Setting Up TM6900 HD Super Combo

[johntee50]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on here and it's a plea for help and advice. I've just received a TM6900 HD Super Combo and I need a bit of advice on setting it up. I've never installed a box before, but I know how to do updates via USB. I don't have a nul modem cable, but I believe that that is only for tps updates. Seeing as I don't know what that is or what it stands for, I don't think that will effect me.

I have a Darkbox 2008 HD that I am replacing with this one, so the dish is already working and aligned correctly I assume. I assume that I switch the new box on and enter my long/lat and then disconnect the power and plug in the dish. I'm asking this because I'm not sure what I'm doing and I don't want to jam the dish into the roof.

Can anyone help me with how to set the Limits ?

Which patches and updates do I need and how do I tell which ones have already been installed ?

Do I need a channel list, or is pre installed one any good ?

Do I need to install anything to make my Diablo cam work, or do I just plug it in and go ? ( I have got UW 133 on it)

I am sorry if I am asking stupid questions, but, as I said, I'm very new at this and don't want to break anything through ignorance.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards to all, JT.

[teassoc]

I'm expecting mine next week and there is a lot to read through.

Seems like you need to load 3 files - the latest technomate firmware update, latest Majic or Darkman patch for this box and the tmsoftcam for this box - all via the usb pen. You might also want to load the Majic channel list the same way but last.

[echelon]

checking the menu will tell you what is in the box already

inputting the usals etc should sort out that side of it

no idea about any limits

load all that was said above , firmware , patch , tmsoftcam and channel list

diablo may be plug in and go or may conflict with the patch , so you may have to turn off the patch if using the diablo , but try it first

[johntee50]

Thanks very much for the prompt replies. They will help a lot.

By limits, I mean the east west limits for the dish movement. I don't think it will scan 45E and 45W without hitting the roof. I think you can set the limits of the dish movement, but I don't know how you set it up.

Regards, JT.

EDIT Sorry, forgot to ask, what is tsp and what's it for?

[echelon]

tps is a french broadcaster on hotbird

no idea about how you set east west limits as I said earlier

[Hamrag1]

First of all - Check if your rotator has a hardware limit switch facility, if so set them up to prevent the dish just reaching your East and West Limitations. These would beyour 'emergency Stop ' positions, if the Receiver Software limits failed.

If the mount does not have any limit switch capability, then you will have to depend on correctly set Software limits only.

Connect the TM6900 as per the instruction book, then turn the Rx on ( Unusually these days, the TM6900 has a power switch on the back), and set your Language and Country.

A Word of Warning - DO NOT select the 'GoTo' Position and 'OK' it, as this will push the Mount to its extreme Easterly position !!

Press 'Menu' on the Remote, then enter pin (0000)
Press Right Arrow, then enter pin (0000)
Press Down Arrow to 'Motorized Section' then Press 'OK'
Press Down Arrow to 'Diseqc Motor', Then select either 'Usals' or '1.2' with right/left arrow
Press Down Arrow to 'Motor Control', then and press 'OK'
Press down Arrow to 'Set East Limit', then press OK.
(If down arrow jumps over the 'Set limits', then select 'Delete limit' and press OK ).
Carefully Inch the dish until short of your obstruction using the Left/Right Arrows, then press OK

Repeat the setup for the 'West Limit'

Press Up Arrow to 'Enable Limits' and press OK

Your East and West limits should now be Set and you are ready to set your required Sat positions

[johntee50]

Thanks for the tutorial, much appreciated. It would appear to be a daytime job using a ladder and two people. One to move the dish, and one to shout "whoa der". I'll give it a go tommorow.

Do the channel lists work on all TM models, and are they set up with USALS ?

I've installed Magic's 657 patch, but it won't open any encypted channels. Do you need to turn it on, and if so, how do you do it?

Sorry for the daft sounding questions, but I Plead Newbie.

Regards, JT.

