How To North Americanize Your AZBOX
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Deleted channels w/MAZ; transponders where necessary w/AZedit; uploaded w/ACC all went smoothly.
Very cool tool.
Rocks
Very cool tool.
Rocks
I was just trying to update my sat list since I put in AMC15 instead of AMC18 but keep getting a subscript out of range error message when reading the files into Azbox Edit. I don't know what changed to cause this. Any ideas?
Edit: Looks like it's a problem with MazEdit 3.0 - BTW, is there any new software for the Azbox since the Toolbox? It would be nice if there was a Linux version.
Edit: Looks like it's a problem with MazEdit 3.0 - BTW, is there any new software for the Azbox since the Toolbox? It would be nice if there was a Linux version.
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One other thing I've noticed is that AzboxEditor doesn't get the LNB settings right. When I send the files to the Elite the LNB gets set as Universal even though I manually set LNB type as User Defined and the LNB Freq is set in AzboxEditor for 5150. I tried LNB type as 5150 with the same result.
I never liked Maz for editing but it is what we have to work with.
Anyway, as for the lnb settings this is what i found that works:
After North Americanizing your satellite list and sending it to your azbox then use your remote to make all the lnb settings or changes that Maz just can not do properly.
After you get that done use Maz to download your list to your pc then upload it right back to your azbox using ACC.
now you will have the settings stored in your backup directory as well.
Everyone wishes for an easier way but if you want it done properly and not have a problem in the future this is the only way I have found it to be done.
I also save my channel list at least once a month to my pc and re-upload it with ACC just to keep everything up to date.
I have done this to 3 azboxes I have not had problems since I first re-did my satellite /channel list from scratch.
Anyway, as for the lnb settings this is what i found that works:
After North Americanizing your satellite list and sending it to your azbox then use your remote to make all the lnb settings or changes that Maz just can not do properly.
After you get that done use Maz to download your list to your pc then upload it right back to your azbox using ACC.
now you will have the settings stored in your backup directory as well.
Everyone wishes for an easier way but if you want it done properly and not have a problem in the future this is the only way I have found it to be done.
I also save my channel list at least once a month to my pc and re-upload it with ACC just to keep everything up to date.
I have done this to 3 azboxes I have not had problems since I first re-did my satellite /channel list from scratch.
I used AzBoxEdit, not Maz Manager, to modify the sat settings and then uploaded the changes to the Azbox with ACC. That worked for trimming the sat list but it still didn't get things like the LNB settings correct. So, I modified the LNB settings with the remote control in the Azbox Setup, downloaded and saved the lists with Maz Manager and then uploaded the lists to the Azbox with ACC. This worked fine with the Elite but the Ultra seems to have problems with uploading to it.
Whichever editor you like is fine. If I said azedit then the next one will say they like Maz better, it is whatever one works for you.
The procedure you did is the correct one, as after you edited some things on the remote like lnb settings you downloaded it to your pc and re-uploaded with ACC. This is the ticket to make sure your settings are now in both the working directory and the back up directory.
Once you get the editor problem sorted out for yourself then you've got it made..
I do think your particular problem with the editor program is something unique to your system.
After reading in depth, I am sure that this is the proper thread, and if not please place it in the proper one.
I would like to North Americanize my Azbox Premium Plus!
1.) I have Maz on my dual boot XP Windows. I am presently on Ubuntu 10 10 10. Will the FTPs' work in Ubuntu, or should I reboot into Windows XP [It is hard wired into the Azbox] ?
2.) What are the programs that are needed? I have read where there are several! This thread has been updated, and I have read where some programs are actually bundled? ? ?
3.) I intend to include the EPG! I have read that there are several programs that will provide an EPG, [Electronic Program Guide]. I read where some are free, and others cost?
My previous experience with Maz was somewhat arduous. The benefit after using it for IPTV, and having high speed of approximately 700kbps proved to be totally useless. lol.
Thank you in advance!
P.S. After I accomplish this I will have to install all of this on a USB stick, and go to my friends', and install it on his Azbox Premium Plus. I have kept mine, and his plugged up, and never unplugged either. Or, I would bring his here, he does not have a computer. I am reluctant to unplug either one of them, anyway. I believe this is contributed to the power supply issue failure? ? ?
