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Unit won't display satellite data in menu

K

Kosmische

New Member
I have a by now quite old Humax Foxsat HDR. I had it repaired recently and it generally works fine. However, I cannot get my Harmony universal remote to recognise it. I tried accessing the satellite data for some reason and found that it's greyed out.

I have only one cable connected. I find I almost never need to record two things at the one time now and in any event a lot of what I would've recorded is available via streaming services. Can't think that would stop the satellite menu being displayed surely...?

So, two things - any idea why I can't access the satellite menu and why the Harmony is having such trouble with it?
 
It's unfortunate you are conflating two separate issues within one subject title (and even within one paragraph, let alone one post) - please can we address them one at a time?

Harmony: the standard Humax handset can be set up to one of six "channels". On the other hand, your Harmony has to be programmed from the My Harmony app, and probably only offers one of the control channels (most likely No.1). Check which channel your Foxsat + handset is currently set to: https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/using-more-than-1-humax-box-in-the-same-room.6008/

Kosmische said:
I tried accessing the satellite data for some reason and found that it's greyed out.
Click to expand...
Specific menu items are temporarily unavailable (greyed out) when the box is busy - eg recording or preparing to record - so that the operation does not interrupt a higher priority process. If you believe there is no good reason, try power-cycling the Foxsat.
 
if you run a Foxsat-HDR with only a single cable it requires a short patch cable from tuner 1 out to tuner 2 in. The box assumes that this cable is present. The software is aware of the recording limitations of single cable mode. This is clearly explained in the manual. With tuner 1 in use tuner 2 is still available albeit with a limited choice of channels. The Op should fit the short loop cable.

The loop cable actually makes a little more than 50% of the total channel count to be recorded/viewed.

The channel up/down buttons cycle through all the channels that can be used, when tuner 1 is recording.

To display the epg do not press guide. The box has a cached copy of the epg stored in NVRam that does not need a tuner to display the cached epg. If tuner 1 is recording or about it can not be used to give you a new guide because it would interrupt the recording. You can still view the epg though. What's better is this will give you an instant epg. In fact if tuner 1 is recording you get the cached version anyway.

To view the cached version Press the schedule button and then the red button. This will work whatever tuner 1 is recording.

You can predict what second channels can be used. All you need to do is locate the channel tuner 1 is using. Any channel in the same block in the attached pdf can also be recorded or of course viewed
 

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Black Hole said:
Since the OP hasn't replied, we don't know what he means by "satellite data".
Click to expand...

Since the only data that a freesat box receives by satellite is the epg data from the home transponder, and a temporary postcode database that defines the local channels on setup , that after hiding channels that the broadcaster does not want you to see (typically other ITV-SD regions) is removed from the box . A long time ago there was another data stream (it carried ITV-HD accessed by the red button, it; is long gone).

What else can it be ? Interested to see your suggestions ????? . The only continuous data that a freesat box receives is the epg round robin data with a copy on every transponder that has any freesat channels on it. It's this data that populates the NVram copy, This data along with the OS survives a disk change. So you still have it after a new disk is installed.. This is much the same as Freeview (substitute Mux for transponder)

Strikes me you really don't know how it all works.

Seems pretty obvious to me why the OP has problems. He needs a remote that has the schedule and red buttons working.

EDIT I forgot one. It has a LCN of 999 with a label of Freesat Info.

It's only purpose seems to be to confirm that the box has access to the home transponder. Not so important in the UK. But for those in Europe well outside the UK spot beam footprint. A message not to try a factory reset. The few channels left on the widebeam transponders still carry the epg. If you try a reset you lose the lot. Though it seems to possible to fot those with the CF to manually install a copy of the current .fcl file from a UK user.
 
Last edited:
Black Hole said:
It's unfortunate you are conflating two separate issues within one subject title (and even within one paragraph, let alone one post) - please can we address them one at a time?

Harmony: the standard Humax handset can be set up to one of six "channels". On the other hand, your Harmony has to be programmed from the My Harmony app, and probably only offers one of the control channels (most likely No.1). Check which channel your Foxsat + handset is currently set to: https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/using-more-than-1-humax-box-in-the-same-room.6008/


Specific menu items are temporarily unavailable (greyed out) when the box is busy - eg recording or preparing to record - so that the operation does not interrupt a higher priority process. If you believe there is no good reason, try power-cycling the Foxsat.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for your help with these issues.

