Teac DV-B350 dropping channels for no reason?

[Mat]

I just went to change channel and noticed my STB had lost its Nine
network. I had to do a manual rescan to get it back.

Over the last three days I've lost ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten this way.

It sure makes the prospect of unattended timer-based recording a risky
prospect.

What a lemon this device is turning out to be. Or is it something wrong
with my setup? I can't see how.

I wrote earlier about how I had to do a manual rescan to pickup the
Olympic Extra channel assignment. That would suggest this box shouldn't
go looking for / dropping channels unless told to... which makes the
problem I'm now having look like a fault surely.

The STB throws away channels I want to keep and refuses to accept
channels that I want to add. Great.

[Bruce Graham]

In article <411f0bbd@duster.adelaide.on.net>, mat@nospam.holon.net
says...
> I just went to change channel and noticed my STB had lost its Nine
> network. I had to do a manual rescan to get it back.
>
> Over the last three days I've lost ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten this way.
>
> It sure makes the prospect of unattended timer-based recording a risky
> prospect.
>
> What a lemon this device is turning out to be. Or is it something wrong
> with my setup? I can't see how.
>
> I wrote earlier about how I had to do a manual rescan to pickup the
> Olympic Extra channel assignment. That would suggest this box shouldn't
> go looking for / dropping channels unless told to... which makes the
> problem I'm now having look like a fault surely.
>
> The STB throws away channels I want to keep and refuses to accept
> channels that I want to add. Great.
>
>
But if the signal quality is poor or intermittent, odd things will
happen. I still have a problem which I think is in my antenna/feed
system. Until I have got this into final shape I'm not going to make any
comments about my STB (which gives great quality compared to the mainly
unwatchable analog services). Is your antenna and feed good?

[Mat]

Bruce Graham wrote:

> But if the signal quality is poor or intermittent, odd things will
> happen. I still have a problem which I think is in my antenna/feed
> system. Until I have got this into final shape I'm not going to make any
> comments about my STB (which gives great quality compared to the mainly
> unwatchable analog services). Is your antenna and feed good?

I am prone to impulse noise interference at the moment. My band III
analog picture looks very good on Seven and Nine. My analog Ten isn't
perfect. But these signals are stable. I admit to not having a roof
mounted antenna. ON the STB manual tuning screen my signal strength
bars are all past half way and stable. My picture quality bar is all
the way to the right on all channels.

The quality bar DOES falter though for a brief moment when I switch on a
fluoro light. Maybe it's the occasional impulse that confuses the box?
I can't believe someone would design a transmission system that prone
to interference though.

My double-check is I have a near neighbour with a worse antenna setup
and analog picture than mine. He has none of the reported problems on
his DV-B420.

I notice the regulated power supply is rated as 6V, 1.5A. That means no
guarantees of 6V past a sustained 9VA. But I notice in the back of the
DV-B350 manual the device is reported to put out 13W-15W. That makes me
wonder if the cause of my problems is a lack of power / voltage drop due
to an under-spec'd power supply.

[Bruce Graham]

In article <411f358b@duster.adelaide.on.net>, mat@nospam.holon.net
says...
> Bruce Graham wrote:
>
> > But if the signal quality is poor or intermittent, odd things will
> > happen. I still have a problem which I think is in my antenna/feed
> > system. Until I have got this into final shape I'm not going to make any
> > comments about my STB (which gives great quality compared to the mainly
> > unwatchable analog services). Is your antenna and feed good?
>
> I am prone to impulse noise interference at the moment. My band III
> analog picture looks very good on Seven and Nine. My analog Ten isn't
> perfect. But these signals are stable. I admit to not having a roof
> mounted antenna. ON the STB manual tuning screen my signal strength
> bars are all past half way and stable. My picture quality bar is all
> the way to the right on all channels.
>
> The quality bar DOES falter though for a brief moment when I switch on a
> fluoro light. Maybe it's the occasional impulse that confuses the box?
> I can't believe someone would design a transmission system that prone
> to interference though.

Well it is when the signal level is low. It does a great job of getting
an error free signal out of the murk, but when it gets below its
capabilities the system fall apart quickly (by design). I believe the
transmiited signal levels are a lot lower than analog also.

