Guide to Creating a Technomate Channel List from Scratch

jetsetw

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Guide to Creating a Technomate Channel List from Scratch

For Technomate 5400 Super and 5402HD models with USALS. (May work with other series.)

Note: this guide and the attached spreadsheet are for creating a brand new channel list.
They will not help you modify an existing channel list.

Warning: always back up your own channel list before loading another one!

Many channel lists are available online, but the best list is always the one you make yourself.
This "Transponder Updater" spreadsheet will grab transponder details from the website of your
choice (Lyngsat, King of Sat, Flysat), for the satellites and beams you would like to scan. It then
saves an "empty" channel list to your PC with satellite and transponder information. (No channels
are stored at this stage.) This empty list can then be loaded into your receiver via USB stick, and
is ready for auto navigation to pull in the channels.

Features:

* You can enter your own satellite names and positions (up to 64).
* Choice of Lyngsat, King of Sat, or Flysat for acquiring transponders.
* You can specify exactly which beams from which to take transponders.
* Each website has its own columns for URLs and beams to scan, so you can switch from one to
another easily and compare results.
* Some good beams for the UK are already entered in the spreadsheet - easy to customise.
* A dummy transponder can be inserted for each satellite to prevent the Technomate from
scanning too early when auto-navigating. This ensures the dish has moved away from the
previous satellite before scanning the next one, thus preventing incorrect channel info on the
first transponder.
* After the spreadsheet has finished (could take a minute or two) you can see exactly which
transponders have been saved to the new list.


Full instructions in spreadsheet. Tested on Technomate 5400 Super and 5402 HD receivers.

Jetset
 

Attachments

  • TP Updater v2.1.zip
    42.4 KB · Views: 249
nice one m8

if the channel list works on the 5400, then itll also work on

1000 series
5000 series
5000 super series (inc new M2 model)
6000 series
6000 super series (inc 6902)
7100 / 7102

for non usb models, you can send the created .ndf file via null modem lead like you would with a new channel list
 
Couple of tips on using the spreadsheet:

1) If you want to see what the various beams are called from a particular satellite, an easier way than
visiting the Lyngsat/KoS/Flysat website is to type "all" in the beams column. After running the macro,
you'll see precisely what all beams are called; the names are often a very good indication of whether
they're worth including! For the less obvious beams, see Lyngsat and Flysat for links to footprints.

2) If you do insert the dummy TPs (*), they can be removed later using Clark Tech Editor Studio.
The latest version is 3.17, and it is great for tidying up channel lists generally. Although it claims
lists from the 5402HD are "5000-HDS format", I don't believe this is quite the case, and would save
them as "Clark Tech Plus" format for both 5400 Super and 5402HD receivers.

Jetset

* recommended - before I added this option, my receiver would start scanning Astra 19 again while
the dish was on the move between 19E and 23.5E...
 
Thanks Jetsetw
I have my technomates a few years now and was thinking of doing a complete reset so perfect timing
Regards
DLB
 
Warning: always back up your own channel list before loading another one!

Latest version (2.11) of the transponder spreadsheet attached.
A few satellite names, URLs, and beams have been updated, but as ever you are free to use your own.
If you haven't used the earlier version, please read posts 1 and 5 above.
As before, the spreadsheet produces a new channel list with only satellite & TP info - no channels.
If you find any bugs, do let me know!

Best wishes for 2012,
Jetset
 

Attachments

  • TP Updater v2.11.zip
    42.2 KB · Views: 52
Tried this second update and press green 'Go' - but fails with message:-
"Cannot run the macro 'TP updater v2.11.xlsm'!Main'. The macro may not be available in this workbook or all macros may be disabled"

So what now please you experts, because this really does look to be an intersting updater, IF I can get it to work trhat is!
I have MS Windows 7 OS 64bit version on pc!:sad:
 
holmroad,

This error message means that Excel is not allowing macros to be run on the spreadsheet yet.
Try reloading the spreadsheet, and clicking on "Enable Content" just below the ribbon - it should work now.
It's some safety feature, but I have yet to discover when it is activated - it seems to go away once you've
used the spreadsheet a few times.

