Splitting A Signal (Newbie Needs Help!)

[ChuckW]

This question may be answered in another forum, and I apologize if this is a multiple posting. I live in a condo and share a satellite dish with other units. I am not sure how things are wired prior to entering my condo, so I am not sure if that will affect the ability to get help.

I have a 2 LNB dish, with a single coax entering the unit. The coax exits the wall behind the living room TV and is split into two tuner Tivo, and to a coax running to the bedroom on a common wall.

The attached diagram shows how the intstaller set up my system.

On the opposite side of the room, the cable runs under the stairs. When I had cable, this line was split and ran to the loft of my unit. The dead (unused) coax is still there. Can I split the coax prior to it reaching the set up shown in the attachment?

I know I would need another box from Direct Tv, and that is not a problem. It is just impractical to use the empty Rx4, due to the location of the set up.

I hope I did not make this more confusing than it needed to be, but I am not very smart when it comes to satellite, and I am more visual than oral. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

[carl6]

Somewhere along the way, you must have a device called a de-stacker. It might be one of the items in your drawing, hard to tell.

If in fact you are getting a stacked signal on the single coax coming into your unit, then it should be possible to split that single line and feed it to another location. You would need another destacker at that location.

To be clear, you say that you are sharing the dish with other units, correct? It is not your exclusive dish? In that case, someplace before your apartment there should be a device called a stacker. The single line coming into your apartment has a stacked signal on it, which can be split.

I'm going to guess at this point. The collective pile of equipment in your drawing looks like it is a multiswitch, but it may in fact be some type of de-stacker. Either that, or the "splitters" you show are the destacker and the output of the destacker is then being fed into a multiswitch. In either case, you need to take the 4th output of the device to feed your loft, OR split the line before any of the equipment in your drawing, then duplicate all that equipment at your loft position (i.e., another destacker).

I hope the way I explained it makes some sense. Bottom line is I don't think you can do what you want without additional equipment. It will probably be easier, and certainly cheaper, to just run the 4th output to your loft.

Carl

[ChuckW]

Thank you for the help. I do not mind purchasing additional equipment. Believe it or not, that would be much eaiser than trying to run the fourth out to the loft. What you are saying makes total sense.

My follow up question would be: Do I use a 2 port pass splitter to run the stacked signal to the loft, then use a set up like the one in the living room in the loft?

[carl6]

You probably need to check with your condo association to find out who supports the satellite tv system. Talk to them about what equipment is needed to activate a receiver at another location and what it would cost to get it.

Destacking equipment typically costs around $100 to $150 per location (very approximate estimate).

Something you might try just to see if it will work. Use a regular splitter, one output to your existing system, the other output to your loft. Get either a D11 standard receiver, or R15 DVR. Both have built in de-stackers that may or may not be compatible with the stacked signal you have (you need to access a special menu to activate it - I think pressing right arrow and active buttons at the same time). Try it and see if it works. If it does, you have invested about $5 for the splitter. If it doesn't, then work with the support company for your condo's satellite system.

Carl

[ChuckW]

Carl6 I want to thank you for all your help. I was able to solve my problem, and all is working, just a well placed splitter, de-stacker combo. I appreciate you steering me in the right direction.