(1) What are the F1, F2, and F3 keys on the remote used for?
They seem to do nothing...:-)
(2) How do I make the built-in clock stop losing a minute a day?
I don't pay attention with the clock. Check out the firmware version to see if you have the lastest one 2.19. I can't confirm if the lastest firmware fix the problem
(3) How do I use the EPG function that's barely mentioned in the manual?
The function is there, but it only works if the sat providers provide EPG in the stream.
(4) What or where are the predefined satellites numbered 0 through 26?
I don't quite understand this question. But you can check the sat list to see the preprogram satellites.
(5) How do I specify or know if a satellite I want to point to is one of those that are predefined?
If you use the USALS, the receivers will automatically moves the dish to the desired sats. If you use 1.2, you have to move the dish manually.
(6) Is 50 therefore the max number of satellites I can have defined (user numbers 27 through 49, or only 23 of my own creation)?
I don't read the manual so I really don't know the exact # of sat user can have. I remember 50 or more. Don't worry about running out of sat slots. They are more than enought.
(7) If I can use USALS with my
SG-2100, do these predefined satellites have any meaning?
Yes, they do. The predefined sats have their own longtitude. In order to use the USALS, you have to key in your Lat and Long correctly. Correct Long and Lat are very important. If they are not correct, the receiver will not move the dish precisely to the desired sats.
(8 ) Can I mix it so some satellites are set to USALS mode while others (namely the two furthest east, apparently beyond the limits of the USALS software) are set to DiSEqC 1.2 mode?
Yes, you can. But once you set up the h-h mount correctly, I recommend to use the USALS. In case the mouse miss 1/2 deg or 1 deg using USALS, you can change the setting to 1.2, then manually move the dish to get lock.
(9) Does the "Go to reference" option in the 1.2 menu mean the same as the ""reference position" option in the USALS menu, namely that the motor will be driven to the zero degree position, and that it will always mean that and nothing else?
I never use this function, so I don't know.
(10) If I disable the positioner setting on all my satellites so the dish doesn't move as I'm scrolling through the satellite list in the antenna setup menu, as suggested in the manual, page 19, how will my dish move when I'm watching TV and I change channels to one that's on a different satellite?
If I understand you correctly here, are you worrying to select channels on other sats which will force the receiver to move where you don't want to?
Here is the trick:
You can group channels by sats instead of using the "ALL" list. Press the sat channel, then select the desired sat, it will only shows the channels belong to that sat.
You don't need to disable anything.
(11) Is the SG-2100 literally a "dumb" device, moving only as commanded by the receiver, only providing feedback as to the motor's position?
It will take a very long post to explain how the 1.2 function work...:-)
If you really want to learn, I will provide you a link where you can find all the info of how the 1.2 operate.
(12) What is meant in the SG-2100's manual about reloading the "preset satellite table" when a hardware reset is performed?
I have no idea what it is. Again, I don't read the
SG2100 either...:-)
Perhaps "limit settings" for East and West. Cool thing about SG2100 is that you can extend the rotation angle which allow us to move a little bit further towards East and West.
Now back to the question of why you can't save the sat position. Here is what I find out:
Once you get lock on the sat, you HAVE to scan in some channels on that sat. Otherwise, the receiver will not memorize the sat position. It's kind of weird to me. But that's how it works. If you want to move from one sat to the other, just simply to select the channels on the desired sat, the receiver will to the dish to it.
Michael