[echelon]

in general the channel lists only work within their own model ranges , so you should use a 6000 series channel list on any 600 series receiver , especially as it will have HD channels that the other boxes cannot use or accept

if you have also added the tmsoftcam as well as the patch then if its turned on premiere and polsat and digi tv should au after a few minutes

if the codes are the same as the tm1500 then 2004 will tun the patch on and off , you should see biss and cas keys in the menu / info if its like the 1500

usually the channel lists have the motor control turned OFF , so it would need it turning on , changing to usals , adding the longitude and latitude in usals and saving

ie:- a lot of this is diy , do it yourself , as nobody else can do it for you as it needs to be done on site , same as when you buy a freeview tv and tune it in yourself at home , it cannot be done pre-sales

[johntee50]

Thanks for the advice, managed to get everything working after a fashion.
Strange thing, looked up my long/lat and it's 2.3W 53.5N (Manchester). When I input that I can't find any sats. If I change it to 2.3East it works OK. Does that mean my dish is out of alignment ?
On the whole I'm pleased with this box, it does what it says on the tin more or less. Just a couple of little niggles that a switching off and back on usualy sorts out.
Haven't had a problem with the blind scan, but I've only blind scanned astra 2 at 28.2E and that worked OK.
The PVR function is working OK and records encrypted channels as well as HD. To be honest, I think the picture on the Darkbox was fractionaly better, but not much in it.
Still need a second person to set the E/W limits on the dish but managed to miss the roof so far.

Regards,JT.

[echelon]

it actually means your motor is out of alignment by a few degrees which in turn puts your dish out of alignment

it needs locking onto say bbc world on thor as it is now , then input the correct coordinates for manchester and save , leave on bbc world which will now be black , mark the motor and pole with a marker pen , loosen the motor and turn it until you get bbc world back with the same signal strength and quality strength , tighten up the motor , check its still ok and then test 45w to 45e or as far as you dare go without hitting any walls. then mark the motor and pole again with a black marker pen , so you know where it should be , mark the dish mount and motor elevevation mount as well

[johntee50]

Thanks for the info. I can't try that until Tuesday, no ladder 'till then and no available help. I know a little knowledge can be dangerous, I was reading something about skew. I'm not likely to sod that up doing this am I ? My intention, while I was up there, was to raise the pole through the clamps so that the dish misses the roof completely. There's about 2 feet of pole sticking out of the bottom bracket, and as it's just a straight pole fixed to the gable end through 2 stand off brackets, I thought it would be a simple job just to lift it a bit.

I know that this is a bit off the original topic, so if you would like me to start a new thread in a different place please tell me.

Regards,JT.

[echelon]

if you are going to raise the pole then leave the motor clamp alone , and raise and turn the pole slightly instead so you get bbc world on the correct longitude , should be no problem if the pole is vertical although you may have to tweak the motor elevation or dish elevation ever so slightly , so mark everything first before starting

as for skew , there is no skew at all at due south or 1 west so if the cable comes down from the lnb then its straight down , as the lnb will be horizontal at that point with no skew either way

[johntee50]

OK then, I'll give it a whirl. I suppose the worst that can happen is I fall off the ladder. Thank you all very much for the helpful advice. No doubt I'll be back Tuesday screaming for help.

Kindest regards to all, JT.

[johntee50]

Well then, it's back to the drawing board. Turns out to be a faulty box. There is no audio output on the left channel connector on the rear of the box. Oh b%&&%*ks. I'm going to arrange a return tommorow. Should be good. TNT took 3 days to fail to find my house and I ended up collecting it myself from the local depot.

As a matter of interest, does the colour control actualy work for anyone ? It makes no difference to my picture at all.

Regards, JT.

[jamesjay]

@ johntee50
"As a matter of interest, does the colour control actualy work for anyone ? It makes no difference to my picture at all."

The colour does work...but not in HDMI mode, if you have a scart connected like I do then it will work.
Regards, James.

[johntee50]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info. I dont use a scart, I'm on HDMI.

Re your post about overheating, I didn't notice it was particularly warm even when in use. It runs much cooler than my Darkboxx 2008 HD. I'll keep an eye on it when it's been replaced.

Regards, JT.

