Attention Members:  The current status for ALL receiver is UP.

All FTA Receivers are currently UP & WORKING with N2 / N3 Autoroll Fixes from March 26th.  If you are not a member, simply join now to instantly download the latest working FTA files for your receiver model and get your TV back up in minutes.  24 hour live technical support included with every membership.

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Great video for learning about how to setup your free to air satellite dish at home.  This video tutorial serves as a very basic beginner’s guide to FTA satellite dishes.

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This past week N2News upgraded our systems and members section to a much more sleek and user friendly interface.  We’ve code named our new version, “N2News V2.0″.  With overwhelming support and such high reviews we are proud to announce that N2News V2.0 is here to stay!  If you are not currently an N2News member then you won’t notice a difference.  You will notice, that your experience with N2News is simple, fast, and reliable though.  The reason we were able to make such a great site is mainly because of how long we’ve been in business.  With almost 7 years of suggestions and ideas from members and staff we were able to implicate many great features and overall performance.

1.  FAST DOWNLOAD SPEEDS!  Even at our most busy hour, our pages load quicker and our downloads are faster than any of our competition.

2.  N2News is now OFFSHORE!  More secure and reliable FTA support.

3.  Easiest to use FTA forum on the internet.  New drop down menus make it simple to download your receiver’s new autoroll BIN fix FAST.  Get your TV back up in minutes without the wait.

4.  24 Hour technical support, how to videos, setup guides, and instructions to do anything related to free to air.  From pointing your satellite dish to uploading the latest FTA files to a flash drive.

5.  N2News ALWAYS has the new working FTA fix files.  We are the first to get them 99% of the time.  Check with N2News to find the autoroll BIN fix you are looking for.

Current members might be a little confused at first because N2News is setup very differently then before.  Here’s a video to help you learn how to download FTA files in the NEW N2News V2.0

N2News always has the most current working FTA files for ALL Free to Air Receivers on the market as of today.  Download all the brand new N3 Autoroll BIN files for your receiver now and get your FTA receiver up in minutes.

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Tonight is the official release of N2News “Version 2.0″ if you will.  We’ve closed down our members section for the next few hours while we update our servers and present our members with a whole new look and feel for N2News.  We spent months deciding exactly how to make N2News even easier to navigate, use, and download the latest autoroll BIN files for ALL major brands of FTA receiver while being able to find help, support, and tutorials just as easy.  This new members section will give members the easiest and most user friendly experience available from any FTA website on the internet.

1. Find the latest files for your receiver even easier now with new drop down menus!
2. Get help and support in minutes to help you setup your receiver!
3. Tutorials, Videos, and FTA Receiver Setup Guides all in one easy place!
4. New Nagra3 section for all the latest news and N3 downloads!
5. More Organized and Easier to Navigate than ANY other FTA site on the Internet!

We’d love to hear what you have to say about the new look and feel to N2News.  Please comment to this post with your thoughts.  If you have any suggestions for us please post them in our “Suggestions for N2News” section in our members forums.

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This is just a friendly update for our members and non-members who are wondering about N3 and memberships with N2News.  N2News has been around since the start of FTA and will continue to support all major brands of free to air receivers well into the age of N3.

N2News already supports N3 for some receivers including NFusion Solaris and HD.  We are happy to announce that we will support every receiver that updates for N3 are available for.  If your receiver doesn’t release any N3 files or fixes then we’ll help find you a solution that works for you to get you some satellite TV with the receiver you do own.  We will keep you all updated as new receivers have N3 fixes available for download.

Here at N2News we strive to offer our members the absolute best in FTA support and N3 / N2 files and fixes  for their FTA satellite receivers.  We will continue to give our members the easiest solution when it comes to downloading the most updated autoroll BIN files and keys for their particular receiver model.

We are here to help all our members with their FTA needs.  We will help to make the switch to N3 a simple and worry free experience for you.  Please email us or check out our N3 section in the members area if you would like to read more about this.

Basically if you own an FTA receiver, we can help you get Free to Air satellite TV working in your home or business. Get Free channels and TV with True Free to Air channels available for everyone.  Join Now to learn more and start watching thousands of satellite TV channels with your FTA receiver.

