I am such a newbie but I have a question. I have a c00lsat 5000 and I can't get the guide to tell me what station I'm on or what the program is. I am set up on B3V.
HOW-TO IDENTIFY EPG and EEPG channels, a "HOW-TO".
This provides information to determine what channels to use in order to populate your EPG Guide.
First, go to Lyngsat.co*m on the internet. When Lyngsat's home page opens, you will observe a text box near the upper, middle of the page. This text box is divided into rows (Frequencies, Packages and Sat Tracker) and columns (for various satellite positions in degree ranges).
Select the block AMERICA in the row PACKAGES, under the column 61W -- 160W. When you click on the AMERICA selection, a page indicating most of the general satellites available to the North American continent will open. The satellites shaded in green are Ku band, those in rose are C band, those in yellow offer both C and Ku band and those in white are data, Ka band or unknown/no information given.
If the satellite you are investigating has a column option towards the right side of the page labeled Freq. , click on that option.
A list of channels will open, organized according to the transponder frequency that the channels are found on (TP info indicated in the left-most column).
The channels are shaded in several colors. Green are HD channels, tan are SD encrypted channels, a bleached out yellow channel is a FTA channel and those in Magenta are the EPG and E-EPG channels (interactive channels are also shaded in magenta). We want to scroll down through this list of channels and locate all the Magenta EPG and E-EPG channels.
When you locate the EPG and EEPG channels, highlighted in Magenta, take note of all the other channels that are grouped together on that same transponder (the TP information will be shown in the left most column). The channels on this TP serve as "carrier" channels for the EPG and/or EEPG data stream.
NOTE: The EPG channels provide the least amount of data and the E-EPG channels are the most desirable -- IF they are available. Currently, DN is the only provider that has EEPG signals and this is only available on satellite 119W.
An EPG channel will usually provide ~40 hours of data and an EEPG channel will usually provide ~84 hours of data. This is dependant upon your receiver brand and model and software support (these figures are based upon a Coo*lsat 5000). It is also important to realize that there are specific instructions regarding HOW-TO MANAGE EPG (see further below).
Here are two examples of EPG/EEPG channels from the most popular sats used, (valid as of 10/17/07):
Many channels have their own EPG, but it will typically only reveal what you are currently watching. If you are lucky, it may show what is on next. Some channels do not have any EPG data at all and will always show "NO INFORMATION", irregardless of what you do. Also, if your channel scan has resulted in duplicate or triplicate channels, only one of those channels will have proper EPG data, the duplicates will show "NO INFORMATION".
Some satellites do not have an EPG or EEPG channel at all. These sats were intended to be used in conjunction with another sat that does have an EPG or EEPG channel.
One example is Echostar 5 @ 129W. It is intended to be set up with Echostar 7 @ 119W and Echostar 8, 10 @ 110W. To gather the best EPG information on sat 129, you would need to have sat 119W also. Sat 129 derives its info from 119.
If you have a dish antenna set up for Echostar 7 @ 119W, the EEPG signal from that sat will update all of the data for each and every other DN sat. So that is a good tip for everyone. Sat 119 is an important bird to have for DN users.
Note that the listed EPG or EEPG channels cannot be viewed or received directly. I believe these channels are listed on Lyngsat purely as a matter of information and courtesy. I believe these are "uplink" channels. However, all the other channels on the same TP serve as "carrier" channels for the EPG information. These "uplink" channels are usually numbered 36861 for the EPG channels and 36862 for the E-EPG channels.
HOW-TO IMPLEMENT EPG CHANNELS:
If you do not assign/create favorite groups of channels in your receiver memory, your EPG data will be reduced and limited. For an example, if you have a Coo*lsat 5000 and use the "All Satellite" group, your EPG will only extend for about 12 hours (roughly). However, if you implement the USER FAVORITE CHANNEL lists, you can enjoy ~84 hours of EPG data with the same receiver. The Coo*lsat 6000 model will expand this further.
