My Mediastar is broke!

[zor]

It jammed on a weak signal so I flicked the receiver off, then on - it did something I've never seen before and showed on the screen the border of the normal start up info box, with no text in it. Hmm, that's a new one - not good!! I thought.

And that's it - from then on it won't pick up any signal from any satellite. Still displays the channels fine, but no reception for any channel off any satellite. Dish seems fine, all wires connected, and satellite mover unit as normal.

Before I ring the mediastar ppl, just two q's I was hoping to have answered. If the unit is cactus, is it worth getting another mediastar or better to try another brand.

Since it's several years since bought, what is the price of a receiver these days?

Ta...

[Apsattv]

If you're lucky it might just be that the software has become corrupt. Is the software available for upgrading it at Mediastars website (if they have one)

[bassett]

Two questions,, firstly does the receiver operate as it should ,but shows no signal, or pictures. In other words do you get the start-up screen, the channel name, etc. then nothing.
Two, If you can borrow a multi meter check if there is a voltage comming out of the "F" connector, this is where you attach the cable for the LNB. It should read 13 or 14 volts and 18 volts if you change from Horz to vert.
Next have you had the lid off,, Is the power supply a seperate unit or
part of the main board, If its seperate you will see a multi plug that goes into the main board, Does it smell, do you see any burn marks..
By what you discribe I would say that the power to the LNB is shot,
OR Or OR,,, The receivers fine and the LNB, has blown.. We can but hope.
Please get back with reports. ;) ;) ;)

[zor]

Thanks very much for the info. Yes bassett, your first few lines are what's happening - the start up screen and channel names are fine, but no picture.

Have I had the lid off? Well to be honest, I don't mind stuffing around with video recorders and the like, but this is beyond my very limited electronic knowledge. I'm just a satellite viewer, not a hard core hobbyist - if the thing was burnt out nothing I could do but get it repaired I guess..... I'm really not confident poking around too much. Certainly there was no puff of smoke or burn smell in the air when I looked at it immediately after it stopped working.

I might just give the mediastar people a ring tomorrow - very nice guys when it was installed years and years ago, and they came back to set things up when I moved house a couple of years back. This is in Adelaide Aus by the way.

More #*$ing expense, but of course the dish has repaid its original purchase price many times over.

Thanks again for the advice!

Maybe it IS just a case of the software being corrupted and they can fix it very quickly..... (and cheaply!)

[VK4BKP]

How does one go about upgrading or re-installing the software on these things? My MediaStar D7.7 refused to boot about 8 months ago so I had to send it away to be "reset". It's never been much good ever since, locking up or failing to find channels.

There's an RS232 at the back. Is there some user servicable upgrade that can be done via computer or does this have to be done at the factory?

[Aldeto]

If I'm not wrong the D7.7 shares the same firmware as the early UEC 642/Panasat Rx,you can use the same firmware to load it on the back of it through RS232 -There might be a software floating around the net.
I also believe that these Mediastar Rx are copied or similiar to Pacific Satellites Decoders. :?:

[bassett]

While i don,t suggest that you give the thing a "Good poke " with a rusty nail, I think that your problem is power related, and not in the software of the receiver. You say that the screen shows channel names etc, but no picture, which would indecate to me that there is no
transmission entering the receiver, I.E. the LNB power supply, or the LNB it'self is shot.
Could you perhaps test it on another dish set-up, be it a Pay service
or otherwise.. Or could you exchange the LNB and see what happens..
Are you getting a voltage from the "F" connector

[zor]

Yes, you got it Bassett. As soon as I rang the Mediastar guy he said 'Yup, the power supply is gone.' So it was a choice of getting it repaired or turfing it and getting the up to date model. I chose the latter - and bloody pleased I did.

Shit, satellite receiver technology has obviously come some ways in the few years since I bought the old mediastar - the new unit has plenty of features the old one didn't have, and is about half the size. I set all the channels up yesterday evening, and we're back in business newer and better than before. Probably the old unit failing was a blessing in disguise.

And same old story - you don't miss something till it's gone. Great to have reception back and also to get back into the routine of dropping in to the apsattv site daily to see what's new.

Thanks for the assistance here bassett. I knew what to expect when discussing it with the Mediastar people, which was helpful. Much appreciated! :D

[Liam]

HEy, the setup im hopeing to get will be from the Mediastar place, so i guess i might get a mediastar decoder, do you recommend them or are they know to be a bit dodgey i.e. the above problem..
:confused:

[albymangled]

I had a Mediastar D7.5 awhile back and it was pretty good if you ask me...

I now have a D7.7 and it's pretty much the same though I think the remote is not nearly as good..maybe it's just this particular unit...

the receiver itself still seems ok though.

[VK4BKP]

You like your D7.7??? Compared to my ID-Digital, my MediaStar D7.7 is terribly slow, the menu awkward, it overheats and the tuner is deaf. The only reason I haven't put it in the trash can is the NTSC-PAL conversion.

[albymangled]

it's ok is the description I used...

I havn't used the other unit you mention so I'm afraid it would be hard for me to compare...

so far, I have used an assortment of subscriber UEC's, my sister's
Oztar box in Qld, the venerable Pace, the aforementioned Mediastars and am currently using a Nokia 9600. I also have an old Plessey doorstop which is taking up probably too much space sitting idly in a cupboard with some of my geriatric computer junk that my wife really thinks I should dump.

To be honest I find pretty well any of them "OK" if they light up a few pixels on the screen well enough to keep "her indoors" amused for a while.. ;)

Alby M.

[mynameisplayer]

Still got it?