[tor-talk] does tor-browser not use some country exits with some guards?

[Joe]

I hope I didn't already submit this question & forgot.

I'd been using TBB 8.0.3 a while - now in 8.0.4 (Linux).
A retail site said it couldn't deal with anyone outside the US.
It assumed from my exit node, I wasn't in the US.

So, modified the torrc file - which had a fairly long list of countries 
for ExitNodes {xx},{yy} (examples) specified to use.
Another 5 or 6 countries were under ExcludeExitNodes {aa},{bb} 
(examples), but not US.

I commented out all lines of the existing ExitNodes (and moved them near 
end of the file).
Then, added: ExitNodes {us}

The country {us} wasn't in any other active, non-commented lines.
But after re-reading what I already knew about specifying exit nodes, 
TBB refused to use exits in the US.
This was the edited torrc file:
> DataDirectory ~/.torbrowser/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor
> GeoIPFile 
> ~/.torbrowser/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/geoip
> GeoIPv6File 
> ~/.torbrowser/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/geoip6
> ExitNodes {us}
>
> ExcludeExitNodes {ca},{nz},{gb},{fr},{uk}
> #ExitNodes {au},{at},{be} [and many others]
It never would use any US exits - not by restarting or get-new-circuit 
or get-new-identity.
I'm positive the torrc syntax & spacing was correct.

Maybe because of the current Entry Guard's country location (Germany)?
Possibly a problem using an entry & exit - both in the "5 eyes" group? :)

When I reinstalled TBB to a new directory, started TBB once, then 
closed; added ExitNodes {us} in torrc again - same as before, but didn't 
have the commented out lines from the previous TBB installation, *then 
it used US exits.*  But, the guard's country was now different, due to a 
new TBB installation (no longer Germany).

I'm not sure if the problem was due to some Entry Guard + ExitNode 
combination, or something in the old torrc file it just didn't like?
This is the new torrc:
> # This file was generated by Tor; if you edit it, comments will not be 
> preserved
> # The old torrc file was renamed to torrc.orig.1 or similar, and Tor 
> will ignore it
>
> DataDirectory 
> ~/.torbrowser/torbrowser-test/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor
> GeoIPFile 
> ~/.torbrowser/torbrowser-test/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/geoip
> GeoIPv6File 
> ~/.torbrowser/torbrowser-test/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/geoip6
>
> ExitNodes {us}