Need help with a set up

[GF7PE]

I currently have 2 dvr's one of which is an hd. I am trying to add a third receiver to my set up. I have another dvr and a standard receiver available. From the dish there are 4 coax cables running down into the basement. They are then butt spliced into each home run to both receivers. There isnt a multi switch in my set up. What do I need to do to add a 3rd receiver into the mix?

thanks

[davring]

Take your 4 lines and run them into this:

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=WB68

[dave29]

Yep, Zinwell WB68 is all you need.

[GF7PE]

just ordered one up.

Thanks guys

[GF7PE]

got it today. But... the part number is different than what I ordered. Is this the same or will it work the same

Zinwell #MS6X8WB-Z

[Alebob911]

Yes that is the same just a new version it appears.
Here is the link to that product http://www.zcwc.com/products/multi-switch/MS6X8WB-Z.htm
got it today. But... the part number is different than what I ordered. Is this the same or will it work the same

Zinwell #MS6X8WB-Z

[hdtvfan0001]

got it today. But... the part number is different than what I ordered. Is this the same or will it work the same

Zinwell #MS6X8WB-Z
That's a model number update only. It will indeed work the same as its preceding version. It should give you years of good service.

[David MacLeod]

when you say butt spliced do you mean ends are cut and spliced together to make 1 cable into 2?

[GF7PE]

no just inline spliced with a compression connector on either end and a female barrel connector in between.

[houskamp]

no just inline spliced with a compression connector on either end and a female barrel connector in between.
perfect spot to put wb68 :)

[David MacLeod]

no just inline spliced with a compression connector on either end and a female barrel connector in between.

lol I figured but you never know :)

[rschus]

found this thread after searching on help for the zinwell 6x8 multiswitch...

i am trying to install a 2nd receiver in my house. first receiver is an HD DVR. 2nd is a non-HD DVR. the first receiver was connected to the dish by a single pair cable feeding into sat 1 and 2 ports. worked fine for the last 9 months. i went to add the 2nd receiver and learned that i needed a multiswitch to do so. so i bought the zinwell MS6X8WB-Z 6x8.

connected the pair feeds from the dish to the two 18v inputs on the multiswitch. (tired several configurations but this one is the closest to working) the both receivers are working but each one is getting a 771 message on certain channels. i tried changing the inputs around and get various other results where not all channels work, some get 771 message. e.g. all the high def channels work but none of the others; or vice versa.

called DTV multiple times and got various tech support people with incomplete knowledge.

one person asked me why my dish only had one pair of cables running down to the house - told her that was all i needed / it worked fine with only one dvr receiver connected. question - is there an obvious flaw her to what I am doing, or do i need a 2nd pair of cable from the dish into the house in order to connect two receivers to the same multiswitch. i was hoping to avoid this, hoping the multiswitch would allow me to split one pair to be connected to two receivers.

sorry if my lingo is off - newbie. regretting selecting the "self install" option,

Roy

[Mertzen]

You don't need a switch at all. As I read it you would have one HD DVR and one regular IRD. That makes 3 tuners. Your dish supports up to 4 tuners without a switch.

What you need to do is run a line from the dish to the IRD you want to add,

What you did to cause the 771s is only connect the two existing lines to the WB68. For that switch to work properly you need to run 4 lines to it.

So in all, dump the switch and run the straight line. Not sure who advised you to get the switch in the first place but they were wrong.

[BattleZone]

Having the switch isn't a bad thing; if you decide to add a 3rd receiver, it will give you the ports you need. But Mertzen is right: the 4-output switch integrated into the LNB will do everything you need, but either way, you need to run 2 more lines from the dish.

[rschus]

You don't need a switch at all. As I read it you would have one HD DVR and one regular IRD. That makes 3 tuners. Your dish supports up to 4 tuners without a switch.

What you need to do is run a line from the dish to the IRD you want to add,

What you did to cause the 771s is only connect the two existing lines to the WB68. For that switch to work properly you need to run 4 lines to it.

So in all, dump the switch and run the straight line. Not sure who advised you to get the switch in the first place but they were wrong.


Thanks for the fast reply.

I have and HD DVR + an SD DVR (in two rooms. )

So what you are saying is to run a line from the other two (currently unused) ports on the dish down to the 2nd DVR (the SD one) ?

The "advice" to get the switch came from DTV tech support saying there was no way to run a 2nd receiver off the same dish without a multiswitch. Incorrect, you're saying?

