What "ZK" status of 922 mean ?
- Thread starter Smith P.
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 57
- Views 8K
- Status
Found another good source of 922 info and checking Diags [Opt-6-0-5] found something new : you can switch the 922 to Eng04 mode by pressing: Up-Up-OK-Dn-Up. See a result on screen-shot.
I was overwhelm how big is the Diags matrix - A/B/C/D/E/F, each one have many screens.
Also, the tpn# goes from 1 to 24 and a few beyond, it shows 95x...960, when other screen info shows 4x...50 range.
The box full of diagnostics info, opposite to that Dish/DTV receivers what shows nothing.
Found Moto PPT file with Diagnostic screen parsing ( for other models, but same info ).
Digging Internet - found 922 FW "EC"( bytes in a word swaped for reading strings).
I was overwhelm how big is the Diags matrix - A/B/C/D/E/F, each one have many screens.
Also, the tpn# goes from 1 to 24 and a few beyond, it shows 95x...960, when other screen info shows 4x...50 range.
The box full of diagnostics info, opposite to that Dish/DTV receivers what shows nothing.
Found Moto PPT file with Diagnostic screen parsing ( for other models, but same info ).
Digging Internet - found 922 FW "EC"( bytes in a word swaped for reading strings).
Attachments
Last edited:
How would one load the FW update into the receiver? It would be interesting to remove the rating ceilings block on the EC FW and reload it so it would work like EA.
Would you explain the above? I like to use binary editors to look at firmware and other data files, and am always looking for different ways of decoding binary that I know have text in them, but it's obscured by the way the data was saved.
Just curious what you're referring to here.
I don't own a 4DTV, but my 4200 is similar to a 905. With it, unless you have factory equipment, you can't upload firmware to the DCII boxes, it can be updated by download from satellite, however. Back in the late 90s, some people who used the 4200 receivers were caught by a bad download of firmware that was sent out over the Kentucky PBS transponder on GE1 (AMC1). This firmware automatically downloaded into any 4200 that was left on the Kentucky transponder, and it basically turned these receivers into boat anchors (basically it made the receivers only capable of tuning ZK channels. They could only receive FP channels on a transponder that the receiver was authorized for, making the receiver useless for TVRO'ers. This was an amazing example of General Instruments cooperation in the end, because they didn't have to do anything about it, but on hearing the complaints from the TVRO'ers, they created a NEW version of firmware, with a newer number, so that it wouldn't be automatically wiped out by the bad Kentucky firmware, and they scheduled a special download event on a saturday morning, when all the TVRO'ers were told to tune in to the Kentucky transponder, and get the download. I was reluctant to do this, since the darn receiver cost $1200, and I was risking killing it for everything except GPTV and music, however I also feared that this bad Kentucky firmware was out there on other uplink sites, so I did it.
The firmware update was kind of interesting. In the first diagnostic screen, there is a row with the firmware version repeated 3 or 4 times. One entry is the original factory firmware, another is firmware that is or has been downloaded from satellite, and the last entry is the firmware version currently being run on the receiver. What happened was that I was parked on the KET transponder, then all of a sudden the download started, which was scary. After the download was complete, I think the diagnostic screen listed the new firmware in the 2nd category, but it was still running the old firmware. But upon rebooting the receiver, it started using the new firmware.
Anyway, the new firmware worked out well, and has been in the receiver for over 10 years now with no serious problems.
But anyway, I suspect that the only way to change firmware on a 4DTV is probably the same, ie via a download from satellite. That is unless you have a factory service center do it.
Usually it is not obscured per se, just different type of byte order for different CPUs; the Motorola FW req swap two bytes to be read by human eyes, you'll need HexEdit or similar - select all bytes and do swap a byte for word type.
Last edited:
No mine is EC but from what I understand is the EA didn't have the ratings block bug that was put in the EC update. Some people with EA had out of sync audio so they came out with EC but added the blackout hammer where you have to use options 6,4,4 Enter, Info to get around it for 15 minutes. This is a pain if your watching a feed on the generics and they don't include the rating ceilings in the data stream which many don't because they want to black us out while there running FP.
I was wondering if EC could be fixed and reloaded without the bug
. Im sure a programmer could do it. :up
reminder
P-I'm sure you know already, but be sure you unplug AC cable before pulling out the descrambler module, has fried receivers before! And I think Weather channel, ESPN and ESPN2 are the only VC2 channels left on analog, they may be in fixed key mode sometimes, but not often enough to keep the module in for me.
P-I'm sure you know already, but be sure you unplug AC cable before pulling out the descrambler module, has fried receivers before! And I think Weather channel, ESPN and ESPN2 are the only VC2 channels left on analog, they may be in fixed key mode sometimes, but not often enough to keep the module in for me.
OMG Smitty elbow deep in a 4DTV!
Now if he will just share all the secrets he come across with us, that would be awesome.
Good to see you delving into 4DTV/DCII stuff. There are but a handful of peeps I figure that could do a thorough DSR disection and you are on that list. I'll pass on the info I've stumbled across scouring the 'net for 4D material.
The site you posted -
http://home.austin.rr.com/drlev/Diagscrn/diagscrn.htm
was owned by Darryl Levingston who passed away a while back. It was a very informative site. He was the founder of a 4DTV owners area discussed on the 4DTV forums. I dont know if anyone had the presence of mind to make a copy of, or spider the site before it went away. There is a mirror site that has the txt from his rr site, but the pics in the html were linked to the rr site so no screen caps for the associated txt. One may be able to extrapolate most of the info needed from the txt with a real 9XX in front of them.
