Direct TV with DVR

Gaffer

Well-known member
I have the round dish with one LNB. The LNB has two outputs so that when two cables are run from the LNB to the DVR I can watch one show while recording another or record two shows at the same time. With only one cable in the coach going to the entertainment center, I am limited to just one channel at a time. Will a couple of diplexers allow me to connect to the DVR so that I can view both inputs as though I had two cables to the DVR rather than one? Would it look something like the attached?
 

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TXBobcat

Fulltime
I have a 2008 3400RE Bighorn.
It has a coaxial cable from the UDC to the entertainment system in the livingroom.
It has a coaixial cable from the entertainment system in the living room to the bedroom.

I cut the coaixial cable running between the livingroom and bedroom and put connectors on each end where the cable was cut.
I disconnected the second coaixial cable that goes to the length of coaix in the ceiling in the bedroom for an outdoor dish on the roof and coiled it up in the basement behind the UDC for future use.

I connected a length of coaix from the split cable in the livingroom and connected it to the connector in the UDC that was for the coiax in the ceiling.
I installed a coiax connector in the UDC and ran a cable to the coaix that was split going to the bedroom.

I connected a cable to the extra connector in the livingroom, where it went to the bedroom, to the DVR. This is now going to the UDC where the second Satellite to the bedroom ceiling was connected.

I no longer have a receiver or TV in the bedroom. We normally do not watch TV in the Bedroom, but if I had a receiver and TV there I could make the connection from the extra connector in the UDC.


I run a dual cable from the Satellite to the UDC and it runs to both of the connectors in the entertainment area anc connects to the DVR.

If you want to see cable in the bedroom connect one of the cables to the new cable connector in the UDC. This may effect your DVR because it should be setup for two cables.


If you want to keep a receiver connected in the bedroom and the two in the livingroom you might try one of these.

DSC_0888 Voltage Controlled Switch M [800x600].jpg


I used it until my receiver in the bedroom died and the TV needed a box to convert it from analog to digital.

BC
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Last year there was a post that involved running the 2nd lnb output across the basement to the splitter behind the basement wall where the basement TV coax comes out. A diplexer there would combine the TV antenna/cable output with the 2nd lnb cable, carrying both signals to the cable/antenna coax connector in the entertainment center. Another diplexer there was used to separate the satellite signal from the cable/antenna signal. In this setup, TV antenna and cable connections should still work.

I couldn't get this to work with a high-def signal, but perhaps it works with standard def, which is probably what you get from a round dish.

It might also be possible to just add a Directv approved splitter at the entertainment center. Again, I think that works ok with standard def signals, but perhaps not with high def.

After trying several ideas, I ended up taking someone's advice and ran new coax from the UDC, down to the frame and back to the entertainment center.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I don't have HD and I tried the same thing you did with diplexer and could not get it to work either. That is why I use the multiswitcher above and cut the coaix and not have to run a second cable to the rear of my trailer.

I would be intrested in hearing how Gaffer ends up modifying his connections.

BC
 

StephenKatSea

Active Member
We have Direct TV HD (Los Angeles feed & box) with DVR in the living rm. Just ran a new coax from the new multi LNB dish to the receiver/dvr in the ent. center. Didn't even mess with the factory installed coax/splitters etc. In the bedroom we have another TV (non HD DVR but with Phoenix AZ feed) also ran coax into the basement from the dish and spliced (via coax connectors) into the factory installed cable which ran to the bedroom TV cabinet. It all works very well and the HD feed shows the quality of the factory provided Jensen TV in our 08' BH3670. It is really pretty darned good.
 

Gaffer

Well-known member
The round dish with the single LNB is SD not HD. My entertainment system is in the slide-out above the fireplace. I don't want to penetrate the slide to run a second cable so I was thinking maybe the diplexers would work. I do have the multi-switch which I took off our house when it sold and we went full-timing. Don't know how it would help unless I got the two cables to the DVR to work and wanted to also put a reciever in the bedroom. I have read the older threads and never seen my question.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I called Directv a few days ago to set up Distant Network Service (New York stations) for our summer trip and was told that new Federal Regs now require a separate account for the RV. They said they are no longer permitted to accept just the waiver, or to do the change of service address. But they also said I could suspend the unused account while using the other, so overall cost should be about the same.

