John, Sounds like you may have tried this, but try removing the card prior to doing the reset. If that doesn't do it, try doing the reset while the card is still in the unit.
As for the signal strength, the lower the number the better the signal. If I'm close to my router I can get a signal with a number as low as 27 but 31 or so is more common. If I'm a room or two away, the signal can drop to around 50 or so. I've seen signals which work at about 65 however. Unfortunately, it's only a relative indicator. If everything else fails, you might try the reset Paul mentioned with the record button held down while you press reset. Note that this will probably require a reset of the clock, but it appears to be the "ultimate" reset on the MPower which is what I believe you're using. Don
