UHF Remote Range Extenders

The Dish Network User's Resource

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Dish receivers with UHF or UHF Pro remotes do not require line of sight between the remote and the receiver, allowing them to be placed in a different room than the TV set.  In some homes, the distance can be too great, or the walls too thick, for reliable operation of the remote.

There are a few relatively simple solutions for overcoming these problems:

1. Position the antenna higher.  Get a length of coax, such as the one provided to connect the receiver to the TV.  Connect it instead to the antenna jack. Get a coax coupler, commonly referred to as a barrel connector, to attach the antenna to the cable
2. Use common splitters to place the antenna in the room with the distant TV, combining the receiver's TV RF output with the return signal from the remote. The illustration shows a 622 but this also works for single-tuner receivers such as the 4900 and 510.
   
   You can also combine distant placement of the UHF antenna with the TV2 backfeed using diplexers (PDF)
3. Increase the UHF remote sensitivity
   • Go to SYSTEM INFO screen (one with rcvr and card IDs). Menu, 6, 1, 3.
   • Cover the IR emitters on the front of the remote.
   • Go to the limit of remote control range and press BROWSE, THEME, then RECORD
   • Screen flashes
   
   The 4700 will now turn up its gain and the remote is usable far away and in other rooms.
   
   01/04/00 I've confirmed that this procedure also works on 4000 series receivers. The further away you are when you do this procedure, the better. You may want to repeat the procedure from further away, to max out the gain. Of course, if your receiver has no IR capability, you don't need to shield the IR emitters on the remote. --jbuff
4. If you have a UHF Pro 6.2 or 6.3 remote used with a 942, 222 or 622/722, change the remote frequency to Band B by sliding the switch in the battery compartment.

More examples can be found on the Dish TechPortal: How to Extend UHF

Here is a tip from SatelliteGuys.US that may be useful, even though it doesn't actually extend the range:

Dish Network remotes have more than codesets 1-15, they can also be programmed for 16-31.  This is how it works:

1. Bring up your receiver's Sys Info screen
2. Pick an address (for example, 20)
3. Subtract 16 (result: 4)
4. Hold the remote's Sat button until it blinks
5. Press #
6. Press Up-Arrow
7. Enter the remote address code (4)
8. Press #
9. Press record

Corrections or suggestions? Can you provide a diagram for Example 1? E-mail the editor