A AM21 story to help others

[coconut10]

I write this post to try and help others who have an AM21. First off I have an AM21N, which from what I've researched is no different than an AM21, just a newer model. I went with an HR24 in Dec 2012. I'm from the Twin Cities area and with some help from some VERY knowledgeble people on these Forum's I decided to get an AM21 to get locals in my area. I wanted channel 5.3 METV. It isn't in the database, but by matching RF numbers I could receive the channel. I was very happy, and everything worked well until I received the 066d upgrade on my HR24 on 4/4/13. After the re-boot I had lost some of my AM21 channels. I re did the intial set-up with 55402 (MPLS/STP) and 99202 (Spokane WA) as my primary and sec. zips. 99202 to get channel 5.3. It still wouldn't give me the channels back. So I started over by clearing the AM21 like I had moved. This time it only put the channels in that I actually receive. I noticed I had 2 channels for 2.1,2.2 and 2.4. This told me the AM21 was picking up any channel that it had a channel number to map to. I knew this because TVFool say's that I'm 58 miles from the Twin Cites towers, But I'm only 40 miles from the Jackson/ ST James MN translator stations and my TV tuner picks up 2.1 2.2 and 2.4 on RF26. By accident I figured out that if you put in a secondary zip with the same channel number the AM21 would pick it up and put it in the guide. So I looked at the database for a 5.3 METV. Weslaco TX broadcasts METV on 5.3. So I put 78520 as my secondary zip and to my SURPRISE 5.3 was in my guide with the exact guide for the Twin Cities. KRGVDTV3 is the channel number. I then re-did the intial set-up with 56001 (Mankato MN) as my sec. zip to get the Mankato stations. That worked, and I still had 5.3 from Weslaco in my guide. I then left things alone. On 5/1/13 I received the 06bd upgrade. I then had to redo the intial set-up twice 1st with 78520 and 2nd with 56001 as my secondary zips to get the channels back after the re-boot. I realized I probably could get 29.3 Bounce. But I wanted to wait until Movies! came out with their channel number in the Twin Cities to try and experiment. When 29.4 was declared the new channel I looked at the database for any zip that had a 29.3 and 29.4. Their are only two, 25301 Charleston WV and Sac. CA. I re did the intial set-up with 55402 and then 25301 and to my SURPRISE I had both channels (29.3 and 29.4) viewable and in my guide (albeit with the guide info from the Charleston channels) and I still had 5.3 from Weslaco and the Mankato stations in the guide and viewable. So it seems after the last two upgrades the AM21 can pick-up a channel if your antenna signal is strong enough to pick-up the channel and you enter a zip with an exact channel number to match to.

 

[kovach]

I write this post to try and help others who have an AM21. First off I have an AM21N, which from what I've researched is no different than an AM21, just a newer model. I went with an HR24 in Dec 2012. I'm from the Twin Cities area and with some help from some VERY knowledgeble people on these Forum's I decided to get an AM21 to get locals in my area. I wanted channel 5.3 METV. It isn't in the database, but by matching RF numbers I could receive the channel. I was very happy, and everything worked well until I received the 066d upgrade on my HR24 on 4/4/13. After the re-boot I had lost some of my AM21 channels. I re did the intial set-up with 55402 (MPLS/STP) and 99202 (Spokane WA) as my primary and sec. zips. 99202 to get channel 5.3. It still wouldn't give me the channels back. So I started over by clearing the AM21 like I had moved. This time it only put the channels in that I actually receive. I noticed I had 2 channels for 2.1,2.2 and 2.4. This told me the AM21 was picking up any channel that it had a channel number to map to. I knew this because TVFool say's that I'm 58 miles from the Twin Cites towers, But I'm only 40 miles from the Jackson/ ST James MN translator stations and my TV tuner picks up 2.1 2.2 and 2.4 on RF26. By accident I figured out that if you put in a secondary zip with the same channel number the AM21 would pick it up and put it in the guide. So I looked at the database for a 5.3 METV. Weslaco TX broadcasts METV on 5.3. So I put 78520 as my secondary zip and to my SURPRISE 5.3 was in my guide with the exact guide for the Twin Cities. KRGVDTV3 is the channel number. I then re-did the intial set-up with 56001 (Mankato MN) as my sec. zip to get the Mankato stations. That worked, and I still had 5.3 from Weslaco in my guide. I then left things alone. On 5/1/13 I received the 06bd upgrade. I then had to redo the intial set-up twice 1st with 78520 and 2nd with 56001 as my secondary zips to get the channels back after the re-boot. I realized I probably could get 29.3 Bounce. But I wanted to wait until Movies! came out with their channel number in the Twin Cities to try and experiment. When 29.4 was declared the new channel I looked at the database for any zip that had a 29.3 and 29.4. Their are only two, 25301 Charleston WV and Sac. CA. I re did the intial set-up with 55402 and then 25301 and to my SURPRISE I had both channels (29.3 and 29.4) viewable and in my guide (albeit with the guide info from the Charleston channels) and I still had 5.3 from Weslaco and the Mankato stations in the guide and viewable. So it seems after the last two upgrades the AM21 can pick-up a channel if your antenna signal is strong enough to pick-up the channel and you enter a zip with an exact channel number to match to.

Can you let us know how to check the database to attempt something similar ourselves?

 

[Mr Tony]

here is the list of what is in the database

column G (RF ch) is the one to look at. That is what channel your station broadcasts on

 

[larry55]

It work.