supply gets way to hot. I suspect it was designed in Europe for 240VAC and therefore draws double the current when running on US 120VAC.
3. The USALS works like a champ. I set my south satellite at 83W and was done after one tweak to get a better signal on PBS at 125W. I can get 30W to 125W on Ku. For some reason, I have to set the positoner to DiSEqC 1.2 not USALS for the satellite at 34.5W. The USALS puts the dish too far west. Tweaking it manually brings signal quality from <30% to a solid 80%. This is the only Ku bird I have to mess with at all, ever. Funny thing is USALS works for 30W and 45W on either side of it just fine.
4. There is very little control over audio in this box. For services that transmit AC3 audio on different channels like NBC does, you can make yourself crazy using the "yellow" button to try to find the audio as they switch commericals, show and news vocals. It is all but impossible to watch services that transmit the TV audio on the left channel and some radio station on the right channel like Silverbird TV on 37.5W at 3775 H 2143 for example. Need to be able to selectively turn off/on individual audio channels and have a redirect to a center channel so we can select what we want to listen to.
5. Not sure what is happening but some HD channels cause the box to take more than double the amount of time to change channels and respond to a remote key. For example, if I am on the Fox "Cops" feed on 99W 4060 V 27780 and am watching the SD feed, the box responds normally. If though I am watching the same HD feed, it takes ~10 seconds for the box to respond to a channel change. This happens only on HD channles but not all HD channels.
6. On the subject of HD channels, what is wrong with eScapes HD? Audio sounds great but the update rate is not HD. I can't watch this. Looks like it drops frames. I assume it is an AzBox issue as I cannot believe anyone would transmit that poor of quality and represent it as HD.
7. I find the AzBox to be very sensitive to antenna position for C band S2 signals ... even on the same satellite I may have to move it. I can get some signals at position X then need to tweak the dish a couple of click west to get one and then have to go back east 3 or 4 clicks to get another. Not all S2 signals have this issue but ones that do I have learned to just tweak it and be done. Satellites that I like to watch like 103W, 101W and 87W are among the worse that have this issue for me.
8. Finally, I find h.264 channels will lock up the box if I tune to them and the signal is poor for any reason. For example, on 99W there are some ABC h.264 feeds at 4120 V 30000 and 4140 V 30000. If they are blocky when I tune them in, the box will lock up and not display anything else until a reboot. I can change channels but nothing displays and no audio is played. The only thing I can do is a power reboot. After reboot all is well unless I tune right back to the poor quality h.264 signal where it will lock again.
G-Box V3000
1. The G-Box V3000 works well through DiSEqC 1.2 once it is set up. But... a blind scan causes the software limits to be reset and the dish will go to the full east or west limit and "Error-2" out. I have learned to go to Sathint.com and just look for changes and add them manually. Blind scan is very slow anyway with the AzBox and frankly I have not found much using it.
2. Moving distances either direction virtually guarantees the count will be off. This is another widely discussed issue it seems. I track the C-band arc from 37.5 W to 131W. If I move short distances from satellite to satellite... say 91W to 99W then to 101W I find the count error is small and the dish stops close enough to get a good Q signal. If I move a large distance... say 50W to 103W at one move, but when the dish stops it will not show a signal and will always need to tweak the position using the G-Box remote control. Lots of discussion out there about reed switches but it sure acts like a bug (way too predictable and repeatable and pervasive).
Edit Software Observations:
1. Do as much as possible with the edit tools and not in the AzBox itself. Deleting satellites or more than one channel at a time or renaming a channel can cause unpredictable results if you do it via remote control and AzBox.
2. Use Filezilla *only* to retrieve the three files. Use Maz *only* to edit the files. Use ACC *only* to relaod the files back to the AzBox. Use of any other tool or mixing use of these three can (will) cause unpredictable results.
3. Even in Maz, it is always best to do one thing, save the file and reload it rather than doing several of the same thing in a row. For example, deleting multiple channels off a satellite then saving can cause unpredictable results. It is always better to delete a channel, hit save, then reload before deleting the next.
4. In Maz if you get a memory violation error, stop what you are doing, do not save the file and start over at last save.
5. If you enter frequency and SR in Maz, be sure to always add three zeros to the field. 3710 H 27000 for example must be entered in freq as: 3710000 and in SR as: 27000000
6. Not sure why there is so much discussion and concern about this being a Unix-based box though. You do not need to be a Unix-guru to use this box. Having a real good understanding of how to get a wireless connection set-up will be of more use than knowing any Unix at all.
Hope this helps someone in setting up or making a buying decision.
===
Bill
34 Replies
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6051 views
My observation after 1 year of owning a AZ Box Premium Plus....don't use it unless you absolutely have to. It's a major headace 
.
.
My observation after 1 year of owning a AZ Box Premium Plus....don't use it unless you absolutely have to. It's a major headace
Jim,
I honestly cannot agree with your statement here wholly. Truly, it could be a lot better, I agree with that. But, the box can do a lot of really nice and amazing things if you are willing to be patient with it. Some items need a bit of extra "gloss" in order to overcome their stigma. But, in all fairness, there are many boxes out there which are much worse and do less.
