How to Set Diseqc 1.2 Positions in Optibox

[el bandido]

There are currently two factory Optibox satellite files. One sat file is for North America, and the other sat file is for Europe.

The American sat file is several years old, so old that it still has 148 West listed as a satellite position.
This sat file has around 60 positions in it.

The European sat file currently has 98 satellite positions. Some of the Atlantic satellites in the European file may be used without altering much.

My focus is on the European sat file because it has 98 positions. I have altered this European file by renaming some satellites and changing the satellite degrees. We will have a good satellite file when this work is completed by adding good transponders to the satellites. A beta version of this Americanized European satellite file is posted in the Raptor's files section.

This beta sat file should work on the Raptor, Anaconda, and Gekko receivers.

Setting the diseq 1.2 positions is nothing short of a pain in the butt if you already have a dish positioner full of calibrated satellite locations, because there is no way to assign a specific diseqc 1.2 position in the Optibox receivers

On a fresh, unaltered Optibox sat file, the first diseqc position that you save in the receiver will automatically be assigned to diseqc position one. The second saved position will automatically be assigned to diseqc position two...etc. The Optibox automatically erases and overwrites anything you have previously stored in these positions.

Right now, there are not many ways to fix this diseqc 1.2 positioner problem. Optibox also only assigned us 58 diseqc1.2 positions while most of our equipment can handle 99 positions. This leaves us with three choices:

1. Overwrite our current stored positions with new Optibox positions.

2. Understand that the diseqc positions are saved in order of installation on an unaltered satellite file and load the first satellite into the receiver that is already stored in position 1. Load the second satellite in the Optibox that is already stored in position 2...etc.

3. Purchase the SETEdit Channel Editor and customize the satellite list before it is installed in the receiver.

I have done a combination of all three of the above. SETEdit is not cheap but it does work. However, the smallest possible error in editing will cause the sat file to be rejected by the receiver. When the receiver rejects a sat file, it factory defaults.

I have had numerous sat files rejected and that is all it does to the receiver. There is no need to drag out loader programs or look for special files when a sat file is rejected by the receiver.

Fortis, the manufacturer of Optibox is aware of this problem.

We have asked Fortis to address these two issues.

(1) Allow us to assign a specific diseqc 1.2 position in the receiver.

(2) Change the diseqc 1.2 position limit from 58 to 99.

Hopefully, they will fix this for us. Until then, we will have to work around it the best we can. EB