They also provided new equipment for the RV. The new dish is a Slimline-3 with the SWM LNB. This is a single wire coming out of the LNB that goes to a splitter they provide. The output of the splitter feeds both the living room and bedroom coax. The single line to the living room connects to the HD24-500 DVR receiver and supports watching one channel while recording another. There's a Power Inserter that is in-line between the splitter and HD24-500 DVR. This device powers the LNB.

So it is possible to support both tuners in the DVR with 1 coax cable.

As to billing, it may turn out to be simpler than what they told me on the phone. It looks like they tied the new account number to the bill for the home account, adding the 2 receivers for the RV at $4 each. There's also additional $15 monthly charge for the New York Channels when they get activated. The best part is that they threw in a 1 year loyal customer retention discount of $20/month, even before I place the additional order, and turned on Showtime and Starz for 6 months for free. So it looks like the net cost of service in the RV might come out to $3/month above what I have been paying. This is way better than I had expected, so I'm hoping it sticks.
 

vakthund

Well-known member
They also provided new equipment for the RV. The new dish is a Slimline-3 with the SWM LNB. This is a single wire coming out of the LNB that goes to a splitter they provide. The output of the splitter feeds both the living room and bedroom coax. The single line to the living room connects to the HD24-500 DVR receiver and supports watching one channel while recording another. There's a Power Inserter that is in-line between the splitter and HD24-500 DVR. This device powers the LNB.
Not sure the RG58 coax in the camper will support SWM. I had to rewire my house with RG6 several years ago in order to get SWM working everywhere. Maybe it doesn't matter because of the short runs? I would definitely use RG6 from the power injector out to the dish.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Not sure the RG58 coax in the camper will support SWM.
The living room coax run that I'm using is one of two RG6 lines I installed. The bedroom coax is whatever Heartland uses for satellite, which I thought was RG6, but works, whatever it is.
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
I called Directv a few days ago to set up Distant Network Service (New York stations) for our summer trip and was told that new Federal Regs now require a separate account for the RV. They said they are no longer permitted to accept just the waiver, or to do the change of service address. But they also said I could suspend the unused account while using the other, so overall cost should be about the same.

They also provided new equipment for the RV. The new dish is a Slimline-3 with the SWM LNB. This is a single wire coming out of the LNB that goes to a splitter they provide. The output of the splitter feeds both the living room and bedroom coax. The single line to the living room connects to the HD24-500 DVR receiver and supports watching one channel while recording another. There's a Power Inserter that is in-line between the splitter and HD24-500 DVR. This device powers the LNB.

So it is possible to support both tuners in the DVR with 1 coax cable.

As to billing, it may turn out to be simpler than what they told me on the phone. It looks like they tied the new account number to the bill for the home account, adding the 2 receivers for the RV at $4 each. There's also additional $15 monthly charge for the New York Channels when they get activated. The best part is that they threw in a 1 year loyal customer retention discount of $20/month, even before I place the additional order, and turned on Showtime and Starz for 6 months for free. So it looks like the net cost of service in the RV might come out to $3/month above what I have been paying. This is way better than I had expected, so I'm hoping it sticks.

When we spend 3 month in AZ and when we get down there we call Direct and tell them we moved and give them our AZ address and then our locals are the AZ locals (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and what ever independents they have) No $15 a month charge for DNS. When we get back to CO we call and tell 'em we moved and then we get those locals back. Our billing is auto monthly from credit card so there is no problem with billing. Why mention RV's or DNS? We arnt trying to pull a fast one as we actually did move. If we are just week end camping we leave everything as is because we get the locals within and 250 range anyway.
We do have one receiver we leave in the RV all the time and it is listed on the DirectTV site as RV LIVING ROOM and they never seem to have a problem with that. If it starts to be a problem I with just "remove" it and put it in my stick home computer room.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
When we spend 3 month in AZ and when we get down there we call Direct and tell them we moved and give them our AZ address and then our locals are the AZ locals (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and what ever independents they have) No $15 a month charge for DNS. When we get back to CO we call and tell 'em we moved and then we get those locals back.
I've done that before, where there were local channels available. The problem I ran into is that there are no local channels offered in most of the places we'll be for the summer.
 
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