I summarized some of StarGaze's pertinent points above and to all of these, I agree. Having used many different makes and models of IRD's, I must say that no box is without its own set of pros and cons. The biggest problem of any box is that it always has critics. It is human nature to dwell upon the negative as that is what annoys us most. This is, however, a good thing as it is also what instills within us the desire to set out to improve it or search for solutions or resolutions.
One thing that I can state is this. There was a period early on when I first bought my AZBox when I began to question my purchase. At first this box was the cat's meow and I was thrilled with a new box. Then the newness wore off and as I discovered all the potentials of the box, I also discovered its deficiencies. But, as time wore on, I began to find all the loopholes and tricks to overcome the deficiencies. Today, I am quite confident and pleased with the AZBox.
RADAR
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
Thanks to Fitch Ratings ( who gives the ratings on Credit and debt, as approved by the SEC, so they have accurate numbers) we have the totals.
DIRECTV's video subscriber base is the third-largest traditional multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) in the U.S. with about 8.2 million subscribers at the end of 1Q26.
The last time it was reported, it was 8.8M at the end of 2Q25, so only a 600,000 loss for 3 quarters, which is a major improvement, since for many years before that, it was losing 500,000 a quarter, 2 Million a year.
It is now losing less than Dish/Sling combined, I believe the Genre Packs are helping to retain and get subscribers.
DIRECTV's video subscriber base is the third-largest traditional multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) in the U.S. with about 8.2 million subscribers at the end of 1Q26.
The last time it was reported, it was 8.8M at the end of 2Q25, so only a 600,000 loss for 3 quarters, which is a major improvement, since for many years before that, it was losing 500,000 a quarter, 2 Million a year.
It is now losing less than Dish/Sling combined, I believe the Genre Packs are helping to retain and get subscribers.
6 Replies
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375 views
Recently came back to DirectTV Satellite service and have two boxes, Gemini and a main HR54.
DirecTV is charging me two "TV access fees" of $10 each, but can only watch TV on the one without the server. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
DirecTV is charging me two "TV access fees" of $10 each, but can only watch TV on the one without the server. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
24 Replies
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945 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
67110 Replies
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2662389 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
I feel like this was discussed in another thread, but I can't find it. I have T-Mobile and my last iPhone upgrade was in 2020. I want to get a new iPhone, but what is the best way to go about doing it? Should I order the iPhone from T-Mobile directly, or should I buy from the Apple Store? I feel like there are pros/cons to each option.
2 Replies
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37 views
I have a Hopper with Sling. (Don't know exact model.) A couple nights ago, I went into the DVR screen, and noted that it was recording three programs. Yet I was able to view live TV (that was not one of the channels being recorded.) Did something change? In the past, it would only let me watch one of the channels being recorded, or any recording in the DVR menu. Maybe it was streaming, although there was no indication of that?
Apologies if this has been covered; I searched and didn't find anything.
Thanks.
Apologies if this has been covered; I searched and didn't find anything.
Thanks.
9 Replies
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360 views
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YJjxjYvmQ8s
Direct YouTube Link - Good Bye, Tim! Last WWDC
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YJjxjYvmQ8s
Direct YouTube Link - Good Bye, Tim! Last WWDC
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
0 Replies
·
11 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
WANTED DirecTV LCC
Anyone have a DirecTV Local Channel Connector that you'd like to get rid of at a reasonable price? DirecTV is currently in a contract dispute with owner of my local ABC affiliate.
12 Replies
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311 views
I did that. The response was that the LCC is not available. Escalated the issue to a tech support person with the same results.
Could be out of them I guess ... I'd keep trying, every 3-4 days.I did that. The response was that the LCC is not available. Escalated the issue to a tech support person with the same results.
If they are not out of them as them WHY you can't get one, seeing Your in a Dispute. Thats what they are for.
I would make them give you a real answer, don't let them off the hook.
I had one, and it worked well, but I believe I gave it to another D* friend (also had a AM21), I know I gave them away ...
According to the tech support guy, they don't have any in stock. He said I should receive an email when and if they have them. I even told him I would accept a refurbished unit.
I'm not sure your going to find any Refurbished ones as D* doesn't ask for them back.According to the tech support guy, they don't have any in stock. He said I should receive an email when and if they have them. I even told him I would accept a refurbished unit.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Did anyone have a price increase today on their equipment? I own my VIP211k's, and they have been $5.00. My bill that I received last week shows the "add-ons" as being $5.00. However, I just logged into my Dish account, and my "add-ons" are now $10.00. Did the additional receivers go up by $5.00 recently?
As I mentioned, my last bill shows $5.00 and under the notes, nothing is mentioned about a price increase.
As I mentioned, my last bill shows $5.00 and under the notes, nothing is mentioned about a price increase.
11 Replies
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209 views
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks
6 Replies
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106 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, premieres on HBO Max on 8/21. I will be warching
www.syfy.com
View: https://youtu.be/fNwwt25mheo
S~
'Game of Thrones' spinoff 'House of the Dragon' fires up release date at HBO, drops new character pics
The wait’s felt a little like watching for a dragon egg to hatch, but HBO’s hugely anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series finally has a release date. House of the Dragon will debut the first of its initial 10-episode season this summer, the network revealed today in a series of tweets that...
View: https://youtu.be/fNwwt25mheo
S~
39 Replies
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5651 views