Read your receiver manual to learn how to assign channels to the favorite groups. The Coo*lsat 5000 receiver allows you to use eight user favorite groups or lists. Each list may only contain a maximum of 120 channels (TV and RADIO channels combined). NOTE: You can edit the default group names to anything you like.
Be certain to include an EEPG (or EPG) carrier channel in each favorite group. This is where it becomes important to have read the first part of this Sticky, as you need to keep abreast of any changes that DN or BEV makes in their channel lineup and location in regards to which TP they are on. The satellite providers (DN and BEV) may move channels around from one TP to another. You can follow these changes on Lyngsat, to the extent of their updates.
Whether you have been using the "All Satellites" group or any of the user assigned favorite groups, you would have at some time been aware that the receiver software provides a "QUICK ACCESS" to the EPG channels for these providers. When you press the GUIDE button on your remote, a menu opens on your screen. Normally, at the bottom of the screen you would have two radio buttons (one yellow button that says DN EPG and one blue button that says BEV EPG). If these ICONs or radio buttons are present, you can press the same color button on your remote and it will direct you to the EPG channel for that provider. These channels are pre-programmed into the bin version by the 3rd party software coders.
Since DN and BEV can change or move their channels around as they wish, the channels that were pre-programmed or assigned to these specialty buttons, may not always be a functional EPG channel. Pressing the EPG buttons will still direct you to "A" channel, but that specific channel may no longer be a valid "EPG Carrier". That is why you should review the list on Lyngsat.
The yellow DISH EPG button currently (as of 10/17/07) directs you to channel 438 - Sports Net New York. This IS a valid DN EEPG carrier channel. This has been working for several bin revisions. Channel 239 (WGN Superstation) also works as an EEPG carrier, but you must type this channel in manually to access it.
The blue BEV EPG button currently (as of 10/17/07) directs you to channel 212 -- CTV-T. This channel may appear as channel 1212 if you have renumbering by BEV option set to ON in your menu. This channel is NO LONGER a valid EPG channel for BEV. Try using channel 280 (1280) and note that you will have to type this channel in manually or scroll to it using the channel up/down buttons.
If both of these EPG buttons were properly updated in the software, then pressing either of them while in the GUIDE menu would direct you to the proper EPG/EEPG channel/s.
You would simply press the GUIDE button, press the appropriate or desired EPG button and wait 1-5 minutes for the guide information to fill in. However, if DN or BEV happens to move their EPG uplink channel, as they often do, the EPG buttons in your receiver's memory may not function. They would still route you to a channel, but the channel may not be valid for EPG any longer. This is the case with the BEV EPG button (10/17/07). So, be aware of this.
If you do not implement the USER FAVORITE channels (the preferred method), then you should at least be using the ALL SATELLITE group and not one individual satellite listing (like 110W only). This way, the E-EPG channels from 119W can be accessed and that will fill in the data for all channels on the other DN sats you are aimed at (these groups are accessed by pressing the SAT button on your remote).
NOTE: The YELLOW = DN EPG, BLUE = BEV EPG buttons that I mentioned above should always be present in the ALL SATELLITE group when you press the GUIDE button on the remote. If they are not in the ALL SATELLITE group, then you are not receiving signal from the satellites or TPs that these channels are located on. If they are present in the ALL SATELLITE group, but not in your USER FAVORITE groups, it simply means that you did not assign either one or both of these channels to your personal favorite groups (or at least not to the group that you have currently selected).
REMINDER: The current bin revision still does not have the proper BEV channel programmed for the BLUE BEV EPG button. Simply ignore this button for the interim. You will have to type one the legitimate EPG channels in manually until these changes have been adopted into the bin.
NOTE: If you have a motorized dish, you will have to use a few additional tricks to populate your EPG effectively. This is an entirely different set of rules and instructions. Most motorized users understand the problems associated here, so I will not delve into this at this time.