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Satellite Workshop

This is the fourth in a series of articles designed to save you money.

Not a day passes without somebody calling me for a factory reset code!
Installers really ought to be aware of these codes for all models. They can save a lot of time if the fault is caused simply by incorrect menu settings. To help you out, here is a list of the most common. Remember that a factory reset may put the channel settings back to a time when only Astra 1A and 1B existed!

Amstrad SRD400. There is no reset code but you can remove the parental lock. If the receiver seems to be stuck in standby, press [H/V] [H/V] [Audio]. Four dashes will appear in the display if the receiver is locked. To reset it, simply unplug it then plug it back in to the mains supply. Leave it for 48 hours without touching ANY buttons and it will then come out of lock mode.

Amstrad SRD510, 520, 540, 550. The factory reset puts all channel settings back as new. All of your customised settings will be lost! Put the receiver into standby and press [OK] [SETUP] [STATUS] Hold this last button until LEDs flash.

Amstrad SR950, SRD700. There is no factory reset. You must retune each channel by hand!

Amstrad SRD600. Disconnect mains. Hold in the recessed button by pushing a matchstick through the hole in the front panel. Apply mains power and release the button.

Pace SS3000/6000. Press [Setup] [9] [8] [7] to bring it out of lock.
Tuning Menu: press [Setup] [1] [4] [7]. For global settings press [Setup] [2] [5] [8].

Pace SS9xxx models. Press [Setup] [P] [2] [3] [store] [up] [down] for factory reset. 60 channel models will then need the polarisation correcting for channels 25 to 31 and you must select internal decoder and AV in the menu for each Sky channel.
Tuning Menu: press [Setup] [1] [4] [7] for 60 channel models, [Setup] [1] for 90 channel models. Philips models have a [Menu] button instead of a [Setup] button. Press [Setup] or [Status] to step through the menu lines. For global settings (LNB offset and contrast) press [Setup] [2] [5] [8] for 60 channel models and [Setup] [2] for 90 channel. [Setup] [3] [6] [9] will scan frequencies.

To reset PIN on 9200 and some 9000 models to 1234. Remove power from unit.
Hold [Standby] [up] [down] keys simultaneously on the front panel and restore power.

To reset PIN on 9000 models to 1234. Go into standby. Press [Standby] then [Store] and hold [Store] for 20 seconds. During this time the channel ident should remain in the top RHS of the screen.

Pace PRD models. Press [Menu] [P] [store] [right] [left] for factory reset. This also works for the MRD920. To turn blue background on/off press [F] [Store].

Pace PRD Plus and MSS models. Press [Menu] [0] [store] [right] [left].
Early PRD Plus models may revert to 99 channels only. On MSS models, the factory reset changes only the installation settings. It will not reset the individual channel frequencies. You must download from another receiver or use PaceLink to regain all channels. In this respect, the reset on the MSS models is safer than most.

Pace manufactured Philips models. Press [MENU] [9] [6] [3] [0] [1] [2] for reset. Remember that the STU824 remote can operate a TV as well so press [SAT] for the satellite receiver! It has an interesting feature: To turn IR remote operation ON press: [Standby] and [down] and connect mains power. (Holding [Standby] and [up] will disable remote operation).

Pace MSP positioners can be reset (memory erased!) by pressing [Normal] [P] [Store] [Status].

Palcom SL-500. To erase memory, press [MODE] [POWER] off [ERASE] [POWER] on. Factory Reset: Turn mains off, hold [up][down] and switch mains on. Select appropriate mode (full configuration or just tuner reset). Press [POWER] on remote control.

Grundig GRD150 etc. Pin number is 2355. Astra reset code is 2601. Unfortunately, the system wipes out all channel names if you use the Astra reset feature in the menu. Note that, when you set the LNB frequency to 9.750 it is most important to precede it with a zero so you should press [0] [9] [7] [5] [0], otherwise all channel tuning will be lost as it reverts to 99999.

Minerva SAT1500. Pin number is 2580. Astra reset code is 1937. See comments for Grundig.

Cambridge ARD200, Akai SX1000, BT SVS200, Alba SR7000, JVC TU-AD1000. Factory reset. All program ident graphics will be deleted! The only way to regain them is to download the information from another receiver or re-program each channel manually. Hold channel DOWN button and plug receiver into mains. Release button and wait 25 seconds.

Cambridge RD480. Disconnect mains. Hold [down] button and reconnect mains. Release button and wait 20 seconds until channel number appears. This procedure removes parental lock ("stuck in standby") and resets all customised settings.

Chaparral Monterey master clear: Switch mains on. Hold [Enter] and [Volume] buttons and press [Power]. Wait a few seconds then press [Power] again.

Echostar SR5500 password is 7907878.

Echostar SR-70VC and Connections CX95A factory reset. Hold [down] and [up] and reconnect mains. Continue to hold the two buttons until "SEL" appears in the display. release the buttons then press [down] until "PR1" appears in the display. Press Standby and the display will count down to zero as it resets. (PR2 gives German defaults).

Mimtec Nimbus. To get rid of parental lock press [Setup]. The display will show COdE. Enter [2] [7] [1] [8] [2] within 3 seconds. The display will flash PIn and 9999 alternately. Enter [9] [9] [9] [9] and press [Store].

Nokia SAT1700. No factory reset is possible, however a programming box is available.

If you have details of resets or secret codes from other models, I'd be pleased to hear from you!