The Repairman’s Home Manual
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First-edition launch price $37 — regular price $47 applies when the timer ends --d --h --m --s
By Stan Novak · Television and radio repair, 1979–2019

Save $480–$1,200 a year on your television, internet, printer and subscription bills

— using 143 plain fixes a television repairman learned across forty years on the bench. Settings that left the factory wrong, boxes you are renting but never needed, and the sentence that ends a scam call. 111 pages. Large print. One evening to do the part that matters most.

The Repairman's Home Manual

The Repairman’s Home Manual

  • 111-page ebook, 143 numbered fixes across 13 sections
  • Large print throughout — set that way from the start
  • The Bill Worksheet for your own statements
  • Three printable bonuses, including the Telephone Card
  • Every future edition free, forever
First-edition launch price
$47$37one payment, no subscription
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Instant access — the PDF and the three bonuses are in your inbox within a couple of minutes of payment. Read on any telephone, tablet or computer. Print the pages you want at the kitchen table. 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked — if it is not for you, email and the $37 comes back.
Stan Novak in his living room
Stan Novak opened a television and radio repair shop in 1979 and worked his own bench until he closed it — tubes, then circuit boards, then sets that were mostly software with a screen attached.
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It is not a book about becoming a technician. It is a book about keeping what you already paid for — and stopping the payments you were never supposed to be making.

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Pull up your last twelve months of bills

These are the line items most households quietly tolerate. The right-hand column is the same household after working through Section 4 of the Manual.

Line item, per yearNowAfter the Manual
Two rented cable or satellite boxesreturned, fix 38$360$0
Rented modem or gatewaybought outright, fix 39$156$0 after month 8
One service paid for through two doorsfix 42$180$0
One subscription nobody has watched since springfix 43$180$0
Ink plan, light printingcompatible cartridges, fix 53$84about $40
Security suite you never chosebuilt-in protection, fix 91$60$0
Promotional rate that quietly expiredone telephone call, fix 47$300$0
Typical household, per year$1,320about $140

These are national ranges, not your figures. A household without these line items saves nothing here — and the Manual says so on the page, then gives you the worksheet for your own numbers.

Get the Manual — $37

Stan Novak

Most of it was never broken. It was set that way.

Early on, when something did not work, it was broken. A part had failed and you could put your finger on it. By the end of forty years, most of what came across my counter was not broken at all. It was working exactly as it had been set up to work — and the way it had been set up served somebody other than the person who owned it.

A television with the picture pushed to showroom settings. A printer that stopped because a cartridge was recognised as the wrong kind. A bill with three rental charges on it for boxes sitting in a cupboard. None of that is a fault. There is nothing to repair.

It is a set of decisions somebody made, and every one of them can be changed by the person who owns the machine — in an evening, with no tools.

So that is what this book is. 143 of those decisions, numbered, in the order I would work through them, in the same four parts each time. And where a fix is a trade rather than a win, the item says so. That is the part most of these books leave out.

Hear how Stan explains things first

One of the channel videos. The Manual is the same voice, written down, in order.

Stan Novak video

The video loads from YouTube only when you press play.

Inside the Manual

143 fixes across 13 sections. Every one of them is named here, so you know exactly what you are buying. Pick the sections that fit your house. Skip the ones that do not.

1 The Factory Settings — 14 fixes, numbered 1–14

picture mode still on Vivid or Store Demo · motion smoothing · sharpness pushed past neutral · noise reduction working on a clean signal · dynamic contrast and black level stretch · the light sensor dimming your picture · energy saving mode set above minimum · auto volume levelling · sound mode on Standard · surround processing on a two-speaker set · lip sync out by a frame or two · game mode, and the reason it is not only for games · the input never labelled, and the port never set to full bandwidth · overscan cutting the edge off the picture

2 The Watchers — 12 fixes, numbered 15–26

automatic content recognition · the microphone in the remote · stored voice recordings · the camera you forgot the set has · interest-based advertising on the television itself · the advertising identifier that ties it together · recommendation rows fed by everything you watch · the app permission list nobody opens · diagnostic and usage sharing · the agreements you can decline and still watch television · factory reset as a privacy tool, and what it leaves behind · the television that does not need to be on your network

3 Free Signal — 11 fixes, numbered 27–37

find out what actually reaches your address first · the antenna choice, told straight · aim with the meter already in your set · rescan, and rescan again · the subchannels almost nobody scans for · whether the new broadcast standard matters to you · the free apps already on the set · the library card that streams · the player already under the television · recording broadcast television, and what it really costs · the installer menu, and the honest word about it