Hope you find it useful,
Jetset
 
Tried that mate and it certainly seemed to proceed ok, but after producing new spreadsheet, it selected it for 28E only, it came up with 'Run Time Error 76' and packed up - so a bit further but still not completed!:Dunce:
 
Thanks for the feedback. I've played around with it and think I have found the problem - I already have a directory
called "C:\Channels\". It seems to break if the directory doesn't exist - sorry about that.

Did the error also say "Path not found"? If so, try changing the directory to an existing one, or simply create
"C:\Channels\" in Windows.

Jetset
 
Thanks for the feedback. I've played around with it and think I have found the problem - I already have a directory
called "C:\Channels\". It seems to break if the directory doesn't exist - sorry about that.

Did the error also say "Path not found"? If so, try changing the directory to an existing one, or simply create
"C:\Channels\" in Windows.


Jetset

Yes mate it did state 'path not found' with Error message 76 - it did seem to go a bit futher using King of Sat & then Flysat, but still remained within 28E!
Not sure how to change directory etc as not really my thing, so will await further advice when you can pls mate?
Thanks again!:xmas:
 
Try this:

Open up your C drive in Windows.
Right click inside the window, and select "New", then "Folder".
Rename the "New Folder" to: Channels
Now try running the spreadsheet again.

Any more problems, please let me know. I shall try to fix this bug so that the
directory is automatically created if it doesn't exist.

Jetset
 
Well done mate - its now finished the new spreadsheet!
So NOW what do I do? lol!!!:Cheers:
 
Ok, "missing directory" bug now fixed in version 2.12.
The macro now creates the directory first if it doesn't already exist.

Once the macro has finished, you'll need to copy the ".ndf" file it produces onto a USB stick,
load this into your Technomate, and then Auto Navigate to scan all the satellites.

To save you (or anyone else) piecing together scraps of info from ealier posts, here are the full
details all in one place. Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.


Guide to Creating a Technomate Channel List from Scratch

For Technomate 5400 Super and 5402HD models with USALS.
(May work with other TM series, or with Clarke Tech clones.)

Note: this guide and the attached spreadsheet are for creating a brand new channel list.
They will not help you modify an existing channel list.

Warning: always back up your own channel list before loading another one!

Many channel lists are available online, but the best list is always the one you make yourself.
This "Transponder Updater" spreadsheet will grab transponder details from the website of your
choice (Lyngsat, King of Sat, Flysat), for the satellites and beams you would like to scan. It then
saves an "empty" channel list to your PC with satellite and transponder information. (No channels
are stored at this stage.) This empty list can then be loaded into your receiver via USB stick, and
is ready for auto navigation to pull in the channels.

Features:

* You can enter your own satellite names and positions (up to 64).
* Choice of Lyngsat, King of Sat, or Flysat for acquiring transponders.
* You can specify exactly the beams from which to take transponders.
* Each website has its own columns for URLs and beams to scan, so you can switch from one to
another easily and compare results.
* Some good beams for the UK are already entered in the spreadsheet - easy to customise.
* A dummy transponder can be inserted for each satellite to prevent the Technomate from
scanning too early when auto-navigating. This ensures the dish has moved away from the
previous satellite before scanning the next one, thus preventing incorrect channel info on the
first transponder.
* After the spreadsheet has finished (could take a minute or two) you can see exactly which
transponders have been saved to the new list.


Full instructions in spreadsheet. Tested on Technomate 5400 Super and 5402 HD receivers.
If the attached "rar" file does not open, try changing extension to "zip".

A couple of tips on using the spreadsheet:

1) If you want to see what the various beams are called from a particular satellite, an easier way than
visiting the Lyngsat/KoS/Flysat website is to type "all" in the beams column. After running the macro,
you'll see precisely what all beams are called; the names are often a very good indication of whether
they're worth including! For the less obvious beams, see Lyngsat and Flysat for links to footprints.

2) If you do insert the dummy TPs (*), they can be removed later using Clark Tech Editor Studio.
The latest version is 3.17, and it is great for tidying up channel lists generally. Although it claims
lists from the 5402HD are "5000-HDS format", I don't believe this is quite the case, and would save
them as "Clark Tech Plus" format for both 5400 Super and 5402HD receivers.

* recommended - before I added this option, my receiver would start scanning Astra 19 again while
the dish was on the move between 19E and 23.5E...


