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Staff member
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Cutting Edge
One of the things I really like about the new Gemini box for DIRECTV satellite TV is the remote. The folks at DIRECTV managed to make it smaller, simpler, and easier to use than the previous generation. Not only that, but it's DIRECTV's most powerful remote yet. The Gemini remote will work when the box is behind most TVs, when it's in a cabinet, or really almost anywhere within 50 feet. How? It's the power of Bluetooth.
I've written a long string of articles over the years about how much I hate Bluetooth. The issues tend to boil down to two things. First of all, the Bluetooth standard keeps evolving, leaving older equipment out. This shortens the life of your equipment and can be a real pain if you rely on it for your car. Second, the way that Windows handles Bluetooth isn't really consistent. That can mean that things like Bluetooth keyboards ands mice don't quite work the way you expect. Sometimes they don't work at all.
But in this very particular case, I really like the Bluetooth implementation on the DIRECTV remote. It makes the whole process so much easier. And, for whatever reason, the Bluetooth system on these Gemini boxes "just works." It's never given me any problems, and that's saying a lot for Bluetooth in my opinion.
Bluetooth is better than plain old infrared remotes because it does use radio waves rather than infrared signals for communication. This means that the remote can penetrate through walls, doors, and cabinets. You won't have to worry about aiming carefully and can even use the remote in another room!
Bluetooth is better than old-fashioned RF remotes because it's a two-way system. This means that pairing is a breeze. All you need to do is press the REWIND and FAST FORWARD buttons at the same time. Hold them down until you see a message that the remote is ready to use. There's a walk-through that you can get by going to MENU, Settings, Remote Control, but it's just as easy to do it this way.
Having Bluetooth built into the Gemini also gives you something I've been requesting for many years. It's actually possible to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to the Gemini. It doesn't seem to work everywhere, but it does work.
Once I tell people all the great stuff that Gemini's Bluetooth remote can do, the obvious next question is, "can I use it with my older DIRECTV hardware?" There's no way to use this remote in Bluetooth mode with older DIRECTV boxes. You can reset it to infrared mode and use it, but you lose all the benefits that Bluetooth brings. DIRECTV has no plans to make a Bluetooth adapter for its older hardware, either.
Solid Signal is your source for everything you need for your Gemini. We also have the original equipment Gemini remotes at the best price you'll find on the internet. If you haven't upgraded to Gemini yet, you'll want to call the experts. Upgrading to this particular box can be tricky, and you'll want to make sure you have some help to do it right. Call us during East Coast business hours and we'll take great care of you!
The post Is it true that the Gemini has a Bluetooth remote? Is that different from an RF remote? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
I'm famously against Bluetooth, but this time it makes sense.
I've written a long string of articles over the years about how much I hate Bluetooth. The issues tend to boil down to two things. First of all, the Bluetooth standard keeps evolving, leaving older equipment out. This shortens the life of your equipment and can be a real pain if you rely on it for your car. Second, the way that Windows handles Bluetooth isn't really consistent. That can mean that things like Bluetooth keyboards ands mice don't quite work the way you expect. Sometimes they don't work at all.
But in this very particular case, I really like the Bluetooth implementation on the DIRECTV remote. It makes the whole process so much easier. And, for whatever reason, the Bluetooth system on these Gemini boxes "just works." It's never given me any problems, and that's saying a lot for Bluetooth in my opinion.
Why Bluetooth is better
Bluetooth is better than plain old infrared remotes because it does use radio waves rather than infrared signals for communication. This means that the remote can penetrate through walls, doors, and cabinets. You won't have to worry about aiming carefully and can even use the remote in another room!
Bluetooth is better than old-fashioned RF remotes because it's a two-way system. This means that pairing is a breeze. All you need to do is press the REWIND and FAST FORWARD buttons at the same time. Hold them down until you see a message that the remote is ready to use. There's a walk-through that you can get by going to MENU, Settings, Remote Control, but it's just as easy to do it this way.
Having Bluetooth built into the Gemini also gives you something I've been requesting for many years. It's actually possible to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to the Gemini. It doesn't seem to work everywhere, but it does work.
The obvious next question
Once I tell people all the great stuff that Gemini's Bluetooth remote can do, the obvious next question is, "can I use it with my older DIRECTV hardware?" There's no way to use this remote in Bluetooth mode with older DIRECTV boxes. You can reset it to infrared mode and use it, but you lose all the benefits that Bluetooth brings. DIRECTV has no plans to make a Bluetooth adapter for its older hardware, either.
Get your Gemini (and remote) from Solid Signal
Solid Signal is your source for everything you need for your Gemini. We also have the original equipment Gemini remotes at the best price you'll find on the internet. If you haven't upgraded to Gemini yet, you'll want to call the experts. Upgrading to this particular box can be tricky, and you'll want to make sure you have some help to do it right. Call us during East Coast business hours and we'll take great care of you!
