Does anyone know anything about the AVENGER?

[rd123]

spas2k, I ordered one last knight. I've been waiting for someone I know to get one but that wasn't going to happen so I did it myself. Should get it in a few days. When it gets here and I try it out, I'll post how well it works and the details about it. I found a review in the newsgroups on Google that has allot of information. The subject of the review was: Avenger SE Review- Complete. Go to Google and do a search for it. The guy that wrote the review gave it a rating of 9.5 out of 10.

[rd123]

I got it for $229.00 which includes shipping. I don't know if I can post the website here or not so I'll send you a PM with that info. Did you find the review?

[JT]

You guys got scammed. The Avenger is virtually worthless now days. They shouldn't even be selling it any more. Good luck getting any help from your vendor setting it up too. I hope you didn't pay with a credit card or any other form of trackable payment either. You guys could have gotten TWO no zkt recievers for that same $220.

[JT]

Oh yeah, a no zkt reciever is not a questionably safe purchase. You own your reciever and are allowed to repair it any way you see fit. You can get in trouble for the avenger; it's a single purpose item.

[dbDan]

A buddy has an Avenger and other than the bin getting blacklisted once hasn't had a problem at all. The web page directions for the Avenger are very thorough and if followed it works perfectly.

[JT]

I am not trying to be contrary here, but I don't think the avenger is working without frequent updating to the card, and I am overly familiar with the online 'manual'. dbDan-how about posting a file we can patch a cam/zkt table to and just write that to a card and put it in the avenger and expect it to work? If it works, I will post a correction to my opinions of the Avenger. (don't provide a valid bin, maybe just make a no zkt version or known blacklisted version that could be patched with a valid CAM/zkt and be expected to work) I am not bin begging, just wanting to 'call your hand' so to speak. Furthermore, why doesn't the avenger site offer a patchable file just like the one I just requested to simplify the whole process? Instead of honestly portraying the current limitations on fuse bytes etc., the avenger site makes it sound like everybody who didn't have things set on their cards like they have to be now, that the programmer is at fault and they "did it wrong". Prior to Aug. 20, there were no specific instructions to have the fuse bytes set at 25DA, etc. When in fact, nobody could have predicted how thorough Dave would become with his 'hashing' of activation scripts and the devices that are 'piggybacking' on the tricks of activation. If I could be proven wrong here, I would appreciate it. I know somebody that would love to get their avenger up and running, but is not getting the necessary assistance from the avenger site.

[dbDan]

hmmm...don't know what to tell you. No I can't send you a bin...lol. The one that this guy is using is a sub bin clone, only changed by changing the area settings for locals and nothing else. Worked perfect right thru the hashes that others were having problems with.

[JT]

Well it seems I was wrong about the Avenger being useless. However, it is still true that you can get two no ZKT recievers for the price of the avenger, and one no ZKT receiver is worth more than one avenger in my opinion. The avenger is also a single purpose item. A no ZKT reciever is legal. Also, be forwarned that setting up the card for the avenger without having access to a valid/subbed bin is VERY difficult. You can not use the USW/DSW update hex, (not even the one the avenger site gives you) but Chiefs dsw0006 hex and an eeprom clean saved the day. I still think the avenger is a rip off, but it does still work. Without access to a valid sub bin, the set up is several hours of trial and error to get the card set up correctly. And who knows how long it will last...

[dbDan]

I'll pass your info to the guys that have been watching tv using the avenger for close to a year....lol. Glad you finally figured out what will work for you. How long will it last? I got a feeling that it will last until the hu gets shut down. Or it may go down with a usw update as it has never been thru one of them yet as it was put out right after usw8.