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Back from the Dead, a Pansat Story

Today a friend called me because her Pansat 3500 receiver was stuck flashing “B-80” and there was no picture.   I’ve seen this before so grabbed my laptop, null modem cable and the latest files from the forums on this site.   My friend, who has a lifetime subscription to n2news, is not very technical and put up her own mental blocks thinking that it was too tough to fix the problem.   This information is specific to the Pansat 3500 SD, however, much of it applies to FTA receivers in general.   The project for other units is similar with specific details available in the forums as well.

The first thing I did was attach the 9 pin serial cable to my laptop.   My laptop doesn’t actually have a serial port so I used a Belkin USB to Serial adapter I picked up from Newegg.com for about $12.00.    Before connecting the serial cable I made sure that I powered the receiver off using the physical switch in the back.

The first thing I did was load the Black List boot loader (X-05BL Loader v35.01 [X-05BL].exe).    This takes a bit of trial and error but you have to locate the port the USB to Serial device is on.   In my case it was located on COM 2 which means “Windows Communication Port #2”.  For some reason, this usb device likes to change port numbers different times, possibly depending on which port on the computer I am using.      The first thing to try is just simply installing the last BIN file using this method.   I used the “BIN File” button to locate the official X-05BL file downloaded directly from the forum.   Because the file is from n2news I am able to trust that it’s accurate and complete so I don’t need to take any other steps.    When I select the file the “File Type” option automatically selects the “App file only” option and I can press “Download”.

This never works the first time and sometimes it takes a few tries for the Laptop and Pansat to “shake hands”.    Inside the Pansat, as well as all other receivers, is a brain called a Microcontroller.    Within this Microcontroller Unit, or MCU, there is a little tiny software program called a Boot Loader.   The boot loader’s only job is to check the serial port for some type of smart signal when the FTA receiver first turns on.    In the case of the Pansat 3500SD there is a short window about 1 second when the laptop and the 3500 SD must “shake hands”, which is actually called a handshake.    The USB to Serial converter is sometimes not accurate enough to make this work so I find myself flipping the power switch a few times, double checking my cable connections, etc..

When the two devices do start talking I can see a progress bar move across the window telling me that all is well.   Normally the Pansat tells me the progress on the front display as it receives the file but today it shows only a dash or subtraction symbol.     This process is called the Download because the information in the BIN I selected is being downloaded into the Flash memory within the Microcontroller (MCU) on my receiver.   The download appeared to run but I can tell from experience that something isn’t correct.     When you try to upload a bin file only to repair a unit, it doesn’t always work.    Now I need to repeat the process with the primary factory firmware file (Pansat 3500S_081012_B80_v06_api.bin).   This time I can see the counter on the front of the unit counting so things look better.     The receiver reboots and appears okay but I still don’t see anything.    This is where Sammy makes a rookie mistake.

For the next hour I re-installed the boot loader, images, and factory images just as I did above and still nothing.   Here is where my age starts to show.  I realized that my friend uses S-Video and that darn S-Video connection is right next to the serial port.  Sure enough, I knocked out the S-Video connection, the little round one with a few visible pins inside.    After putting that back in I correct found myself at the Pansat language selection and I selected English.   I know see the Pansat 3500S message telling me I have API version B80 0.6 dated Oct 12, 2008.     That is the latest and greatest factory image as of this install so I’m fine and happy.    I know that it says “Pansat 3500S” but that works for the 3500SD as well.

I’m not sure if the order of these steps are important but this what works for me.   Now that I have the factory flash installed I’m going to select “SD Memory” from the menu and locate the BIN I would like to use.    This will take about 30 seconds and I’m back to the setup menu and I select English again.   If you see only English as a choice then you are doing good.   Team Blacklist bins are only available in English.     Next select the “User Setup” option to setup your aspect ratio, tv type and finally Time Settings.   Time Settings are vital to getting yoru EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) to work.   Press Exit to return to the main menu and select the Installation option on top.    The default password is “0000”.

