- Satellite set up
- Thread starter Twelvey
- Start date
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi Twelvey,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon with some help for you.
Also be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum and your new unit.
Jim M
I moved thread to better area also. Where you posted originally was for submission of owners manuals to help others. We do have a great owners manuals site also, some written by members and actual users of the subject. Just click on the "Tools" tab at top of page.
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon with some help for you.
Also be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum and your new unit.
Jim M
I moved thread to better area also. Where you posted originally was for submission of owners manuals to help others. We do have a great owners manuals site also, some written by members and actual users of the subject. Just click on the "Tools" tab at top of page.
danemayer
Well-known member
Hi Twelvey,
As in houses, most of the time if you want to route satellite to 2 TVs, you need:
1. 2 receivers (a separate one for each TV)
2. a dish/LNB that supports two receivers (a splitter may be a workable substitute in some cases - not sure why you're considering a diplexer for this role)
3. Internal wiring to both locations
If you have a trailer (Bighorn for example) with a Universal Docking Center (UDC), there are connections to the living room and to the bedroom, so this would be an ideal location for a splitter, if you have 2 receivers.
If your intent is to use a single satellite receiver, you'll need one with a coax output that can be split, with one side going to the nearby TV and the other being plugged back into the cable/antenna connection on the wall plate. Maybe you would have a diplexer at this wall plate so you can combine the antenna and satellite signals to the TVs.
If the satellite receiver doesn't have coax output, you'd need a wireless transmitter/receiver to send the satellite output to the 2nd TV.
As far as TV settings go, it depends on which way you routed the satellite signal to the TVs. If you connected via a coax output from the satellite receiver, that typically would show up as channel 3 or 4 on the TV - a channel scan would pick it up. If you used an HDMI connection, it would show up differently on the TV menu, and so on.
SeattleLion
Well-known member
Satellites do not work on splitters. The reason is that sat signals are polarized so that the receiver send a specific DC voltage back to the dish or multiswitch. That selects the correct polarity. A hookup where each tv and watch any channel requires a separate cable for each receiver. My Bighorn has that wiring built in. There is a cable from the UDC to the LR and another to the BR. We have the Trav'ler dish and the prewired roof wiring works perfectly. All you need is a jumper in the UDC to connect the two pairs of sat cables.
Bohemian
Well-known member
Satellites do not have splitters, but they have the equivalent. I do not remember the term at this time.
My system looks like one cable coming from satellite connected to "splitter" connected to as many lines that the "splitter" supports, connected to as many satellite receivers as there are lines. Of course the lines can be split again.
I have Directv with a Genie(HD DVR server, record 5 programs while watching a sixth show). Then as many miniGenies(clients) as I have lines.
It can be set up very simply and you can have as many tvs as you want.
My system looks like one cable coming from satellite connected to "splitter" connected to as many lines that the "splitter" supports, connected to as many satellite receivers as there are lines. Of course the lines can be split again.
I have Directv with a Genie(HD DVR server, record 5 programs while watching a sixth show). Then as many miniGenies(clients) as I have lines.
It can be set up very simply and you can have as many tvs as you want.
The DirecTV Genie system is awesome. With the Genie HD/DVR . . .
"Genie can provide full HD DVR functionality and DIRECTV programming to up to eight connected TVs. However, only four TVs—including the TV connected directly to Genie—can show live or recorded content at the same time.
If you expect to have more than four TVs in use at the same time, we recommend using HD DVRs for those extra TVs to ensure the best entertainment experience." (from the DirecTV website)
danemayer
Well-known member
Here's a link to a Directv Splitter like the one in my UDC. One wire comes from the dish to the splitter. The 4 outputs go to various locations inside. I'm currently using 2 of the connections that come off the splitter; each having its own receiver.
SeattleLion
Well-known member
Actually, it's not a splitter but a multi switch. If you have a single coax to each receiver, you also have a SWM power supply somewhere in the DirecTV system.
Bohemian
Well-known member
Yes, it's a multiswitch. Thanks.
Conceptually, a splitter.
I forgot that word. Functionally, the same think. Though it does work differently.
VMooreSR
Well-known member
danemayer
Well-known member
Maybe someone could explain why they think this device is a switch.
The label provided by Directv says it's a 4-way splitter.
My understanding is that switches usually have active components, either mechanical or electronic, that route signals across different paths. Splitters would be passive.
While the use of switches in satellite TV applications is beyond my experience, I think they're used in more complex installations involving multiple signal sources, and distribution to many devices.
The label provided by Directv says it's a 4-way splitter.
My understanding is that switches usually have active components, either mechanical or electronic, that route signals across different paths. Splitters would be passive.
While the use of switches in satellite TV applications is beyond my experience, I think they're used in more complex installations involving multiple signal sources, and distribution to many devices.
Bohemian
Well-known member
http://forums.solidsignal.com/showthread.php/167-Diplexer-Splitter-Combiner-What-are-these-things
Use the wrong one and your system won't work properly.
Use the wrong one and your system won't work properly.
Bohemian
Well-known member
Bohemian
Well-known member
Bohemian
Well-known member
Short answer. In older installs of satellite TV systems there were multiple wires to each receiver from the antennas, yes plural. Multiple receiver systems used splitters and was complicated and severely limited in some cases. The less limitations you wanted the more complex the systems got.
Now the new technology uses one wire from what we thing of as the "antenna", but which is in fact many antennas, (LNB). To have all those signals on one wire a complex of devices need to be used. Fortunately it's all built into the most modern "antenna" and the receivers. The one side effect is that splitters do not work. One must use a MSSPLITTER, or Multiswitch splitter to split the data stream into multiple streams (wires), one for each receiver. The receivers then internally split the signals for each of the LNBs(actual antenna units on the "antenna") for their own use. That is, if you go the conceptually simplest route. One can get much more complicated, but why do that.
