Coolsat On-Screen-Display

[awh]

This is a screen capture of the OSD, it’s the only channel that I’ve found that shows an icon in the 4th circle...
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/2276/coolsatosdgo3.gif

Anyone know what that symbol is suppose to stand for?

My best guesses are, that ‘unknown-1’ may be closed captioning, I’ve not seen closed caption (the option under audio selection) work on any channel (even the PBS feeds), and that ‘unknown-2’ (which looks like a comb turned upright) may be a channel guide(?), although a channel on IA-5(ku) has a working channel guide, but didn’t show an icon in that spot.

Man, I wish someone would write a better user manual for this thing! Even a poor Chinese translated manual that covers all the functions of the receiver would be better than the one they currently supply!


Tony
Home Page - http://www.cyberspace.org/~awh/
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[Mr Tony]

I think that means teletext (which is something that isnt supported here in the US)

also sucks (for me at least) that you have a 98% quality and my box the max is 85%
(same box)

 

[PSB]

also sucks (for me at least) that you have a 98% quality and my box the max is 85%
(same box)

I blame a BAD install

 

[Mr Tony]

wait a minute...you did my install 2 years ago

No, what I meant is some Coolsats the max quality is 85 whereas some go to 98 or 99. There are a few channels that the Pansat says 99 (DBS slots, the GBN Network on AMC6, KUIL on AMC4, 3ABN) yet the Coolsat maxes at 85

 

[awh]

Teltext! I didn’t think about that... I have a multi-standard TV I’ll have to connect it and see what kind of information is being sent via teltext.

I’m normally getting 98-99% signal quality on all the domestic C & Ku band satellites, but I’m also using a 12’ dish and I’m in St. Louis Missouri - most satellites, unless they’re spot beams, have their footprint centered on the Midwest states. The only channels I’ve noticed anything thing less is on the SatMex satellites, there are a couple of channels that teeter around the 70% mark (while others on that same satellite and polarity are 99%), I’m assuming it’s a spot beam geared towards Western states. And Mexico’s old Solidaridad and Morelos satellites (back in the analog days!) were a little weak here too, but watchable.

It seems that once the signal level drops to below 60% the picture begins to break up and audio cuts out and it becomes unwatchable. I have never seen the signal quality at 100%, but it may not be capable of showing three digits, as it seems pretty pegged at 99%. Even adjusting polarity (skew) the picture stays pretty stable until you reach the 65% mark.


Tony
Home Page - http://www.cyberspace.org/~awh/
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[Mr Tony]

yep. my 5000 the threshold is 63 or so but some boxes peg at 99 and some stay at 85 max

 

[GaryPen]

yep. my 5000 the threshold is 63 or so but some boxes peg at 99 and some stay at 85 max

On my 5000, most of my TP's seem to be at mid-60's. But, I have actualy found a few Ku that are in the 90's. (DBS is always 97, which seems to be max.)

 

[ghia]

I think that means teletext (which is something that isnt supported here in the US)

also sucks (for me at least) that you have a 98% quality and my box the max is 85%
(same box)

I just got my Coolsat 5000 today. The meter on mine shows several channels anywhere from 90 - 99 % I woner what the diffenece in the receivers is

 

[updatelee]

I had a coolsat 5000 for a few months and I couldnt get it to go about 98%.

using my signal meter I could tweak it to 98%, and could then tweak it much higher using the meter, but the % wouldnt go any higher.

 

[mrweather]

Hmm... so I guess this just proves the quality meter on the Coolsat is pretty much useless.

About the only thing that seems consistent among them all is the picture itself seems to go below about 65%.

 

[Mr Tony]

Maybe the older batches only went to 85% and the newer ones go to 99%

 

[voomvoom]

Maybe the ones getting the better picture quality %, are actually getting that, could be better/bigger dish, better/lower db lnb, better/shorter cables with less obstructions, better line of sight, better weather/atmopheric conditions, any or all combinations of above, who knows. I know for a fact, I can get a better signal quality for ku with my 80cm dish than my 10' mesh (on some satellites) with my receiver. But, let it rain and the 80cm signal vanishes, while the 10' mesh keeps on rockin'. My point here is the equipment/location you use with your Coolsat could possibly make one guys Coolsat have a better quality signal than someone else's. And, I know of no reason specific to keep a Coolsat meter from pegging out, with a strong enough signal.