I would like to North Americanize my Azbox Premium Plus!
1.) I have Maz on my dual boot XP Windows. I am presently on Ubuntu 10 10 10. Will the FTPs' work in Ubuntu, or should I reboot into Windows XP [It is hard wired into the Azbox] ?
2.) What are the programs that are needed? I have read where there are several! This thread has been updated, and I have read where some programs are actually bundled? ? ?
3.) I intend to include the EPG! I have read that there are several programs that will provide an EPG, [Electronic Program Guide]. I read where some are free, and others cost?
My previous experience with Maz was somewhat arduous. The benefit after using it for IPTV, and having high speed of approximately 700kbps proved to be totally useless. lol.
Thank you in advance!
P.S. After I accomplish this I will have to install all of this on a USB stick, and go to my friends', and install it on his Azbox Premium Plus. I have kept mine, and his plugged up, and never unplugged either. Or, I would bring his here, he does not have a computer. I am reluctant to unplug either one of them, anyway. I believe this is contributed to the power supply issue failure? ? ?
Don,
You don't need to boot up your PC with Ubuntu, you may (and I do) use Windows XP or Vista or Seven, all these OS's work fine. Cannot say for Apple systems personally.
You should have MazEdit 3.0.0, ACC version 1.1 and AZBoxEdit version 0.9.2880a programs at your disposal. All are freeware and you can download from several sources, but be careful not to download the bundled packages from certain sites as they have contaminated the files with adware. One source has a really bad one and it is not detectable with most anti-adware software. You will want MalWareBytes to decontaminate it. MalWareBytes is also FreeWare.
Follow the instructions that StarGaze posted for this process. Sincerely, he spent his own personal time researching and developing the instructions to make this process easier for you, so thank him by following his instructions! Make sure that you read the A-Z guide as well, all the past information is compiled and included there.
Don't worry about the EPG add-on or plug-in. There are no satellites available to N.A. that this is useful for as far as I know. The AZBox works just fine for EPG if that service is available from the provider. If the EPG service is not available, installing the plug-in will not create it, it isn't there to begin with. That plug-in is a European thing, not applicable to the FTA satellites for us in the US, Canada, Mexico or other parts of the western Hemi.
Don't fret over the power supply failure issue too much. There is nothing you can do to prevent it if it is going to occur. Handling it with kid gloves won't protect you as the defect is just that, a defect. Being nice to it does not prevent the failure. I think most of the newer purchases have proven that the P.S. failure has been elliminated or at least well reduced. They corrected this problem for the most part.
If you are going to assist your friend with his AZBox and he does not have a computer, you will have to take your PC to his home or bring his AZBox to yours. You cannot do everything required with just a USB flash drive. Your friend should definitely purchase a PC of his own, he needs one to learn this stuff for himself. He cannot be relying on you for all of it, that just isn't fair to you or him. He won't learn anything and you will have an albatross around your neck.
RADAR
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Radar,
Thanks! You are very helpful, and well informed. Yourself, and StarGaze, have contributed a lot to this site for the Azbox group. This group [Azbox] really needs a lot of assistance. It is a computer itself. The work StarGaze has done is in other places as well. The work is very appreciative!
Perhaps, I knew if I asked for instructions, I would get them! lol Now, that means, that, I have several hours of arduous work ahead of me! lol I read for approximately 72 hours non-stop after receiving the two Azbox Premium Plus receivers prior to taking him his. It is a real learning curve! Again, thanks, it is members like you, and StarGaze that make it a lot easier.
Don,
Thanks! You are very helpful, and well informed. Yourself, and StarGaze, have contributed a lot to this site for the Azbox group. This group [Azbox] really needs a lot of assistance. It is a computer itself. The work StarGaze has done is in other places as well. The work is very appreciative!
Perhaps, I knew if I asked for instructions, I would get them! lol Now, that means, that, I have several hours of arduous work ahead of me! lol I read for approximately 72 hours non-stop after receiving the two Azbox Premium Plus receivers prior to taking him his. It is a real learning curve! Again, thanks, it is members like you, and StarGaze that make it a lot easier.
