Re: Motorola DCT2000 - RF Return Path working?

"weitrhino" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]: 

> "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. 

I thought the - would be a bad thing since it's kind of like a uncertain 
status or something.  The thing I'm confused about is the ACK field which 
seems to update around 1am every two days.  Wouldn't a new REQ have to be 
sent before it will do a ACK or is it just the REQ can specify the time 
interval that the box needs to send a return packet, something like telling 
the box to send data back every 48 hours?  I wonder if the 48 and 75 is the 
sequence number or just the signal level?

> 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. 

The cable modem became available on the same day the new system was 
launched since Comcast I think is trying to get their new networks rolling 
as there is a 20% in pricing for standard cable in the new network versus 
old network areas.  I don't think the network is completely rebuilt yet as 
the streets seems to have all these markings on the ground and lots of the 
pothole covers have not been replaced as of yet which seems to be something 
they do once they are finished with that area.  People who are one block 
away from me had the new network launched back on October 2 but they seem 
to have worst signal quality on channels 54-70.  What seemed to have 
happened was that we were on the old network and then they rebuilt the 
network but the building somehow lost the signal for a week before the new 
network got wired so they had to do some temporary fix to get the signal to 
the building before they finally wired the building to the new network 
which took an entire day about 2 weeks ago.

> weithrino

Thanks,
John

>> > 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
> 
> 
>