[david4602]

I am putting in new HD equipment (well, my local HT experts are) and they have hit a snag they can't seem to overcome. I'm hoping someone here can help.


I have an antennae in the attic for HD OTA reception, as well as a DirecTV dish on the roof. Both get good reception. Problem is getting the signal from my attic to my basement. The house was prewired and only has one coax connection. The wiring works fine with either OTA or SAT, but when we try to get both to work using a diplexor, none of the OTA come in at all. Amplifers don't help.


Without significant cost of trying to run a second line two stories down after the fact, does anyone have a better solution than my going up to attic to manually switch from one to the other?


thanks,


David

 

[dswallow]

How are you wiring it?


Are you using 2 diplexers, one on each end of the cable, or do you have a multiswitch that as a connection for an antenna/cable signal and then use just one diplexer on the receiving side?


Do you have a preamp or other amplifier device on the antenna?


If you're using 2 diplexers, you could easily check both diplexers by connecting them together with a short coax wire and then use the antenna connections on each to wire your antenna and see if it still works.


If you're using a multiswitch with an antenna/cable input... is the multiswitch on the dish? was it outside for awhile? was the connector for the antenna protected from weather? If not, things might be corroded inside and contact isn't being made.

 

[david4602]

Thanks for response. I'll try to answer your questions, but I'm the consumer, not the expert technician!

They are using duplexors only in the attic, where they are combining 2 signals into one. The temininating cable in the HT room is going directly into the Samsung DTV receiver. There is no multiswitch except for the standard one on the AU3 dish. It is new, not outside for a while. The antennae and its connectors are also new, and since its inside the attic, protected from the elements.


They have tried putting an amplifier on the antennae with no impact to reception.


thanks again for help.

 

[dswallow]

You'd need a diplexor at both ends, in the attic after the multiswitch on the cable going towards your receiver, and at your receiver itself.

 

[Need-N-help]

dswallow is exactly correct.


- I just set this up at my place on Monday.


As he said, you need TWO diplexers (Not splitters) one at each end. The difference is that a diplexer has a 'power pass-thru' that will allow the small voltage from the satellite to get to the receiver.


It is important that you do not mix the signals as you could possibly damage your HD tuner. Just be sure that you plug the feed from the Sat into the 'power pass-thru' in the attic, and in your basement connect the 'power pass-thru' to the Sat. box. Obviously the OTA ant will plug in the other side (mine is labeled Sat for the Satellite and TV for the Antenna).


-Enjoy!

HD ROCKS!

** I realize I may have been a little verbose, but I'd rather give too much than too little.