[jamesjay]

Hi JT,

I have both...I use the scart to copy any HDD recordings I want to keep to DVD...I think the HD Rec's run hotter anyway, but this the first HD box for me...so I was checking the temp around all my boxes.

Regarding your Audio problem have you pressed the audio button on the remote to check if the audio is switched to one side only...it should show as stereo...although I am not sure if this effects the rear jacks, the audio button does work in HDMI mode...sorry if you have tried this and I am wasting your time!

Regards, Jamesjay.

[johntee50]

Checked all the various settings and ruled them out. It's a definate hardware fault.

Regards, JT.

[johntee50]

Right, got the box back, fixed very promptly, set it up and checked the software version. The one I had put in had been replaced with the OEM software, 654 I think, so I updated to the latest patch and installed magic's channel list. After this I found a few problems getting the dish to change satellites. Sometimes it would and sometimes not. While the TM was away being fixed I had been using a Darkbox HD rev 2008 and had no problems with the dish.
After a bit of searching around, it would appear that magic's channel list creates a few problems if loaded into the 6900 HD Super COMBO. It seems to work OK on other models, but not that one.
I'm looking for the OEM channel list but can't find one. I suppose that I'll have to start from scratch and delete the channel list, then do my own scan.
Any feedback or suggestions gratefuly accepted.

Regards to all, JT.

[moonbase]

johntee,

You can restore the OEM channel list using the factory reset option, it is one of the options in there


rgds

[teassoc]

johntee,

You can restore the OEM channel list using the factory reset option, it is one of the options in there


rgds


Do you know whether that will result in a loss of satellite position data?

Also will that mean you have to re-load lates technomate firmware updates?

[jamesjay]

@ teassoc, AFAIK because I have not done it but if you do a factory reset it will be just as it came out of the box...so yes all Sat positions, channel list and newest firmware gone, also any changes made to setting in main menu.
Regards, James.

[madsod]

as said fatory reset reload the patch and you will have to scan all satellites as magic list does not work in the super

[teassoc]

For anyone who is interested, Technomate confirm that doing any version of the factory re-set will lose the satellite positions. They say it should not affect the software on the box though so a firmware update should not necessarily be needed.

[johntee50]

Did a factory reset and tried a blind scan on 19E Astra 1. All I could find using the detail blind scan were FTA channels. Any Ideas ? Not tried the fast scan yet. I have installed the latest patch and softcam, but not a channel list.

Regards, JT.

[jamesjay]

The only thing I can think of is did you click on the transponder and put the full freq range in?
Regards James.

[jamesjay]

@ Johntee50

You could also try this, go to motorized setting, click on a transponder that you are getting a signal from and then click on the red scan button on your remote which should bring up a box, select TV, and network on, then press scan.

I have just done this on 10E when I had no channels and it got me FTA and scrambled channels, so it is worth a try, I only had two transponders and only one was working on 10E before the scan, but after the scan I have 22.
Good luck, James.

[johntee50]

Sorry for the delay in updating the progress, been having some problems.
Cleared out all the channels, did a factoy reset, installed the latest patch and softcam. Found a channel list for this model on another site and installed it. Problem now is that when I try to change satellites, 9 times out of 10 the dish does not move. I have to go into motorised settings and nudge the dish one or two points East or West then use go to, to get it to move to the satellite I want. I have tried using USALS and Diseq, but the same result. Could this be a fault in the box, or the dish installation ?
I have had this problem since installing Magic's channel list which is not right for this model, so I thought that a clear out, reset and reinstallation of the patches might do the trick. The channel list I am using now is definitely for this model. Also, when trying to use blind scan, the box reboots. This may down to installing a channel list.
I'm not too concerned about that, it's the dish not moving that's concerning me. I know the dish does not move because I had someone outside watching it. Bit stumped at the moment. I was going to delete the channel list and do a blind scan of the satellites I want, but even with the list deleted I still have trouble moving the dish. I have tried redownloadig the patch and reinstalling it twice, no change. I have not tried a blind scan yet, so I don't know if the box is still rebooting.
Sorry for being so long winded but I'm trying not to miss anything out and give a clear picture of what is happening.