4 The Bills You Already Paid — 12 fixes, numbered 38–49

the equipment line: box rental · the rented modem or gateway · the recording fee against what you already have · the broadcast and regional sports fees · the same service paid for twice · services you stopped watching and never cancelled · the annual-versus-monthly switch · the advertisement-supported tier, weighed honestly · rotation instead of collection · the call when the promotional rate ends · the renewals you cannot see on a card statement · the worksheet, and the only number that matters

5 The Printer — 12 fixes, numbered 50–61

the subscription offered during setup · what happens to the ink if you cancel · the firmware update that arrives to block ink · whether third-party ink is even possible on your model · your warranty is not void because you used other ink · the cleaning cycle eating your ink · print one page a week on purpose · the cartridge that is not actually empty · the tank printer question · print in black only, and in draft, by default · stop printing the page you do not need · the drivers that install a shop on your computer

6 The Telephone — 13 fixes, numbered 62–74

the permission review, app by app · location history · advertising identifier and personalised advertisements · make the screen readable, without shame · hearing settings most people never find · silence the unknown callers · message filtering and the link you should not press · storage: what is actually filling it · photograph backup, decided on purpose · battery health versus battery percentage · what is actually draining it · notifications that earn their place · the emergency page nobody fills in

7 The Router — 11 fixes, numbered 75–85

the password printed on the sticker · firmware, and whether it updates itself · remote administration · the guest network as a quarantine · where the box actually sits · the two bands, and which one your set should use · a cable where a cable is possible · the device list, read once · the extender that halves your speed · the reboot that is not superstition · the rented gateway and the bill

8 The Computer — 11 fixes, numbered 86–96

the programmes that start when it starts · a disc with nothing left in it · updates: the two kinds and how to treat them · the browser carrying passengers · the pop-up that says you have a virus · the security software you already have · a backup that exists · passwords: the only system I will ask you to adopt · the dust inside it · make it readable, the same as the telephone · when a solid-state drive is the right repair

9 The Machines That Quit Early — 12 fixes, numbered 97–108

heat is the whole story · the cabinet with the glass door · dust as an insulator · the cheap power supply · a surge protector is not a power strip · the bulging capacitor · charging habits for anything with a lithium battery · the cable killed by its own strain · standby power, and where it does and does not matter · the screen cleaned with the wrong thing · the battery left inside the remote · the appliance nobody cleans the filter on

10 Boxes, Cables and Remotes — 11 fixes, numbered 109–119

the expensive digital cable · the cable that is genuinely too old · the connection that carries sound back to a soundbar · the extended warranty at the till · the universal remote as a real solution · the device control setting that makes everything worse · the streaming stick as a replacement for a rented box · the soundbar decision, without the showroom · pass on the picture calibration service · the label, the manual and the bag · buying used, with the hour counter

11 The Scam Shelf — 14 fixes, numbered 120–133

the pop-up with a telephone number · the support call about your computer · the refund that needs your bank screen open · the grandchild in trouble · the delivery message with a small fee · the bank fraud warning that came to you · the gift card request · the government call with a threat · the wrong number that becomes a friendship · the romance that never appears in person · the invoice for something you did not order · the medical device or brace that is free · the obituary and the storm chaser · what to do in the first hour afterwards

12 Repair or Let It Go — 10 fixes, numbered 134–143

the half rule · weigh the age against the expected life · ask which part failed, and write the answer down · check whether it is a known fault first · diagnostic fees and what they buy · what repair actually earns you, honestly · parts and manuals you are entitled to look for · the three repairs I would always do · the three repairs I would usually decline · sell it, donate it or dispose of it properly

13What This Manual Will Not Do — seven honest limits

it will not make a connected television private · it cannot promise your savings figure · it cannot give you button-by-button menu paths · it will not turn you into a repair technician · it cannot recover money already lost to fraud · it is not legal, financial or medical advice · it will go out of date, and what I will do about it

Get all 143 fixes — $37

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Every fix looks like this

Four parts, every time, so you can read only the part you need. Fix number 2, exactly as it appears in the book.

2

Motion smoothing

What it is
Frame interpolation. Called Motion Smoothing, TruMotion, Motionflow, Auto Motion Plus, Motion Interpolation or Clear Motion.
Why it is that way
It makes fast sport look fluid in a shop, and it is left on for everything else as a result.
What to do
In the picture settings, find the motion group and switch the feature off. If the set only offers a slider, take judder and blur reduction to zero. Sport is the one case where you may want it back, so learn where the switch lives.
What it gets you
Film that looks like film instead of a daytime serial. This is the single change most people notice immediately.
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Look inside

Real pages from the file you will download.