From the Installation menu the top option is Antenna Setup, select that.      Let’s say, as an example only, that we a 4×4 switch with 3 connected LNBs.   The first LNB was connected to 100 degrees, the 2nd was connected to 119 degrees, and the 3rd was connected to 129 degrees.   The satellite names on the left of the screen can be a little confusing so here is what we could select if we were using those 3 different satellites.    By this point you should have your own sketch to know exactly what satellites you want and what ports on your switch you have them.    You don’t need a switch but most installations will have some type of switch or DISEqC.   Here are some of the selections available:

ECHO 9/T-13/Ku – Echostar 9 at 121 degrees - http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dish121.html

ECHO 7/Ku – Echostar 7 (as well as Anik F3 and DirectTV 7S) at 119 west - http://www.lyngsat.com/119west.html

Select this option if you are trying to test out how to receive this satellite.   If you are testing this satellite, select the “Dish-Pro” LNB if you have a Dish 1000.2 or similar dish, otherwise select the correct LNB type.   Leave LNB Local-Freq at the default value of 11250.   Enable the 22KHz tone for 119 and select the correct port on your DiSEqC switch.    For 119 I like to move down and select “TP” (transponder) and move over to #4, 12268H.   This transponder carries some fun stations.    Now you should see the level indicator at the bottom and the quality level both high in the green.    I don’t like to scan here so select Exit to save.

ECHO 8.10/Ku – Echostar 8 and 10 - http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dish110.html

Select this option if you are trying to test both of these satellites.   They both broadcast at the same orbit.   Select your LNB type, DiSEqC and so on.   Make sure you check your switch ports here.    The transponder (12224 V) is actually the same on multiple satellites so the quality level can still show a strong signal if you have the wrong port selected.   Do no adjust the Skew, TP, Local Freq, or 22kHz settings.

Once you have all of your satellite ports setup select “Blind Scan” from the installation menu.   Select a satellite which will then show the Degree value that you are used to seeing.   For example,  if you selected ECHO 8.10/Ku you should see 110 degrees.    For Echostar FTA you’ll want to select Polarity and move to Horizontal for scanning.   Select “Scan” to begin.     Plenty of additional details on how to scan are available in the forums.

Once scanning is complete something cool happens, the clock is automatically set and accurate.   If you see that then you are on the right track.   You’ll also notice the stations may not be in the order you like.   One easy way to fix this is to select the “SAT” button on the remote and select a pre-defined channel package.

My friend’s beloved Pansat 3500SD is now back from the dead and working great!

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Noteworthy News

by Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

The US Senate voted on Monday to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital broadcasting.   The new date would be June 12^th, 2009 instead of February 17^th.   The funding limit for converter boxes had already been reached and there are a significant number of people still waiting for a coupon so they can upgrade.   Those in the know have already switched to FTA but others now have 4 more months to figure out what to do.    The House, however, rejected the delay and it would appear that the date will not chance.  Nielson, a large ratings company in the US, suggests only 6% of houses are still not prepared for the transition.    I would guess that those people don’t watch a lot of TV anyway.

Comcast’s advertising sales division Comcast Spotlight and DISH Network announced a new agreement under which Comcast Spotlight will sell ads on DISH’s 10 regional sports networks in seven U.S. markets. The markets involved include Boston, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta and Houston.

VOOM HD Networks extended an agreement with British Sky Broadcasting to bring RUSH HD content to GO!VIEW, a subscription video-on-demand offering. Owners of the PlayStation Portable who subscribe to GO!VIEW can access the extreme-sports content from the service.   Also available through the GO!VIEW “Sports” package is content from ESPN and Sky Sports.

Cablevision has ditched carriage of the VOOM networks, replacing the high-def channels with content from the big three premium programmers.

Ciel-2 (replacing E5 at 129 shortly as I mentioned in my last Noteworthy report) is revving up with HD locals for Atlanta, Austin, Beaumont, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Des Moines, Detroit, Fargo, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Joplin, Kansas City, Lincoln, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, Mobile, Nashville, Norfolk, Omaha, Orlando, Palm Springs, Peoria, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond, Roanoke, Sherman-Ada, St. Louis, Tampa, Topeka, Waco, West Palm Beach, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Casper, Charlottesville, Charleston-Huntington WV, Clarksburg-Weston WV, Columbus again, Dayton, Erie, San Angelo, Sioux City, Wausau, Fairbanks, Juneau, Indianapolis, Bakersfield, and many, many other markets!

It seems the Pakistan channels on sat providers are going N3.  Watch for other small markets to come.  More details in my next Noteworthy News report.

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