Don,
You are most welcome, Don.
I am glad that you are enjoying your AZBox (and all of its quirks and additional headaches) that they installed at the factory for our benefit. These were free add-ons, you know! LOL
Seriously though, don't take anything too serious here, you have to remain a bit loose and relaxed with all of the endeavors for FTA TV and the AZBox. Anyone would go NUTS if they expected this all to be perfect! It's fun, but it is far from being perfect. If you understand this, you won't have any troubles.
RADAR
You can use VirtualBox and then you won't need to dual boot. You can use Windows as a host OS with Ubuntu (or other Linux distro) as a guest OS. Or you can have a Ubuntu (or other Linux OS) as the host OS with Windows running as a guest OS. Either way, you can have a guest OS running in a Virtual Machine (VM) concurrently with the host OS. I do that all the time because I consider it more convenient than rebooting to another OS. Right now I'm running Mandriva (linux) as the host OS with Windows XP and Ubuntu guest OSes.
I did not see you mention anyplace how you are using your azbox.
Are you using it as a slaved receiver?
Or Are you using it to move your dish?
This becomes important as there are specific settings you will have to do
If your using it as a slaved receiver are you using a DiSEqc switch?
If not I recommend you get one to make your life easier.
Personally I use a 4x1 DiSEqc switch with results that made Radar shake his head in amazement to what I was doing.
Your friend, does he use the exact setup you are using?
most likely not unless you are setting everything up for them so some things may be different for you than what it is for the other person.
now as to where to get the programs:
I have a links for the following programs:
Acc_version1.1
Maz2.3 (it will update to 3.0 when set up the first time)
Azedit 9.2880a:
File-zilla 3.3.4.1:
all are stand alone programs which I have uploaded to specific sites and are virus free but since I have no idea what you need you would have to pm me for the links but I may not get to view any pm's till Monday.
You can try finding a decent version of "Toolbox Azbox HD" and this contains the ACC program along with the different editors you will need all under one umbrella program. however it has been noted by several people that some sites have a virus and they could not use the toolbox file.
Meanwhile I do suggest you read up on the A-Z users guide and get familiar with what you can do with the azbox.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/azbox-discussion/235827-here-new-revised-edition-az-users.html
Honestly, if it is not in that guide then I would not bother attempting or seeing if something can be done that is not listed there already, as it is either not possible or not yet attempted with success.
After you are more familiar with the azbox and you get the problem areas corrected that need to be corrected, then go on to your next project.
Ha Ha! Yes, I am still baffled and amazed with that one! It is not supposed to be possible, but you are doing it! I cannot argue with that. I have set up switches in manners that were totally against the rules and made them work, too. So, not everything we are told is impossible, is really impossible.
That's right. The A-Z Guide provides all the info you need. And... Stargaze and I will (with help from all of you AZBox owners), maintain this guide so that it will be updated/upgraded as necessary to include any and all new information, tips and tricks. It is a "living" document.
If you venture out of the box, you do so at your own risk. We cannot assist you beyond what we know. Not because we are mean or withholding information from you, but because we have not ventured there ourselves. We will not post speculations or rumors regarding processes and setup information unless we have tested it thoroughly ourselves. That is only fair to you and we would not do it any other way.
RADAR
Thanks for all of the responses, and if I might add, thanks for promptness. It may be tomorrow night before I have enough time to digest the Azbox manual. I want to give it the undivided attention that it deserves/demands lol. I have read some on it previously. I recall that there has even been some updates to it already? ? ?
1.) My Azbox Premium Plus is the only receiver, it is not slaved.
2.) The motorized dish, 90cm, Invacom LNB, is controlled by a 4x1 DiSEqc switch.
3.) My motor, and my friends, and his dish are different. He has the metal [better] motor, and a 1.2 dish/reflector, his likewise, is the only receiver, controlled through the DiSEqc swithc.