Best wishes for 2012,
Jetset
 

Attachments

  • TP Updater v2.12.zip
    42.1 KB · Views: 40
Thanks again for this mate!
Just carried it out and it completed correctly, so saved it to memory stick (how do I make it an ndf file or is it one already?).
Then noticed it only covers from 28E to 5W - e.g. no 30W etc (e.g. 7W, 14.5W, 22W, 39E, 42E) - so is it possible to add these in too without too much trouble please?
Maybe its again my fault for not reading it all, but all help gratefully appreciated - as always mate!:Cheers:
 
The file is already an ndf file in the correct format. Just check the filename ends in ".ndf" - it will do automatically if you left the default filename setting alone ("TPs.ndf").

To get transponders for other satellites, type "yes" next to the relevant ones in the Satellites worksheet. (Click on the "Satellites" tab at the bottom left - I'm guessing you haven't found this yet. Most of the options are in there.)

You will also need to enter the names of the beams you want if nothing is entered in the beams column. If in doubt, type "All" for now.

Jetset
 
The file is already an ndf file in the correct format. Just check the filename ends in ".ndf" - it will do automatically if you left the default filename setting alone ("TPs.ndf").

To get transponders for other satellites, type "yes" next to the relevant ones in the Satellites worksheet. (Click on the "Satellites" tab at the bottom left - I'm guessing you haven't found this yet. Most of the options are in there.)

You will also need to enter the names of the beams you want if nothing is entered in the beams column. If in doubt, type "All" for now.

Jetset

Thanks again, found all that, but not sure how to actually ADD the extra satellites to the ones in YOUR 'original' spreadsheet mate - not very good at this you'll appreciate?
Didnt really want to overload by saying ALL, but where do I do this after seeing your spreadsheet - is this before I say 'GO' in green box - sorry getting more confused!:Sorry:
 
I guess my spreadsheet isn't as user-friendly as I hoped :Cry:...

My "original" spreadsheet is set up for satellites between 5W and 28.2E that are easy to get in the UK, simply because that's
the arc I tend to use, and my dish isn't big enough for the awkward satellites like 4W and 16E.

I'll talk you through an example. Suppose you want 30W and 4W in addition to the ones I've selected, but don't want 4.8E.

1) Choose "Lyngsat" from the website options box.

2) Click on the "Satellites" tab.

3) Type "yes" in cell D6. This means that Hispasat (30W) will be used.
The Lyngsat beams go in cell G6 for this satellite, but you don't need to type in anything here as I've already entered *Europe*,
which is the name Lyngsat uses for the European beams. Note that the * signs are needed around the beam names.

4) Type "yes" in cell D17. This means that Amos (4W) will be used.

5) Notice that cell G17 is blank. This is because I don't know which beams are any good on this satellite - my dish is too small.
You'll need to type something in cell G17. You could type "All" to get every single beam available, or you could look up the
beam names on Lyngsat and type the ones you want e.g. *Europe*Europe V* will pick up the "Europe" and "Europe V" beams,
while ignoring everything else, such as "Middle East" which is almost certainly impossible to get in the UK.
(Look at this webpage to see where the beam names are found: Amos 2/3 at 4.0°W - LyngSat)

6) Type "no" in cell D20. This means that the Astra 4A (4.8E) satellite will not be looked up later when the macro is run.
The beam names in cell G20 are now irrelevant and will be ignored, because you've said "no" to this satellite.

7) Go back to the "Options and Instructions" tab and click the Go! button to run the macro.

If at a later stage you want to get transponders that are used for feeds as well, you'll need to type "yes" in column F next to the
relevant satellites, and re-run the macro.

If you want a satellite that is not mentioned in my spreadsheet, you can simply type in the name, position etc. underneath in a
spare row. I would reorder the rows afterwards so that the satellites are in order across the arc for convenience.

Does this make a bit more sense?

Jetset
 
Thanks again my friend - 'think' it makes more sense, but will leave it now until tomorrow!
Thing is, I feel I have a good Channel List already built up 'naturally' from the past few years, but obviously there's still a lot of deadwood to get rid of, plus a few to add maybe, so thought a more informed approach like yours may be better, but its like starting from scratch again mate!
Thanks again, will feedback tomorrow! :Cheers:
 
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