The post Is it true that the Gemini has a Bluetooth remote? Is that different from an RF remote? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
0 Replies
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389 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Due to security concerns and the fact that the Tapatalk Plugin for Xenforo is no longer being updated we have removed Tapatalk support from SatelliteGuys.
For those who were using it we recommend using our PWA App instead which is faster and does not have all the spam Tapatalk had. Below is a graphic showing how to add SatelliteGuys to your devices home screen. (While iOS is shown the process is mostly the same for Android.)
Thanks for your understanding.
For those who were using it we recommend using our PWA App instead which is faster and does not have all the spam Tapatalk had. Below is a graphic showing how to add SatelliteGuys to your devices home screen. (While iOS is shown the process is mostly the same for Android.)
Thanks for your understanding.
6 Replies
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152 views
Actually, PWA stands for "Progressive Web Application" and is basically just saving a site's homepage to your desktop where it appears as an "App" with the rest of your smartphone's Apps.
A PWA is a custom version of SatelliteGuys which is optimized for mobile devices. While it may look like the website, its actually different so that only the files needed for mobile are sent, meaning its a much faster experience all around.
TapaTalk is essentially dead. It was written for PHP 5.4 and we are now running PHP 8.4. There have been a LOT of PHP security updates since then and since Tapatalk for Xenforo has not been updated in a long long time it is not the safest idea to keep running it.
In addition those trying to view the site on their mobile devices using a browser were getting spammed on the top of the screen for people to install TapaTalk, this ad in some cases would take up 20% of the users screen. We could get rid of that ad but we would have to pay $20 a month to get rid of it.
In addition TapaTalk could and was inserting their own ads on SatelliteGuys in the app which only benefitted them, SatelliteGuys was not paid for those ads they were displaying on our site. Again we could pay to get rid of those ads.
And here was the cost of the Premium Tier.
Now to make matters worse Tapatalk recently announced that they are going to start charging users of the app 99 cents a month to continue using it.
So soon you would be paying them each month to access SatelliteGuys via their app, again all the money going to them... and you would still see all their ads too.
Tapatalk was a great program which we run for many many years, and for a long time we DID pay for the premium tier. But now with such a small offset using it (My numbers show a total of 6 members) it wasn't work paying for any longer.
In addition Tapatalk was sold to a different owner who made lots of promises of improvements and updates but then that owner has been really radio silent since, instead they have been letting TapaTalk rot on the vine.
If you visit their support forum at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalksupport/ you will see there is not much going on, in fact most of the support questions posted there go unanswered.
Please give the PWA a try, I was a die hard Tapatalk user myself but now only use the PWA on devices. It is a much better all around experience, with no bloatware or additional ads based on your user membership level.
I don't have an android phone so I could not make a graphic showing you how to add SatelliteGuys PWA to your phones apps or home screen. But here is a site that explains how to do it on all kinds of devices. How to Install a PWA on iOS, Android, Windows & Mac [2025 Guide]
The above link also explains PWA's better as well.
If Tapatalk were to update their plugins so we know we are more secure and up to date and allow us to remove the "Smart Banner" without having to pay $20 a month, we would consider adding it back. I don't even care about their ads, as if a user wants to use their app and is willing to sit through their ads in order to use that app then I am ok with it.
But hopefully that explains better why it was removed. It was not done to cut anyone off from the site. Please give the PWA a try.
TapaTalk is essentially dead. It was written for PHP 5.4 and we are now running PHP 8.4. There have been a LOT of PHP security updates since then and since Tapatalk for Xenforo has not been updated in a long long time it is not the safest idea to keep running it.
In addition those trying to view the site on their mobile devices using a browser were getting spammed on the top of the screen for people to install TapaTalk, this ad in some cases would take up 20% of the users screen. We could get rid of that ad but we would have to pay $20 a month to get rid of it.
In addition TapaTalk could and was inserting their own ads on SatelliteGuys in the app which only benefitted them, SatelliteGuys was not paid for those ads they were displaying on our site. Again we could pay to get rid of those ads.
And here was the cost of the Premium Tier.
Now to make matters worse Tapatalk recently announced that they are going to start charging users of the app 99 cents a month to continue using it.
So soon you would be paying them each month to access SatelliteGuys via their app, again all the money going to them... and you would still see all their ads too.
Tapatalk was a great program which we run for many many years, and for a long time we DID pay for the premium tier. But now with such a small offset using it (My numbers show a total of 6 members) it wasn't work paying for any longer.
In addition Tapatalk was sold to a different owner who made lots of promises of improvements and updates but then that owner has been really radio silent since, instead they have been letting TapaTalk rot on the vine.
If you visit their support forum at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalksupport/ you will see there is not much going on, in fact most of the support questions posted there go unanswered.
Please give the PWA a try, I was a die hard Tapatalk user myself but now only use the PWA on devices. It is a much better all around experience, with no bloatware or additional ads based on your user membership level.