The contents page

The contents page

A section opener

A section opener

Section 4, the bills

Section 4, the bills

Section 11, the scam shelf

Section 11, the scam shelf

Section 13, the limits

Section 13, the limits

The worksheet at the back

The worksheet at the back

  • The six fixes to do tonight, with the remote in your hand, before anything else
  • Track what each fix actually returned, in dollars, on your own worksheet
  • Clear limits on every item — you will know when it is a trade and when to call a shop
  • Large print throughout, set that way from the start
  • Read on phone, tablet, computer, or printed at the kitchen table
  • New editions, free forever — a written commitment in Section 13
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Who this is for

It is a better book for some households than for others, and it is fairer to say so here.

This is for you if

  • You have a television, a printer, a telephone and a bill, and you suspect none of them is set up in your favour
  • You would rather read one book, in order, than watch forty videos
  • You want the money items done in one sitting with three statements and a pencil
  • You are buying it for a parent and want something they can actually read
  • You have had a scam call, or you worry about the next one

This is not for you if

  • You want button-by-button paths for one specific make and model
  • You want to open a television and fix it at component level
  • You carry none of the line items in Section 4 — your saving there will be small, and the book says so
  • You are looking for a way to make a connected television completely private
  • You want a promise of a fixed dollar figure rather than a range and a worksheet
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Here is everything you get today

The Repairman’s Home Manual111-page large-print ebook, 143 numbered fixes across 13 sections, the worksheet and the record card
$37
The First Evening Road Maptwelve fixes in order: tonight with the remote, tomorrow with three statements, this week
$9
The Telephone Cardfourteen scam approaches and the sentence that ends each one, on one printable page to keep by the telephone
$7
The Bill Worksheet & Record Cardprintable, for your own statements and your own passwords, model numbers and dates
$7
Every future edition, freeevery revision and every new edition, sent to the same address, no extra charge
$19
Total value $79
Today, all of it for the first-edition launch price of
$37
Regular price $47 when the launch ends
Get Instant Access →

One payment · PDF in your inbox within minutes · read on any device

The thirty-day guaranteeRead it. Do Section 1 tonight. If it is not for you, write to the address in the footer within thirty days and the $37 comes back. No form to fill in and no reason required.
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Questions

Will this work with my television?

Yes. The fixes are given by the names makers use for each setting rather than as button paths, because the same setting is called three different things by three different makers and the names change between model years. Each item lists the common names so you can use your set's own settings search. That is also why the manual does not promise a single click path — it would be wrong for half of the people reading it.

I am not technical. Is this over my head?

No. Every fix is a setting, a habit or a telephone call. Nothing asks you to open a device, and the manual tells you plainly not to open a television or a power supply. If you have one evening, the First Evening Road Map is the six fixes to do tonight with the remote in your hand.

How much will I actually save?

For a household carrying two rented boxes, a rented modem, one duplicate subscription and an ink plan, the line items in Section 4 commonly total $480 to $1,200 a year. If you do not carry those line items, your figure is smaller, and the manual says so on the page. The Bill Worksheet is for your own statements, because a national average is not a promise about your bills.

What does large print mean here?

The body text is set larger than a standard book, with wider spacing and high contrast, from the start rather than enlarged afterwards. It reads at arm's length on a tablet and prints at full size without a magnifier. It is the reason the manual runs to 111 pages.

How is it delivered?

As a PDF, in your inbox within a couple of minutes of payment, together with the three printable bonuses. Read it on a telephone, a tablet or a computer, or print the pages you want at the kitchen table.

Is there a subscription?

No. One payment. Every future edition is sent to you at no charge — that is a written commitment inside the manual, in Section 13.

Why is there a section on what the book will not do?

Because a book that claims everything cannot be trusted on anything. Section 13 says plainly that no setting makes a connected television private, that your savings figure is yours and not mine, and that menu paths differ by make. You can read all seven limits on this page before you buy.

Can I buy it for my mother or father?

Yes. Download it and send it on, or print it and hand it over. A good many people sit down with a parent and do Section 1 and the Telephone Card together, which is how it was meant to be used.

What if it is not for me?

Write to the address in the footer within thirty days and the money comes back. No form, no reason required.

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Stan Novak

About Stan Novak

I opened a television and radio repair shop in 1979 and worked my own bench for forty years. I was never employed by a manufacturer, a broadcaster or a retail chain, which is the only reason I can write a book like this one. I am not selling you equipment and I do not get paid when you buy a television.

What I have is a counter’s worth of the same complaints — the picture that keeps getting darker, the printer that stopped, the bill that never goes down — and the settings that answered them. This manual is those answers, written down in the order I would give them, in print big enough to read at arm’s length.

If you would like to hear how I explain things before you buy anything, the channel is here.

Stan Novak

One evening, one book, most of the benefit

Section 1 with the remote in your hand. Section 4 with your last three statements. The Telephone Card by the telephone. That is most of what the Manual can do for you, and nobody will ask you about the rest.

Get the Manual — $37

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$37
143 fixes · 111 pages · 3 bonuses
Get the Manual
Get the Manual — $37