Regards, JT

[whompus]

Have you checked the channel list satellite settings using the clark tech channel editor, on my box a lot of the satellite positions were set to 0 or were incorrect so I set them to match my motor, I did not think any thing about it at the time but I had to do a manual search of all the satellites I can receive 1W - 45E and fine tune the positions but they appear to have stuck.

[johntee50]

I've tried deleting the channel list and starting from scratch to make my own, but the dish still won't move unless I go into motorised settings and move it manualy a couple of points and then use "go to", even with NO channel list installed. After I move it manualy it usualy finds the satellite I want. Bit of a puzzler. I'm thinking of getting a pro in to sort it out.

Regards, JT.

[thecaretaker]

Once you have factory rest and cleared any channel lists. Have you tried entering your lat/long settings and doing a normal multi scan (not blind scan)?

I've read some people have had trouble with doing blind scans. Rebooting is one of the issues. It might be best to forget doing a blind scan at this stage. Does your dish move when doing a standard multi sat scan?

[jamesjay]

Hello Johntee50, you don't need a pro when you do a factory reset you lose all the Sat's that were previously programed...so you need to input all the Sat's positions for your setup. I was using the Magic list and have had to start from scratch.

If you go into Sat setup on your box and press ok on satellite then it will bring up a box that shows all the sats that are programed on your box they will have a tick next to them on the left.

You need to store each Sat as you go...you can use the yellow button on your remote sometimes and at other times the box gives you this option.

[johntee50]

Thanks for the advice. I've already started on my own list. Deleted everything and did a factory reset. Saved all the sats I wanted and proceeded to do scans , both blind and with network on. Blind scan is working fine and the dish is seeming to move now. I'll let you know how I get on. Magics list is not right for this box. It's a 6900 Super Combo. That list causes problems on the combo. There is a list for this model on another site, I tried that one but the dish still f**ts about. I'll see how I get on with my own list and then if thats no good I'll have to assume it's either a faulty box or the dish installation is not working correctly. I've also installed the latest Magic patch 691. Not sure what it does yet but I think that the LAN has been enabled.

Regards, JT.

[jamesjay]

The reason the dish f**ts about when you use the other channel list from the other site is because in order to give you the channel list the gentleman must give you all his data too. Lnb set up, USALS and Diseq settings...you need to adjust and amend his setting to your needs unless his setting exactly match yours.

If you do find that all is well make sure you make a backup copy of your settings, channel and Sat list to go back to later. Good luck, James.

[johntee50]

Thanks for the reply. I already changed the data in the downloaded channel list to suit my location and settings. Dish still didn't move. Partway through doing my channel list and the dish is not responding as it should. It was moving OK but I've changed something and I'm not sure what. It's better, but not right. I'm reviewing what I've changed so far to see what started the problem. I'll keep you posted.

Regards, JT.

[johntee50]

Finished the channel list at last. Got delayed getting the ethernet port working but finaly finished it. There is some improvement, but it's a long way from right. Dish doesn't move 5 times out of 10 without a bit of help. I checked everything that I've altered and can't fathom it out.
I read about a Darkbox on another site that's having the same sort of problems and when I checked my DB out I'm having them too. Problems only arose on each box after installing updates, so I'm looking into that.
There's a dish installer that I know who is coming to chech the dish alignment and motor for faults or possible incompatabilities. He's doing it for free so I'll probably have to service his car for free. I'll let you know what happens.

Regards, JT.

[johntee50]

Got the dish checked out and that's OK but the problem is still there. Tried reinstalling everything but no success. Did the same thing on the Darkbox and that cured it. I've sent an email to Technomate to see if they can help.

Regards, JT.

[jamesjay]

One thought if you are going to reinstall the original firmware it should be done with a cable and not USB flashdrive...I tried going back to the original firmware with USB and it wouldn't do it.
Regards, James.

[johntee50]

I'm not reinstalling the original firmware. I'm using 661 as the ethernet port works OK for me. I've told Technomate what I've done and I'm wating for a reply.

Regards, JT.