A common error among users is attempting to flash the "top 2022" software intended for a newer hardware version onto an older device. The device's outer casing may look identical, but the internal mainboard and tuner chips may differ. Flashing incompatible software will result in a "bricked" device (one that will not turn on or displays only a blank screen).

After the Pulse of ’29 fried every satellite and server, most people used their old Stargolds as doorstops or scrap. But Elara’s father had told her a secret before he walked into the static-choked wastes. “The 2022 Top,” he’d rasped, “wasn’t for TV. It unlocked the beacon.”