At the same time I ordered all of the items for him, I ordered the two receivers, and had considered upgrading to the better motor; however, I considered, if it is not broke why fix it. The motor is working well after approximately six years. The dish/reflector had been struck by something, and it had to be replaced. The wind here in south central Illinois has been pretty bad. Therefore, I was reluctant to go with the bigger 1.2 reflector, as I had ordered for him. With my system I am able to view from 72.0w, to 125.0w.
Again, thanks!
1.) My Azbox Premium Plus is the only receiver, it is not slaved.
2.) The motorized dish, 90cm, Invacom LNB, is controlled by a 4x1 DiSEqc switch.
3.) My motor, and my friends, and his dish are different. He has the metal [better] motor, and a 1.2 dish/reflector, his likewise, is the only receiver, controlled through the DiSEqc swithc.
At the same time I ordered all of the items for him, I ordered the two receivers, and had considered upgrading to the better motor; however, I considered, if it is not broke why fix it. The motor is working well after approximately six years. The dish/reflector had been struck by something, and it had to be replaced. The wind here in south central Illinois has been pretty bad. Therefore, I was reluctant to go with the bigger 1.2 reflector, as I had ordered for him. With my system I am able to view from 72.0w, to 125.0w.
Again, thanks!
Interesting. My Ultra is performing OK but when I d/l the channel list and load it into AzBoxEdit the sat names are associated with the wrong orbital position. I took the risk of rebooting the Ultra. After reboot, the sat names and locations are still OK. I re-downloaded the sat list and it still is wrong in AzBoxEdit (as well as other settings). Yes, I loaded the correct files.
JohnnyN,
I have personally witnessed the anomaly you mention here. I was rather puzzled and obviously apprehensive of reloading the list to my AZBox as I did not want it to foul or corrupt my resident list. I took the chance and uploaded it to the box anyway and the list turned out correct. Although I did not make any edits to the list at first, I merely viewed it.
Now, I cannot seem to reproduce this strange occurrence and therefore don't know what I did to cause it (if anything) or what I have done since to prevent it (if anything). I will just give you a run down of my current process for you to compare.
This is going to appear lengthy, but it is because I am detailing the process for the purpose of the explanation. Many of the steps that I explain here will be rather redundant, but read them all one time for sure to identify if there is anything that I am doing that is different from your own procedure.
I am only using two programs to upload/download, create, edit and maintain my lists. ACC v 1.1 and AZBoxEdit v 0.9.2880a and I am using the most recent firmware available, 0.9.5020.
I uploaded the original factory list of satellites from the AZBox using ACC via the option RECEIVE FROM AZBOX inthe TOOLS 2 panel. Then closed ACC and opened AZBoxEdit. Here, the first step was to click on the editor programs panel "Organize Sat & TP". Then, select or click on the option at the bottom of the screen... "OPEN: antenna_list.dat & DVBS.dat". This opens a menu to search or browse for where ACC stored these files when they were uploaded from the AZBox to the PC.
Once these lists were opened, I deleted all the satellites in the list, except one. The one that I retained was the western hemisphere satellite that was furthest to my east or the lowest numbered satellite by its orbital position that I still had a LOS for. For me personally, this was Hispasat at 30.0°W.
With this and only this one satellite remaining in my list, I saved the file (see the bottom of the editor screen... "SAVE: antenna_list.dat & DVBS.dat") and then closed the editor program.
I then opened the ACC program and dowloaded this list to the AZBox with only the one satellite (Hispasat) contained within.
I then located all the *.dat files that were previously uploaded to my PC and deleted them.
I then uploaded the current (new) files from the AZBox back to my PC using ACC and closed the ACC program.
I then opened the AZBoxEdit 0.9.2880a program and opened the newly created *.dat files via the editor's "Organize Sat & TP" option.
Here is where the tedious work begins. I consulted "The List" here and Lyngsat and SatBeams sites to determine as many valid satellites (C and Ku) that I could list from Hispasat westward to the last valid satellite for my personal LOS. I wrote these all down and separated them into C and Ku bands and then I started entering them in the AZBoxEdit program from east to west.
