[ChipH]

I want to upgrade my receivers and am told that Directv will upgrade my current 3 lnb dish to the new 5 model. I use diplexor's in the walls/attic to feed my 3rd floor master bedroom with cable and sat on the existing shared coax. Works great! I read somewhere that the new dish is not compatible with the use of diplexors. Can someone confirm?

Thanks to the group ...

 

[bluedogok]

There is one line on mine that is diplexed and it goes to an old Sony receiver. The installer told me that the Zinwell multiswitch will only allow a diplexed signal on one specific port and not into an HR20. Mine works that way, I have a splitter on the antenna to go to my stereo and other tv.

 

[boba]

If you are using the AT9 KaKu dish the frequencies above channel 13 are used by the satellite system so the UHF channels and many cable channels will interfere with the delivery of the satellite channels coming off the Ka satellites. As long as you are not using those Ka channels you may be able to get away with diplexing but as more channels go onto the Ka satellites you will need a dedicated line for OTA/cable. Stick with your phase 3 or start using dedicated lines.

 

[Radio Enginerd]

If you are using the AT9 KaKu dish the frequencies above channel 13 are used by the satellite system so the UHF channels and many cable channels will interfere with the delivery of the satellite channels coming off the Ka satellites. As long as you are not using those Ka channels you may be able to get away with diplexing but as more channels go onto the Ka satellites you will need a dedicated line for OTA/cable. Stick with your phase 3 or start using dedicated lines.

I understand that you CAN diplex in OTA with an AT-9 and an HR-20. I've even seen posts with wiring diagrams attached that show that by moving your BBC into a central wiring closet (or attic) prior to the diplexer it will work... I don't know if it would work for diplexing cable TV in, but I've heard OTA works...

 

[bluedogok]

All but one of my OTA channels are above 13 and I have had no issues with any receiver (HR20, SD DirecTivo, 2-Sony SD receivers) with the OTA plugged into the Zinwell. I have three lines comoing into my living room, two to the HR20 and the other one with a diplexer with the sat line going into a Sony SD box and the antenna into a splitter. The antenna feed works fine as the OTA input into my HDTV and FM antenna for my receiver.

I did notice that I have no sound on the SD-TV when trying to use the antenna, but that is why I have the old Sony box on it. It has always had tuning issues as it is a Hitachi "World" TV bought in Japan, so it has some of its own idiosyncracies.

 

[carl6]

At this time, DirecTV is not transmitting the channels/transponders that will eventually have the conflicting signals. Therefore, it is possible today to diplex without a problem. What we do not know is what will happen next year when they do start sending those signals.

It is possible that placing the BBC near the dish, and diplexing after that, will work. It is possible that it won't. We won't know for sure until the time comes.

If you have the ability to run a separate coax for OTA or cable, I would highly recommend doing that.

Carl

 

[texasbrit]

Today diplexing will work OK even with the 5-lnb dish, but as soon as the new satellites DirecTV 10 and 11 are launched your diplexing will fail. These two satellites have transponders which generate signals in the Ka-lo band which overlaps the OTA band. So you have four options:

1) run a separate RG-6 to each location where you need OTA. Definitely the best solution if you can do it.

2) If only some of your receivers need Ka-lo, stack an old 5x8 powered multiswitch underneath the Zinwell WB68 - connect any four outputs from the WB68 to the four satellite inputs on the 5x8, connect your OTA to the fifth input of the 5x8. This will give you the four remaining outputs of the WB68 to connect to "new" receivers (currently the R20 and the HR20) and eight outputs from the 5x8 to connect to "old" receivers, including diplexed OTA.
No-one will really know if this works until the new satellites are launched. The theory is that the diplexer in the old 5x8 multiswitch will have enough isolation to strip out the Ka-lo signals. If the isolation is insufficient then inserting diplexers into the four connections from the WB68 to the old 5x8 will strip out any unwanted signals in the OTA bands so will then allow the diplexer in the old 5x8 to do its job.

3) As carl suggests, in theory by moving the b-band converters to the outputs from the multiswitch instead of putting them at the receiver will move the Ka-lo signals away from the OTA bands and allow you to diplex in OTA. Again as carl points out, until DirecTV 10 and 11 are launched no-one knows if this will work.

4) Investigate DirecTV's new single-cable solution to be released sometime next year. With this solution, all the satellite signals will be stacked at different frequencies onto a single cable. So you can use wideband splitters instead of multiswitches. There has been some suggestion that this will also be possible for OTA but I haven't got any confirmation of this. If it does handle OTA as well as satellite signals that will be great, you will only need a single cable even to multiple tuner DVRs with OTA. If the stacking system does not handle OTA, all will not be lost for those people who have two cables to their dual-tuner DVR, they can use one for the stacked satellite signal and one for OTA.

 

[Radio Enginerd]

Today diplexing will work OK even with the 5-lnb dish, but as soon as the new satellites DirecTV 10 and 11 are launched your diplexing will fail. These two satellites have transponders which generate signals in the Ka-lo band which overlaps the OTA band. So you have four options:

1) run a separate RG-6 to each location where you need OTA. Definitely the best solution if you can do it.

2) If only some of your receivers need Ka-lo, stack an old 5x8 powered multiswitch underneath the Zinwell WB68 - connect any four outputs from the WB68 to the four satellite inputs on the 5x8, connect your OTA to the fifth input of the 5x8. This will give you the four remaining outputs of the WB68 to connect to "new" receivers (currently the R20 and the HR20) and eight outputs from the 5x8 to connect to "old" receivers, including diplexed OTA.
No-one will really know if this works until the new satellites are launched. The theory is that the diplexer in the old 5x8 multiswitch will have enough isolation to strip out the Ka-lo signals. If the isolation is insufficient then inserting diplexers into the four connections from the WB68 to the old 5x8 will strip out any unwanted signals in the OTA bands so will then allow the diplexer in the old 5x8 to do its job.

3) As carl suggests, in theory by moving the b-band converters to the outputs from the multiswitch instead of putting them at the receiver will move the Ka-lo signals away from the OTA bands and allow you to diplex in OTA. Again as carl points out, until DirecTV 10 and 11 are launched no-one knows if this will work.

4) Investigate DirecTV's new single-cable solution to be released sometime next year. With this solution, all the satellite signals will be stacked at different frequencies onto a single cable. So you can use wideband splitters instead of multiswitches. There has been some suggestion that this will also be possible for OTA but I haven't got any confirmation of this. If it does handle OTA as well as satellite signals that will be great, you will only need a single cable even to multiple tuner DVRs with OTA. If the stacking system does not handle OTA, all will not be lost for those people who have two cables to their dual-tuner DVR, they can use one for the stacked satellite signal and one for OTA.

VERY informative. Thanks.