I'm looking for a more detailed manual for the SonicView 8000HD manual. The current manual is elementary - is there something with more meat?
My father bought one of these receivers. He had trouble with the setup so I had him send it to me to play with.
I quickly discovered that the receiver had some undocumented software bugs that were minor to an experienced FTA user, but impossible for a newbie to figure out.
Overall, I thought the receiver was a pretty good design. There is a problem with loading transponders and blind scanning through the user interface. Numbers appear to not enter when in fact they do. You just have to play with the remote to make things work. Once you figure it out, it's not a problem. You just have to think out of the box to get around some of the minor problems.
The point is, the manufacturer probably doesn't want to spend too much time writing up documentation for every possible way to run the receiver. It's best to just play with all the controls and screens till you get comfortable with it.
Another problem with that unit is the remote/receiver communication is slow and sluggish. You just have to be patient when pressing the remote buttons. You may see double entries or no action if you press the remote buttons too fast.
It will have a steep learning curve for sure.
Like I said, it's a good receiver, just user buggy. You will enjoy using it once you figure it out. The receiver also seemed to be more sensitive and lock onto weaker signals a little better than my CS5000.
Good Luck!