I assume there is no way then to avoid running a 2nd cable from the dish down into my house however? No way to run two receivers off of one pair?

I may keep the switch which would be then useful if we decided to add room 3. Make sense?

Thanks!

[Mertzen]

Thanks for the fast reply.

So what you are saying is to run a line from the other two (currently unused) ports on the dish down to the 2nd DVR (the SD one) ?

Yes, two additional lines to the SD DVR

The "advice" to get the switch came from DTV tech support saying there was no way to run a 2nd receiver off the same dish without a multiswitch. Incorrect, you're saying?
Wouldn't be the first time those morons are wrong.

I assume there is no way then to avoid running a 2nd cable from the dish down into my house however? No way to run two receivers off of one pair?

You could invest in a SWM LNB [ depending what model the SD DVR is ] this will allow you to run both IRDs on one wire and split them in the house


I may keep the switch which would be then useful if we decided to add room 3. Make sense?

Thanks!
Makes sense indeed,

[BattleZone]

I have and HD DVR + an SD DVR (in two rooms. )

So what you are saying is to run a line from the other two (currently unused) ports on the dish down to the 2nd DVR (the SD one) ?

Correct. The LNB already has a 4-output multiswitch built in, which can run 4 tuners, one per coax line. DVRs need 2 lines, one to each tuner. Since you only have 4 tuners currently, there would be no need for the external multiswitch, but you could elect to install it anyway, to be ready for future expansion. You MUST run all 4 lines from the dish to the switch.

The "advice" to get the switch came from DTV tech support saying there was no way to run a 2nd receiver off the same dish without a multiswitch. Incorrect, you're saying?

Yes, incorrect.

I assume there is no way then to avoid running a 2nd cable from the dish down into my house however? No way to run two receivers off of one pair?

There is NO way to run 2 receivers off of anything less than 4 lines going to the multiswitch because one of them is an HD receiver, which requires all 4 banks of transponders that come from the LNB, UNLESS all of your receivers are SWM-compatible. If that was the case, you could replace the LNB assembly with a SWM LNB kit, which only requires a single line from the dish, which is split with a high-quality cable splitter to get a single line to each receiver. That single line will feed both tuners, and the LNB can provide signal to a total of 8 tuners.

SWM-compatible receivers are:

- HR2x
- H2x
- R16 & R22
- D12

[carl6]

All of the answers about 2 lines not being enough are correct with the dish you have. However there are situations (SD only, and only in some markets) where a dish may only have 2 coax, and in that case you could use a multiswitch with 2 inputs connected to get 4 or more outputs, and have it work. The CSR at DirecTV would have been correct in that case, but was wrong in your case. I'm assuming the CSR had enough information to make that distinction, but if not, then you might have been given a technically correct answer.

[rschus]

Thanks much. Gotten more useful info here after 1 post then I got talking to 5 different DTV tech support reps. And they sent me on a goose chase trying to find a place to buy a multiswitch. You can't get them at Best Buy, Radio Shack or Wal Mart, even though their reps insist you can.

One last question - how hard is it to install the SWM LNB? Is there a good how-to you could point me to?

thx

[veryoldschool]

Thanks much. Gotten more useful info here after 1 post then I got talking to 5 different DTV tech support reps. And they sent me on a goose chase trying to find a place to buy a multiswitch. You can't get them at Best Buy, Radio Shack or Wal Mart, even though their reps insist you can.

One last question - how hard is it to install the SWM LNB? Is there a good how-to you could point me to?

thx
http://forums.directv.com/pe/RepositoryFileDownloadServlet/10396641/SWM%20-%20Integrated%20LNB-ModuleTraining.pdf

If you have a slimline, it's a "drop in" LNB swap. wiring is fairly simple.

[Mertzen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkpahQBYFYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjXrfzPUnCU

[chez]

I have 4 lines coming in to my house ( 2 dvrs and 2 regular). Can I run 1 line into the zinwell multiswitch then 2 out to my dvr (currently only 1 line to dvr) to watch and record another or do all 4 lines have to go thru the multiswitch then to the dvr
thanks

[dave29]

I have 4 lines coming in to my house ( 2 dvrs and 2 regular). Can I run 1 line into the zinwell multiswitch then 2 out to my dvr (currently only 1 line to dvr) to watch and record another or do all 4 lines have to go thru the multiswitch then to the dvr
thanks

All 4 lines must go thru the multi switch.

[chez]

thanks