Thank you guys!

[Dee_Ann]

I owe you all a cold beer.

Yesterday while I was asleep my G-box tripped out all on it's own.

I have no idea in the world what could have caused this to happen but it did.
I woke up to a black screen (I sleep with the TV on) and I was like "Uh oh, what now?"

I assumed that I was having the old 87w blackout problem so I picked up the remote for the G-box and tried to "bump" the dish like I can usually do to get it back. Nothing. So I got up to go see what the deal was, I went to the pc and tried to move the dish in there. But I couldn't hear the clicking from the box. So I went and looked out the patio door and saw the dish was pointed all the way over to the side. Hmmmm...

I walked outside to look at the dish, I thought maybe the motor slipped in the clamp. But the paint pen marks I made last time were still lined up.

I go back inside and look at the G-box. I press the buttons to try and move the dish and no matter what I press it gives me a message that it is at it's east AND west limit.

So the G-box moved the dish all the way over as far as it could then somehow it set it's own limits both east and west at that position, effectively locking the dish in place. HUH?????

I got out the instructions and found that there is an option to reset the limits so I did that and the dish was freed up to operate normally again.

What stopped it from becoming a total disaster was that you guys had recommended that I set the limits in the motor itself and you provided me with the information on how to do that.

I had a "flop over" event a few weeks ago because the motor limits were not set. I am very thankful to you guys for helping me learn the right way to set the motor! I am a believer now!

I can not explain what went wrong with the G-box, it is not possible that it was something that I did because I was asleep when it did that all on it's own.

It could have turned out really bad but thanks to you guys it was only a very minor event, no damage done. The worst part of it was that I didn't get my Hawaii 5.0 recording yesterday. Oh well..

Thanks so much guys!

 

[Larry1]

The worst part of it was that I didn't get my Hawaii 5.0 recording yesterday.

Too bad, it was one of the better episodes. Hopefully they keep Hawaii 5-0 in the new lineup (the MeTV web site has a list of some of the new shows coming this fall) as it is one of my all time favourites.
Good to hear you got the dish back up and running so quick before making any critical adjustments.
Look out for Clint Eastwood in Tarantula on Svengoolie this Saturday.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Too bad, it was one of the better episodes. Hopefully they keep Hawaii 5-0 in the new lineup (the MeTV web site has a list of some of the new shows coming this fall) as it is one of my all time favourites.
Good to hear you got the dish back up and running so quick before making any critical adjustments.
Look out for Clint Eastwood in Tarantula on Svengoolie this Saturday.

Darn! I remember Hawaii 5.0 from when I was little but I didn't like it back then.
I hadn't seen it in like 40 something years until I got my big dish working right. Now I'm kinda hooked on it.
I don't record them to keep them, I just DVR them for later because sometimes I sleep through them, I keep very erratic hours.

I'm with you, I hope they keep the show, it's a bit cornball but that's part of the appeal, to me.

And Svengoolie, I had never heard of him at all until I saw you guys talking about him in the forum. Once I got the big dish working I checked his show out and now I always make it a point to watch. He's so corny it's painful to watch him sometimes, like the rap thing he did last week. Ugh! That was dreadful!
But what I like about his show is that he doesn't mangle up the movies like that Wolfman Mac does with the childish noises and such.

Elvira is kinda annoying but tolerable. Obviously her target audience is 13 year old boys. But she ran a really, really great movie a few months back, Planet of the Vampires. I was blown away by this totally awesome movie and fell in love it with! I bought a copy of it on ebay

I was sitting there going "OMG! This IS Alien!" I could see that Ridley Scott took a LOT from this cool movie. I just had to have a copy without Elvira popping in every 5 minutes with commentary.

There is so much good stuff on the FTA satellites... I wish I had more hours in the day to watch more TV..

Thanks again guys!

 

[FaT Air]

I once woke, opening one eye, to see to the TV just flipping through all the channels. I thought, in my sleepy stupor, WTH? Turns out, I fell asleep with the TV remote in hand, and rolled onto the hand holding the remote - pressing the CH UP button. Nice to hear you had the limit switch set.

 

[ParaclipseCKu]

I had the exact same thing happen with a G-Box two weeks ago. It just took off on its own all the way to the limit!

 

[FaT Air]

I've had a G-Box moving my dish for about 2 years now, Haven't had the thing go off on it's own. But, I haven't had the cover off the actuator in probably 10. Maybe I should look in there and make sure the limit switch is still OK?

 

[Anole]

Just something else you'll be experienced with, for when you hook up a BUD for the parents.
I know you originally said fixed BUD, and I wonder how that's coming?

 

[Dee_Ann]

Dang nabit!

It did it again the other night! But this time it moved in the direction of total disaster. And again, I was spared the disaster because of the limit switches!

Now I do not trust the Gbox at all and I leave it powered off at all times. And once again I am left with a stationary dish aimed at 87w.
Some things, never change.

On both instances when the G-box moved the dish on it's own AND locked it's limits, there is no way possible it was because of me hitting any buttons on any remote controls. Both times I was asleep and the remotes were all up on the headboard. Something is wrong with that gadget.

On the other hand, now that I think about it, it never did this until I put it on the pc where the theater app could control it.
I'm wondering if the app is sending random junk to the controller and freaking it out???


Bud for my folks. That's still up in the air.
I have not yet acquired a C-band dish for them just yet. A kind and generous gentleman who fixed me up with a buncha ku dishes may have some C dishes that I could perhaps obtain but that is still an unknown for now. I don't want to jinx anything by saying too much (ain't countin chickens just yet) until more is known.

If and when the time comes that I can fix them up with a C band dish it will likely be fixed on 87. Just to make life easier for everyone.

Once the new satellite replaces 87 in a few months things hopefully will work better than they do now. 87 is such a picky, touchy son of a gun..
But there's some really good stuff on it so it's totally worth the trouble. I am heavily addicted to MeTV and ThisTV..

 

[Anole]

On the other hand, now that I think about it, it never did this until I put it on the pc where the theater app could control it.
I'm wondering if the app is sending random junk to the controller and freaking it out???

I was about to suggest that, but you beat me to it. :up
Others have not been reporting random movement from their Gboxes.

Bud for my folks. That's still up in the air.
I have not yet acquired a C-band dish for them just yet.
If and when the time comes that I can fix them up with a C band dish it will likely be fixed on 87.
Once the new satellite replaces 87 in a few months things hopefully will work better than they do now.

Once the new bird flies, maybe you'd be able to get away with something smaller.
We can live 'n hope.

 

[stogie5150]

My Solomend remote turns on my Vantage receiver on random button presses, so anything can happen Dee. One thing I found out with this hobby: Unexplained stuff WILL happen. There's no doubt. You'll learn things you didn't want to know, do things you didn't and don't want to do, and see things you didn't want to see. You are finding that out.

People in general think this crap is plug and play. It takes a special person to do this, and I mean that in the best possible sense.

You're doing a great job, IMO. We all get mad, sad, happy, hell I been ecstatic a few times...LOL

 

[Dee_Ann]

My Solomend remote turns on my Vantage receiver on random button presses, so anything can happen Dee. One thing I found out with this hobby: Unexplained stuff WILL happen. There's no doubt. You'll learn things you didn't want to know, do things you didn't and don't want to do, and see things you didn't want to see. You are finding that out.

People in general think this crap is plug and play. It takes a special person to do this, and I mean that in the best possible sense.

You're doing a great job, IMO. We all get mad, sad, happy, hell I been ecstatic a few times...LOL

Heh.. I've come close to doing violence to that 6' WSI dish back a few months ago when I was trying to get it working.