UHF Remotes = Junk ?

[Ohioankev]

I have had three DuoRoom DVRs from Dish, two 625s and a ViP 722 and for each one of them I had to call and have the UHF remote replaced because it would start eating through batteries on a daily basis. I would put fresh batteries in the remote and the next day they would be dead making me assume that the remote is constantly communicating with the receiver without actually doing anything. Dish has never had an issue with sending me a new remote control for these units except charging me shipping and handling but I remember back in the day they used to be very expensive to replace. Has anyone else had to replace the UHF remote that came with their unit ?

[JcT21]

never had to replace one. the one im using now seems ok, just at times i have to hold the remote a certain way for it to work. its close to the main receiver, a 722k, but it acts like its out of range for it to work. i guess its roughly 30ft from the unit. as for the batteries, no problems yet. still using the same ones now for about 3 months.

[jimborst]

Never had a problem with my 622, the batteries in the UHF remote don't last as long as the TV 1's but they seem to last a fair amount of time.

[jjbankhead]

i have had the vip 722 and never a single problem (other than misplacing it once in a while).

the batteries in my primary or TV1 remote don't seem to last very long, but they usually last at least a month.

[ShapeShifter]

Never had to replace a remote. I did have to recently replace the batteries in one, the batteries that came in the box with the remote -- they lasted a little over a year.

[BillJ]

I have two 622s. Remote batteries, whether TV1 or TV2, have lasted about a year. I always put a piece of paper with month/year in remotes when I replace batteries so I can check if performance falls off. Of course with 622s the receiver tells me when remote batteries are low. Handy feature.

[catnapped]

I have had three DuoRoom DVRs from Dish, two 625s and a ViP 722 and for each one of them I had to call and have the UHF remote replaced because it would start eating through batteries on a daily basis. I would put fresh batteries in the remote and the next day they would be dead making me assume that the remote is constantly communicating with the receiver without actually doing anything.

HMM--then I'm not crazy...I was wondering why the batteries in mine went 1-2-3

[thomasjk]

There were/are some TV2 remotes that were defective and ran through batteries like you describe. I had one replaced 2 years ago. The current one is working as expected.

[Willh]

i went though three Dish UHF Pro remotes, the first one took a lot of abuse and ate up battery power, the second one just quit working as in stopped being able to change channels and other reciever related functions (replaced an 625 receiver with another one with it acting the same way, turned out it was the remote all along), and i got the third one weeks after that, which was last summer, and the third remote is still working fine. i guess i abuse my remotes as many times it gets knocks down on the ground.

[puckwithahalo]

never had to replace one. the one im using now seems ok, just at times i have to hold the remote a certain way for it to work. its close to the main receiver, a 722k, but it acts like its out of range for it to work. i guess its roughly 30ft from the unit. as for the batteries, no problems yet. still using the same ones now for about 3 months.

Sounds like mild UHF interference. You may want to try changing the angle of the antenna on the back of the receiver. Or making a pigtail for it using a short piece of cable and a barrel connector. Or you can do what I did and connect an old OTA antenna in its place. Has worked like a dream for me. :)

[jsk]

I use rechargeables with my remotes and they tend to last about 4-6 months. As for reception, I connected an old UHF loop antenna to a cable so I can orient it to work both upstairs and downstairs.

[Paul Secic]

I've been having problems with my remote not responding for 5 minutes, but my attendant has no trouble. I put it on a music stand to use it. It's not pointing directly at my 622.

[normang]

Replaced one, and "only" because a Dog chewed it up.. Got one on ebay, $10..

[butters]

Going on 5 years this October and no issues with the RF remotes. I did replace one of the IR remotes that had unresponsive buttons. Got it from an installer for free since he had a ton of them in his truck.

[Satpro92]

The TV2 remotes for 322 receivers have been a real problem.In time, it seems all of them start eating batteries.We have one customer that I have replaced the TV2 remote 3 times in just over two years.

[jbrooks987]

I had to replace one. Couldn't stand up to being run over by a battery powered wheelchair three times. (Not sure I could stand up to being run over by said chair once).

[coldsteel]

Only time I had to replace mine is when my 3-year-old hid it in his bedroom. Found it 2 days after the replacement arrived, so have a backup. No issues however.

[jerry downing]

My dog ate it. The same one in my avatar. I may have to replace others as some buttons are getting really hard to push.

[rbonzer]

Over several years, I've had to replace the remote twice. Unresponsive buttons. I just love calling in to dish and trying to tell them that the down button only works half the time, and all the other buttons (and other remote) work fine. Then they tell me to reset the receiver, replace batteries, reprogram the remote...

[CeeWoo]

Or you can do what I did and connect an old OTA antenna in its place. Has worked like a dream for me. :)

OMG-I've been fighting with my remotes for years. Saw your post and connected an OLD set of rabbit ears that isn't any good for rec television, but they work like a dream for this

THANK YOU

(btw-I have worn out a remote or two previously - buttons just became unresponsive-even with fresh batteries)

[flatus]

no problems with uhf remotes going back to the model 4000.

For those of you who have nonresponsive remotes, you can try cleaning them. The difficult part is opening up the remote. once you get it open separate the molded rubber sheet of buttons from the circuit board. you will probably find some goo in there. clean it off with anything, i use a cotton ball with a little alcohol, just don't use anything abrasive.

put it back together and you'll be good for a while. I don't know exactly what the goo is, but my guess is that the oils from our hands get adsorbed by the rubber and start to break it down.

if you can send the remote back for a replacement, do that, because once the buttons get saturated it will continue to ooze goo. But its worth a shot if you are going to throw the remote in the trash.

[RasputinAXP]

I only had to replace a UHF remote because my son threw it buttons-down into his poopy diaper.

Yeah. I ordered a replacement and threw that one out.

[flatus]

lol!! i dont blame you!

[jas88]

I have had several UHF remotes going back to whatever units I bought in 1996 when I started with DISH but the TV2 remote on my 622 did start eating batteries as you describe. It's the only UHF remote I have ever had a problem with, I bought a used one on eBay and have not had the problem since.

Overall, I have found the remotes from DISH to be very robust and durable, ours get dropped and stepped on continually because my kids just cannot fathom not leaving it on the floor or the couch. Back in the day we used to break the plastic purple cover on the front of the remote pretty regular, once they did away with that the remotes have been very tough.

[4HiMarks]

No problems for me.

[hsweiss]

No problems for me - in fact the RF remote uses batteries more than the UHF TV 2 remote. Works fine from the basement (with lots of foil insulation) to upstairs in the family room.

[tmanmi]

Replaced #2 remote for 622. Replacement's batteries last now.