[zyx]

before i get the ball rolling... this is NOT a flame, JackTripper...

but i just thought i should add my two cents because while you make a good point, it seems you missed the best one.
the avenger is best used WITH a nozkt mod. the reason being that with no-zkt mod (or a working no745 board that lets you use a blacklisted bin... not sure if those boards are worth crap anymore) you can effectively get away from 3m/act for your card... *provided* that you can get a sub or clone. they also say that any 'valid' card will do fine--once again, you either need a good bin or a receiver that is fooled with any sort of mod that will let you use any bin you want. best results are from subbed/sub-clone cards since really all the avenger sets out to do is to take the limits off the tier setup and ppv stuff, etc.

so to say that you could have gotten two receivers with no-zkt for the avenger price is true... but it is only true if you still want to fool with 3m or act junk--which many have been fed up with.

i don't, in any way, want to sound like an avenger groupie or somebody who's being paid for my endorsement--because believe me, i'm not (if i was, i would have posted this everywhere by now :p ). but in the long run... IF done right, it does get rid of many headaches if you can get things just right. that is the trick, though. the fact that the avenger people make it sound so easy is really the only thing that is very misleading... because it works just like advertised... but only if you can get the bin problem out of the way and use a legit sub and/or valid card with a decent clone.

maybe i'll spark more comments... or maybe i'll just be flamed... but either way, i'll be watching my dtv ;)

--zyx

[zyx]

a little harsh for all those out there who are skeptical about the avenger... but it makes good sense.

[JT]

OK, I will retract that statement. It is not as if I have done business with every single vendor that sells the avenger. The Mikobu.ca site may be completely reputable; I do not know one way or another. However, the original Mikobu site is Mikobu.org, not Mikobu.ca. I am not even sure mikobu.ca is even an authorized dealer of mikobu products.

I have two questions and three statements.

1-What do you charge to set up the avenger? I need to know what to charge the dude I did it for.
2-Why would you run an avenger in a no zkt receiver? What does this combination offer that puts you so far ahead of the game? (As you need a non-blacklisted bin in both cases, this sounds like redundance to me. Plus, you can use a made up bin in a no zkt, and a no zkt will work with what ever card they issue)

A-The avenger is a single use item of questionable legality. You own your receiver, and 'repairing' it any way you see fit is completely legal.
B-Sellers of the avenger are suspect because a seller should always let the buyer know EXACTLY what they are getting into. Vendors of the avenger are notorious for responses like the one provided by MaxHax..."Your doing it wrong" rather than explaining the reality of the current environment. Read MaxHax's responses critically, and you will see he admits there are potential difficulties with the avenger setup that are not mentioned by any vendor of the avenger. If you use the DSW/USW updater that the avenger site provides, nothing you do will work...

Here at mili we enjoy a safe haven from what I consider to be the biggest problem with this hobby...disreputable vendors. Kudos to mili once again.

[zyx]

just as a quick reply... where did you get the idea that you *need* a valid bin for an avenger?... the whole idea of a noZKT mod along with an avenger is so the avenger will work as it is intended to, *without* needing a valid bin.

[JT]

Are you saying the avenger will accept a broken bin?

[dbDan]

And I have a feeling that you are making money selling the avenger, otherwise you wouldn't be talking it up so much when there are better, far more cost effective options available....lol I stand by my statement that any vendor who still sells the avenger is a disreputable one. This includes the mikobu.ca site...the original mikobu site is mikobu.org
Nope. I got one from a dealer for evaluation and set a buddy up with it. I know a few others that got them too. I've only had one problem with the one my buddy got...the bin got shut off and blacklisted. No big deal.
What do you charge to set up the avenger? I need to know what to charge the dude I did it for. Do what you want but the price of the unit plus shipping should be it. Anymore than that and you will be asking for trouble in the long run. It's just not worth it. If he gives you a tip for your trouble that's fine. Remember it's a hobby. You run it like a business per se than it will run you...and you don't want to know where it will run you.

[JT]

dbDan-Thank you for not flaming me for my spiteful remarks. I was getting frustrated, and misdirected my frustration toward you. Other than that, to sum up, setting up the avenger with access to a valid sub is very different that trying to set it up without access to a valid sub.

[macak]

I hd an avenger that worked well until August and am now trying to set it up with a No zkt receiver. I wnt to make sure I am doing it right and would like some feedback. There seem to be details that if you miss create a problem.

The reciever is 420 with no zkt.
This is how I tried to set up:
-do the no zkt mod - no problem

-create a CAM id for the card using unclone(I have a clean bin which I run through the unclone software to allow a new CAM Id and removal of zkt checks (this is the same as I would do for a no zkt receiver but with no activation). Is there something I have to do here specific for avenger. Fuse bytes =25DA I read above.

-update usw/dsw with s/w from avenger site - is this a good update file?