Al

 

[Mr Tony]

Al
I understand what you are saying, however, I do think it has to do with production. Here is why I am thinking that
-I did get one of the original batches of the Coolsat when they first came out. I got it from ftadirect
-regardless of Dish size, I get a max of 85 on TP’s like KUIL Fox 64, 3ABN, GBN on AMC6 and some of the DBS satellites whereas on the Pansat these bury at 99 and the Fortec is 95+
-on the 12114 TP on G10, the max it pulls is a 82 whereas the Pansat & Fortec are up in the 90’s (36" dish and .4 LNB)
-I have a DBS LNB for 119 on my G10 36" dish for my Dish subscription. Almost all the TP’s max out on the Pansat and Fortec yet the Coolsat is 85. I have never seen anything higher on mine than 85 and some feeds bury the needle in other boxes.
-I haven’t found a C-Band feed yet that buries the needle on my Pansat but the Coolsat always reads them between 72-75 (even the nets which were at 90 on the Pansat)

 

[voomvoom]

OK Tony, let's say you are right and it is in the batch of the receiver's made. Maybe the newer ones have better electronics of a sort, but the meter is the same. Sort of like the new type of lnb, used to be ASC421 and now you got BSC421. Something in the electronics makes it receive a signal better. Then again, maybe the meter is better or at least different in the newer batch, so it reads different. I don't know and don't mind a debate, could be this, could be that, probably something else?

Al

 

[GaryPen]

Ice - Maybe the newer ones are using a different FW? Mine is 1.01(2/17/06). I think a lot of 5000's were 1.00.

In fact, 1.00(10/7/05) is still the only FW on their website for the 5K. Pretty lame, considering the newest FW is 1.01.

A serious drawback to the CS Loader sw, is that you cannot DL the FW to a PC to use as a backup, or to xfer to another reciver. Otherwise, I'd email you a copy of 1.01.

 

[Mr Tony]

Ice - Maybe the newer ones are using a different FW? Mine is 1.01(2/17/06). I think a lot of 5000's were 1.00.

In fact, 1.00(10/7/05) is still the only FW on their website for the 5K. Pretty lame, considering the newest FW is 1.01.

A serious drawback to the CS Loader sw, is that you cannot DL the FW to a PC to use as a backup, or to xfer to another reciver. Otherwise, I'd email you a copy of 1.01.

ahhhh....Did not know that. Maybe I'll scrape around and find 1.01 and see if it does help. (the coolsat site only shows 1.00)

 

[LordAlex]

A serious drawback to the CS Loader sw, is that you cannot DL the FW to a PC to use as a backup, or to xfer to another reciver. Otherwise, I'd email you a copy of 1.01.

The SD card slot or USB port is a real nice addition that should become a standard in my book.

 

[GaryPen]

At the very least, one should be able to save a firmware bin in case a re-flash is necessary. In fact, I don't believe you can re-install a previous sw version. So, if you buy a box off ebay that has been flashed with pirate firmware, you're stuck. There is apparently no way to revert to factory fresh condition! (That's the consensus on the less-than-100%-legitimate fta sites, anyway.)

 

[SatelliteAV]

On the 4000 the Firmware could be J-tagged on and off. The 5000 / 6000 firmware can only be upgraded / Downgraded via the serial port.

The reasoning behind the lack of availability of the firmware on the Coolsat site is so warranty repair can tell if the firmware has been updated, voiding the warranty. There is an area in the flash ROM file that the tech can verify original factory firmware or if it was dumped back on.

Unfortunately, almost all improvements on the firmware (scanning, sensitivity, etc.) are not available with the factory files. The BER readings are set by firmware, but can be affected by components such as the tuner, or surface mount items and their tolerances. The increase of decrease in Quality, noted in the previous posts, would most likely be related to the firmware settings, or the dish gain, C/N, LNBF gain and NR, coax type and length.

 

[GaryPen]

Unfortunately, almost all improvements on the firmware (scanning, sensitivity, etc.) are not available with the factory files.

Are you saying that some of the 3rd party bin files out there offer improvements in scanning, sensitivity, etc in addition to the bad stuff?