Up To Date Channel Lists... anywhere??

[deadwing]

This one has been have me tearing what remains of my hair out for the last 40 hours!

I want to do a full update on my receiver - which is a Fortecstar Innovation. It doesn't have a 'blind search' function on it and the transponder list is a good way out of date.

I have got the setedit program and you can import channels (and therefore transponders) from several other formats. The problem there is that it seems all these other formats stopped functioning several years ago and the only downloadable ones I can find online are even more out of date than the ones in my receiver!!

I've not mentioned the other formats in case that breaks any forum rules (I'm new here so don't want to damage my reputation so soon!).

So.. can anyone out there point me in the right direction?

[warning]Thread moved from "The Meeting Place"[/warning]

 

[RimaNTSS]

Maybe this can help _http://www.satellites-xml.eu/

 

[deadwing]

Thanks but setedit passion won't take the xml file format.

It's a shame the moderators have chosen to move it here as this part of the forum is pretty much dead it seems and as it didn't really relate to Fortec Star exclusively, I was hoping to get some input from other users (like the above post)..

oh well.. I will have to try elsewhere

 

[Lazarus]

I cam move it elsewhere if you wish ................ it'll get seen anyway.

It's just a matter of trying to keep similar topics together.

Any suggestions ? (Preferably not "The Meeting Place" as that is for stuff that isn't wholly Satellite related - general chat really)

 

[deadwing]

Not really sure -there are so many options, and this one doesn't seem to fit in any of them!!! If it'll get seen, then it might as well stay here- it just seems to be an area of little activity.

I suppose what I'm looking for is an up to date channel list for the Forecstar Innovation/Passion or something the same in either DVB2000, SatcoDX (SDX) or Lyngsat (DAT) which I can import into setedit - these all seem to be dead formats though as I can't find anything after 2009 online!

Can't believe there isn't an easier way of updating the transponder list than this...

 

[Lazarus]

Well I can't find a better home, either!

No doubt Admin will, eventually ...........

But I am surprised that the Innovation doesn't have any useful scanning modes: Even my ancient Fortec Star Lifetime Classic has Network scan (which goes some way to getting a decent population). Even my cheapest and most cheerful Silvercrest SL65 has Auto Scan (which is essentially Blind Scan by another name).

That's the main reason I shoved your query here, in the hope another Innovation user might find a light to turn on.

 

[Analoguesat]

This is the correct section for FS related questions.

It may be a quiet section, but its got a better chance of being noticed in here than in a busy section

 

[deadwing]

Well I can't find a better home, either!

No doubt Admin will, eventually ...........

But I am surprised that the Innovation doesn't have any useful scanning modes: Even my ancient Fortec Star Lifetime Classic has Network scan (which goes some way to getting a decent population). Even my cheapest and most cheerful Silvercrest SL65 has Auto Scan (which is essentially Blind Scan by another name).

It has a function called 'network scan' but the way I understand it, it will only scan the frequencies already in the box - which kind of defeats the object!!


We'll see if someone answers.. if not, I will just get bog-eyed and tired fingers trying to do it manually!! :-)

 

[Analoguesat]

Network scan will read the network tables transmitted by the satellites and should update all your lists.

 

[Lazarus]

Yes - if eg you have a BSkyB TP entered, scan that with Network engaged and it should find all the other BSkyB TPs.

I use this feature on my Humax Foxsats as they are a real pain to manually update, not being primarily intended as multi-Sat boxes!

Try it and see what occurs. Nothing to lose and a great deal to gain.

 

[Llew]

Not really sure -there are so many options, and this one doesn't seem to fit in any of them!!! If it'll get seen, then it might as well stay here- it just seems to be an area of little activity.

I suppose what I'm looking for is an up to date channel list for the Forecstar Innovation/Passion or something the same in either DVB2000, SatcoDX (SDX) or Lyngsat (DAT) which I can import into setedit - these all seem to be dead formats though as I can't find anything after 2009 online!
Can't believe there isn't an easier way of updating the transponder list than this...

I'm presently trying to transfer a fairly up-to-date channel list from an entirely different receiver channel list found online, using an sdx - dnl swop. I'll let you know if it comes to anything shortly.

 

[Llew]

OK, here's a channel list taken from a Technomate 5000 found online dated July 2011 (latest I could find).

I converted its .ndf file to a .sdx using Setedit Clark Tech, sent it over to the Passion Setedit as a .sdx and converted it to a .dnl.

It's just a preliminary list, and I will update with e.g the latest Astra 28E channels/TP's first and then other satellites eventually.

However, I've no idea at this stage what the satellite parameters / Diseqc configs are for the respective satellites in the list, as I say, it's just a preliminary list for now.

 

[deadwing]

Cheer for this..as soon as my better half heads to bed, I'll get busy on it...

diseqc..etc.. not important- I don't drive the dish with the Fortec Star, I use an old Echostar 3000 (36v motor

 

[Llew]

Snap. That's exactly what I do.

The list uploaded isn't really a working one, there's too many duplicates in the Astra 28E and Badr 2 lists. Considering I did the swap in short order this afternoon, there's bound to be some anomalies; I'm still working on it, and will upload revised lists as and when necessary. And try to find later lists from somewhere.

