Diplexer, multi-switch, DirecTivo, and Comcast???

[staufj22]

Hi All,

Hopefully someone can shed some light for me on this subject.
I'm in a condominium complex with a shared 3LNB dish. There's a couple of HRVS4 and HRVS8 splitters and signal boosters along the way, but eventually, there's 2 lines coming into my unit, and in my closet, each of them are connected to a HRVS2 splitter and then all 4 lines to a 5X4 multiswitch.

2 of those output goes to my HR10-250 and another goes to a regular DirecTV receiver. I don't have the HD package.

I want to have Comcast internet right now, the only problem is that they'll need to take one of the lines coming in for their signal, and they said that my HR10 won't work anymore.
I'm hoping with with some combination of diplexers and multi-switches, I can get the Comcast internet, and still have all my existing receivers to work.

Is it possible to combine the 2 directv lines at the outside conduit with a diplexer, and then split it out in my unit... then I connect it with the existing splitter and multiswitch?

Else, how about combining one of the lines with comcast signal, and then split it out in my unit? When I called Comcast about it, they seem to think there’s no way to keep my HR10 and get Comcast internet…


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

By the way, I don't know if it matters, but I don't need HD signals, but do need the locals provided by DirecTV.

[cramer]

Those are "simple" little passive spliters. If either of those two lines are disconnected, the entire system will stop working. In fact, as you've described it, I don't see how it works now. Pictures and diagrams would help.

Voltage is used to select polarization. Those spliters are DC blocking, so one wire is left polarization and the other is right polarization (aka even/odd). As such, the receiver has no control over what's on each wire; that's why the multiswitch is there. LNB is selected by a 22kHz guard tone -- off = 101, on = 119/110. The guard tone should make it through the splitters, however with only two wires, you should only be able to see one LNB per polarization at a time. What happens on the standalone receiver while testing sat a/b/c on the HR10?

(This assumes there's no stacking hardware in the mix.)

EDIT: BTW, those splitters have a high return loss. So even if you manage to get a CATV signal stacked on the line, the return path will be gone (5-54MHz.) While passive TV viewing will work, anything that requires upstream transmitting won't work. Note also "stacking" has two meanings... in the simple case it means adding an OTA or CATV single to the same wire; this is simple as they don't overlap. In the more complex case (what I call stacking), left and right polarization are placed on the same cable; this is complicated (read: expensive) because that's 2 950-2150MHz bands -- one is moved from 2150-3500MHz(?)

[staufj22]

Those are "simple" little passive spliters. If either of those two lines are disconnected, the entire system will stop working. In fact, as you've described it, I don't see how it works now. Pictures and diagrams would help.

I'll do a little more tracing once I get home. I have access to the outside closet, all I saw yesterday were a few HRVS4 and HRVS8, and a signal booster... but maybe I've missed something...

[staufj22]

So I went and looked at the setup some more... the parts that I can get to at least.

2 coax comex up from the basement garage. One of them goes into a amplifier that's labeled 101. The other one goes to an amplifier labeled 110/119.
After that, each of them just gets splitted to each of the apartment units via the various HRVS4 and HRVS8.

I'm assuming that the lines coming into my unit is one from the 101, and one from the 110/119.

In this case, is there a way to either piggyback the Comcast signal from one of them with a diplexer?

[staufj22]

Sounds like I might just need the 101 line... Can I just split that signal into 4 lines?

[cramer]

I still don't see how this set works at all given the equipment that's been described. Go find the people who built the system and ask them. By the single "101 amp", the signal is stacked (L+R on the same wire.) Availablity of 4-950MHz will depend on how the signal is stacked.

Barring that, disconnect 110/119. You aren't using them anyway. There are some Latino channels on 119, and HD on the 3 110 transponders.

[staufj22]

I still don't see how this set works at all given the equipment that's been described. Go find the people who built the system and ask them. By the single "101 amp", the signal is stacked (L+R on the same wire.) Availablity of 4-950MHz will depend on how the signal is stacked.

Barring that, disconnect 110/119. You aren't using them anyway. There are some Latino channels on 119, and HD on the 3 110 transponders.

Unfortunately, the people that set the system up went bankrupt...
I thought I had gotten it working last night, I simply splitted the 1 signal into 4, and 2 of those goes to the Tivo. Went through the dish setup, selected round dish, and it ran through all the tests and acquiring signals... I even changed through all the channels..
but today, when I checked, it keeps saying that it's acquiring signal from Sat 1. and looking through the signal tests, Sat 1 can't get any of the even transponders, while both sat 1 and sat 2 gets the odd transponders...

Any help?

[staufj22]

So this sounds like I have a stacked 101 line, right?

If that's the case, I'm not sure how I'm getting ANY channels without a destacker...

looking through the archives, maybe I need a Sonora D575D Dual Destacker, then send the 2 output to a multiswitch?

[cramer]

I would guess your multiswitch is a destacker. The reason it works straight to the receiver is because half the signal is right where it's supposed to be (950-2150MHz) -- the other signal is above and below it.