zii kell wrote:
> hi all,
>
> I have just picked up an old Echostar unit (AD-3000IP) and, for the
> moment, don't have a dish or television set to test it with (Don't ask).
>
> However, I have connected the unit to my pc via the serial port.
>
> Ther serial port settings are 115200 8/N/1 hardware flow control and I
> get output. There is a prompt > and this is all.
>
> I have tried to search for information about what useful stuff I can
> pull out of the unit, but to no avail.
>
> Would someone know what one could do with the serial port on this unit?
>
> Cheers, z.

I have one of these receivers, and I have never used the serial port, or
tried to update the firmware. You can (or could) check on the Echostar
website as to what problems the various revisions of the firmware fixed.
I think the upgrades also incorporated the latest satellite
transponder data (which they presumably don't any more!). I think you'll
find that applying a software upgrade resets everything in the receiver
- no fun at all if you had it set up to view things.

With any flash firmware upgrade, there is a small risk that a failed or
interrupted upgrade can leave you with a piece of unusable junk.
I advise you follow the well-known proverb: "If it's not broken, don't
try to fix it."