>
> My double-check is I have a near neighbour with a worse antenna setup
> and analog picture than mine. He has none of the reported problems on
> his DV-B420.
>
> I notice the regulated power supply is rated as 6V, 1.5A. That means no
> guarantees of 6V past a sustained 9VA. But I notice in the back of the
> DV-B350 manual the device is reported to put out 13W-15W. That makes me
> wonder if the cause of my problems is a lack of power / voltage drop due
> to an under-spec'd power supply.
>
Ah! - I had a question on the 420 supply (see another post of mine
below). I am getting occaisonal impulse problems but I need to replace
the old connections on my masthead amps before I jump up and down. I
have replaced the main feed with Belden quad shield RG-6 so I'm getting
there.

[Mat]

Just came back from a quick test. The device collapses at 5.3V and
won't start up again until at least 5.6V is offered. Unfortunately I
didn't have the opportunity to borrow the lab supply for in situ
testing. But I'm starting to get a feeling here that the power supply
is a factor.

Later I'll measure the voltage across the supply during operation. I
bet the 13W-15W drain will pull the 6V down. Teac are putting a lot of
faith in their OEM power supply vendor.

Bruce Graham wrote:

> Mat wrote:
>>I notice the regulated power supply is rated as 6V, 1.5A. That means no
>>guarantees of 6V past a sustained 9VA. But I notice in the back of the
>>DV-B350 manual the device is reported to put out 13W-15W. That makes me
>>wonder if the cause of my problems is a lack of power / voltage drop due
>>to an under-spec'd power supply.
>>
>
> Ah! - I had a question on the 420 supply (see another post of mine
> below). I am getting occaisonal impulse problems but I need to replace
> the old connections on my masthead amps before I jump up and down. I
> have replaced the main feed with Belden quad shield RG-6 so I'm getting
> there.

[Justin]

Apologies, it requires a different cable - details on the website.
"Justin" <justin@nospam.com.au> wrote in message
news:41240c14$0$11963$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
> I've got a DVB-400. It will get near 100% signal strength (& 100% quality)
> from a coat hanger. "past halfway" in signal strenth sounds like a bit of
a
> worry to me. Less than 70% on my Strong 5290 leads to problems with timer
> recordings. It sounds like the 400/420 models are more sensitive units (in
a
> good way). I nearly ended up with a 350 when I got the 400. I'm glad I
> didn't.
>
> Have you checked stb.teac.com.au for any updates? It says the current
> version is 2.6.71 & it claims to have fixed the auto removal of channels.
> You'll need a null modem cable (not a serial cable) to load it on. You can
> get them from electronics stores (Jaycar, etc).
>
> Regards,
>
> Justin
> "Mat" <mat@nospam.holon.net> wrote in message
> news:411f759a@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> > Just came back from a quick test. The device collapses at 5.3V and
> > won't start up again until at least 5.6V is offered. Unfortunately I
> > didn't have the opportunity to borrow the lab supply for in situ
> > testing. But I'm starting to get a feeling here that the power supply
> > is a factor.
> >
> > Later I'll measure the voltage across the supply during operation. I
> > bet the 13W-15W drain will pull the 6V down. Teac are putting a lot of
> > faith in their OEM power supply vendor.
> >
> > Bruce Graham wrote:
> >
> > > Mat wrote:
> > >>I notice the regulated power supply is rated as 6V, 1.5A. That means
no
> > >>guarantees of 6V past a sustained 9VA. But I notice in the back of
the
> > >>DV-B350 manual the device is reported to put out 13W-15W. That makes
me
> > >>wonder if the cause of my problems is a lack of power / voltage drop
due
> > >>to an under-spec'd power supply.
> > >>
> > >
> > > Ah! - I had a question on the 420 supply (see another post of mine
> > > below). I am getting occaisonal impulse problems but I need to
replace
> > > the old connections on my masthead amps before I jump up and down. I
> > > have replaced the main feed with Belden quad shield RG-6 so I'm
getting
> > > there.
> >
>
>

[Justin]

I've got a DVB-400. It will get near 100% signal strength (& 100% quality)
from a coat hanger. "past halfway" in signal strenth sounds like a bit of a
worry to me. Less than 70% on my Strong 5290 leads to problems with timer
recordings. It sounds like the 400/420 models are more sensitive units (in a
good way). I nearly ended up with a 350 when I got the 400. I'm glad I
didn't.

Have you checked stb.teac.com.au for any updates? It says the current
version is 2.6.71 & it claims to have fixed the auto removal of channels.
You'll need a null modem cable (not a serial cable) to load it on. You can
get them from electronics stores (Jaycar, etc).

