The easy way to get 2 Sat lines to the Ent Center

DXprowler

Well-known member
1. Get 2 diplexers, make up 2 short coax cables and another cable long enough to go from the UDC to the splitter at the basement TV outlet. This is the Ant/cable feed which also goes to the rear Ent Center and bedroom.

2. Remove basement walls.

3. Remove one of the roof top sat feeds preferably #1. That way you'll have Sat 1 and a new Sat 2 beside each other.

4. Connect the long cable you made up and then fish it over to the basement TV outlet and connect it to the Sat side of the diplexer.

5. Trace and disconnect the cable from the splitter that goes to the rear Ent center and then connect it to the combine side of the diplexer.

6. Connect 1 of the short jumpers to the Ant/cable side and the other to the splitter.

7. Go to the Ent Center and locate the Sat 1 and the Antenna/Cable outlets. The Sat 1 outlet was the top on on mine but a continuity check will confirm.

8. Take the 2nd jumper and connect it to the Ant/cable outlet then connect the other end to the Sat side which will make your new Sat 2 connection.

9. Connect a cable to the Ant/cable side of the diplexer for cable or off air.

10. To confirm that the new Sat 2 cable is working, connect a Sat receiver and go to the outlet in the UDC where you changed the cable (which is the new Sat 2) and connect a Sat finder. It will sequel if it has found the Sat receiver.

If your receiver has 2 tuners in it, the idea of using the diplexers is that it allows you to use the Ant/cable as an extra Sat cable. This CATV cable run is also used for the off air reception but the problem is it is split into the amplifier in the bedroom. This amp will kill Sat communication as the Sat needs a clean feed to communicate with the LNB. It will be bypassed when using the diplexer.

The other good thing is that this setup will not interfere with off air and cable TV reception if you have that available or need it instead. You just can't use both cable and Sat unless you go down to 1 Sat feed to the rear Ent center. Also, the bedroom Sat 2 (and cable feed) will not change if you want to use a second receiver.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I followed your instructions today but didn't get complete success. The new connection to the receiver produces good signal strength readout on the TV (from the Directv receiver menu), but the receiver never finds the satellite. Just searches and searches and searches. Hook the receiver up to the original satellite connector and everything is fine. Antenna to the TV still works.

So I'm confused. It seems like the 89% signal strength reading indicates the new satellite feed is working. But why won't it lock on to the satellite?

Any ideas?
 

DXprowler

Well-known member
From your question I'm not exactly sure what the problem is but I think it has something to do about what I mentioned before about using diplexers. You have to use a diplexer or the catv booster will interfere with the Sat reception. As far as I can make out, this is probably your problem.

As I quote myself: "If your receiver has 2 tuners in it, the idea of using the diplexers is that it allows you to use the Ant/cable as an extra Sat cable. This CATV cable run is also used for the off air reception but the problem is it is split into the amplifier in the bedroom. This amp will kill Sat communication as the Sat needs a clean feed to communicate with the LNB. It will be bypassed when using the diplexer."

The steps are confusing but I've had no problem running the PVR or DVR (with 2 tuners) since I did the mod. If you have a regular HD transceiver than the mod is not necessary as you only need 1 cable run.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I started with splitters this morning and found they didn't work. Picked up diplexers this afternoon and thought I had it, but something isn't right.

I'm wondering if I have the bedroom wire plugged into the combine connector on the basement diplexer. I didn't trace the wires - just figured one would work and the other wouldn't - 50/50 chance of getting it right on the first try.
 

hoefler

Well-known member
Are you using a free standing dish like on your house??? If your using one of the self seeking automatic dishes, it won't work, only has one LNB. That is the way mine is. If I use two dishes, one on the roof and the carry out, run a second coax to the receiver, it works.
 

DXprowler

Well-known member
That could be the problem Dan. I can't remember if the basement outlet is split off to the bedroom or not! If it is, try bypassing the bedroom completely to see if it works. The key is to get away from the booster.

It's only been a little over a year since I did the mod, but I'm finding I really have to think about it. The old memory is not what it used to be! haha

Good luck with it!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
It's a freestanding DirecTv dish. I think it's called the low-profile 3. 4 wires coming off the LNB. I'll work on it again next week to see if switching the basement wiring solves it.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
It's working today but just barely. The new satellite path is not as good as the factory line. I have problems with some signals from some of the satellites. Maybe just going through too much wire and too many connectors. It starts with 100' from the dish to the UDC to get satellite line of sight, so maybe that's part of the problem, compounded by having 2 diplexers in the path of the new line.

I put in an access panel in the basement wall, to the left of the coax connector, so I can get to the wires and diplexer, splitter without taking the wall down. Got it from Home DepotRV Coax Mod.jpg
Watts SpringFit 9 in. x 9 in. Access Panel. I'm also uploading 2 pictures: the original coax layout, and a revised diagram of the new layout.
Landmark_Coax_Wiring_Layout_10-01-07a.jpg
One thing I notice is that the TV antenna is routed to the bedroom first, then to the splitter in the basement. So while the satellite signal doesn't pass thru the amp in the bedroom, whatever the amp puts on the line would get still routed thru the diplexer and on to the living room and perhaps affect the satellite signal.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Why use all the diplexers, splitters and aspirin. Just run a new line to the rear entertainment center and connect it to the back side of the plug in the UDC where the coax from the rooftop satellite coax was. Now you have two usable lines to the entertainment center.
Then find the satellite coax that goes to the bedroom and cut it and splice in a barrel connector. Then run that coax to the bedroom connector behind the UDC. This will eliminate the splitter that lives somewhere in the belly.
This all of course, assumes you have more than one output on the LNB's of the dish.
This is the way I did it on my last rig and my current rig. I have a HD receiver in the bedroom and a HD DVR in the living room. Always a good strong signal from the dish.
I do have three 100 foot cables running from the dish to the UDC.
Hope this helps make your job a little easier.

Peace
Dave
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
I have a sat dish with 4 outputs but I only use 2.I connect the cables to the sat input on the RV..
one for the bedroom receiver and one for the livingroom receiver.In the livingroom behind the TV I
have a switch to go from sat to cable if its available.All works well but I guess not all RV's are wired
correctly.Fortunately I have one that does work well.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Just run a new line to the rear entertainment center and connect it to the back side of the plug in the UDC

Cookie, you have a good point but it's not obvious to me how you ran that new line from the entertainment center to the UDC. Could you describe how you accomplished that. How did you route it?
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Well routing the coax was actually pretty easy. I just unscrewed the belly material along the off door side of the frame. You could do the same thing. I removed the basement bulkhead and fished the coax from the UDC down and along the coroplast belly material all the way to my slide. In your case with the rear entertainment center you will need to fish it to the rear. Look for where the present coax goes up and follow that route with the new caox.
You will need to devise a way to mount the new coax. I modified the existing plates.

Peace
Dave
 
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