I now have a UHF remote for my Voom STB - here's how

[bbtkd]

Hello - I have the signal from my Voom STB distributed to two other locations in my house so I wanted the capability of having a UHF remote as I did with DirecTV. Following some recent threads I set out to accomplish this and it is working very well. You only need 3 things:

1. Voom remote (extra one off Ebay or your original one)
2. A remote Xtender transmitter battery module (see link below)
3. A small whip antenna with F type connector (see below)

I chose to buy an extra remote - nabbed on Ebay for $18. Then I ordered the remote Xtender battery module from:

http://www.homeautomationnet.com/Shopping/remote-control-accessories.asp

and that is $24.95, plus shipping (you do not need the rest of it, just the additional transmitter module). For the whip antenna, I nabbed the old one off of my DirecTV STB. You can make one using a 1 foot chunk of coax with an F connector. Chop the connector off the opposite end if there is one, then strip off the outer insulation and the foil or braided shielding. You can leave the inner insulation on.

Then connect the antenna to the jack marked "UHF" on the back of the Voom STB. Then insert the Xtender transmitter in the Voom remote in place of one of the batteries. That's it! In my house it works everywhere I need it to - not sure of the range. If you need to extend the range, place the antenna as high as you can. If you are using the coax antenna you could use a longer chunk of cable with only the last foot stripped of shielding - then tack that up high.

This is all possible due to the fact that Motorola built in UHF remote capability to the generic STB design but when Voom chose not to specify UHF remotes, Motorola left the feature in the STB. It is a coincidence that the remote Xtender module happens to be on the correct UHF frequency to work with the STB since there are other frequencies either could have been set up for.

 

[Indy]

Somewhere on this forum someone found a RF remote that works with the Voom box. I believe it is a 4DVT box remote? Can be found for around $35 online.

 

[rudolpht]

It is a coincidence that the remote Xtender module happens to be on the correct UHF frequency to work with the STB since there are other frequencies either could have been set up for.

Very cool workaround, particularly for folks that want to keep their current remote. You are to be commended. This will be an even bigger deal when the Whole House network comes out.

 

[bbtkd]

Somewhere on this forum someone found a RF remote that works with the Voom box. I believe it is a 4DVT box remote? Can be found for around $35 online.

Yes - the 4DTV remote would also work, but it sells for $49 (cheapest I found anyway) and the buttons are not quite the same.

 

[Indy]

I bought a second remote that I ordered from Voom for $25 when I ordered the system. I use the old Pyramid remote extender for Vooming with the up stairs analog TV and it works pretty well.

 

[Furor]

If you read your agreement with Voom, you will find that they will supply you with one replacement remote at no cost to you.

 

[bbtkd]

If you read your agreement with Voom, you will find that they will supply you with one replacement remote at no cost to you.

We are talking about an additional remote, not the replacement of a faulty remote. Or are you suggesting something unethical?

 

[MNHTUG]

How did I miss this thread? Rumor has it there are 4Dtv UHF remotes that work. Have there been other success stories with UHF remotes for the Voom STB? Some Dish Network remotes are programmable. Anyone tried them?

Link above no longer works. Below is a corrected, working link.

Xtender Transmitter w/Battery:
Link

 

[bbtkd]

How did I miss this thread? Rumor has it there are 4Dtv UHF remotes that work. Have there been other success stories with UHF remotes for the Voom STB? Some Dish Network remotes are programmable. Anyone tried them?

Link above no longer works. Below is a corrected, working link.

Xtender Transmitter w/Battery:
Link

I should have followed up on my original post. The UHF transmiiter module work for about a month and a half, then stopped working. I figured it was a dead battery - but no luck.

 

[Wally]

Listen ... this UHF remote trick worked for me - wonderfully. THANK YOU! It has revolutionized my around the house viewing!
And it is till working flawlessly. If your unit is dead, you must have gotten a "bad" one. Mine has been going for many months now.
I consider this a major upgrade to my unit. (And I was going to be willing to pay a lot more to get a UHF STB if they offered one).
Again, thanks for finding and posting this solution!