OTA signal to 2 HR10-250s

[NiteOwl]

I ordered my second HR10-250 last night, and went and looked at my multiswitch this morning. I have a Zinwell 4x8 coming from my triple LNB dish. It does not have an input for the OTA antenna. My current HR10-250 is receiving the antenna signal direct from the RG-6 cable that I ran into the house. I assume I will need an upgraded multiswitch. How does the OTA distribution work? Will an additional line need to be run to each HR10-250? My install date is next Monday - what should I tell D when I call about this issue?

TIA...

[SpankyInChicago]

Assuming you don't want to split your current OTA line to feed the new HR10-250 (I assume it is going in another room) then you can get a 5x8 multiswitch, feed the OTA into the multiswitch and then you will have OTA and sat diplexed onto all 8 output of the multiswitch. Any room location where you want OTA you just add a diplexer to one of the two sat lines feeding the room and split out OTA and sat to their respective inputs on the HR10-250.

Please note that diplexing OTA signals is not future friendly. The new Ka/Ku dishes and multiswitches do not support diplexing OTA signals as the Ka sats are stacked in the OTA frequency range.

[phox_mulder]

Personally I'd run a seperate cable from the antenna, you'll get the best possible signal.

UHF doesn't do well with splitting, and diplexing has to be degrading the signal some as well.


phox

[NiteOwl]

Thanks for the info so far.

My 2nd unit is all the way across the house - probably a 75' run at least. My CM 4228 only has one output. Is it as simple as splitting it at the source?

Will D make sure my signal strength is sufficient? If so, then let them deal with an in-line amp etc? Probably wishful thinking though...

[codespy]

I split the incoming RG6 in my basement (against everyone's rules). One goes upstairs and one goes to rec room. Each feed goes into a HR10-250 with no problems. You could use a powered amp/splitter from Radio Shack if you wanted to which will help with signal reception.

[Lee L]

I split the incoming RG6 in my basement (against everyone's rules). One goes upstairs and one goes to rec room. Each feed goes into a HR10-250 with no problems. You could use a powered amp/splitter from Radio Shack if you wanted to which will help with signal reception.


Rule are made to be broken.

I have a Terk TV 50 antenna that is 8 plus years old from before I knew better, that I run into a powered amp, then split it 2 ways, one of which goes to an LCD TV in the bedroom. The other goes into a diplexer, then down the sat 2 cable for my downstairs HR10-250, from there it is diplexed back out, split into the HR10-250 and my TV. It is a crappy looking install but it is all I could rig up the way my wiring was done and I'm on a slab. even so, everything works fine.

Now, tonight, I need to split the feed in the bedroom so I can feed my new HR10-250 off it as well. :D

In teh new house, I am getting 3 runs of RG6 to most TV's and 4 to a couple, plus 2 CAT 5's to each. Hopefully that will keep me going for a year or 2. ;)

[TyroneShoes]

...UHF doesn't do well with splitting...
It's not the splitting, it's everything else (higher attenuation in cable runs, etc.) along with or on top of the splitting. Hybrid splitters are power dividers, and have the same amount of split loss at channel 2 as they do at channel 83, which is approximately 3.5 dB. Figure 3 dB for the current division referenced to 75 ohms characteristic impedance, regardless of frequency, and another half a dB for the inevitable slight impedance mismatch of the connectors. AC current (which is what a hybrid splitter splits) follows the very same laws of physics at high frequencies as it does at low frequencies.

[phox_mulder]

It's not the splitting, it's everything else (higher attenuation in cable runs, etc.) along with or on top of the splitting. Hybrid splitters are power dividers, and have the same amount of split loss at channel 2 as they do at channel 83, which is approximately 3.5 dB. Figure 3 dB for the current division referenced to 75 ohms characteristic impedance, regardless of frequency, and another half a dB for the inevitable slight impedance mismatch of the connectors. AC current (which is what a hybrid splitter splits) follows the very same laws of physics at high frequencies as it does at low frequencies.

Well, if you want to get technical. :D

All I know is I have a rooftop VHF/UHF antenna, split into 6 TV's and UHF is unwatchable,
VHF looks like I have a fiber feed from the stations.
I tried a Radio Shack distribution amp and it didn't help, in fact it almost looked worse.

For my forthcoming HD setup, I put a dedicated UHF on the roof just for the HDTV, and it looks great so far, analog UHF stations are crystal clear.


phox

[kdonnel]

I split my antenna to feed two HD Tivo's.

I am lucky in that my antenna is in the attic together with my Tivo's. (I have a 20x20 finished room in the attic that is used as my theater.) The whole run from antenna to splitter is 10 feet and then 3 feet to each tivo.

I still ended up getting a pre-amp. I am 30+ miles from the transmitters and I was getting significant drop outs prior to the pre-amp. Now I get a rock sold 90+ on almost all my stations.

[codespy]

4 Radio Shack #2160's to a gold splitter on roof, splitter <input> using RG6 to basement, RG6 in basement into Radio Shack amp/FM trap, 2 outputs- 1 each to my HR10-250's, I get locals OTA from Milwaukee, Madison, and Rockford. Over 35+ total channels (some are network duplicates, obviously).

[wjbjr]

Another possibility would be to install a second antenna at the other end of the house.

[NiteOwl]

Another possibility would be to install a second antenna at the other end of the house.

So then my house would look totally like an insect with 2 "ears"...LOL. I hope I don't have to go that route.

[TyroneShoes]

Well, if you want to get technical. :D

All I know is I have a rooftop VHF/UHF antenna, split into 6 TV's and UHF is unwatchable,
VHF looks like I have a fiber feed from the stations.
I tried a Radio Shack distribution amp and it didn't help, in fact it almost looked worse.

For my forthcoming HD setup, I put a dedicated UHF on the roof just for the HDTV, and it looks great so far, analog UHF stations are crystal clear.


phox
I never really want to get technical. It's just sometimes the only way to help uncloud people's minds from some of the superstitious behavior they consider following when they blindly assume facts not in evidence, which is something we see surprisingly often. I think it's sometimes important to share what you are sure you know well, and to never share what you don't know well (unless you are posing a question about it, of course).

But you have also proven here that you don't necessarily have to know the "why", as long as you can distinguish when technology has not been applied properly (your original setup and failed amp install) from proper application (your new setup). And the good news is that this bodes well for HD reception for you.