When entering each satellite in the list, I made absolutely certain that I entered a transponder for each satellite as I went. I did not worry whether the transponder was truly an active one or not, I just recorded a valid TP frequency (i.e. 3700 for typical C band and 11700 for standard, linear Ku band). These TPs are just dummy TPs and I will delete them later, but you must have something legitimate recorded here to start with. For C band TPs, your entered numerical value must be 7 digits (therefore 3700 must be entered as 3700000) and for Ku band TPs it must be 8 digits (therefore 11700 must be entered as 11700000).
You will want to enter a SR value for each TP as well. Enter any arbitrary number that is 6 to 8 digits long (i.e. 100000).
Regarding the entry of the LNBF type/frequency, I would simply select something from the drop down menus that is as close to legit as you can find for your equipment. Whatever I selected didn't seem to be right after downloading the lists to the AZBox and I was required to correct this via the remote within the menus later anyway. I am not sure why this is or what I am doing incorrectly here, but it isn't very cooperative. Don't fret over this too much, it is easy to correct once the list is installed.
Once you have entered all the satellites for your entire horizon (LOS), SAVE the edits and close the editor. Then open the ACC program and download the files to the AZBox using the SEND TO AZBOX option in the TOOLS 2 panel.
Now you can go through all the individual satellites listed in the AZBox using the remote and the menus and check the TP frequencies, polarities and miscellaneous settings such as the LNBF type and the L.O. frequency. You will also need to set up each satellite for USALS or DiSEqC 1.2 as you go along here. Get all of these settings squared away first. Check the settings of each satellite and correct any discrepancies here first. Enter your personal latitude and longitude coordinates for any one satellite that is going to be set up to use USALS (you only need to enter this information for one sat in the list).
Once you have all the parameters properly set, go back to your PC and save all your *.dat files to an external disk first. This is just a precautionary backup measure in case something goes awry. Then, delete these files from your PC and open the ACC program and once again, upload these files from the AZBox. Save these files to another external disk or device, also as a precautionary backup measure. Ensure that these files and the others are kept separate so that you do not confuse them.
It is important to make backups all along the way, at each step, so that you do not ever have to start over completely from scratch. There is a lot of work involved here, you do not want to have to repeat all this if you can avoid it. Burn the files to an inexpensive CD disk and label it, that is the best way.
Now that you have your entire list set up as a basic skeleton structure, send it back once again to the AZBox. This will ensure that the backup file in the DISK1 folder will be overwritten with all of your latest changes.
The next step depends upon which AZBox receiver model you have. If you have a Premium, or better yet the Premium Plus, you may simply go to each satellite in your list and blind scan it for all the active TPs and channels. If you do not have blind scan capabilities, you will have to enter the truly legitimate (active) TPs manually. Either by using the remote and the menus or with the editor (AZBoxEdit). Just as a note, it should be obvious to see the benefit of blind scan capabilities right here.
JohnnyN, can you identify anything in what I have done and what I am doing that is different from what you have been doing? Anything that might account for the anomaly that you first cited?
RADAR
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Radar: It looks like I did everything like you. It was subsequent changes/refinements where my problems began. This stuff is just too unstable to be trustworthy. I'll bet we'll continue to have difficulties with Enigma when it comes into general use. They need to release the source code to everyone so we'd get more corrections done faster. IMHO. It would be nice if they got the high bit rate recording problem and Diseqc issues fixed/improved also.
Dang! I thought that somewhere in my procedure you would detect one thing that was unique that would explain the situation that you are experiencing. I cannot figure it out and this bugs me as I saw the same thing you did and wish I could explain it, but since I cannot reproduce it, I cannot track the cause down to anything in particular.
I take it that the problem is still present? Your sats are still displayed with the wrong orbital locations when you view them in the editor?
Are you definitely using the AZBoxEdit version 0.9.2880a and not the 0.9.2880c version? I thought that might have been a problem for me.
The only other thing I can suggest at this point is to delete all your support programs from your PC (ACC and AZBoxEdit and MazEdit) and redownload them and reinstall them and try again. I do not understand why this should make a difference, but that is the only other thing that I can think that I may have done differently.
It makes very little sense, but then again, not a lot does with these programs.
RADAR
Yes.
Version c.
Near as I can see, Maz Manager shows the sats correctly but AzBoxEdit does not. Usually, it's the other way around.