I don't have an android phone so I could not make a graphic showing you how to add SatelliteGuys PWA to your phones apps or home screen. But here is a site that explains how to do it on all kinds of devices. How to Install a PWA on iOS, Android, Windows & Mac [2025 Guide]
The above link also explains PWA's better as well.
If Tapatalk were to update their plugins so we know we are more secure and up to date and allow us to remove the "Smart Banner" without having to pay $20 a month, we would consider adding it back. I don't even care about their ads, as if a user wants to use their app and is willing to sit through their ads in order to use that app then I am ok with it.
But hopefully that explains better why it was removed. It was not done to cut anyone off from the site.
Please give the PWA a try.
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....
67103 Replies
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2662227 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
111 Replies
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2718 views
TFLEV
Time for another AWESOME video from TFL Electric Vehicles!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7CB6m89_RY
Direct YouTube Link - How the Heck Do You Tell the NEW 2027 Rivian R2 from the R1? I Compare Both Side-By-Side!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7CB6m89_RY
Direct YouTube Link - How the Heck Do You Tell the NEW 2027 Rivian R2 from the R1? I Compare Both Side-By-Side!
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4 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
I have had good experiences with Brave but lately I am frustrated with it.
Now when I launch the app it shows a box at the bottom asking if I want to go back to the last opened page. It is in conveniently located and I would prefer to eliminate it.
Does anyone know how to do this?
Please let's not sidetrack the discussion into an exploration of why I don't care for it or a lecture about all the wonderful aspects of the feature. I just do not care for it.
Now when I launch the app it shows a box at the bottom asking if I want to go back to the last opened page. It is in conveniently located and I would prefer to eliminate it.
Does anyone know how to do this?
Please let's not sidetrack the discussion into an exploration of why I don't care for it or a lecture about all the wonderful aspects of the feature. I just do not care for it.
3 Replies
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65 views
I don't have an Android phone so I don't know if this will apply to the Brave settings on your android device but it works on the desktop for me.
Change this setting to either startup to a different website or a new tab page. I have mine set to open to google.com instead of where I left off and it doesn't ask me at the next startup if I want to open the last opened page unless it crashed.
Change this setting to either startup to a different website or a new tab page. I have mine set to open to google.com instead of where I left off and it doesn't ask me at the next startup if I want to open the last opened page unless it crashed.
Supporting Founder
Since the Reds have there thread we should too!
Last watched Nine inch Nails
Next 3:10 to Yuma
Last watched Nine inch Nails
Next 3:10 to Yuma
5346 Replies
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509282 views
Looking for a manual. Want to do some radio astronomy with it. Realize it's old but, since it's not for tv use don't need any decoders, just the RF section.
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15 views
New low power station has been granted by the FCC and the new call leter is K33OB-D on RF ch. 33.
Will run at 15 KW ERP, this one runs from the Westside same location as KWPL-LD a HC2 owned station.
It's going to be aimed at eastern part of Albuquerque, so it's tightly focused beam pattern.
This new station is owned by Digital Network and what kind of programmings is unkown at this time.
Will run at 15 KW ERP, this one runs from the Westside same location as KWPL-LD a HC2 owned station.
It's going to be aimed at eastern part of Albuquerque, so it's tightly focused beam pattern.
This new station is owned by Digital Network and what kind of programmings is unkown at this time.
9 Replies
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128 views
M
The 'get after it media' stations
www.getafteritmedia.com
Like Heartland, Retro, rev'n, Action etc
probably the same programming they have been putting on their other owned stations.
The 'get after it media' stations
Get After It Media
www.getafteritmedia.com
probably the same programming they have been putting on their other owned stations.
The 'get after it media' stations
Like Heartland, Retro, rev'n, Action etcGet After It Media
We already have those diginets here.
Yeah, there are some diginets like Heartland, Retro, The Family Channel diginetworks that we already have here in this market and we don't need duplicates, but bring the new diginets on like the Rev'n, Karate Acton movies, different kind of music videos on the new station. 
Yeah, there are some diginets like Heartland, Retro, The Family Channel diginetworks that we already have here in this market and we don't need duplicates, but bring the new diginets like Revn, Karate Acton movies, different kind of music videos on the new station.
I watch MovieSphere Gold channel a lot. Many recent movies on that digitnet
Yes that's a good channel MovieSphere, only thing is the missing CC on it. 
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ue4NAM2-j90
Direct YouTube Link - Paul's Microsoft Build 2026 Takeaways #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ue4NAM2-j90
Direct YouTube Link - Paul's Microsoft Build 2026 Takeaways #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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11 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25hZtsi5420
Direct YouTube Link - XBOX's 2026 Game Plan & Console Comeback
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25hZtsi5420
Direct YouTube Link - XBOX's 2026 Game Plan & Console Comeback
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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10 views