Regards,

Justin
"Mat" <mat@nospam.holon.net> wrote in message
news:411f759a@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> Just came back from a quick test. The device collapses at 5.3V and
> won't start up again until at least 5.6V is offered. Unfortunately I
> didn't have the opportunity to borrow the lab supply for in situ
> testing. But I'm starting to get a feeling here that the power supply
> is a factor.
>
> Later I'll measure the voltage across the supply during operation. I
> bet the 13W-15W drain will pull the 6V down. Teac are putting a lot of
> faith in their OEM power supply vendor.
>
> Bruce Graham wrote:
>
> > Mat wrote:
> >>I notice the regulated power supply is rated as 6V, 1.5A. That means no
> >>guarantees of 6V past a sustained 9VA. But I notice in the back of the
> >>DV-B350 manual the device is reported to put out 13W-15W. That makes me
> >>wonder if the cause of my problems is a lack of power / voltage drop due
> >>to an under-spec'd power supply.
> >>
> >
> > Ah! - I had a question on the 420 supply (see another post of mine
> > below). I am getting occaisonal impulse problems but I need to replace
> > the old connections on my masthead amps before I jump up and down. I
> > have replaced the main feed with Belden quad shield RG-6 so I'm getting
> > there.
>

[warrick1961]

I had similar problems with my DV-B350 but that was resolved with an update to the latest firmware, you will need a SPECIAL RS232 TO SCART cable (i made one of these for about $8 from parts from jaycar) to be made to do the upgrade or you can take it into TEAC

Good Luck

Warrick

I just went to change channel and noticed my STB had lost its Nine
network. I had to do a manual rescan to get it back.

Over the last three days I've lost ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten this way.

It sure makes the prospect of unattended timer-based recording a risky
prospect.

What a lemon this device is turning out to be. Or is it something wrong
with my setup? I can't see how.

I wrote earlier about how I had to do a manual rescan to pickup the
Olympic Extra channel assignment. That would suggest this box shouldn't
go looking for / dropping channels unless told to... which makes the
problem I'm now having look like a fault surely.

The STB throws away channels I want to keep and refuses to accept
channels that I want to add. Great.

[Mat]

Justin wrote:
> It sounds like the 400/420 models are more sensitive units (in a
> good way). I nearly ended up with a 350 when I got the 400. I'm glad I
> didn't.

My double-check is the neighbour with a 420. He has half the problems I
do. His box is more impulse-immune with a coat hanger.

> Have you checked stb.teac.com.au for any updates? It says the current
> version is 2.6.71 & it claims to have fixed the auto removal of channels.

My box has that version. Teac are aware of a variety of problems with
the 350 and 2.6.71 and that claim obviously needs to be revoked.

[Mat]

warrick1961 wrote:
> I had similar problems with my DV-B350 but that was resolved with an
> update to the latest firmware

Yep. Did that. Definite improvement post upgrade from 2.6.67.

[Boozo]

"warrick1961" <warrick1961.1b9q4y@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:warrick1961.1b9q4y@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> I had similar problems with my DV-B350 but that was resolved with an
> update to the latest firmware, you will need a SPECIAL RS232 TO SCART
> cable (i made one of these for about $8 from parts from jaycar) to be
> made to do the upgrade or you can take it in to TEAC
>
> Good Luck
>
> Warrick
>
> Mat Wrote:
> > I just went to change channel and noticed my STB had lost its Nine
> > network. I had to do a manual rescan to get it back.
> >
> > Over the last three days I've lost ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten this way.
> >
> > It sure makes the prospect of unattended timer-based recording a risky
> > prospect.
> >
> > What a lemon this device is turning out to be. Or is it something
> > wrong
> > with my setup? I can't see how.
> >
> > I wrote earlier about how I had to do a manual rescan to pickup the
> > Olympic Extra channel assignment. That would suggest this box
> > shouldn't
> > go looking for / dropping channels unless told to... which makes the
> > problem I'm now having look like a fault surely.
> >
> > The STB throws away channels I want to keep and refuses to accept
> > channels that I want to add. Great.
>
>
> --
> warrick1961
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> warrick1961's Profile: http://forums.eyo.com.au/member.php?userid=6463
> View this thread: http://forums.eyo.com.au/showthread.php?t=58902

Did TEAC charge a fee for the upgrade ?

Boozo.

[warrick1961]

Did TEAC charge a fee for the upgrade ?

Boozo.

I did mine myself, but others have said that TEAC did it for free
Give them a call

Warrick

[Ikari]

Finally, someone who has the same problem! I returned mine for the multiplexes dropping out, now I have a new one and it hasnt dropped out so far, only my S/W version is still 2.6.67. Why can't TEAC just make their new software update available through the menu system?