Seeking Help Setting Up Premium Plus with GBOX V3000

[MarkVA]

Guys,

I'm really glad I found this site & thanks for letting me be a part of it. I'm in the middle of trying to convert from a DSR-922 4DTV receiver with a Premium Plus slaved to a GBOX using the DiSEqC 1.2 capability to move the dish. The rest of my hardware is: a 2m Winegard reflector and a Superjack II actuator. This forum has been a wealth of information and, now, I'm hoping to go through the installation myself and document the procedures which worked for me so that others can perhaps benefit. I'nm located in northern Virginia and can see everything from PAS-9 in the east to AMC-8 in the west. From my previous set-up in slave configuration, the AZBox is loaded with all of the satellites between and including these two, so I will not have to do a lot of additional scanning right now. The challenge is to make the GBOX work!

So far, I have hooked up the actuator wires to the GBOX and verified that the dish moves east when I press the left arrow, so I know the actuator is hooked up correctly. I also ran the coax from the LNBF through the receiver to the Premium +. For each satellite, the Positioner set-up is set to "off."

I have read enough previous threads to have figured out that I needed to set the limits in the stand-alone mode. Last weekend, I moved the dish all the way east in an attempt to set the east & west limits in the GBOX. The first problem is that the GBOX display is constantly blinking. When I traveled all the way to the east limit, I reset the counter to "0000" which is now blinking. I briefly saw "E--02" in the display, which makes me believe that I have reached the east limit. But, when I try to set the limit, I briefly see "|-----." as I expect. But, in all cases, the blinking continues and quickly returns to a flashing "0000". FYI, I plan to back off the mechanical limit a few clicks before I set the electronic limits, just to buy some margin.

Question: Does anyone know why the GBOX display is blinking? Do I need to disconnect the coax from the GBOX and run it directly into the AZBox? FYI, the AZBox also turns the GBOX on & off right now.
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Once I figure this out, I am planning to run the dish all the way to the west and set the west limit.

Question: Once I get the west limit set, can/should I reconnect the coax through the GBOX to the AZBox?
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Assuming this procedure is correct & successful, then it's time to program the satellite positions into the GBOX. I know that the internal AZBox signal strength meter is somewhat unresponsive. I figure I can't rely on it to help me find spacecraft. I have an in-line peaking meter I bought from Skyvision years ago. I plan to attach it inside between the dish and the GBOX and figure I have found a spacecraft when the meter tells me I have locked on. As I previously mentioned, my western-most spacecraft is AMC-8, which is right at my west limit, so I figure this is a good place to start. I figure I will head east and find the other spacecraft until I reach my east limit.

Question: Is my planned use of a peaking meter a good idea? Is there an easier way to find satellites using the GBOX itself?
Question: Is there a rule of thumb for the number of digits per degree on the GBOX? If so, this would help me get in the neighborhood.
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I've read various threads about alternative methods for programming the GBOX without reaching any conclusions myself. Some folks favor manual programming and some prefer automatic programming using the AZBox's DiSEqC feature.

Question: Is manual programming for satellite positions the way to go? Should I find each satellite manually and save it in the GBOX first? [I have already built a spreadsheet where I will record the spacecraft name, its location, the count on the GBOX, and the saved number (1 --> n).]
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Question: If I program the satellites positions into the GBOX, how do I integrate the data into the AZBox? What are the procedures for doing this using the AZBOX? Right now, for each satellite in the AZBOX, the "Positioner Set up" sub-menu shows these settings:
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• Motor Setting: DiSEqC 1.2
• Step Size: Continue
• Move Dish: Stopped
• Command Mode: Go To Position

I've read about folks having to do a "save" command somewhere on the AZBox, but I haven't found this yet. I'm afraid to activate the DiSEqC system right now for fear that the dish will move to an unknown location which would put me back to Square One.

One final question: Is there an easier way to do all of this?

Thanks! If desired, I'm happy to write up and post a step-by-step procedure when this is all done.