Free Map Master

[Anony55]

Well I don't know why people are insinuating things about me and pretending like they know what I'm thinking when you don't have a clue of who I am or what I know...

Danny,

I'm not sure what you read that offended you. I can assure you that none of my posts in this thread have been directed at you personally... at least, not in a way that was intended to insult you.

But it is absolutely right to point out the difference between a cable and an adapter that includes a small PCB with active electronics on it. It's also completely correct to point out that a willingness to read instructions is a prerequisite to using MMR and the adapter. Once anyone does it for the first time, they understand exactly what we're talking about.

You have to remember, there may be just a few of us posting in this thread, but this is a public forum that many read for information. So the information needs to be accurate & complete.

My post about the "two questions" was dead on. There are reasons that motivate people to do certain things, and that post is there to help people decide what they wanna do, not to belittle anyone.

This process can be very dangerous if not done correctly. We need to appreciate the fact that the MMR team has left us with the option to decide if we want to do it on our own or not. For a long time, it looked like that wouldn't be the case. But now we have the option.

And we should be happy that we can come here and get support along the way. Not everyone wanted us to have that opportunity.

Cheers

 

[Dannymcenrow]

Well like I said I'm gonna do it but maybe in February when football season is over because otherwise these kids will kill me because they are into sports like mlb and nfl and now I bought an fta receiver that gets hd stuff and that is helping out a lot but the thing is that my 4dtv receiver is also the MAIN BRAIN of our system because it controlles the actuator and poloroter so without it my fta won't work.So when I send it away we will be without a tv for a while that's why I think I'm gonna wait till after the superbowl to do this.But in the meantime I would appreciate more information like what channels I will be getting because actually I saw another webside from an entirely different company that said that it can make the 4dtv like a commercial receiver and stuff like that but I don't know if ats will do the same.I was actually interested in getting music choice and would like to know if there are other channels that are free in dc2 mode that I can get that the 4dtv can't get right now.By the way I already have a commercial receiver in my garage that I can't even connect to my tv.

 

[Anony55]

...the thing is that my 4dtv receiver is also the MAIN BRAIN of our system because it controlles the actuator and poloroter so without it my fta won't work.

Well, you won't have to be 100% without FTA while the 4DTV receiver is gone. But you will be limited to one polarity of whatever satellite you leave the dish parked on. You can just let the FTA receiver power the LNB, but it won't control polarity. If you wanna receive vertical polarity while the 4DTV receiver is gone, I would suggest to "falsely" tell the FTA receiver that it's horizontal (it's not gonna actually change the polarity anyway). That way, your FTA receiver will supply 18v to the LNB instead of 13V.

If it were me, I'd choose the vertical side of SES-1/C at 101° (that's where MeTV is). But you'll need to decide the sat/pol that suits you best. Just be sure to park the dish there before you disconnect the 4DTV receiver. It would be easy to park it on the right bird, but forget to change it to the desired polarity. And If your like me, you'd lose the 50/50 coin toss.

...I would appreciate more information like what channels I will be getting...

The amount of DCII channels that are open 24/7/365 are fairly limited. Those music channels you mentioned are probably the highlight of the list. There's more, but how noteworthy is debatable. On top of that, the 920 won't get all the ones the 922 will. So it's kinda hard to give a generic answer to all 4DTV owners. The biggest prize is when channels that are normally not open, become open. There's no pattern to it, and that's why it seems so hard to get a straight answer to that question... because there's really no straight answer to be had.

That was part of what I was trying to say in the "two questions" post I made. If someone is looking to remap and have a ton of 24/7 channels comparable to cable or pizza, they would be disappointed. But it sure is fun when those type of channels do open up, because once you remap, you're one of the ones who can watch them.

...because actually I saw another webside from an entirely different company that said that it can make the 4dtv like a commercial receiver and stuff like that but I don't know if ats will do the same...

The services that ATS and the other company offer had the same starting point. How the two paths independently evolve over time is anyone's guess. But for right now, they're pretty much the same.

The 4DTV receivers can "kinda" be like commercial receivers to a point, in that they can be remapped & made to receive any DCII signal that their tuner is capable of. But they can NOT be made to receive megapipe DCII (29270-combo) because their tuner simply can't tune that.

Cheers

 

[Dannymcenrow]

What is me tv?I can get on 101 w but I don't think I have that scanned in.Also I'm thinking it through and I think that I'm problably gonna buy the bdm adaptor anyway.The reason is that I think I might wanna KEEP My system updated not update it once and that's it because if I send it in and I get it back and a channel I like changes parameter 2 weeks later I'll have to send it in again.But the thing is I'll need a good source to get the information that I need to program the parameters needed for the channels.Like with dc 2 you have an extra parameter to worry about I don't know what it's called but lyngsat has it written in green.But on some dc2 transponders they just have??? so if they don't know how am I gonna know.So maybe it's a good idea to share the info with each person like you tell me what you have programmed in your receiver and another person say what he's got I mean not right now but in the future like build a thread with all that info so we can use it to update our receivers

 

[Anony55]

To see what's on MeTV, just google "MeTV Schedule". They have a very nice website and you can see what shows & episodes are coming on for the next week or two.

The ability to keep your own system updated is the main appeal of MMR to me. Plus, many folks are like you & I where the 4DTV receiver is the method used to control the dish. With MMR & the adapter, you don't have all the "down time" or the hassle of disconnecting and reconnecting that comes with shipping the unit off. If your unit is buried like mine, you will have to disconnect & reconnect that first time so that you can install the extension cable. After that, you're all set for future updates.

Cheers

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

"Too bad" that my local OTA MeTV doesn't match the FTA feeds. Not to mention that the FTA feeds look better than the OTA.

