satellite remote control

Is there any way to make a satellite remote control work better? The buttons on ours have to be pushed very hard to make them work. It is not a new one as we've had our dish for a few years now. Thank you rmnicls@netins.net

 

Beyond fresh batteries and cleaning the battery terminals, only actual replacement is available.

One thought though: Is the satellite receiver front panel being washed with light from an outside light source? Too much light will desensitize the receiver. If the light is fluorescent, the frequency of the light is sufficient to stall the receiver completely or give it a nervous breakdown.
In that case, place a small piece of black electrician's tape across the IR receiver on the front panel. Cut a small rectangular hole in the tape. This will desensitize the IR receiver to external light and sensitize it to the remote's IR signal.

Smokey

 

Take it right apart, and clean the contacts
on the keypad and the circuit board, I use
common rubbing alcohol works wonders.
If you find a gooey gel in there , it's not supposed to be there, it's supposed to be dry.