Getting a new .frq file recognized

[Dvid]

I am trying to get a new .frq file to take effect in SageTV. I have edited the original file to change the channel order and add some channels that were found in one scan but not another (I guess the channels were not broadcasting all the time).

I have stopped the server, replaced the .frq file with the edited one, making sure the filename is the same, and restarted the server - but my problem is that the channel guide only shows the original scanned channel setup, not the edited one.

I can see that somehow the lineup is created or referred to in the properties file, but I can't figure out how to get it to take the edited lineup. I don't want to edit it using the Sage UI as I want to be able to use the .frq file for other installations of the server.

Can someone tell me how I can use the .frq file manually? Am I doing something fundamentally wrong? I see lots of posts recommending that we just use another .frq file, so I assume it can be done.

Thanks for any help...

[jaminben]

Try disabling all the channels and then renabling them all, restart Sage/service once done. This should refresh the epg.

If you use the webguide you can use force epg refresh or something like that I think.

And yes you can edit your .frq file but I'm not sure how to do it with over air epg only with xmltv guide data.

[Dvid]

Thanks, I gave that a go, but no change. Maybe that's my problem - I'm just using the over the air epg.

Any other ideas how to force the use of an edited .frq file when using the over the air egp?

[doc]

I've ran into this problem in the past. I thought I could just copy a new frq file into the sage folder and off I'd go, but unfortunately it didn't like it.

Its a shame as I'd like to be able to do a scan on my test machine and just copy the new frq file onto the my live one when I've got everything worked out.

[Dvid]

I noticed some settings i the .properties file that probably have an effect on this, but can't find any details, so I have asked support for advice.

These are the entires:
epg/custom_station_id_counter
epg/lineup_overrides
epg/lineup_physical_overrides
epg_data_sources/4686/unavailable_stations

I will play around and post here if I get it sorted out.

My real problem is not a convenience issue - I just can't get a full lineup of channels as they are never all broadcasting at once (so some don't get picked up by the scan) and the channel list is only taken from the latest scan.

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by Dvid

My real problem is not a convenience issue - I just can't get a full lineup of channels as they are never all broadcasting at once (so some don't get picked up by the scan) and the channel list is only taken from the latest scan.

You need to scan in the morning and make a copy of that scan. Then scan in the evening and make a copy of that scan. Edit/copy both files to create a master file which contains all the channels from the morning scan and evening scan. Re-number any duplicate channel id's, and place the master scan .frq into the sage directory overwriting the old .frq.

Take a look in the UK thread, lots of info there.

[Dvid]

That's exactly what I've done - I've got a great .frq file

But...it doesn't get loaded by the server. I stop the server, overwrite the original, restart..and no difference.

[jaminben]

When you add the frq I assume you have shut Sage down completly?
You can try removing the card from Sage, restart Sage and add the card again. When it asks you do you want to run a scan click no.

[Dvid]

Yes, I've done that. I've tried loads of combinations of things. this is the latest:

1. Shut down the server completely (it's running as a service), close the client, delete the sage.properties and wiz.bin. So I have a clean unconfigured system.

2. Start the server and run the config, choosing the tuner card, but not do a scan.

3. Stop the server, copy in the edited .frq file, making sure it's got the same file name as before, restart the server.

I then have a config that shows the tuner as a source, but has no channels. - So it hasn't done anything with the new .frq file, it's basically ignored it.

4. So then, I do a channel scan and get a lineup created with most of the channels I want, but I make no manual modifications using the UI.

5. Then I stop the server, close the client and once again copy in the edited .frq file. Restart server.

I than have the same lineup of channels that I had after step 3 above - it has still ignored the edited .frq file.

Somehow, I need to be able to force the server to read my .frq file and update the lineup accordingly....doens't seem to be possible for me.

[jaminben]

Seems like yours is messed up good and proper. I'd be tempted to format my system, reinstall windows and start all over again but thats an extreme solution and may not even work. Try sending Sage a support request. Other than that I'm all out of ideas.

[Dvid]

Yes, I forgot to mention that...

I did a completely clean re-install of Windows 2003 - this is a fresh system, the first and only app installed is SageTV.

I sent a support request to Sage yesterday, so hopefully they can shed some light.

Thanks.

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Dvid

Yes, I forgot to mention that...

I did a completely clean re-install of Windows 2003 - this is a fresh system, the first and only app installed is SageTV.

I sent a support request to Sage yesterday, so hopefully they can shed some light.

Thanks.

I don't think your system is the problem - I think this is just the way Sage bahaves.

I tried to do the same thing in the Linux version (i.e. a"custom" .frq file) and it seems like it's ignored. I finally gave up, assuming that the scan is updating something in the Sage Wiz.bin and that the .frq file is not consulted after the initial scan.

--John

[JREkiwi]

1. Start the server and add the tuner card, do a scan.

2. Remove the tuner source

3. Stop the server, edit the .frq file as desired, making sure it's got the same file name as before

4. Edit sage.properties
For encoder ie: mmc/encoders/1681743986/video_capture_device_name=Hauppauge WinTV-7164 Analog Capture
Find the provider_id for the tuner ie: mmc/encoders/1681743986/3/0/provider_id=4

Find the epg data source ie: epg_data_sources/2622319/provider_id=4

Remove channels from related lines so they look like these
epg_data_sources/2622319/unavailable_channel_nums=
epg_data_sources/2622319/unavailable_stations=
epg/lineup_physical_overrides/4=
epg/lineup_overrides/4=
epg/channel_lineups/4=

5. Restart the server.

6. Add tuner source, don't do scan.

John