Reviews: SatHawk PVR800 WorldDVB DVB-S2 HD FTA Receiver

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I paid for this unit in Mar and received it in May. Except for the touchy remote, I was pleased with it. Got up this morning and smelled smoke. I traced it it to the Sathawk. I'm using it for a door stop now. Like they say..."you get what you pay for".

That sucks sorry to hear.

Was the unit getting good air flow?
 
I paid for this unit in Mar and received it in May. Except for the touchy remote, I was pleased with it. Got up this morning and smelled smoke. I traced it it to the Sathawk. I'm using it for a door stop now. Like they say..."you get what you pay for".

Btw...I replaced it with my back up (Traxis 3500) receiver and it works fine.

Such a short time! What kind of warrenty is there on the sat hawk?
 
Plenty of air flow. The web site says warranty is only 15 days.

Before I spend anymore money, I think I'll wait to see how much longer 4DTV lasts. I really don't want to get involved with a 2 year contract. Besides my Traxis 3500 is picking up the stuff like NASA, FX, NBC, TWC, Pentagon...etc, just fine. It just sucks that I can't view the HD stuff.
 
Plenty of air flow. The web site says warranty is only 15 days.

Before I spend anymore money, I think I'll wait to see how much longer 4DTV lasts. I really don't want to get involved with a 2 year contract. Besides my Traxis 3500 is picking up the stuff like NASA, FX, NBC, TWC, Pentagon...etc, just fine. It just sucks that I can't view the HD stuff.
Thats a shame! If you have any electronics background you may be able to repair the power supply if thats all that went up in smoke.
 
Well, I found a solution to getting AC3 from this box to work on my Sherwood receiver. I figured there was too much signal coming out of the digital audio port, so I daisy-chained a few A/V RCA cables together with barrel connectors and used that instead of the cable I was using.

Now, instead of a delay, PCM audio pops right in and AC3 channels pop in after a short delay. Guess I won't need a new receiver after all.:)
 
On Sadoun's website, someone posted a question as to when the SatHawk would be back in stock. The reply was, not til the motor/switch issue is fixed. This seems an odd stance to take unless he's been told that the issue will be fixed very soon. But what I can't understand is, why not make them available now if it's just going to need a firmware upgrade? I hope that it isn't going to involve a hardware change!
 
On Sadoun's website, someone posted a question as to when the SatHawk would be back in stock. The reply was, not til the motor/switch issue is fixed. This seems an odd stance to take unless he's been told that the issue will be fixed very soon. But what I can't understand is, why not make them available now if it's just going to need a firmware upgrade? I hope that it isn't going to involve a hardware change!

since motor control is just an implementation of the diseqc standard im not sure why people keep thinking it is a hardware issue. the real issue appears to be a reference design reciever and no one who can code for it. the solution simply involves coding the proper menu entries and diseqc code.

crackt out,.
 
im sure there are tons of liscensing issues with the source ever going public but i bet the motor / switch issue wouldnt be there a day after.

crackt out,.
 
i am surprised discussion on motor/switch issue on this box is still alive. From every aspect, i think it is history. It will never get fixed.+
 
So you think that the co in china that makes them is canning it from the US and they told sadoun a story that wont come true.

i think if you want to use a motor and a switch together this reciever needs to be slaved off another reciever. the fix is to the issue is new software which should have been out along time ago. the company in china probly has one coder / salesperson / warehouse person / secretary / janitor.

crackt out,.
 
I talked with the engineers at the manufacturer and they did not even understand what i was talking about. Made me think this receiver is just a copy of something, they who copied did not even know what they were copying. So they can't modify it.
 
I talked with the engineers at the manufacturer and they did not even understand what i was talking about. Made me think this receiver is just a copy of something, they who copied did not even know what they were copying. So they can't modify it.

its called a "reference design". im sure they just used ali's software and dev board. they probly dont have a coder to customize the firmware any further.

crackt out,.
 
its called a "reference design". im sure they just used ali's software and dev board. they probly dont have a coder to customize the firmware any further.

crackt out,.

Have you got one of these receivers or are you just posting in general about it? If you know how to write code for it, feel free to fix it and a number of people will be grateful for your efforts.

Somebody has been and still is coding for this receiver. If you will start with the very first firmware, and load each new release, ending with the 618 firmware, you will find some coding differences in them. For one, the dump feature was added. Two, the update by RS232 was removed.

Some things cannot be fixed by updating firmware. Some things were not designed to be modified or changed.
A few of us have talked to some people in China who tell us that this motor/switch problem is not a simple firmware fix. After waiting for months, this is obviously true.

I take whatever Sadoun posts about this receiver with a grain of salt. The information that he posts is not consistent with what we have been told from the folks in China.
Hopefully the motor/switch issue and some other problems with this receiver can be resolved, but I am not optimistic about it. GregH
 
Hypermegasat posted a new file dated yesterday on their forum. It doesn't fix the motor/switch issue, and in fact I can't find any visible changes at all. Worse, I've had it hang on two out of two attempts so far to scan 97W Ku! It hung on a different transponder each time. It sits on the transponder forever with the beam graphic moving, and when I hit the Exit button to cancel the scan the receiver locks up completely. You've got to be kidding me...

On a more optimistic note, the site owner posted a message that he received from the factory, saying that they obtained a Dolby license now but it's so expensive that they're having to raise the price per receiver. They go on to say that if he wants the new software he should contact them. So it's unclear (and he's trying to get clarification) whether they mean that the receivers are going to all be more expensive going forward, or whether there's going to be a charge for the Dolby-enabled firmware!
 
If someone can, try recording with either of the last 2 Solomend firmwares.
I always get "USB too Low". I downgraded and recording works fine.
 
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Anyone ever have a problem with floating platforms messing up the dish?

Royal Pain