Here is the mirror - http://diagf.drlev.com/
The coolstf site has done some changing. I dont find anything on 4play anymore, TSReader is still referenced, as is a DVB vs DCII comparison primer at this link - http://www.tsreader.com/mpeg/index.html#dcii
This is an older site but has some interesting info on it as well, notably how to calculate for a brute force channel receiption. - http://my4dtv.tripod.com
I forgot I had this file. I meant to post here as well but got sidetracked...imagine that!.......lol. I put it up on RS for a fellow C bander I talk with on IRC a while back. It has all the sat channel map info and quite a bit of other reference material.
[ame]http://rapidshare.com/files/222228385/4DTV_generic___Data.pdf[/ame]
If some one wanted to repost it here on the forum, that would be fine. Uploading via dialup is a pain......lol
Dig in Smith, keep us posted. This should turn into a very interesting thread.
BTW you are going to HAVE to pony up for a C band setup for DSR playing. You cant get the full spectrum of possibilities without it. Hope you dont have one of those pesky HOA to deal with.
Welcome to the 'club'.
Now if he will just share all the secrets he come across with us, that would be awesome.
Good to see you delving into 4DTV/DCII stuff. There are but a handful of peeps I figure that could do a thorough DSR disection and you are on that list. I'll pass on the info I've stumbled across scouring the 'net for 4D material.
The site you posted -
http://home.austin.rr.com/drlev/Diagscrn/diagscrn.htm
was owned by Darryl Levingston who passed away a while back. It was a very informative site. He was the founder of a 4DTV owners area discussed on the 4DTV forums. I dont know if anyone had the presence of mind to make a copy of, or spider the site before it went away. There is a mirror site that has the txt from his rr site, but the pics in the html were linked to the rr site so no screen caps for the associated txt. One may be able to extrapolate most of the info needed from the txt with a real 9XX in front of them.
Here is the mirror - http://diagf.drlev.com/
The coolstf site has done some changing. I dont find anything on 4play anymore, TSReader is still referenced, as is a DVB vs DCII comparison primer at this link - http://www.tsreader.com/mpeg/index.html#dcii
This is an older site but has some interesting info on it as well, notably how to calculate for a brute force channel receiption. - http://my4dtv.tripod.com
I forgot I had this file. I meant to post here as well but got sidetracked...imagine that!.......lol. I put it up on RS for a fellow C bander I talk with on IRC a while back. It has all the sat channel map info and quite a bit of other reference material.
[ame]http://rapidshare.com/files/222228385/4DTV_generic___Data.pdf[/ame]
If some one wanted to repost it here on the forum, that would be fine. Uploading via dialup is a pain......lol
Dig in Smith, keep us posted. This should turn into a very interesting thread.
BTW you are going to HAVE to pony up for a C band setup for DSR playing. You cant get the full spectrum of possibilities without it. Hope you dont have one of those pesky HOA to deal with.
Welcome to the 'club'.
yeah 10' unimesh... in pieces - waiting when my candidature will be elected to a board (F&^$%&^ HOA ).
Looks like Darryl left several legacy 'footprints' for us to follow. Here is the satellite 'front page' for the link you found.
http://anubis.macross.com/~drlev/drlev.com/satellite.html
I also found these after a bit more poking around. It appears for the most part they are mirrors or repeated info that has already been posted with lots of links to defunct sites.
http://community-2.webtv.net/@HH!6B!59!F54D26910974/FourDtv/
http://members.fortunecity.com/drlev/satellite.htm
I was looking for a mirror of the diag screen page that is missing the jpgs. No luck yet. I used to have a page spidering proggy a few hd crashes ago. If I can find the original application installer, I'll see about making an offline browsable copy of some of the 4D related material.
So what's the skinny on getting 'C band compliant' Smith? For TFTA purposes, I kind of equate that to using a steak knife when feasting on a sirloin - IOW, doesn't everybody? People that use Ku only for TFTA are cheating themselves, just as DCII users that have never done DVB are missing out as well.
EDIT - I hit submit instead of preview. Could you put up a 1.8-2 m dish without anyone throwing a fit? Most of the DCII stuff is strong enough for the most part to be caught on one in that size range. A mesh 5 footer painted camo green mounted close to the ground should be nearly invisible.
http://anubis.macross.com/~drlev/drlev.com/satellite.html
I also found these after a bit more poking around. It appears for the most part they are mirrors or repeated info that has already been posted with lots of links to defunct sites.
http://community-2.webtv.net/@HH!6B!59!F54D26910974/FourDtv/
http://members.fortunecity.com/drlev/satellite.htm
I was looking for a mirror of the diag screen page that is missing the jpgs. No luck yet. I used to have a page spidering proggy a few hd crashes ago. If I can find the original application installer, I'll see about making an offline browsable copy of some of the 4D related material.
So what's the skinny on getting 'C band compliant' Smith? For TFTA purposes, I kind of equate that to using a steak knife when feasting on a sirloin - IOW, doesn't everybody? People that use Ku only for TFTA are cheating themselves, just as DCII users that have never done DVB are missing out as well.
EDIT - I hit submit instead of preview. Could you put up a 1.8-2 m dish without anyone throwing a fit? Most of the DCII stuff is strong enough for the most part to be caught on one in that size range. A mesh 5 footer painted camo green mounted close to the ground should be nearly invisible.
Last edited:
Then more I'm reading about 4DTV/DC2 then more I'd like to play with PCI cards what capable to demod the muxes and dig thru system tables - Rod posted good info for start. Who knows, perhaps the path could bring back to the 922 with some custom modification .
.- Status
