721 Installation Question - Will SW42 Switch Work?

[Swampthing]

After having my Quad 500 installed, I would now like to prepare a spot for a new 721. Would it be possible to take one of the leads out of the Quad 500, poke it into the SW42 Satellite Switch, and then take two coaxial cables out of Dish 1 and Dish 2 for input into a 721? Basically, I would be using an SW42 switch in reverse. Does anyone know if this would work? If not, is there a switch I can install in between the dish and reciever that *would* work?

[scooper]

No. And no. And no.

Your 2 tuners on the 721 EACH need their own connection to your QUAD.

How many "tuners" do you actually need to have operating (keeping in mind that the 721 counts as 2, all others count as 1)?

[Swampthing]

Let me try to clarify: I currently have a Quad 500 with four receivers installed. If I only want to take two of those receivers, and turn them into outlets for a 721, could this be done with additional switches on the lines drawn from the Quad 500? In another forum here it was mentioned that the Quad 500 has the capability of handling five or more receivers with the right combination of switches. If this is the case, what combination of switches would make it work right?

[scooper]

As I said - NO, and NO, and NO. I understood you the first time.

The only way the QUAD could handle 5-8 receivers would be to get 4 2GHz splitters, then 2 SW64's with 2 Feed through loads (or maybe 2 SW44's w/o FTL's). I've seen the diagram on doing this with 2 Dual LNB's, but I don't know if the QUAD will do this. You can try talking to Dish Advanced technical support and see what they tell you.

[scooper]

Seeing as SW44's run about $125 EACH (and SW64's about $150 each), you would probably find it CHEAPER to install another Dish500 for your 721. That's what I would do, anyway.

[boba]

Your best method would be go to Dish Pro LNBFs and DP34 switches you can get upto 12 receivers off one dish with this technology. DISH is shipping Dish Pro LNBFs with complete 721 systems

[HTguy]

Your best method would be go to Dish Pro LNBFs and DP34 switches you can get upto 12 receivers off one dish with this technology. DISH is shipping Dish Pro LNBFs with complete 721 systems

The problem with this approach is the current lack of DP34 switches and DP adapters (if Swampthing has legacy eqmt.) If he's not in a hurry this would be the cheapest & easiest.

The only way the QUAD could handle 5-8 receivers would be to get ...maybe 2 SW44's w/o FTL's...

Scooper's got the idea here if Swampthing wants it now. You split the outputs of the QUAD w/wide-band power-passing splitters and feed them to 2 SW44s. Kind of complicated & pricey. :shrug:

[Guest]

scooper... why do you YELL NO NO NO in the first part of your message, and your second paragraph of your message you whisper YES YES YES? duh!!! first you YELL at swamp thing that it can't be done then you tell him how to do it! double duh!!!! it sounds like you might not be too sure of yourself on this issue and therefore swamp thing should talk to a _qualified_ tech person on this issue

[scooper]

NO NO NO - He CAN'T use the SW42 like he is suggesting - you can't "reverse" it to do what he wants - THAT I'M positive.

OTOH - I haven't actually seen the SW44/SW64 splitter thing put up and actually in use. Even at that - the COST of that option seems prohibitive to me - I would find it cheaper to simply put up a 2nd Dish500. If that is not acceptable for some reason, maybe you don't need so many TV's hooked up to satellite ?

[sgtjim]

I currently have a Dish 500 with LNB's that have 2 lines running to SW21 switches. About 60 feet from the house to the Dish 500 with the cable runs buried. In addition I have a dish pointed at 61.5 and running to the SW21 switches. This gives me my hookup to my 6000 for HDTV. I can run one my receiver with this setup. But the 721 requires two cables for the box. What is the best way to get this capability without having to add quad lnb's at the dish and running 2 more cable runs underground. Would the DishPro lnb and SW34 work? Does the DishPro LNB only require 2 cable lines from the LNB to the SW34 switch?

[HTguy]

sgtjim,

Sounds like you have a D500 TWIN cascaded to SW-21s with a dual LNBF on the 18" dish.

If you don't like the QUAD idea because it means 2 more drops you will have to wait for the rest of the DishPro hardware to role out.

Then you get a PVR721 system w/a DishPro TWIN, replace the dual LNBF on the 18" dish with a DishPro single LNBF and tie them together with a DishPro 34 switch.

The question is where to put your DP34 switch. If it's around the antennas you need 2 more cables as if you had a D500 QUAD.

If it goes near the rcvrs you still need one more cable run. (2 drops from the D500, 1 from the 18" dish.)

IOW, there are going to be 3 inputs to the DP34 and at least 3 (probably 4) feeds from it to the rcvr inputs. You can't combine 2 rcvrs on 1 drop.
:shrug:

[sgtjim]

Originally posted by HTguy
sgtjim,

Sounds like you have a D500 TWIN cascaded to SW-21s with a dual LNBF on the 18" dish.

If you don't like the QUAD idea because it means 2 more drops you will have to wait for the rest of the DishPro hardware to role out.

Then you get a PVR721 system w/a DishPro TWIN, replace the dual LNBF on the 18" dish with a DishPro single LNBF and tie them together with a DishPro 34 switch.

The question is where to put your DP34 switch. If it's around the antennas you need 2 more cables as if you had a D500 QUAD.

If it goes near the rcvrs you still need one more cable run. (2 drops from the D500, 1 from the 18" dish.)

