Maybe Of Use To Some.

[TJExcalibur]

So I sold my Dreambox 8000 as I am just not patient enough or probably clever enough to figure it all out. But as I had so much hassle working out the settings for my 36v motor I thought it may be of some use to others. It worked for me but some settings may be different for you. Use sat finder from the menu to find satellite. Then put number in stored position or store it from the sat finder menu. Next satellite and store position is a different position.

Advanced.
Choose satellite.
LNB 1.
Priority Auto.
LOF. Universal.
Voltage mode. Polarization.
Increased voltage. Yes.
Tone mode. Band
Diseqc mode. 1.2
Toneburst. None.
Committed Diseqc Command. None.
Fast Diseqc. No.
Sequence Repeat. No.
Command order. Committed, Toneburst.
Uncommitted Diseqc Command. 1.
Diseqc Repeats. No.
Lat. Nothing
Lon. Nothing.
Power Measurement. yes.
Power Threshold. 30ma.
Rotor Turning Speed. Fast.
Use Usals. No.
Stored Position. Set for each satellite.

 

[Lazarus]

Sorry it didn't work out for you - I have been dithering about getting into the Dreambox fraternity for ages and am slowly coming to the conclusion it wouldn't lend very much extra enjoyment to my own participation in the hobby and might well end up making me very angry indeed!

 

[Llew]

Shame about that TJExcalibur. Plenty of advice available here on this forum if you had persevered. Once you get past the running round the park naked screaming ''My Dreambox is the Devil in disguise" phase you are half way there

 

[TJExcalibur]

I believe it depends on how much of a hobby it is for you and how many other interests or in my case things to do you have. I rarely watch TV or read a book, always like to be moving about, pottering in the workshop, mending and making things. I'm a practical man who likes to see results in a practical way. I did read on a forum about a disabled man who claims it stopped him going out of his mind because it gave him a challange.

 

[TJExcalibur]

Another member of here has bought it. He is way more experienced than I am, 25 odd years he told me. Now you will be able to give him advice and a prompt whereas I will spend a bit of what spare time I have with my Technomate. Horses for courses he tells me. Wonder if he was saying he is a throughbred and I am an old nag.

 

[pace508]

hi TJExcalibur
sounds like an heavy weight as been lifted, i might be in the same boat in a couple of weeks

 

[hexah]

Commiserations, TJExcalibur. At least you are happy now not to be wrestling with the infernal device!

I use Linux quite frequently and have used a lot of operating systems over the last few decades. Even so, I have not (yet) bothered with the Dreambox.

I prefer to use a computer and HD PC card instead. The receiver IF loop-through is used to connect to the LNB so the receiver can be used to drive the motor. The PC card can 'drive' a 1.2 disecq 8x or 16x switch if you have a wave frontier, dish farm, etc.

I suggest you consider that route if your Technomate doesn't do everything you want it to. It certainly is much easier to search among the thousands of channels using keyword searches and mouse clicks. With DVB Viewer and AC3 filter everything works 'out of the box'. No need to fiddle. No annoying crashes, no limit to channel numbers or other settings so as many favorites as you want. The superior processing of the computer means the picture quality is better as well.

Computers are modular, so when bits wear out you can replaced the affected part cheaply. This keyboard will soon be for the chop as it is sticking and some letters are not coming out first time. :mad: Only a few quid for a new one though, much cheaper than a new remote for a Dreambox or Technomate, by a third to a fifth, I'll bet. Its easy to shove in more RAM, or a bigger disc, or new graphics card etc.

 

[hexah]

Shame about that TJExcalibur. Plenty of advice available here on this forum if you had persevered. Once you get past the running round the park naked screaming ''My Dreambox is the Devil in disguise" phase you are half way there

Perhaps it should be renamed Nightmarebox.

 

[Lazarus]

............ This keyboard will soon be for the chop as it is sticking and some letters are not coming out first time. :mad: .

Ha!

We inherited a PC from my late Mother-in-Law that had a sticky keyboard.

I took it apart ................................. EEK!

The inter-relationship between the printed parts, contacts, insulating pieces, electronic components and fixings/fasteners was as mind-bogglingly complex as anything I've ever "serviced".

But I managed - ten minutes to take apart, a good half hour to clean thoroughly and six hours to re-assemble.

Buying a new one would have been much less difficult!

 

[hexah]

It is amazing how complex some of these seemingly simple and straightforward bits of technology are.

I usually build my own computers but I am glad that it only involves putting modular parts together. At the soldering level I imagine it would drive me up the wall and possibly leave me with fewer finger tips than when I started.

I recommend making your own computers. It saves loads of money over the years. I spend no more than £60 per part, usually no more than £30-£40 in most cases. If a part goes wrong, the cost to replace it is less than having it looked at and not even worked on in a repair shop. The cost of repair at a repair shop would cover most of the cost of building a new one!

 

[TJExcalibur]

Not so much a heavy weight, more of a banging my head against the wall. But I am sure that within a few months you will become one of the forum members who have answers for everything regarding the Dreambox.

 

[hexah]

Unless he throws in the towel and goes down the computer route. O-Ha


:-beer

 

[Gerry55]

TJExcalibur
It`s a pity that you didn`t persevere as the 8000 is a wonderful receiver an a good hobby, it took me three week of hell to get it set-up.

This is a good forum but the 8000 section help is lacking!

In your (Maybe Of Use To Some) you have Priority= Auto. that should be = 1 if you have more than one tuner, I have three and tuner one is the movable dish so Priority always =one the other two are fixed on SKy so they are both set to simple and single tuner two and four.

That allows me to watch or record off the movable dish, or watch SKy and record at the same time.

I hope you have better look with your next receiver.

 

[hexah]

In your (Maybe Of Use To Some) you have Priority= Auto. that should be = 1 if you have more than one tuner, I have three and tuner one is the movable dish so Priority always =one the other two are fixed on SKy so they are both set to simple and single tuner two and four.

It is no wonder he gave up!!!

 

[JediBUZ]

when I first got my 8000 in feb all I knew before was non Linux technomates and sky boxes. in the first few days I frustrated my self and forum members with newbie questions, one person even told me to stick to sky. but after a few weeks of annoying people, regreting spending a grand and many crashes, image reloads later I'm in a happy place now. my 8000 has DVD rw, 1tb HD 4 tuners 2 running swithes, a chassis fan currently running bh v12 but considering elite. fully accessable over the Internet including on my iPhone and am loving it. verdict expencive not only in cash but time and paticance but if you stick with it very rewarding, and I know I'm only scratching the surface. sorry for the poor spelling.