Seeking advice on buying used OFA(URC) remotes in Europe!

humnx · Post by **humnx** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:15 pm

Hi all,

I'm pretty new to this world and have just started exploring things. One of the members, mdavej, suggested this forum while I was searching for advice on AVSForum.

I've shortlisted rarely-used (some like new) remotes on eBay, and they are selling for just under 20 Euros, including shipping. I didn't expect the list would go this long, which puts me in a bit of a confused state. Could anyone, based on your experiences, tell me which of these remotes are good in terms of durability and functionality, as well as future-proof (meaning, can add more devices/diverse functions)? Better to go with recent models than old models?

URC-7980, URC-7960, URC-7955, URC-7950, URC-7140, URC-7130, URC-2981, URC-8620, URC-8305, URC-3661 (same as ONN 6)

Thank you for your assistance!

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 6:33 pm

Will you be intending to get a JP1 cable so you can program the remote using JP1? The answer to that might influence which remote people consider better.

humnx · Post by **humnx** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:47 pm

The Robman wrote:Will you be intending to get a JP1 cable so you can program the remote using JP1? The answer to that might influence which remote people consider better.

Hi Rob, nice to meet you

Sure, I can get one, as long as it is a common USB to serial adapter and not proprietary stuff that costs me a fortune!

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:52 pm

We use off the shelf FTDI cables, you just need to modify the connector on the end of it.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16360

humnx · Post by **humnx** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:08 pm

The Robman wrote:We use off the shelf FTDI cables, you just need to modify the connector on the end of it.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16360

Yeah, I know these FTDI adapter cables; I played with them back in 2018 with Arduino and stuff! I got those from China on eBay. Not sure whether they're still popular and selling!

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:17 pm

humnx wrote:Sure, I can get one, as long as it is a common USB to serial adapter and not proprietary stuff that costs me a fortune!

It sounded like you thought we were trying to sell you one, so I was just showing that you can get them anywhere and usually for under $10.

humnx · Post by **humnx** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:42 pm

The Robman wrote:
humnx wrote:Sure, I can get one, as long as it is a common USB to serial adapter and not proprietary stuff that costs me a fortune!
It sounded like you thought we were trying to sell you one, so I was just showing that you can get them anywhere and usually for under $10.

Sorry, Rob, not at all!

TBH my brain has been over consuming stuff for the past few days

I was not sure and overwhelmed after looking at various remote models and the types of connector versions in the Remote Chart. Subconsciously, I had a thought that some remotes may need complex emulators or adapters to program!

Post by **The Robman** » Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:07 am

You posted quite a long list of remotes that you have found available where you live, which is good that there are so many still available. I found RDFs for all of them, so they should all work with JP1, so I would just pick one that appeals to you.

My advice would be to get one that has "learning" as that is a very useful feature to capture the signals for a device if we don't already have an upgrade file for it.

I was hoping that someone who has used one of these remotes before would offer advice, but things have been pretty quiet around here lately.

HamburgerHelper1 · Post by **HamburgerHelper1** » Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:44 am

The Robman wrote:You posted quite a long list of remotes that you have found available where you live, which is good that there are so many still available. I found RDFs for all of them, so they should all work with JP1, so I would just pick one that appeals to you.

My advice would be to get one that has "learning" as that is a very useful feature to capture the signals for a device if we don't already have an upgrade file for it.

I was hoping that someone who has used one of these remotes before would offer advice, but things have been pretty quiet around here lately.

I might be biased because I worked on the RDF, but the URC-3660 and, the European version URC-3661 is my favorite remote.
It has learning, it has Back lighting it is packed with features, and you can put a Macro or Multi-Macro or a Real Time Macro on practically any key
I have replaced all of my remotes with the URC-3660
What I do when Looking at remotes is to run RMIR and click File>New>Remote Image
Pick the particular remote I'm interested in and look at what features it has
Just thought I would put my two cents worth in

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Thu Nov 30, 2023 3:34 pm

Asked and answered over at AVS Forum. I agree the 3661 is really the only one worthy of consideration. The others are pretty bad.

Post by **The Robman** » Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:38 pm

I believe in linking things together, so I searched for the AVS thread and found it:
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/3288604/

humnx · Post by **humnx** » Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:25 pm

Thank you, Rob, for providing the links. I bought a URC-1280 yesterday and shared my final thoughts along with the reasons behind my choice in the AVS forum post. Please check it out when you have the time.

Also, a big thanks to Dave and HamburgerHelper1. I also agree that the 3660/3661 is better, but within the same model, I prefer the Insignia ones over the ONN or EU. I've detailed my reasons in my AVS post, so please feel free to take a look!

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Fri Dec 01, 2023 3:16 pm

Looks like you're in business. See my response at AVS.