Re: Motorola DCT2000 - RF Return Path working?

"Captain America" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]


> What does the each line mean though?
>
> STATUS : -
> IPPV : ENABLED
> LAST POLL REQ : 48
> 11-25-2003 07:43:11
> LAST POLL ACK : 75
> 11-27-2003 09:26:11
>
> The IPPV is Interactive Pay Per View right?  But what exactly is the
Status
> and how do you interpret it since it's just a -.  So Poll Req is when the
> headend last polled the box and what's the acknowledgement?  Is it just
the
> upstream packet that was sent but does it only update when it's successful
> or does it say something else if the packet never made it to the other
> side.  As for the Poll Req timestamp, that was when it was switched to the
> new rebuilt system on Monday, November 24, 2003 which was probably already
> which was sometime in the AM San Francisco time which is GMT -800 so it
was
> a later poll.  The Acknowledgement timestamp seems to be 11-29-2003 when I
> checked sometime Friday night so maybe they are just testing the headend
or
> something.  I was wondering what the 48 and 75 means?

I'll tell you as much as I am certain.  Ippv is Impulse Pay Per View, you
should need nothing more than your remote for ordering PPV.  The STATUS
field is correct with a -.  My assumption is there would be an error code if
there were an error.  There will be no change in the LAST POLL ACK field if
the return packet is unsucessful.  The REQ field will change anytime the box
receives a polling request, or a simple refresh box hit.  The ACK field will
only change when the return packet is verified by the box controller.  As
for the 48 and 75, I am uncertain.

You can call your customer service line and ask them to hit your box and
then watch the box update to see this process in action.  If this system has
only just come online, give them some time to get it fully operational.  A
fully functioning return RF path via digital boxes is a precursor to cable
modems.  I suspect they'll be less than a year away.

weithrino

>
> > An RF level of 25 is very low suggesting you are connected to a low
> > attenuation tap with a more or less direct connection to that
> > particular outlet.  There seems to be little return loss to overcome.
> > It's possible that 11.552mHz is a very clean spot in the sub-band, but
> > I doubt it. Because return noise is cumulative it is very common to
> > see return levels at 55 dBmV or higher.  It's possible, if RF return
> > is a new feature of your plant, that system balancing has yet to be
> > fully fleshed out.
>
> It's not really a tap.  From what I gather, I live in a big apartment
> building with 60 apartments and there is a cable that is like the size of
> three RG-6QS cables that runs to the roof, maybe it's fiber optic cable as
> it only existed about 2 weeks ago to connect the building to the new
> network.  The cable runs into a amplifier on the roof and then it goes
> through 8 way 1Ghz splitters where one outlet goes to each apartment.
> Ofcourse, after it ends in my apartment, I have a 4 way 5Mhz-2Ghz splitter
> where one goes to the Plasma direct, the other goes through the VCR and
> then DCT2000 and the third one goes to my computers tuner.  I don't have
> the 4th one hooked up yet so could that be the reason because I am running
> it through a splitter.  The RF Return seems to be new as our neighborhood
> just got connected a week ago as they rebuild the entire city at the same
> time.  So 25 is really 25 dBmV?
>
> >> Since is basically the LAST POLL REQ when the
> >> headend last polled the box and LAST POLL ACK is when it last
> >> responded?
> >
> > This is correct.  Did you misread the request/acknowledge dates?  They
> > should match, or the acknowledge will lag behind the request date.
>
> Nope, it's correct.  The last one shows 11-29-2003 when I checked it
Friday
> night/Saturday morning.
>
>
>
> >> Also, another question is I noticed the time seems to always be a
> >> future time/date - is it just using the Greenwhich Mean Time (GMT)
> >> instead of Pacific Standard Time GMT -8?  Thanks.
> >>
> >> John
> >
> > You don't say what time zone you are in, but GMT is standard operating
> > procedure.
>
> Actually, I did.  Pacific Standard Time is PST and basically 8 hours
behind
> GMT as I'm in San Francisco, California.  This is the latest one as of
this
> minute:
>
> STARVUE II DIAGNOSTICS
>
> STATUS : -
> FREQUENCY : 11.552Mhz
> LEVEL : 25
> IPPV : ENABLED
>
> LAST POLL REQ : 48
> 11-25-2003 07:43:11
> LAST POLL ACK : 92
> 11-27-2003 09:27:34
>
> It seems the ack's timestamp is updated every two days but isn't the REQ
> supposed to update as well?
>
> > weithrino
>
> Thanks,
> John