Setting up multi-room Freeview with individual receivers

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Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#115803 7-Apr-2013 14:42

Hopefully you will be able to help me with possibly a very basic question. I have read not only on this site but others as well and sort of have an idea of what we have to do, but would greatly appreciate your help and confirmation.

Current setup is satellite dish and vhf/uhf aerials. Cable went from dish to one receiver in lounge to receive satellite Freeview. A cable from the vhf/uhf aerial went to a splitter box and from there to tvs in two other rooms. This was fine while we were still able to get terrestrial signals to those two tvs but down south the changeover to satellite Freeview comes into effect on 28 April, and that flexibility will be out the window.

My questions are:
1. Can we use the same cables coming from the aerial to connect to the LNB, obviously changing the connections. Would this work to allow us to have Freeview independent of the tv in the lounge, using two more receivers so that we can independently change channels in each room?

2. We currently have one LNB (original Sky setup) with one output, but last year was given a Ku-Band Twin LNBF which has two outputs. Can we connect this other twin LNB somehow to the dish to allow a total of 3 cables to run from the dish? Is this possible, or is there another easier way.

My husband is a "DIYer" and just needs the instructions to be able to set this all up.

I appreciate your patience in helping us sort this out.

Ronnie

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3263 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#794624 7-Apr-2013 15:21

And what transmitter do you currently receive analog UHF from??

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

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Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#794633 7-Apr-2013 15:48

We are in Queenstown so the UHF HD will not work here - only satellite.

Thanks.

fellaintga

195 posts

Master Geek

#794657 7-Apr-2013 17:01

If you have a satellite receiver for the each of the other 2 TVs then just change it over so all 3 are fed off the Satellite.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#794662 7-Apr-2013 17:28

Well, that's the question - can we use the same cables that are coming out of the splitter box? And how would we connect all three to the LNB, and how do we go about connecting all three if the current LNB only has one output slot?

Anyone able to give me step by step instructions? It would be immensely helpful.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#794666 7-Apr-2013 17:44

Ronnee: Well, that's the question - can we use the same cables that are coming out of the splitter box? And how would we connect all three to the LNB, and how do we go about connecting all three if the current LNB only has one output slot?

Anyone able to give me step by step instructions? It would be immensely helpful.

Basically, no. You can't use the current cables and splitter. You need to loopthrough the STB's or get a satellite 3 way splitter using the dish coax at input and outputs with new cable to the 3 boxes. A lot depends on where your cables run now. The TV coax is probably old and not rg6 in which case should not be reused. Probably easiest to get an installer to sort it out.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#794707 7-Apr-2013 19:31

Would this work ... replace existing LNB with a quad LNB and replace existing cabling (the thinner diameter which I assume is the older type) with 3 RG6 cables going from LNB to 3 STBs. Would this be feasible?

rayonline

1730 posts

Uber Geek

#794789 7-Apr-2013 22:26

Not to hijack the thread but I have a related questiont too and not tbe told off by starting my own thread ;)

Thinking about cabling and some say that you mind as well cable up RG6 as well.
1. How does one tell if one has RG56 or RG6? Is RG6 more like Cat5 cable and RG59 more like telephone RJ11 cable? 20yr ago our aerial at this other place had those thin cables or is that a even older one ...

2. Re: the cabling. We don't have that much TVs but we might have 5x outlets. 4 bedrooms and the lounge. We just have the standard sky dish (non HD) direct to our TV. What is required to split this (1) into (5)? Multi splitter and anything else?

3. And for Freeview UHF, we have yet to get the aerial if at all. What sort of set up is required? Starting from scratch. Aerial, mount, cable, splitter. Others? You think we can get away without amps? The wall plates of course.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#794838 8-Apr-2013 09:10

rayonline:
1. How does one tell if one has RG56 or RG6?

Have a look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable
at the specs chart. No pictures but will give the specs.
Try google for pictures of rg6 and rg59.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#794841 8-Apr-2013 09:16

Ronnee: Would this work ... replace existing LNB with a quad LNB and replace existing cabling (the thinner diameter which I assume is the older type) with 3 RG6 cables going from LNB to 3 STBs. Would this be feasible?

Possibly.
I don't have much experience with satellite systems but I would use a good splitter rather than lots of coax runs. If the STBs have input and a loopthrough output then they can easily be daisy chained together, but using a splitter is probably tidier.

Maybe its time the broadcasters got together and extended Freeview HD into some more areas of population, particularly into tourist centres? At the moment they say its too costly. They did it with analogue so why not with digital. Time to lobby your local MP.

trig42

5605 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#794843 8-Apr-2013 09:19

Ronnee: Would this work ... replace existing LNB with a quad LNB and replace existing cabling (the thinner diameter which I assume is the older type) with 3 RG6 cables going from LNB to 3 STBs. Would this be feasible?

Unless your LNB is old, I would not bother replacing it.

Get a splitter that can split satellite: http://www.supremeantennas.co.nz/view/splitters-line-taps/f-satellite-splitters/splitter-3way-f-sat-ppass-1way.php

Plug your existing LNV into the input of that splitter, and get three new cables from that splitter to your three TVs (one in Lounge, 2 bedrooms). Easy peasy.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#795096 8-Apr-2013 15:52

You are right Biggles (!), but by the time our local MP (Bill English) does anything about it, I will just have haze on my screens and that's not an image that appeals. Tourist town perhaps, but it's all about the big $$$$.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#795100 8-Apr-2013 15:55

Thank you Trig42, that looks rather easy and uncomplicated. Will order a splitter and cable and hope for the best. You may see me back here again if it all turns to custard.

JimmyH

2820 posts

Uber Geek

#795188 8-Apr-2013 19:24

Your two options are:
- get an installer; or
- try it and see.

What I would be inclined to do is (in order):

1. Buy a FV satellite decoder box, which are fairly cheap (the cheapest one you plan on using anywhere in the whole install), connect it to the dish output and the TV and verify that that satellite dish still works and the signal is OK etc; then

2. Buy a splitter since you will need one anyway, and they are as cheap as chips. Connect to satellite output and existing cables. Then, using the satellite decoder you brought for (1) above, take it to each of the two other rooms, and test to see whether you get a picture and what the signal quality is; then

3. If it works, great. Buy additional decoder boxes for each set and you should be good to go; or

4. If it doesn't work, you will need new cable.

If you do it in this order then at no stage should you wind up wasting money buying something you won't need at the end of the day, and you might potentially avoid getting in an installer and wasting money on re-cabling that you don't need etc.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#795193 8-Apr-2013 19:35

Thanks Jimmy. Currently the newer cable is connected from the satellite dish to the decoder in the lounge and all working just fine. The plan is to get Freeview working on the other two tvs which currently are connected with the older cable to a splitter box and then to the vhf/vhf aerial.

I appreciate your reasoning in seeing if the other two tvs will work with the older cable. I guess I will just need to get the F-type connectors/joiners instead to put on the old cables and the splitter.

If we can avoid putting in new cable, that would be great but I had assumed the satellite signal would not go through the older cables.

Will give it a go.

Ronnee

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#797550 11-Apr-2013 08:27

Been thinking ... would I need an amplifier as I am hearing that using a splitter may well reduce the signal to the other tvs?

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