How to Fix a P4 Card for Direct TV or Satellite TV
The satellite company DirecTV uses an access card in all satellite receivers known as a "P" card. The "P" stands for programming. A "P4" card is the fourth card in the series and allows a satellite receiver to descramble signals it receives via satellite dish. However, the "P4" card came out slightly before all television programming switched to digital, so it is no longer current and can cause issues with your viewing experience--such as stations blacking out. To correct the issue you need to upgrade to the most current access card, "P5" as of April 2010.
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Instructions
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Contact DirecTV at 1-888-777-2454. Make your way through the automated system until you reach a customer service representative. Tell her you have an old P4 card and need to upgrade to the current card. If a DirecTV facility is nearby you can stop in and pick one up, free of charge. If not, a card is sent to you.
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Power down the DirecTV receiver and flip open the access card port at the front of the receiver. Push the P4 card in to unlock the card and it pops out.
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Slide the P4 card out and insert the new access card.
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Power on the satellite receiver and it performs a system scan with the new card. The scan can take several minutes to complete. Once done it returns you to your programming.
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References
- Photo Credit satellite dish image by green308 from Fotolia.com