How do I 'power-cycle' the unit, though?
 
grahamlthompson said:
if you run a Foxsat-HDR with only a single cable it requires a short patch cable from tuner 1 out to tuner 2 in. The box assumes that this cable is present. The software is aware of the recording limitations of single cable mode. This is clearly explained in the manual. With tuner 1 in use tuner 2 is still available albeit with a limited choice of channels. The Op should fit the short loop cable.

The loop cable actually makes a little more than 50% of the total channel count to be recorded/viewed.

The channel up/down buttons cycle through all the channels that can be used, when tuner 1 is recording.

To display the epg do not press guide. The box has a cached copy of the epg stored in NVRam that does not need a tuner to display the cached epg. If tuner 1 is recording or about it can not be used to give you a new guide because it would interrupt the recording. You can still view the epg though. What's better is this will give you an instant epg. In fact if tuner 1 is recording you get the cached version anyway.

To view the cached version Press the schedule button and then the red button. This will work whatever tuner 1 is recording.

You can predict what second channels can be used. All you need to do is locate the channel tuner 1 is using. Any channel in the same block in the attached pdf can also be recorded or of course viewed
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. However, I'm not bothered about the limitations of using just one satellite cable. I do have another cable but am ashamed to say I was too lazy to hook it up again!

I only mentioned this 'issue' in case it made any difference at all to my two other issues - the satellite folder being unavailable to access and the Harmony remote issue which Black Hole has kindly helped with.
 
grahamlthompson said:
Since the only data that a freesat box receives by satellite is the epg data from the home transponder, and a temporary postcode database that defines the local channels on setup , that after hiding channels that the broadcaster does not want you to see (typically other ITV-SD regions) is removed from the box . A long time ago there was another data stream (it carried ITV-HD accessed by the red button, it; is long gone).

What else can it be ? Interested to see your suggestions ????? . The only continuous data that a freesat box receives is the epg round robin data with a copy on every transponder that has any freesat channels on it. It's this data that populates the NVram copy, This data along with the OS survives a disk change. So you still have it after a new disk is installed.. This is much the same as Freeview (substitute Mux for transponder)

Strikes me you really don't know how it all works.

Seems pretty obvious to me why the OP has problems. He needs a remote that has the schedule and red buttons working.

EDIT I forgot one. It has a LCN of 999 with a label of Freesat Info.

It's only purpose seems to be to confirm that the box has access to the home transponder. Not so important in the UK. But for those in Europe well outside the UK spot beam footprint. A message not to try a factory reset. The few channels left on the widebeam transponders still carry the epg. If you try a reset you lose the lot. Though it seems to possible to fot those with the CF to manually install a copy of the current .fcl file from a UK user.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply and the time you took to consider my problems. However, you say that "the only data that a FS box typically receives is the epg date etc". I was bit confused by this because doesn't the box also tell a user the signal strength and quality of the satellite beam?

Anyway, I only mentioned the fact that I'd no access to the folder in question in case it had a bearing on my two issues - and it would seem that it doesn't.

Thanks again.
 
Kosmische said:
Sorry I meant things like signal strength and signal quality.
Click to expand...
That is not data Just information on the transponder that the current channel is on you have selected has no signal. If the tuner being used is using a transponder that is not the one being used. It will have no signal, Please follow the instructions re-the link cable and confirm that the remote you have responds to the schedule button and then a press of red displaying the epg.

ITV-HD is now on 103 on all platforms,. Is your box left in low power standby overnight or do you power it off, If so the channel database will be way out of date,

First are you in the UK. This is crucial information ? If not post where you are in Europe. ?

If left in sby. If you enter 103 on the remote do you see ITV-HD.

If not in the UK do you live in the location defined here by Yellow Green or Red

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Kosmische said:
How do I 'power-cycle' the unit, though?
Click to expand...
Turn it off and on again, at the wall.

However, it is possible (as Graham says, above) you have caused your own issue by not linking to the second tuner (with either a second LNB feed or a jumper link).
 
This is just to say that with all your help my issues have now been resolved.

Thanks to everyone who posted responses.
 
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