 

[deadwing]

Cheers Llew.. a bit of editing in SetEdit did the trick... uploaded and all working like a peach...

Though my curiosity got the better of me and I started to experiment with the network scan thing tivu and analoguesat mentioned... It was my understanding that it (a network scan) would only check a set of pre-loaded frequencies in the box but I'm glad to report, IT DOESN'T!!

On 28.2 east, I deleted all bar one of frequencies in the transponder list, then went to multisat scan- put a tick next to the the correct satellite and chose network scan. At first I thought it hadn't worked as the 'network scan' disappeared off the screen quite quickly, but then it started a full scan of all of the transponders and it looks like it's found all of them going off the number of channels it's found. I went back to the transponder edit screen and went through them and they all seemed to have been found.

So- excuse my ignorance on this - but I take it the 'network scan' allows the receiver to 'talk' to the satellite and the satellite tells it what frequencies/polarities/SR's are on there and loads those into the transponder list in the box?

If this is correct, is this basically what is meant by 'Blind search' or is that something else altogether?

The reason I ask this is that Innovation also has a feature called 'Power Search'. From the scant information on it in the manual, it kind of indicates it does the same thing except that you select the satellite(s) you want to 'Power Search' then put the box into standby and the 'power search' begins after a minute. Tried this on 26 east- did the same thing as I did on 28.2 east but instead of selecting the network search I switched on the Power Search instead, selected the correct satellite and put the unit into standby..and left it....and left it... no indication anything had happened and when I switched the unit out of standby (after about 90 minutes), nothing had happened!!!

One last question (for now!). Does anyone know if the Network Scan automatically deletes any non-live/duplicated transponders and updates any changes or does it just add in any that aren't already in the box?

Well, it seems I'm getting there...thanks to all who've helped me on this- the old Drake receiver I started out with in 1987 was SO much simpler :-)

 

[Lazarus]

Glad you're making progress .............. perhaps I moved this to the right Forum after all!

 

[Llew]

Cheers Llew.. a bit of editing in SetEdit did the trick... uploaded and all working like a peach...

Though my curiosity got the better of me and I started to experiment with the network scan thing tivu and analoguesat mentioned... It was my understanding that it (a network scan) would only check a set of pre-loaded frequencies in the box but I'm glad to report, IT DOESN'T!!

On 28.2 east, I deleted all bar one of frequencies in the transponder list, then went to multisat scan- put a tick next to the the correct satellite and chose network scan. At first I thought it hadn't worked as the 'network scan' disappeared off the screen quite quickly, but then it started a full scan of all of the transponders and it looks like it's found all of them going off the number of channels it's found. I went back to the transponder edit screen and went through them and they all seemed to have been found.

So- excuse my ignorance on this - but I take it the 'network scan' allows the receiver to 'talk' to the satellite and the satellite tells it what frequencies/polarities/SR's are on there and loads those into the transponder list in the box?

If this is correct, is this basically what is meant by 'Blind search' or is that something else altogether?

The reason I ask this is that Innovation also has a feature called 'Power Search'. From the scant information on it in the manual, it kind of indicates it does the same thing except that you select the satellite(s) you want to 'Power Search' then put the box into standby and the 'power search' begins after a minute. Tried this on 26 east- did the same thing as I did on 28.2 east but instead of selecting the network search I switched on the Power Search instead, selected the correct satellite and put the unit into standby..and left it....and left it... no indication anything had happened and when I switched the unit out of standby (after about 90 minutes), nothing had happened!!!

One last question (for now!). Does anyone know if the Network Scan automatically deletes any non-live/duplicated transponders and updates any changes or does it just add in any that aren't already in the box?

Well, it seems I'm getting there...thanks to all who've helped me on this- the old Drake receiver I started out with in 1987 was SO much simpler :-)

Blind search differs from Network Scan in that Blind Search will find transponders that may not be already in the receiver's database, or unavailable using Network Scan, which only finds TP's transmitted in the Network Information Table sent by the satellite.

Badr 4 26E doesn't AFAIK give any other TP information in the NIT other than the TP you are scanning, at least when I last checked with TSReader,so doing a Network Scan with the Passion won't yield any results.

Not sure about your last question, will have to try it myself sometime.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Slightly off topic, but having just picked up a boxed - unused - original Passion HD for the princely sum of £30 (but without remote), what is the maximum channel capacity ?

I will get round to updating it myself this weekend with a universal remote I got last week from a charity shop (it has various Fortecstar codes in the booklet)

_http://www.maplin.co.uk/big-button-remote-99817?c=froogle&u=99817&t=module

Dimensions:125(w) x 280(l) x 20(d) mm

 

[Llew]

10,000 Channels CH - 7000 TV , 3000 Radio. That's what the spec. says, but that may be optimistic; I seem to remember a while ago it tended to play up as I started to fill the memory up getting towards the maximum. Maybe had a lot of garbage in there.

 

[Llew]

New Passion channel list covering satellites 53E - 45W.

Taken from an Argus Mini STB (whatever that is) channel list, the latest list I could find (December 2011), converting its .abs settings -> .sdx -> .dnl.

It didn't have the Atlantic Bird 7 in the list, so I've added the TP's I could receive at the time of scanning.

Diseqc is switched off, but can easily be tailored to your system using Setedit.