This document is intended to provide a Viewsat VS2000 Ultra owner with a comprehensive set of initial configuration steps. The goal is to have the receiver operational as quickly as possible with the least amount of difficulty. This document assumes that one or more antennas with appropriate LNB's and any required switches has already been properly installed for receiving one or more satellites. Only settings which are crucial for proper operation are covered. Once the unit is operational, the user should review the remaining settings and adjust them to suit personal needs or preferences.
Begin by downloading the latest firmware from http://www.totalfta.com. This file can be found in the Files Only -> FTA Receivers -> VS-Ultra files section. The file name will be PFTAUSW-yymmddU.ZIP, where yy is the year, mm is the month, and dd is the day. This file is a ZIP archive containing the actual firmware file which is named PFTAUSW-yymmddU.PGM. If you are not using Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will have to use a program such as WinZIP or WinRAR to extract the PGM file to your hard drive. Copy the PGM file to any USB flash drive. This is the only file you will need.
With the receiver connected to your antenna and television, turn on the main power switch located on the back of the unit. If necessary, press the red power button on the remote control to bring the receiver out of standby mode. Press the MENU button on the remote control to display the Main Menu. If prompted, enter your PIN code when necessary (default = 0000, master = 3570).
Select User Setting -> Factory Default. Press OK with Yes selected.
Insert the USB flash drive into the receiver. You should see a brief information message displayed on the screen announcing "Initializing USB port ...".
Select System Information -> Receiver Upgrade -> USB and press OK.
You should see a directory of your USB flash drive. Select the PGM file and press OK. The file will be transferred into the receiver and then written to nonvolatile memory. During this process, I.n.S.t. will be displayed on the receiver. Do NOT interrupt this operation in any way or your receiver could be damaged permanently. When the operation is complete, the receiver will automatically reboot. If necessary, press the red power button on the remote control to bring the receiver out of standby mode.
Select User Setting -> Factory Default. Press OK with Yes selected.
Select System Information -> Receiver Information. Verify that the Main S/W listed is the same name as the firmware you just installed.
Select User Setting -> Parental Control. Set Menu Lock to Off.
Select User Setting -> Time Setting. Set Time Mode to Auto. Set Time Adjustment to the GMT offset for your area (-5:00 for Eastern, -6:00 for Central, -7:00 for Mountain, or -8:00 for Pacific). Set Summer Time to Off for Standard Time or On for Daylight Savings Time.
Select User Setting -> System Settings. Set Local Channel to On. Change Local Channel Region to your city or the closest one listed. Channels in this region will be mapped to their normal local channel numbers.
Select User Setting -> Option. Set Sort By SID to On. Set Auto TP to On. Set Auto Roll to All. Set Full Channel Name to On.
Select User Setting -> EPG Setting. Set EPG TP to E:12472 and N:12311.
Select Installation -> Antenna Setup.
For each satellite to be configured, perform the following steps:
Set Satellite to the desired satellite.
Set LNB Power to On.
Set LNB Type. Legacy Single and Dual LNB's should be set to Standard. Legacy Twin and Quad LNB's have their own dedicated types (LNB1 = higher azimuth satellite / LNB2 = lower azimuth satellite). Dish Pro LNB's should be set to OCS-DP. If you are unsure of the type of LNB you have, consult Appendix A for a description of the most commonly used LNB's and their LNB Type.
Set LNB Freq. to 11250.
Set 22 KHz. Select Off or On, as appropriate, if a 22 KHz switch is used with this LNB. Otherwise, select Off is no 22 KHz switch is used with this LNB.
Set TP Freq. to 12224 unless this satellite is EchoStar 7 (119.0W), in which case use 12239 instead. The TP Freq. setting is not saved upon exit. This is normal and will not affect any subsequent operations.
Set DiSEqC 1.0. If an external DiSEqC switch is being used with this LNB, select the appropriate port number. If this LNB is a DishPro Twin or Quad, select port 1 (higher azimuth satellite) or port 2 (lower azimuth satellite), as appropriate. Otherwise, select None if no DiSEqC switch is used with this LNB.
Set Motor as required for your installation. If no motor is used, set Motor to Off.
Set Legacy SW. If this LNB is a Legacy Twin or Quad, select SW42 Dish 1 (higher azimuth satellite) or SW42 Dish 2 (lower azimuth satellite), as appropriate. If using an external Legacy Switch with this LNB, select the appropriate type. If you are unsure of the type of external Legacy Switch you have, consult Appendix B for a description of the most commonly used Legacy Switches. Otherwise, select None if no Legacy Switch is used with this LNB.
At this point, you should see readings on the signal strength (S) and quality (Q) meters above 50. You should also see the expected satellite name displayed in the upper right corner of the screen, superimposed on the blue bar to the right of the words "Antenna Setup", and it must match the satellite name to right of the 'Satellite' label in the menu. If you don't see the proper satellite name displayed or don't have reasonable signal readings, you should not proceed. You may need to reposition your antenna or correct wiring problems.
Repeat the Antenna Setup procedure, as needed, for each additional satellite.
When finished configuring satellites, press Exit and press OK with Yes selected to save your settings.
Select Installation -> Auto Scan. Set Search option to All and Network Search to On. If you are configured for multiple satellites, press F1, place a check-mark after all configured satellite names, then press Exit. Select Scan Start and press OK. When scanning has completed, press OK with Yes selected to save the results.
Press Exit to leave the Main Menu. Select a strong channel. It may take some time for Auto Roll to complete and the picture and sound to appear. Be patient.
To download the EPG manually, select User Setting -> EPG Setting -> Receive Guide and press OK. The EPG will be continually updated automatically when the receiver is in standby mode (powered off from the remote control). If the main power switch located on the back of the unit is turned off, the EPG will be lost and must be reloaded.
When a newer firmware file becomes available, it is not necessary to repeat these steps. Simply place the newer PGM file on your USB flash drive and load it from the System Information -> Receiver Upgrade -> USB menu. All settings should be retained.
Appendix A =========
Below are pictures of commonly used LNB's and their LNB Type, Legacy SW (if applicable), and DiSEqC 1.0 (if applicable) settings: