# can't get VIP622 DVR to respond to 880



## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

any ideas?

it wont turn on or do anything to it. when i try the help thing it just keeps asking its it on..... i hit no.... is it on now? i hit and just keeps doing that

the remote 1 for the 622 is on IR/UHF channel 16 i have even tried a few different configs for the remote.


please help i know 100,000 people are using theres 880 with the 622


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

The problem is because of the fact that you have the remote on channel 16. You need to find a Dish 622/942/921 or really any DishDVR in the Harmony database that was uploaded using channel 16. If you can find that then you can have it learn any missing buttons.

Another option is to change the IR address on your 622 to something you can find codes for. I have 3 Dish DVRs set to addresses, 1, 2, and 3 and I was able to find entries that worked for all 3 of those addresses. It took a few tries but they were there. In my case address 1 was a 622, address 2 and 3 were 942s, even though my 2nd and 3rd receivers are another 622 and a 721 they work fine, I just renamed them on my remote to match what they really are.

If you can't change from channel 16 and you can't find codes for a unit set to channel 16 your last option is to create a new device from scratch. At that point you'll have to have your Harmony 880 learn every single button.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Turbo... :welcome_s

Rob summed it up.. What I would first try as a baseline is change your addy to 1 and then see if you can get the Harmony to work... Then you can go from there? Personally I would use 1 unless you are getting some interference from the another receiver.


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## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

Ron Barry said:


> ... Personally I would use 1 unless you are getting some interference from the another receiver.


...or a neighbor.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

thanks how to i get the thing back to one? i hit record and try and change it and it stays on 16  

any ideas 

and thanks for the great reply's


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

hey guys i can't the learn thing to work eather.......... i have tried it 100,000,000 times and it jsut sits there 

anyone have anythign to try or an idea how to get the channel back to 1 ? 

i have tried all 4 configs in the software now also nothing works.. even if its already on it don't control anything on the DVR


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

Ron Barry said:


> Turbo... :welcome_s
> 
> Rob summed it up.. What I would first try as a baseline is change your addy to 1 and then see if you can get the Harmony to work... Then you can go from there? Personally I would use 1 unless you are getting some interference from the another receiver.


Ron,

No hassle nor disrespect to you or Rob, but on my 680 the remote "learns" or more correctly "identifies" what IR address is in use for what device and utilizes that address for future interactions.

I used to have two 508's in the same room driving my old Sony TV. I used the same Harmony device for each of the two and had the two 508s set to different IR addresses. The Harmony learned which address each 508 was using and utilized that address for all future interactions. i can't believe that the 880 is any less capable than my 680 in this regard.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

SaltiDawg said:


> Ron,
> 
> No hassle nor disrespect to you or Rob, but on my 680 the remote "learns" or more correctly "identifies" what IR address is in use for what device and utilizes that address for future interactions.
> 
> I used to have two 508's in the same room driving my old Sony TV. I used the same Harmony device for each of the two and had the two 508s set to different IR addresses. The Harmony learned which address each 508 was using and utilized that address for all future interactions. i can't believe that the 880 is any less capable than my 680 in this regard.


how did you get it to learn the different IR channles ?


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

turbov6camaro said:


> how did you get it to learn the different IR channles ?


As part of the setup procedure, it told me to push a few buttons on the Dish Remote ... eg. "1" or "Up Channel" or "Increase Volume" etc. I believe it was cycling thru the channels to determine the proper channel. Later on, when I was dealing with the second receiver it again had me pushing some buttons on that Dish Remote.

If you think about it, Harmony would not want to have a setup procedure that was doomed to failure if any IR channel except "1" was being used. When seting up the VCR and the TV and the DVD player this step is not required as these devices are assigned to only one IR Channel - and if there are exceptions to that rule, Harmony would allow for that and require the extra button pushing step.

In any event, call Harmony. Their Customer Service Help people are great!


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

okay guys i got the harmony working for most everything 

but the DVR and live tv buttons how do i learn these


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## rice0209 (Oct 11, 2005)

They are already in the database for the 622. At least they were for me when i set mine up. You can learn them, but you would probably just be creating duplicates of what is already stored.

What you need to do is assign the keys to a spot on the remote (fixed key) or the remotes LCD screen. I put features such as "DVR" and "search" on the LCD remote section since there isn't a labeled key for DVR on the remotes hard buttons.

Just open your activites screen. Then pick "customize" (i believe thats it). It should then have an option for adjusting remote control buttons. In there you should find a section that has eight (8) configurable buttons. These should be for your LCD screen. You can use the drop down menu to pick which features you want, and also give them custom names. You can also assign different features to the hard buttons as well, but i found the default configuration to be perfect.

If you assign them to the activity and on the LCD screen, every time you start that activity, these features will pop up when the remote lights up. Each activity can get assigned its own set of pre defined buttons. This is what i love about the harmony series.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

rice0209 said:


> ...
> 
> What you need to do is assign the keys to a spot on the remote (fixed key) or the remotes LCD screen. I put features such as "DVR" and "search" on the LCD remote section since there isn't a labeled key for DVR on the remotes hard buttons.
> ...


In the Harmony Forums I see that many of us use the "REC" hard key for "DVR" as there is already a hard key with a red ball that is mapped to mean "Record." YMMV


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

SaltiDawg said:


> As part of the setup procedure, it told me to push a few buttons on the Dish Remote ... eg. "1" or "Up Channel" or "Increase Volume" etc. I believe it was cycling thru the channels to determine the proper channel. Later on, when I was dealing with the second receiver it again had me pushing some buttons on that Dish Remote.


How long ago did you do this? I don't remember that method of setup when I got my 880 a year and half ago or so now. When i set it up the wizard didn't have me hitting any buttons, it simply quizzed me about the make and model of each piece of equipment. When it got to the Dish Network gear I just scrolled through the list of gear it presented me with and I had to try different ones until I found ones that were uploaded with different IR addresses. If I remember correctly some of them had a 2 or 3 in them which it seems people put in to reference the IR address. Once I was done and the remote had been programmed it then asked me to test. I'm guessing things have changed since I first got mine. I know the interface looks a lot different now then it used to.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

my DVR show up on the LCD screen but it dont do anyhting when i press the button that corresponds to it :nono2:


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

Rob Glasser said:


> How long ago did you do this? I don't remember that method of setup when I got my 880 a year and half ago or so now. ..


I've had my Harmoney for a few years... I suspect that you simply do not remember or realize that your Harmony had to learn which IR Channel to use.. there are no identifying Remote numbers associated with the cndidate devices on the Harmony www site....


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## rice0209 (Oct 11, 2005)

I don't remember doing the IR check as well. I have owned my harmony for about a year and a half. Maybe I did and I just don't remember. I did a quick look in the software setup and could not find anything on IR channel select. I even went through the "initial setup" option for the 622 in the harmony software and it did not mention it.

Turbo,

Just to let you know, the "help system" ON THE REMOTE will not alter the setup or fix the setup if it is incorrect. If you do any trouble shooting, it has to be in the software so that when you update, it will update the remote, fixing the problem.

If I remember correctly, when you troubleshoot through the software, one of the questions it asks is "When i use the help feature on the remote, it fixes the problem that time, but the problem reoccurs" or something along those lines. I was told to completely fix a problem, it must be done in software and through an update of the remote.

I would try deleting the 622, and starting over again. Run through the setup of the 622. I remember the first time i set it up, there was a drop down menu that you picked your components. When i did it the first time, the unit worked flawlessly and i only had to enter the dvr command into the lcd screen. The second time around, when I had other problems relating to another device, and deleted all my activities to start over, they switched to a "search" system and did away with the drop down list. I noticed that you could get different results depending on how you searched, meaning multiple configurations. I think this has led to some problems with finding the correct set ups for devices.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

rice0209 said:


> I don't remember doing the IR check as well. I have owned my harmony for about a year and a half. Maybe I did and I just don't remember....


I've also had mine for a couple of years. It does not indicate the purpose of the "test." It simply tells you to push a few buttons. Given that it *independently* controls two identical devices using the same selected device for each, it *must* "know" or "learn" which IR channel is used by each.

While well intentioned, I think the OP is being given some incorrect advice.

Calling the Harmony CS line will resolve any remaining problems.


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

Ok, I thought about this some more and here is what I did. When I went through the wizard I originally told the software that my second device was another 622. At the time I set this up there were only 2 622 entries I believe, neither one worked. I then switched to a 942, at this point there where a few more of them. I immediately skipped the first one, assuming it was IR address one, you are right there were no numbers in the description, it was the ordering on the list I went off of. The second one did not work either, but when I got to the 3rd one it did work. There was no 'testing' like you indicate. My testing happened after I would upload the new data and disconnect the remote from my computer. Perhaps the method you mention was there but I did not see it or use it. When I got to my 721 none of the 721 entries the time would work for a 721 on address 3 so I went back to the 942 entires and I believe the last one or the second to last one ended up working so that is what I used. 

I am not giving out incorrect advice, this is how it worked for me and as you can see other posters have had the same experience. Like most software out there I'm sure there are multiple ways to accomplish a task.

The meat of the issue and what it really comes down to it, chances are there is probably not an entry in the Harmony database for a Dish DVR at address 16. In order to program your Harmony you going to either need to lower the address to something in the database, or learn the entire device from scratch, it's really your choice.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

Rob Glasser said:


> ... There was no 'testing' like you indicate. My testing happened after I would upload the new data and disconnect the remote from my computer. Perhaps the method you mention was there but I did not see it or use it. ...


This is plain wrong. I had *two* 508's operating on different IR channels using the same selection from Harmony's www site for each. The 'testing' is a step where with both Remotes - the Harmony and the Dish remotes - in the learning position a series of buttons were told to be pushed on the Dish remote. It is during this process that the Harmony identified which IR channel was the correct one.

Your take would suggest that Harmony would need sixteen different versions of each Dish 622 device to prevent unneeded phone calls seeking help because up to 15 out of 16 users would not be able to get the listed device to work.

It is quite important to those of us that had the need to have two identical devices on different IR addresses to be based on the same Harmony www device... the buttons on DVR1 and DVR2 really want to be identically mapped - and contrary to your assertion mine were.

For the OP, I tried. Again, Harmony's help desk is great.

In way of full disclosure, I am a Logitech share holder. :lol:


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## TallGuyXP (Sep 19, 2006)

turbov6camaro said:


> my DVR show up on the LCD screen but it dont do anyhting when i press the button that corresponds to it :nono2:


Hey Turbo,
It sounds like your DVR soft button (on the screen) is mapped to the "DVR" command. It should be changed to the "PVR" command instead - this should make it act like the DVR button on the Dish remote.


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

SaltiDawg said:


> Your take would suggest that Harmony would need sixteen different versions of each Dish 622 device to prevent unneeded phone calls seeking help because up to 15 out of 16 users would not be able to get the listed device to work.


Ok, since I know what I did and how I did it I went ahead and and tried again myself and I see where our methods differ, looks like we are both correct. When I did it I chose the option where I do *NOT* have my remote with me. When you choose that option there is no testing involved. I did not have my Dish remotes handy at the time and did not feel like getting them so that is how I set mine up.

And for the record there are 2 622 entires in the database, 4 942s, 2 721s, and 2 501s.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

Rob Glasser said:


> ... and I see where our methods differ, looks like we are both correct. ...


If you say so.



> And for the record there are 2 622 entires in the database, 4 942s, 2 721s, and 2 501s.


The multiple entries have absolutely nothing to do with IR channel. Some of those entries are likely not very good and some are likely great. In the case where one has two, say, 721's controlled by the same Harmony remote I trust that you can see the value of having *both* the 721's based on she same selected device from the data base.

If you opt to set up your Harmony without having the Dish remote available, of course the Harmony will not know what IR address you have previously selected - that said, don't blame the Harmony and don't suggest that any problems would be due to the Harmony data base being somehow IR channel specific.

I'm done. Sorry to have wasted so much time and I hope the OP resolves his problem(s.)


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## rice0209 (Oct 11, 2005)

Salti,

I do remember doing the test you mentioned the second time i set up my remote. The first time i set it up, there was no use of the previous remote, and as i said, this was about 1.5 to two years ago. They made a lot of changes around that time frame, including going from a drop down list to select your device to the "search" function. This has created the multiple entries, which I absolutely despise! I wonder if you somehow bypass the test, if the softare defaults to the #1 remote address, as that is what mine was at first and I never had an issue with the remote working.

I know the other route probably takes a lot more maintenance, but for the ease of use to the consumer, it is a much more efficient method. 

Also Turbo, I think Tall guyxp is correct as i remember having that problem as well. You can choose whichever name you want for the key, "DVR, PVR, etc" but when you actually pick it from the drop down list, the "PVR" choice is the correct option. If you have any more troubles, just "learn" the button by using the old remote and put it into your configuration yourself.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

rice0209 said:


> ... They made a lot of changes around that time frame, including going from a drop down list to select your device to the "search" function. ...


Yes. When I initially set up my Harmony with the two 508's the choose device by search was in effect. One could get returns on 'Echostar 508' or 'Dish 508' or many other devices... and as you know, some were more accurate and functional then others. When my wife got a 622 I replaced my two 508's with her "old" 942. The 508's have been relegated to a storage box in the basement.

When that ancient TV dies I intend to get a second 622 to replace the 942, get a big plasma, and likely will replace my Harmony 680 with a newer model.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

rice0209 said:


> ...I wonder if you somehow bypass the test, if the softare defaults to the #1 remote address, as that is what mine was at first and I never had an issue with the remote working. ...


This would seem logical to me. The only time the issue can come up is with, of course, multiple address IR devices.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

rice0209 said:


> Salti,
> 
> I do remember doing the test you mentioned the second time i set up my remote. The first time i set it up, there was no use of the previous remote, and as i said, this was about 1.5 to two years ago. They made a lot of changes around that time frame, including going from a drop down list to select your device to the "search" function. This has created the multiple entries, which I absolutely despise! I wonder if you somehow bypass the test, if the softare defaults to the #1 remote address, as that is what mine was at first and I never had an issue with the remote working.
> 
> ...


i'll ty making it PVR and i going ot try and get it on the "media" button

learning from the remote is a no-go. will not work i think the rmote is stuck on UHF


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

turbov6camaro said:


> ...
> 
> learning from the remote is a no-go. will not work i think the rmote is stuck on UHF


Which remote are you using? Have you called Harmony?


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

SaltiDawg said:


> Which remote are you using? Have you called Harmony?


well you was right i set it to PVR and it works fine :lol: :hurah:    i learned the TV input from its remote (it change the input use actives but not stand alone) lol

everythign is working great nows  :grin:


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## rice0209 (Oct 11, 2005)

I believe remote no. 1 with the 622 is IR and remote #2 is UHF. Make sure you are using remote #1 when doing any learning as the 880 only reads IR, and has no UHF capabilities.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

rice0209 said:


> I believe remote no. 1 with the 622 is IR and remote #2 is UHF. Make sure you are using remote #1 when doing any learning as the 880 only reads IR, and has no UHF capabilities.


i'm on a replacement remote so they are both IR/UHF


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

turbov6camaro said:


> i'm on a replacement remote so they are both IR/UHF


Again, which remote are you using. #1 or #2? A couple of us have asked.


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## turbov6camaro (Apr 7, 2007)

SaltiDawg said:


> Again, which remote are you using. #1 or #2? A couple of us have asked.


1 but tried both


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

turbov6camaro said:


> 1 but tried both


Thank you for the reply.


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## rice0209 (Oct 11, 2005)

This is very strange.

When you are learning commands, your remote is hooked up USB to your computer, you are in the software in the learning section, and you are pointing your original remote at the harmony on the opposite end of the usb cable?

The software does a really good job of giving instructions and pictures for this process. I am just confused as to why you are having so many troubles with the signals.

I wonder if the IR/UHF remote outputs both signals simultaneously, or if there is some sort of switch to switch between the two modes. For some reason, I thought there was some way you can switch the modes of the remote. Maybe i read this in the manual or maybe i am just making this up. Is the switch on the back of the remote near the batteries, possibly under the battery cover?


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