-Use unlooper and avanger calibration s/w to calibrate the card/unit

-insert into reciever

I am always getting a failed aclibration and freeze up.

Any comments?

Did I miss something or do something wrong.

The following could be true:
-card has minor damage damage
-something I am doing wrong
-I have to use manual calibration

There seem to be a few avenger experts in this forum so I would appreciate any help because I am following the instructions from the avenger site but am having problems with this no zkt reciever.

i have done regular receiver set up.

Thanx

-

[Ramjet]

I hd an avenger that worked well until August and am now trying to set it up with a No zkt receiver. I wnt to make sure I am doing it right and would like some feedback. There seem to be details that if you miss create a problem.

The reciever is 420 with no zkt.
This is how I tried to set up:
-do the no zkt mod - no problem

-create a CAM id for the card using unclone(I have a clean bin which I run through the unclone software to allow a new CAM Id and removal of zkt checks (this is the same as I would do for a no zkt receiver but with no activation). Is there something I have to do here specific for avenger. Fuse bytes =25DA I read above.

-update usw/dsw with s/w from avenger site - is this a good update file?

-Use unlooper and avanger calibration s/w to calibrate the card/unit

-insert into reciever

I am always getting a failed aclibration and freeze up.

Any comments?

Did I miss something or do something wrong.

The following could be true:
-card has minor damage damage
-something I am doing wrong
-I have to use manual calibration

There seem to be a few avenger experts in this forum so I would appreciate any help because I am following the instructions from the avenger site but am having problems with this no zkt reciever.

i have done regular receiver set up.

Thanx

-
I have been using the Avenger for over a year w/o a blip as have 10 or
so friends in the area.
The biggest problem is that the cards used are NOT clean. If ones card is
cleaned properly and the bin is good one should have no problem with the Avenger. I rate it 10 out of 10 for trouble free testing.

Ramjet :)

[drzoolk]

i got mine for 214.00 shipped. let me know if you have questions. pm me.

Hi, Can you tell pm me with the info for the avenger. Is it still working for you?

Thx
DrZ

[drzoolk]

Hi, Can you tell pm me with the info for the avenger. Is it still working for you?

Thx
DrZ

Thanks Macak!

Looking for someone who has some time with the device. But appreciate your imput!!

DrZ

[JT]

I have been messing around with my buddies avenger a little bit more lately. The avenger WILL calibrate to a broken .bin. And as expected, the broken .bin/avenger combo will only work in a nozkt receiver. I'm not saying that I think peeps should go out and buy an avenger, I just wanted to add some info to this thread. A plain nozkt unit is still more dependable and a few hundred clams less expensive.

[macak]

JackTripper

How did you calibrate:

manual
auto cal in receiver
auto cal using s/w

Thanx
M

[JT]

Use a loader and do it manually. I messed with it for hours when I began participating in this discussion, and that's the only way I've ever gotten it to work. Patch either a valid .bin's cam/zkt or your nozkt.bin's info to the template6 .bin to make sure you have a clean script on the card. That is the trick.

[Ramjet]

Addition to my above post: There are 30+ Avengers in my area that I know of and all are working flawlessly (mine has been running for 13 months).

The biggest problem is that one MUST have a good BIN and it MUST
be CLEAN. CLEAN, Clean. I cannot emphisize this enough (CLEAN).

the easiest way to calibrate it to DL the SW from the Avenger site, and
if you have a loader, use it to do the calibration.
The other methods discussed work OK but are slower.

Ramjet

Still a 10 out of 10 for smoooth operation

[macak]

JackTripper,

can you share some details on calibrating the avenger to a no zkt receiver.

here is what I did:

-ran one of Milis bins through 'setcard id' s/w to break zkt tables
-I patched this CAM/ID to template 6. This should be clean and up to date
-tried manual calibration with avenger s/w and loader
-some calibration attempts got 'insert valid card'
-some worked for 5 minutes or so before freezing
-no settings worked well
-got to calibration setting 16 before I stopped to rest

When you got your avenger to calibrate how many settings did you go?
Did you rewrite the bin to the card before every calibration attempt?

Is there something I missed here?

Any help is appreciated because I think no zkt and avenger may be an excellent long term way to watch tv.