What receivers blindscan the arc?

[lumpkin666]

I haven't actually run into one of these yet, but figure that they've gotta be out there. So here's what I'm looking for:

• Receiver with decent blindscan ability
• Supported by channel master (for easy conversion of channel list to other receivers)
• Blindscans all satellites selected, while moving motor and/or switching necessary switches as configured to view all sats across the arc - without any intervention required
• Optionally allows me to schedule blindscanning, or remotely (via serial would be fine) start the scanning process

I never really thought about how nice this functionality would be until I got my dreamboxes and see that they allow you to select a range of satellites and scan them all in without intervention. Unfortunately the dreambox doesn't do blindscanning, so I'm sure I'm missing lots this way. Certainly, this would be awesome, as it would allow me to periodically just set the receiver to scan and leave... come back and I've got all the updated channels.

Are there such animals out there (maybe I already have one, and haven't unlocked this ability yet!?) Are there any pci/usb cards that might do this? Any ideas?
thx

 

[Mr Tony]

until you got to the last point, the CS5000 does that.

I scan AMC6, SBS6, AMC5 usually at a time. Starts on AMC6 scans all the channels and moves to SBS6 and repeats.

 

[lumpkin666]

Thanks Ice. I'll have to keep my eye out for that model then. That really seems be a very useful feature that I'd enjoy!

BTW - any idea what this "feature" would commonly be called, so that I can look for this specifically when I peruse the list of receivers available?

thx!

 

[SatSniper]

I am guessing the only thing that might come close to all of your things would be a computer card type receiver if they make one that you can remote control?? Or maybe some type of X10 I think that is what it is called where you set up some type of computer program to fire off IR to the receiver to tell it to scan.
Besides that the CS5000 like Ice said works great they don't make it now but you can find used ones. I have used one for 2 years and it works great.

 

[lumpkin666]

I was reading the cs5000 specs and it looks like this "feature" may be called "Multi-Satellite scanning" .. if so, the later coolsat boxes have that feature as well. Can anybody confirm this to be true? If so, one might as well spring the extra few bucks and get the 7000pvr with the multi-sat scan

 

[VinceT3]

blindscanning while the reciever is off (aka not in use) would be one heck of a feature..

 

[Mr Tony]

I know on the 5000 (and assume 6000 since its pretty much the same thing) you can say blind scan and the next menu select the sats you want to scan and hit OK. It starts on the 1st one and works its way across the arc. I have my sats lined up along the clarke belt in order (72-148) so its easier
I know on auto scan you can do that too but that just logs the current TP's

 

[VinceT3]

I blind scan several sats in one sitting with the 5000.. they just go one by one and take a billion years..

I know some recievers will do multiple at the same time..

 

[kymics]

I know on auto scan you can do that too but that just logs the current TP's

What has your experience been? If you've blindscanned a satellite several times in the past, what's the likelihood that a new transponder will be used for a feed. I find on my Pansat that most of the waiting time is to indentify the transponders, the channel finds go quicker.

To queue up a list that checks known transponders for channels might be more effective because by the time that mulit-sat scan is complete some of those temporary feeds might still be up. Blindscanning many satellites mostly only benefits for sports or newsfeeds on major stories where the reporter may actually stick around for a while.

 

[Mr Tony]

Kymics
The drawback of the 5000 is if the frequency is the same but the symbol rate is different, it overrides the old info

So if there is a 12000 H 3978 in the box and from doing a blind scan it picks up 12000 H 6111, the 6111 overrides the 3978 info. I wish the box would keep both in there

 

[kymics]

That's too bad.

I get a kick out of this board because we're all looking for that illusive IRD that does everything perfectly. The problem is that our FTA requirements are so multi-facited, from blindscan abilities to sensitivity threshholds to HD to 4:2:2 to PVR functionality, that the perfect IRD will likely never exist.

If it did it would always be sold out, so maybe that's a good thing

 

[gpat]

I blind scan several sats in one sitting with the 5000.. they just go one by one and take a billion years..

I know some recievers will do multiple at the same time..

Still trying to figure out the logistics of that last statement.
How can it do that when it would have to move the dish from one to another.
no 2 birds in the same spot in sky.

 

[Wescopc]

Still trying to figure out the logistics of that last statement.
How can it do that when it would have to move the dish from one to another.
no 2 birds in the same spot in sky.

You have to have a motor, then it is not a problem.
Bob

 

[gpat]

Its the part of doing them at once that I m having a problem with
once it moves to the next youve lost communication with the previous.
So it wouldnt be simultaneously done it would be consecutively.

 

[updatelee]

Ive been told the dreambox 600 has blindscan (other dreambox models do not), its a brand new ird and I havent had the privlege of testing the ird out yet first hand. so you might want todo some more reading to confirm.

all dreambox models have a webif that can be accessed over the network, you could init a blindscan from there if you wanted to. even remotly over your cell phone

 

[lumpkin666]

Dang, and the price I paid for my 2 dm500s that I barely have a chance to use could have bought the dm600s :/ If they would come out with a decent switch/lnb/motor setting panel so that I didn't have to edit everything manually and then ftp it to the dreambox, I'd probably sell the two I have and buy one of those 600's.

Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[updatelee]

ftp your channel list over, make sure it has a good satellites.xml file, reboot

menu->setup->searching->config

 

[lumpkin666]

ftp your channel list over, make sure it has a good satellites.xml file, reboot

menu->setup->searching->config

My issue is with complex setups. I discussed this with the PLI guys, and they walked me through a way to make it work, but it's not pretty.

The issue comes with you have multiple lnbs, multiple motors, multiple diseqcs, and multiple 22k switches... the panels simply don't expose every piece of the puzzle. Thus, when making changes, it's pretty manual.

Right now I go and manually edit /var/tuxbox/config/enigma/config to make any mods to my setup, then kill enigma, then reboot, then manually update any channel info and ftp it over. If I have to do anything with rescanning or manually entering channels on the box, it normally messes up my config file for enigma (that's if the info I need to change is even exposed through the panels). If the interface to enigma was a bit more flexible, it would help out immensely, but none of the interfaces that I've played with do it for me.

I may still have to consider consolidating some of my hardware and freeing up some funds for that 600 unit.. it sounds pretty nice!

 

[Wescopc]

My Mercury II does what you want I believe. I go to menu and select "Auto Scan" then select the satellites I want to scan followed by the P.Scan button on the remote. It motors to each satellite and does the scan. Of course you need to have each satellite set up for LNB, LO, switches, and motor.
Bob

 

[lumpkin666]

My Mercury II does what you want I believe. I go to menu and select "Auto Scan" then select the satellites I want to scan followed by the P.Scan button on the remote. It motors to each satellite and does the scan. Of course you need to have each satellite set up for LNB, LO, switches, and motor.
Bob

Can you select the list of satellites in the PowerScan mode? From what I'd read about the MercuryII, the AutoScan mode is not blindscanning, but just scanning for channels on already loaded transponders.