Sonora Stacker / Destacker question

[tivohaydon]

Currently my setup looks like this:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeszx48/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/before.jpg

Because this is not my house I can not go around drilling holes here and there or otherwise disrupt the home. I have to use what cable is available for my TiVos. And of course, I don't want to start to try and live without dual tuner. At the same time, I live in an area that receives OTA HD broadcasts and want to take advantage of that.

What I want to do on the exterior is:
1. replace the diplexer with a us575 stacker
2. replace the multiswitch with a 5-2150MHz 1PP 4-way splitter

Inside:
1. run the power injector on one of the lines from the inside
2. diplex out the VHF/UHF signal where needed
3. destack d575/d575d where appropriate

The biggest question for me is... Can I run a diplexed (VHF/UHF/DBS) signal through the Sonora us575? If not things get considerably uglier because the roof is quite high!

[JimSpence]

Your picture shows that you have the triple LNB dish with only two cables run from it. Yet your diagram only allows visibilty to the 101 satellite. If that is okay, then all you need to do is add diplexers at the TVs that require OTA.

I don't believe the stacker/destacker can pass a diplexed signal.

[tivohaydon]

You're correct about the dish / cabling / multiswitch discrepancy but that's how it is. I'm not looking for HD over satellite thankfully, just OTA.

Unfortunately just adding diplexers isn't going to give me two tuners at my TVs which is what this is all about. :)

[JimSpence]

Since your current multiswitch only gives you the 101 sat anyway, you can cascade another 2x4 or 3x4 off of it for your dual tuner TiVo. If you can't get to the fourth output of the current switch, see if you can use two of the lines you do have to connect to another 2x4 or 3x4.

[tivohaydon]

Well that's exactly what I can't do. I'm stuck with the wiring as is. Otherwise I'd have been up and running a while ago. I brought a nice 5x8 multiplexer with me when I moved.

Taking a look at the Sonora us575 specification it looks like I *might* be able to squeak VHF/UHF by on the 13V/Odd leg. If the diagram is true to what's on the inside of the stacker anyway.

http://www.sonoradesign.com/dtvsystemspages/dtvsystemsPDFs/spec_uS575-T.pdf

[JimSpence]

Please clarify something for me. You have three lines running into the house from the exterior 3x4 multiswitch and there's no way to add the fourth line into the house. And there are only two lines from the roof to the exterior switch. You show three TVs inside, how many of these are dual tuner DVRs? Or are you wanting to add one?

In any case, you need to be able to use two of the lines from the exterior switch to connect to the stacker, giving you one line. Then the dual destacker is used to separate the signals again. Any chance you could use the fourth unused output of the 3x4? You will need to take the diplexed signal going to the 3x4 and diplex it into the stacked signal. It might work. And of course diplex it at the TV needing the OTA.

Are the three lines running into the house so far apart that you can't get two of them together to feed a second 3x4 as I mentioned above. You might have to run the lines around a room or two.

[tivohaydon]

Sure... the diagram is actually accurate. :) I've got two coax coming down from the roof. The diplexer for the OTA antenna is installed at the dish. At ground level on the exterior of the house where the coax comes down from the roof is another diplexer and the multiswitch. From there, three coax runs go in entirely different directions to entrance points where the installer drilled holes from the outside in.

I was not at all clear about the receivers. All of my receivers are TiVos! Where I used to live I had all four hooked up with dual tuner and that made me happy. :) Now I only have three hooked up and they're only using one tuner. That makes me unhappy! :(

So to get from this sorry state to TiVo bliss I'm seeking a technical (but expensive) solution in stacking. I intend on removing the multiplexer entirely and configuring all runs with a stacked signal. Only one TV really needs OTA but if all get it that's even better.

This can all be done somewhat cleanly if I can pass VHF/UHF OTA through the 13V/Odd leg on the stacker. If not I have to diplex the OTA out before the stacker and then back in afterwards. I imagine that could result in enough insertion loss to make things marginal.

While I'm at it I might even ground the dish... Whoever came and installed this was very lucky I wasn't around. Really shoddy install...

1. Didn't ground dish. In fact, clipped off the ground wire from the siamese coax.
2. A SatA/B/C dish was installed but only SatA hooked up. (The owner had two HD receivers and premium channels. Gee, why doesn't HBOHD come in?)
3. Didn't run a line from the antenna to multiswitch. Used two diplexers instead.
4. Did run two cables halfway around house (and looped them BACK!) to ground the coax to a hose bib. The hose bib is 2 feet from a grounding rod. (Duh, wrong choice 2X.)

So this is the quality of installation I'm dealing with and trying to get some satisfaction out of it!

[JimSpence]

Is there any way that you can fish a line in an existing hole? Maybe enlarge one of the holes so all lines can enter into the house (preferably the basement) where you can put your 5x8 switch.

So your dish is the older oval one with separate LNBs and only the 101 (Sat A) is being used?

[tivohaydon]

All of the holes are fairly small (which is a surprise) and silicon was applied generously so it would be difficult to fish anything additional through. I did however get an excellent buy on stackers and destackers on eBay ($40 each!) and have hooked them up.

For anyone that's interested the 13V side of the stacker does *not* pass VHF/UHF (at least to the point where it's usable) so I had to diplex out the VHF/UHF before the stacker and then diplex it back in after. This unfortunately results in a very noticable quality loss. I may try and run a new line from the antenna down the side of the house. Since there aren't any new holes I think I can get away with it. If I can manage to get up there safely...

Dual tuners are back! Yeah!