Now the new technology uses one wire from what we thing of as the "antenna", but which is in fact many antennas, (LNB). To have all those signals on one wire a complex of devices need to be used. Fortunately it's all built into the most modern "antenna" and the receivers. The one side effect is that splitters do not work. One must use a MSSPLITTER, or Multiswitch splitter to split the data stream into multiple streams (wires), one for each receiver. The receivers then internally split the signals for each of the LNBs(actual antenna units on the "antenna") for their own use. That is, if you go the conceptually simplest route. One can get much more complicated, but why do that.
SeattleLion
Well-known member
The splitter is intended to go on a special port in the larger multiswitch. I have never seen it applied on its own.
Bohemian
Well-known member
Maybe someone could explain why they think this device is a switch.
The label provided by Directv says it's a 4-way splitter.
My understanding is that switches usually have active components, either mechanical or electronic, that route signals across different paths. Splitters would be passive.
While the use of switches in satellite TV applications is beyond my experience, I think they're used in more complex installations involving multiple signal sources, and distribution to many devices.
"SWM", Single Wire Multiswitch. SWMSplitter, Single Wire Multiswitch Splitter
danemayer
Well-known member
My setup as provided by the Directv installer:
Slimline 3 Dish
SWM LNB
One connector on the LNB
One wire to the single input on the 4-way Directv MSPLIT4R1-03 splitter in the UDC.
4 output wires to various locations, 2 of which are connected to receivers.
A Directv Power Inserter is inline for wire going to the living room receiver. It sends power thru splitter connection #1 to the LNB.
A single coax line to the living room DVR supports both tuners in the DVR.
No switches are involved, although I'm sure if you wanted to, it's possible to construct a more complicated solution.
Before this setup, I had a Slimline 3 Dish with a much older technology using a Multiswitch LNB having 4 outputs. Each output could be connected to a separate receiver. But since the UDC has 2 connections, only 2 of the 4 could be used until I ran extra coax to the living room. With the Multiswitch LNB, I needed 2 coax lines to the DVR to support 2 tuners.
Slimline 3 Dish
SWM LNB
One connector on the LNB
One wire to the single input on the 4-way Directv MSPLIT4R1-03 splitter in the UDC.
4 output wires to various locations, 2 of which are connected to receivers.
A Directv Power Inserter is inline for wire going to the living room receiver. It sends power thru splitter connection #1 to the LNB.
A single coax line to the living room DVR supports both tuners in the DVR.
No switches are involved, although I'm sure if you wanted to, it's possible to construct a more complicated solution.
Before this setup, I had a Slimline 3 Dish with a much older technology using a Multiswitch LNB having 4 outputs. Each output could be connected to a separate receiver. But since the UDC has 2 connections, only 2 of the 4 could be used until I ran extra coax to the living room. With the Multiswitch LNB, I needed 2 coax lines to the DVR to support 2 tuners.
SeattleLion
Well-known member
The newer SWM (single wire multiswitch) uses either or both types of device. My understanding is that the larger multiswitch is used when there are more than 4 receivers (8 tuners). My home installation (replaced only 3 months ago) has a 16 port multiswitch (it only has 8 ports and a 8-cable splitter is also installed into a port on it). My Trav'ler has a 4 way splitter. I don't think the splitter is completely passive. In order to have enough signal to properly feed all of my home receivers (Genie and 4 DVR's), the LNB on my dish has four outputs and four cables to the multiswitch. On smaller systems, like the Trav'ler, the LNB using the DC from the SWM power supply, is able to shift frequencies so that both polarities and the extra Sat signals (90 deg sat) can be sent on a single cable without the need for the receiver to send DC voltages to the multiswitch or LNB. The splitter blocks DC from all receivers except from the SWM adapter which is attached in series with one of the receivers (the SWM blocks DC from the receiver). This rejigging of the signals by the LNB or Multiswitch permits treating the DirecTV signal like a typical cable signal. DC is no longer needed to tell the LNB or Multiswitch which polarity to send on the coax.
You are right that the splitter is indeed a signal splitter. It is higher frequency than the typical conventional TV splitter. It also blocks DC except from a single output that is intended to get SWM power. SWM systems are much easier to wire. I don't know if you can split an already-split signal (i.e. you want 2 receivers in one location and only want 1 coax from the main splitter). I did learn from our installer that the tuner load must be balanced in a particular way. When we added the Genie, he had to move things around on the multiswitch. Apparently, the Trav'ler has no problem managing the extra tuners in a Genie. Lots of people here use them in their trailers.
My newest project, once we get the trailer to somewhere our dish can see the birds, is to try to have the "whole home" system work in the trailer. I've got a wired network available at both receiver locations. I hope it will be enough to let us move whole home from our house to the trailer. Has anyone done this?
You are right that the splitter is indeed a signal splitter. It is higher frequency than the typical conventional TV splitter. It also blocks DC except from a single output that is intended to get SWM power. SWM systems are much easier to wire. I don't know if you can split an already-split signal (i.e. you want 2 receivers in one location and only want 1 coax from the main splitter). I did learn from our installer that the tuner load must be balanced in a particular way. When we added the Genie, he had to move things around on the multiswitch. Apparently, the Trav'ler has no problem managing the extra tuners in a Genie. Lots of people here use them in their trailers.
My newest project, once we get the trailer to somewhere our dish can see the birds, is to try to have the "whole home" system work in the trailer. I've got a wired network available at both receiver locations. I hope it will be enough to let us move whole home from our house to the trailer. Has anyone done this?