 

[Dannymcenrow]

Well I don't know if I need to disconect the receiver because actually my computer is right next to it it is also connected to the tv so the kids use it to play their videogames so that's why I think I'm going with buying the bdm adapter because everything is so easy for me but not right now but probably like in october and then I'll start with the programming channels thing.

 

[Anony55]

Well I don't know if I need to disconect the receiver because actually my computer is right next to it it is also connected to the tv...

It just depends on if you can get the top cover off, with it in it's current location. And if you don't wanna have to remove the top cover every time you do an update, you'll need to order an extension cable to route to the slot behind the door on the front-left.

In my case, I couldn't remove the top cover with it still in the home entertainment center. So I had to disconnect & remove the unit to get it out where I could do the job. In the good ole days, it would've been setting on top of my console TV and easy to get to (I miss the good ole days, but I don't miss that TV), lol. But since I added the extension cable, I won't have to do that again.

BTW, I also have an HTPC in the home entertainment center. I can't imagine how I got by for so many years without it. Makes updating the with the BDM real handy too.

Cheers

 

[Dannymcenrow]

Oh so now you got me worried?So you mean that the bdm board has to go INSIDE the 4dtv. And each time I want to connect to the computer I have to open it up?There is no way to add an external connector?Why did they make this so difficult?I thought the bdm was the port in the back of the receiver that weird looking port that nobody knows why it's there it would have been easier to do it that way.Now I don't think I'm gonna do this anymore I'll just buy the hard drive for my fta unit and that's it because I don't see myself retrofitting a new board in there this is gonna be so difficult that not even my son who is like half geek can do.I mean the programming thing may be easy I guess it can take a couple of hours or even days but to go retrofit a new board and connecting it to the main board no we will definitely damage the main board and in fact even brick the thing.So I'll leave it alone as it is.

 

[stargaze]

As I have said before, the instructions will give you all the answers to your questions and there are photo's in the instructions to show you how everything is attached.
If you don't want to read it I am afraid you will not be able to do the task properly yourself. Not that it is difficult but it needs to be done in a specific way.
Also there are links in the instructions as to exactly where you can purchase all the items you will need.

 

[Asket]

As I have said before, the instructions will give you all the answers to your questions and there are photo's in the instructions to show you how everything is attached.
If you don't want to read it I am afraid you will not be able to do the task properly yourself. Not that it is difficult but it needs to be done in a specific way.
Also there are links in the instructions as to exactly where you can purchase all the items you will need.

Yeah, I guess he does not see it as worth the effort. The thing is whether you pay the Cicero gang to do it or do it yourself is there really anything that you would find to justify the cost time and effort.
Some will do it just to see that it can be done and that is good, but it seems to be that FTA can provide more for considerably less effort and cost. Looking at most of the channels that you can get on
Dish, H2H, Direct and cable they are nothing but reruns splattered with logos, bugs, popups and postings that cover a good portion of the screen. Not my idea of anything to see!

 

[stargaze]

The thing is whether you pay the Cicero gang to do it or do it yourself is there really anything that you would find to justify the cost time and effort.
Some will do it just to see that it can be done and that is good, but it seems to be that FTA can provide more for considerably less effort and cost. Looking at most of the channels that you can get on
Dish, H2H, Direct and cable they are nothing but reruns splattered with logos, bugs, popups and postings that cover a good portion of the screen. Not my idea of anything to see!

I guess I think of things a bit differently.
1) The 4d makes an excellent big dish mover.
2) It is one of the last receivers made that still picks up those more elusive analog signals and yes they are still up there but you have to look.
3) With the new mappings people can do things for themselves to make it more convenient for themselves such as 1 person renaming all their sat tiles by numbers according to the satellite degree it is located at.
4) Now with the additional guide data located and recorded you can use the receiver as your own type of private guide if you sub to something and can get the guide along with it.
(ie.. Many FTA DVB channels can be placed in the mappings so for instance if you want to see what is on a particular network channel you can now have that in your guide.)

If it was only just about what you can get free then it may not be worth it to some but the added benefits of the combination of things makes it worthwhile and that initial expense of the bdm board can go a long way as long as you maintain the battery in the receiver.

 

[Asket]

I guess I think of things a bit differently.
1) The 4d makes an excellent big dish mover.
2) It is one of the last receivers made that still picks up those more elusive analog signals and yes they are still up there but you have to look.
3) With the new mappings people can do things for themselves to make it more convenient for themselves such as 1 person renaming all their sat tiles by numbers according to the satellite degree it is located at.
4) Now with the additional guide data located and recorded you can use the receiver as your own type of private guide if you sub to something and can get the guide along with it.
(ie.. Many FTA DVB channels can be placed in the mappings so for instance if you want to see what is on a particular network channel you can now have that in your guide.)

If it was only just about what you can get free then it may not be worth it to some but the added benefits of the combination of things makes it worthwhile and that initial expense of the bdm board can go a long way as long as you maintain the battery in the receiver.

I agree with your assessment. I myself use it for a positioner. I do find in the clear analog signals. I do find in the clear VC2 signals. Weird Stuff! and yes from the hobby standpoint there is a lot

you can do. My point is that for most the effort is a thing of diminishing returns and simply not worth the effort. For us it still is a worthwhile effort but the outlook is dark because of the programming is so bad and the possibility of system shutdown. Even with something as dark as black cipher.

 

[thedishking]

Thanks for starting this thread Scott!

It is great to bring some life back to these 4DTV units.

I am getting started, and have ordered the jtag cable.

Quick question - has anyone really posted what new channels can be received?

I cannot receive anything on my old 922 right now, with regards to DC2.

Thanks for keeping the hobby going!

Travis

 

[azcoder]

I am getting started, and have ordered the jtag cable.

Travis

I hope you ordered the USBBDM cable, not the jtag cable!

It looks like this: