CL65 CREW DOES NOT MAKE XING RESTR.

Narrative

WE WERE ON A REDUCED REST OVERNIGHT COMING OUT OF BURLINGTON; VT. THE FO WAS THE PF; AND WE WERE LEVEL AT FL290. WE WERE E OF LRP VORTAC BY SOME DISTANCE AND I WENT OFF OF COM #1 TO PICK UP ATIS. AS THE RECEPTION WAS WEAK; I HAD TO LISTEN SEVERAL TIMES. DURING THIS TIME; ZNY GAVE THE FO A XING RESTR OF 20 MI E OF LRP AT FL200. HE PROGRAMMED IT INTO THE FMS; AND BY THE TIME I WAS BACK ON COM #1; HAD STARTED A DSCNT; AT THIS TIME CTR ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE OUR RESTR. I LOOKED OVER AT THE FO'S MFD'S VNAV WINDOW; AND IT CALLED FOR A DSCNT RATE OF 1800 FPM AND AS WE WERE DOING 2000 FPM; REPLIED WE WOULD. AS IT TURNS OUT THE FO MISPROGRAMMED THE FMS; AND WE WERE ABOUT 2000 FT HIGH 3 MI W OF THE FIX. THIS PARTICULAR FMS HAS A PECULIAR PROB. IF THERE ARE TOO MANY FIXES OR THE DISTANCE IS TOO GREAT BTWN YOU AND THE FIX DEFINES YOUR RESTR; YOU CAN'T ENTER IT DIRECTLY. YOU NOW HAVE TO DO SOME COMPUTER GYMNASTICS ON WHAT IS CALLED THE 'FIX PAGE' AND PLACE IT WHERE YOU WANT IT. IF IT IS PLACED IMPROPERLY; IT CAN CAUSE A PROB. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. THINGS WERE COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO MONITOR THE FMS INPUTS; BECAUSE I WAS OFF FREQ AND UNAWARE OF WHAT THE FO'S FMS INPUTS WERE. NO LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED THAT I'M AWARE OF.