IOW, there are going to be 3 inputs to the DP34 and at least 3 (probably 4) feeds from it to the rcvr inputs. You can't combine 2 rcvrs on 1 drop.
:shrug:

Thank you so much for the quick response. Let me see if I follow you.
I replace the Twin 500 with a DishPro twin LNB and replace the 61.5 dish LNB
with a DishPro single LNB(that never crossed my mind). I would then have three cable runs to my 2 existing SW21's that I replace with the DP34. The DP34 would be just before entering my home. I would then need two lines to the 721 and one to the 6000. Is that correct. You confused me at the point where you stated "If it goes near the rcvrs you still need one more cable run. (2 drops from the D500, 1 from the 18" dish". You are referring to the drops from the DP34 aren't you?

Cost? Twin DP $99 Single DP $69 DP34 $99 721 $549 =$816
OR 721 with twin DP $619 +DP single LNB $69 +DP34 $99 =$787
Is this close?
I forgot to add the price of the adapter for legacy receivers(6000) $69.

Thanks

[HTguy]

Originally posted by sgtjim


You confused me at the point where you stated "If it goes near the rcvrs you still need one more cable run. (2 drops from the D500, 1 from the 18" dish). You are referring to the drops from the DP34 aren't you?

-Here I meant the outputs from the LNBFs going to the DP34 switch.

Cost? 721 with twin DP $619 +DP single LNB $69 +DP34 $99 =$787
Is this close?
I forgot to add the price of the adapter for legacy receivers(6000) $69.

This is about right but you should be able to get the 721 system inc. DP TWIN for $599. (You will wind up w/an extra Dish500.)



It's hard for me to be more precise because I don't quite understand your existing layout here:
I currently have a Dish 500 with LNB's that have 2 lines running to SW21 switches. About 60 feet from the house to the Dish 500 with the cable runs buried. In addition I have a dish pointed at 61.5 and running to the SW21 switches. This gives me my hookup to my 6000 for HDTV.

Since you said you have 2 SW-21s I assumed you had a 2nd rcvr but I see now you only use the 6000.

The point is that you seem to want to avoid running another cable because the 2 you have going into the house are underground. It's going to be hard to avoid it since there have to be 3 cables from the LNBFs to the switch & at least 3 from the switch to the rcvrs.

Actually, you can combine the feeds to 2 rcvrs on 1 cable by "band stacking" but it's complicated & expensive.

BTW, if all you plan to have is the 6000 & the 721 it would be cheaper and easier just to swap your existing TWIN for a QUAD. But you still need to run another cable into the house from it.

I still don't get why you have more than 1 SW21 if all you have is a 6000. ("I currently have a Dish 500 with LNB's that have 2 lines running to SW21 switches.") :confused:

I thought you had a 2nd rcvr already & were getting some locals on it from 61.5.

Hope this helps.
;)

[sgtjim]

My 61.5 dish is mounted on the roof and has two lines to the SW21 switches.
I switched from DirecTV and left their dish on the roof and redirected it to 61.5. Even though I received DTV fine, the installer thought going 60 feet to a tree and running underground cable was the better solution. I was to have two receivers initially but he didn't finish the final cable run from SW21 #2. That is a terminated line. So after replacing the SW21 with a DP34, I would have two underground lines from the Dish500 and one line from the 61.5 dish with the new single DP LNB. That would be my three lines from the two dishes and I would have to add two more cable runs from the SW34 to the 721 and 6000 with a legacy adapter for the 6000. I think this is correct?
Thanks for your detailed info and sorry for any confusion. You are correct that the easiest path would be switching to a Quad and adding a SW64 in place of the SW21. The line is only buried about 6 inches.

[scooper]

Instead of the using the QUAD (if you're going to use a SW64 anyway), go cheap and use 2 Dual LNB's. Much less expesive than the QUAD, but it would still require 4 cables from the Dish500 to the SW64 and 2 cables from 61.5 (also equipped with a Dual LNB) to the SW64 .

[HTguy]

Originally posted by sgtjim
My 61.5 dish is mounted on the roof and has two lines to the SW21 switches.
I switched from DirecTV and left their dish on the roof and redirected it to 61.5. Even though I received DTV fine, the installer thought going 60 feet to a tree and running underground cable was the better solution. I was to have two receivers initially but he didn't finish the final cable run from SW21 #2. That is a terminated line.


- Sorry, I still don't understand this layout (going to a tree & running underground) but I guess you have 2 lines coming into the house but only 1 is active. Is the D500 near the old dish? Surely it's not on a tree!

So after replacing the SW21 with a DP34, I would have two underground lines from the Dish500 and one line from the 61.5 dish with the new single DP LNB. That would be my three lines from the two dishes and I would have to add two more cable runs from the SW34 to the 721 and 6000 with a legacy adapter for the 6000. I think this is correct?

-Can't say for sure from your description but if you go DishPro there will be 3 drops from the LNBFs to the DP34 and 3 feeds from the DP34 to the 721 & 6000.

Thanks for your detailed info and sorry for any confusion. You are correct that the easiest path would be switching to a Quad and adding a SW64 in place of the SW21.

- No need for a SW64. If you switch to the QUAD you can cascade 1 or 2 SW21s just like you are now.

The line is only buried about 6 inches.

Sounds like you should get the QUAD & run another cable. If you do, might as well make it a "Siamese" (2 on one) in case you need it later.
:hi:

[sgtjim]

- Sorry, I still don't understand this layout (going to a tree & running underground) but I guess you have 2 lines coming into the house but only 1 is active. Is the D500 near the old dish? Surely it's not on a tree! "

Yep. The D500 is attached to a 100' Oak. The cable runs from the tree underground 60' tp the house mounted SW21 where it meets the roof mounted 61.5 cable and the second SW21. Not a pretty sight, huh.In fact I spent today trying to improve my 119 reception by moving some limbs 30 feet up which I thought had interferred with my reception. I think it was a loose connection. Thanks for all your help.