Remote bit the dust...

[xprm311x]

well my remote fell into a glass of water the other day (don't ask) and I opened it up, let it dry out for a couple days, etc... and it doesnt work, only one of the buttons does. what is the best route to get a new one? just contact dish network? it's a 510, but we bought it off ebay because my dad already had 2 upstairs from dish network, although I dont think that'll matter.

I tried to use the remotes upstairs but from my understanding they are RF and therefore need to be on different frequencies which would explain not being able to use the remotes from the other boxes....

just thought I would ask you guys before I spent an hour on the phone with dish network either on hold or talking to people that may not know what they're talking about... thanks guys

 

[Technojunky]

When you opened it to dry it out, did you remove the rubber keypad and get the water out from under the buttons? You would have to get every drop of water out of the remote before it could work again. If one button works, then the processor is working. Take the batteries out of it, remove the circuit board from the case and put just he circuit board in the over on a very low heat. No plastic in the over, or it might melt, or warp. The parts may look dry, but water can get under things where it is hard to evaporate, and gather between the legs of components.

If all else fails, get a new Harmony remote. I am using the 768, and I love it. Good luck. Joe

 

[Stacy A]

Or, you could visit the Dishstore.net and buy a replacement.

But it is hard to beat a Harmony remote if you have several components.

 

[xprm311x]

thanks guys... and yes I took it out and took the buttons off and took the circuit board out and let it dry, but I think things corroded cause I knocked it off the table in the middle of the night and didnt realize it was in the glass till morning... i tried cleaning to corrosion with alocohol but to no avail... I'll probably lookin into this harmony remote because right now I have 5 remotes lol

 

[Purogamer]

oh geez, yeah it's toast, wow...

Dishstore.net, but you can get it for like half the price on ebay if you're willing. never know how used these things will be with their stock photos, but hey, it's your money.

 

[bimmerbenz]

If the Dish Home Protection Plan covers remote controls (and I believe it does), you can sign up for it, Dish will send you a remote for free and you can cancel as soon as you have your new remote.

 

[Pablo_New]

They're a dime-a-dozen on E-Bay.

 

[xprm311x]

ordered one on ebay, and considering getting a harmony 688 now that you guys pointed them out to me. but now the question is, do I hafta like program it to work with my reciever? cause I tried to take one of the ones from the reciever upstairs that I believe is also a 510, and it didnt work with mine down here.

 

[xprm311x]

anybody? remote will be here soon, need to know how to set it up for the reciever

 

[Technojunky]

The Harmony remotes are configured via the internet with your computer. You will first identify your devices. Once you have all of your devices entered and working, you will then configure activities. An activity can be "Watch HDTV" or "Watch DVD", or "Play CD" You can call them whatever you like. When you select "Watch HDTV", your remote will start sending the commands to turn all the the needed devices on, and select all the the correct ports on each device, and turn all of the buttons on the remote into buttons to control the main devices for volume, channel, and any other fuctions associated with the activity.
When I select "Watch HDTV", my Sony receiver turns on and goes to the proper port for optical in from the HDTV Optical out, the Sony controls the volume, and the HDTV tuner controls the channel, so the remote is set to do that. The TV is also turned on and set to the proper port for DVI-in.
When your remote comes, read the literature with it. That is the best way to get started. You will open a new account with the web site where your configuration will be programmed and tested, then stored for future modification. At some point, you might have a question or two. Try to search the web site knowledge base first, the ncome here for help if you are still stuck. Good luck Joe

 

[Stacy A]

While you are waiting for your remote to arrive, it would be a good idea to go ahead and list out all your components and their specific model numbers, which you will need when you go online to configure the remote. As a matter of fact, you can go ahead and go on-line and configure your account right now and list your components. When you get your remote, you can just go on-line plug in the USB cord and update the remote. After that, test it out, and if it doesn't function properly, go back and make some adjustments. The only problem you may run into is it may ask to do some learning funcitons from your old Dish remote, which is now deceased. If you have any trouble, you can call them. I haven't had to, but my father-in-law says they are very nice and know exactly what to do to get you going.

My Harmony is one of the cheaper models. I forget the exact model number, but I got it for like $55 from the Gottadeal.com website. It's great for using it to power up the system and change activities (e.g. Watch HDTV, Watch a DVD, Watch PVR, DVD-Audio, etc..), but it sucks at using it in replacement for the other remotes. Not because its bad, though, but because its a cheaper and therefore smaller remote, so the number of buttons on it are limited and I find myself constantly having to use the scroll screen to find the thing I want to do if it's anything besides volume control or channel changing. My father-in-law has a much more expensive one and it has all the buttons on it, and is MUCH more user friendly. However, my family loves it because now we don't hav to pick up three different remotes to turn the system on just to watch a little TV.

I think you will like your new remote.

 

[new_to_hdtv]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I don't think xprm311x ordered the Harmony.

 

[xprm311x]

no you're right, I said im getting a harmony for christmas, lol, but for now I bought a regular dish remote for $15 shipped on ebay, to tide me over, cause I have about 5 hours free left on my DVR lol. so am I missing something or does it have to be programmed for my box?

 

[new_to_hdtv]

I believe the 510 has a UHF remote. Providing you ordered a UHF remote off eek-bay, you'd need to match the address # on the remote and the receiver.
See Chapter 2 page 26 of the 510 manual ---> http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/pdf/technology/510/Chapter2.pdf

 

[xprm311x]

I bought the exact remote that comes with the 510, lol, so yes it's uhf, and I just read that and it was very helpful, thanks guys. remote should be here soon, w00t

 

[KKlare]

The 510 and most Dish receivers accept infra-red commands as well as allowed matching RF. The new remotes do not send IR, only radio. (There is a 4-digit receiver that only accepts RF and there are 2 different RF systems.) I guess sending only RF reduces the battery load and the chance that commands from the 2 sources do not agree or are out of phase.
All Dish remotes AFAIK prefix the command by a remote number. Simple non-Dish remotes do not and thus only work for #1. (Or is it all numbers?) Learning remotes can capture that prefix and thus affect only those matching it.
-Ken

 

[Stargazer]

Just make sure you do not buy a DishPro UHF remote in which is for the 522 and 942 DVR receivers and only works those because of the different UHF frequency (if you want to change channels from a different room).

Dish Network rarely if ever asks for the remote back if you are getting it replaced under a warranty.