How to setup 3 or more FTA Receivers?

[johnnyd]

I curently have a 30 inch Dish with a linear dual LNBF pointed at T5. I know I can run 2 receivers off of this setup, but I would like to know how I can add additional receivers. I have seen these multi-switches for DirectTV that take in the 2 feeds from the dual LNB and outputs 4 or more lines for independent receivers. But I dont know if there is a way to do this with FTA?

Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks,
JohnnyD

[bobkat]

Same as for DirecTv or DishNetwork; any 4-way multiswitch will work.

kat

[johnnyd]

Can I add a diseq switch to the setup if I mix in a second dish? I want to put my old Dish network dish to use and pick up the fta music on one of the dish birds. Will a Multiswitch work in combination with a diseq switch?

Second question, what if I want to add a motor to my 30 inch dish? Can I still send it to 4 recievers with a multiswitch? Will the motor movement commands pass through the multiswitch? Will only one receiver control the motor?

Can I combine both of the above setups together? 1 motorized dish annd disq switch with a dish network dish going to 4 receivers?

How would i wire something like that?

[bobkat]

LOL !!

You really like to complicate things, don't you... :lol:

I don't know about the motor part, but here is how to wire up multiple FTA receivers to 3 dishes (could be expanded to 4) using DiSEqC 4-way switches and common 4-way multiswitches.

kat

http://public.fotki.com/bobkat/diagr...ireceiver.html

[johnnyd]

Wow Kat good diagrams!

Yea, I do like to complicate things.. I am new to this hobby and enjoy learning about these things.

Here are some more questions:

Now for some clarification on your diagram. It is good, but a little blurry.
What brands of multi switches and diseqc switches are used? Do some of them have those DC pass thru ports? Dont know what that means anyway. If U can point me to Sadouns switches that would be fine?

In your diagram you show 3 dishes, would it matter if those dishes were a mix of KU linear and Circular (dish network type)? I dont think it would matter, but just want to make sure.

Since this setup gets pretty complicated and expensive cause of all the parts, I want to go one step at a time. If I started with only 2 receivers would this mean that I can eliminate all the multiswitces and just have 1 diseqc switch per receiver? Each diseqc switch would get 1 input from each dual lnb? I think I am starting to actually understand this stuff

Regarding a motorized setup,I read in another posting somewhere that the lnb's go to the diseqc switches and one of those then goes into a motor and then to the receiver. I believe only one receiver controls the motor. Dont know about this though.

[bobkat]

OK:

Any DiSEqC 4-way switch will work; such as this one --->

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/D...i-switches.htm

Don't worry about the DC power pass -- that is only for HF splitters and other devices not used in this setup.


Any 4-way multiswitch will work; such as this one --->

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/S...LTI-SWITCH.jpg



You are correct in stating that you can mix linear and circular polarity LNBs.

You are also correct in stating that if you only have 2 receivers then you can skip the multiswitches -- as long as each dish's LNB is a dual ouput.

kat

[johnnyd]

I guess I have actually learned something.

Now I have come up with one more complication after looking at your diagrams.

Can I mix in OTA Antenna (VHF/UHF/HD) with Diplexors with the setups we have described?

In the scenario with multi switches they have an antenna input you would use and I would split it out at the receiver with a diplexor.

In the 2 receiver setup with diseqc switches only, I am guessing u would diplex in the antenna with the output from the diseqc switch.

In one case the combined signal goes through a diseqc switch and in the other scenario it doesnt. In either case is this OK? Will this work in reality or they will somehow interfere with the diseqc switching or signal?

Will there be too many connections and I will loose too much signal (satellite signal OR OTA HD) for this to work? What is some practical advice regarding these setups?

I want a single wire to each TV for multi-sats AND OTA analog and digital. Is this feasible?

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by johnnyd

In the 2 receiver setup with diseqc switches only, I am guessing u would diplex in the antenna with the output from the diseqc switch.

In one case the combined signal goes through a diseqc switch and in the other scenario it doesnt. In either case is this OK? Will this work in reality or they will somehow interfere with the diseqc switching or signal?

Will there be too many connections and I will loose too much signal (satellite signal OR OTA HD) for this to work? What is some practical advice regarding these setups?

I want a single wire to each TV for multi-sats AND OTA analog and digital. Is this feasible?

With the multiswitch setup you use a diplexer to split the OTA after the multiswitch, as you describe.

---> http://public.fotki.com/bobkat/diagr...v3x4-wire.html


If you are not using multiswitches then you use a pair of diplexers like this:

---> http://public.fotki.com/bobkat/diagr...ithdiplxr.html


How this will work with DiSEqC switches I really don't know, I have never tried it. I have tried it with SW44 switches (like the diagram) and it works fine.

Anyway, this gives you a general idea of the concept.


kat