Channel Master & the 5000HC

[arboristman]

thanks to my buddy anony55 for this great guide.
c/p
If you have used the channel editor built into the 5k, then you are familiar with it’s limitations. There’s the cumbersome on-screen keyboard that makes you arrow to each character. Also, it’s idea of editing a stored name is to re-type the entire name, instead of just being able to truly edit it.

These are not unique to the 5k, most all STBs handle channel editing in this manner. My personal favorite about the 5k channel editor is how the channel name is displayed mostly off the bottom of the screen. No, it’s not your TV, the name is displayed that way on all sets. The only exception (as reported by Hsinaps) is if you have a PAL mode on your set, to match the PAL mode setting in the STB. Otherwise, type carefully.

Scanning with the 5k has always been very accurate as far as finding all the correct information for obtaining working video on all channels. The 5k scans have always been slow, but lately, a new problem has surfaced. A fresh scan on the 5k these days yields almost no properly named channels. TV123… look familiar?

So, how about using Channel Master instead? There is no “direct connect” solution for the 5k & Channel Master. That just leaves saving a channel bin file from your unit to load into CM. That’s not too bad if all you want is standard stereo English for audio. The first thing that Spanish speaking users (along with Ac3 users) notice with this method, is that you lose all but the primary audio channel.

Oddly enough, CM only loses SAP & Ac3 when you load a 5k bin file. If you save a 5k bin file (from CM) with a list that has SAP & Ac3 included, they will still be intact within the created channel list bin file.

So Where’s the Beef??

You can use a channel list from an STB that is on the direct connect list in CM. Obviously, I have not tested this with all models on the list. In fact, I only tested it with my 2800A. Actually, it’s not even on the list, I used the 2700/3500 designation. Here’s how to do it…

1) Turn on your supported STB.
2) Connect the appropriate cable (null RS232 in my case).
3) Load CM & choose Tools>Read from STB.
4) Choose your supported STB from the list and click “Next”.
5) Choose the appropriate COM port.
6) Under “Options”, select “Read as New Channel Master Project”.
7) Click on “Next”, then click on “Next” again.

Now that your channel list is loaded in CM, we are ready to convert it for our 5000HC. This part is easy, but very important. If you don’t do this step, your 5k will continuously reboot until you load a proper list. Here it is…

8) Click on Edit>Properties
9) Under “Project Type”, choose “Pansat 5000HC, Pansat 6000HXC”.
10) Click on “OK”.
11) Click on File>Save As.
12) Under “Save as type”, choose “Bin Channel Files (*.bin,*.bcf,*.dat)”.
13) At the end of the filename, force it to “.bin”.
14) Click on “Save”.
15) Close CM & open up “5000HC Linker”.
16) Put the 5k in the boot mode & connect the USB cable.
17) Use the “Browse” button to select your newly created channel bin.
18) Click on “Receiver Connect”.
19) Under “File Type”, choose “Channel Data File”.
20) Click on “Download” and let the process completely finish.

For whatever reason, CM will not properly store your DiSEqC or LNB power settings. So you will have to go in the Installation menu and set them manually. Now your 5000HC has a good functioning channel list with all SAP & Ac3, along with any name changes or re-ordering that you performed while the list was in CM.

Don’t let 20 steps fool you, this is really a fast process. I just scanned in 40 satellites with my 2800A. 38 of those were from the BUD requiring a separate scan for both horizontal & vertical. Let’s see… 38x2=76, +2 (110 & 119) = 78 scans.

The 5k takes 20 to 30 minutes per Smart Search, as opposed to 4 to 5 minutes per Blind Scan on the 2800. Times 78 scans, that’s quite a difference. If you do the math, that's 6½ hours compared to 39 hours, WOW!

One final note… I’m not a DishPro guy, I have only tested this with legacy LNBs. I would think it work for DP as long as both units used DP LNBs, but I can’t confirm that.

Have fun & let me know your experiences with this method.