I am totally new to all of this Direct TV stuff and need help desperately!

I have a condo in Mexico and have attempted to hook up a Direct TV system there. Currently, they condo complex has six cable channels (HBO, HBO2, ESPN, etc) that we all share.

With the cable, I have TV’s in three rooms.

I hooked my disk on the roof and ran cable into splitter that separates the different cables that run into each TV. I installed a diplexer here and another diplexer at the TV with the Direct TV receiver box.

Using a splitter, I split the “cable” side of the second diplexer and ran one lead into my other bedroom TV and the second into the Direct TV receiver box.

The cable TV signal continues to work fine on all TV’s, but the Direct TV signal only works when I remove the coax cable from each of the remaining TV’s.

Can anyone tell me how to hook up three TVs so I can receive my cable TV channels and the Direct TV channels without having to disconnect all of the cable leads?

I have almost no expertise on television cable systems and can get absolutely no help in Mexico. Can anyone offer assistance to a layman like myself?

Thanks a million!

Rob,

You cannot use a standard Television splitter with your satellite dish. Satellite dish signals (meaning before the receiver) must be split using a device called a multi switch....

If you want multiple receivers, you have to install a multiswitch on the output of the dish, and then feed the individual receivers from that switch. You can use Diplexers, but only on the output of the multi switch.

If you want just the one TV to receive the satellite and the rest to continue to receiver the cable, then remove all the other diplexers, run those TV sets normally, and install the diplexer only on the branch going to where the satellite receiver is physically located.

The only way to watch a single satellite receiver on more than one TV is to split the OUTPUT of that receiver and sent it to other TVs....noting that they will all only be able to watch whichever channel the satellite receiver itself is tuned to.

You need to install the diplexer after you split the cable feed. Making sure there's nothing between the dish and the first diplexer, between both diplexers,and diplexer to receiver, on the satellite feed.

Thanks for the help!! I have an electronic catalog which advertises both multi-switches and "2 ghz satellite splitter." Can I use one of these splitters and split the signal at the Direct TV receiver to the second, therefore having to watch whatever program the receiver is tuned to?

What is the difference between a satellite splitter and multi-switch?

What if I get a second receiver. Can I split the incoming satellite signal before the first receiver and have it feed the second receiver also?

Last question. Do I have to have a Dual LNB and/or separate cables from the rooftop disk going to each separate receiver, or can I use the Single LNB, single cable and splitters or multi-switches and the single cable?

Rob,
As I read your questions, and the answers that inspire more questions, I think you really need a consultant. We are all willing to answer questions posed here, but it seems like you need enough details that conversations are really needed, or it could take weeks for us to tell you all you need to know, and you could start off not perfectly informed in one direction, only to find that you have done the wrong thing because a detail did not occur to you or us because we are just trading posts, not trying to cover everything in a conversation.

And, as all things eventually are when complicated enough, this should really be something you pay for. Sorry.

I would be glad to help you via phone; email me (see my profile) about this; but I would expect to discuss all the details with you and be paid for my expertise. See another thread, in the Custom Installers forum, about internet sales, to get the general flavor of what I am talking about here.

I do want to start with one question, though -- does DirecTV have franchises approved by the Mexican government that allows you to legally receive DirecTV in Mexico? American programming? American channels, or only Para Todos?

Ernie

Rob, Here is a few 'answers' to your setup, they won't cost you a thing either.

First, to use a multiplexer for you either a 3in4 out or a 5in4 out sounds right. I think that the Spanish channels required the oval dish, if so you would have (2) dual LNB's (5x4 multiplexer) if not you need (1)dual LNB (3x4 multiplexer). The multiplexer will allow more then (2) recievers to work with the single dish and it allows you to inject an antenna signal into the single RG6 lines that go to your TV's. The key is you can not split the satelite signal from the dish or multiplexer to the reciever. Each reciever needs to be able to select the polarity of the LNB independently either directly to the LNB or through the multiplexer. By the way the multiplexer is locking one LNB to even the other to ODD then internally connecting the recievers to whichever is required based on the channel requested.

So you could take the cable signal insert it into the antenna input of the multiplexer, then at each reciever use the diplexers to break out the signals from each other such that the cable is separate from the sat signal. Most recievers will pass thru this signal when they are turned off.

If you are splitting the signal after the reciever you use a splitter if you want to split before the reciever use a multiswitch.

Thanks, Matt! You have just proven that Rob probably needs a professional, and that answers that are clear to us here on the site will probably not get him to his goal.

Your reply makes complete sense to me, but the actual complexity of what you wrote (the facts, and accurate) and how difficult it will probably be for Rob to use them makes my point exactly -- there is too much for him to learn to be able to just do this, and a pro would be a big help.

Matt:

Thank you very much! I was disappointed to see someone on an Internet Forum ask to be paid to answer a question! I am on many Forums and continually share my experiences and expertise for no charge! For this reason, I didn't even respond until I got your response. Again, thanks!

I think I understood what you were telling me. If I understand you correctly, basically it is like this:

I need a dual LNB with two RG6 cables going from each LNB to a 3/4 multiplexer.

On the antenna side of the 3/4multiplexer, connect both RG6 cables from each LNB and the Cable TV RG29 cable.

On the other side of the 3/4 multiplexer, connect a single RG6 cable to a diplexer and run it to each the three televisions in the house.

At each TV, use a second diplexer and run a RG6 cable into that television’s own Direct TV receiver box.

Does this sound correct?

If you have any type of diagrams or handwritten notes, please feel free to e-mail them to me at [email protected]

On another note, do you have any advice for my other problem? This one involves the cable TV system only and occurred prior to trying to hook up the Direct TV system. Therefore it isn’t due to anything I have done trying to install the Direct TV. This problem is:

I have a condo in Mexico and all 200 units share six channels of cable TV (unknown who the provider is). I have been experiencing an audio problem with two of the channels. When I am watching a cable program and the scene changes to a bright picture, there is a very loud "hum" that lasts about two or three seconds. It is so loud that it is difficult to hear the dialogue.

I have almost no expertise on television cable systems and can get absolutely no help in Mexico. Can anyone offer assistance to a layman like myself?

In closing, I again want to thank you for taking your own personal time to assist me. You are the type of folks that make a difference for all of us in Forums like this!

Rob

Rob,
you got it much better than I thought it was written. My bad.

The only thing that needs to be changed is this --
diplexers are used to mix together and separate DSS and cable (or TV antenna) signals on one RG-6. The third input on the multiswitch is for inserting a cable or antenna signal. So, if you just put one cable signal into the third input of the multiswitch, you will not need any diplexers at that end of the run. Of course, you will need a diplexer at the receiver/TV end to separate the cable signal from DSS signal.

Not too well advertised is the fact that the small diplexers, about the size of regular two-way splitters, are perfect for diplexing those signals apart, but when mixing signals, they can let garbage from the LNBs into the cable (or antenna) signals, messing up digital cable or DTV off the air. Look at channelmaster.com, and see the description they give of their IFD4001 and IFD4002 to see what I mean. I have seen this make a huge difference in what DTV signals can be received.

Ernie