[scub0y]

I currently have 2 RCA DirecTV receivers (standard) + 2 DirecTivo units (standard, obviously). I have a Dual LNB dish and a 2(+1)-to-8 multiswitch connecting everything. My dish is mounted on the peak of my roof, ~30' off the ground....

I'm renovating my attic and I was trying to get the contractor to use a lift/bucket-truck to bring the materials in, rather than bring sheetrock through my house up 2 flights of stairs. He's also going to be putting in a couple skylights, so they will be accessing the roof. Anyway, accessing the roof is difficult. So I was thinking I could coordinate a DTV installer to upgrade my dish now, in preparation for when I decide to go HD. I posted this question on another website, and someone kindly volunteered that I should install a 5-LNB Dish. So...

5-LNB Dish .. does it point to the same spot as my current dual-LNB? (I'm asking because I have many tall trees around, and my dual is giving me a 95% signal .. but anything lower on the horizon could be substantially less).

Will it work with my existing receivers/DirecTivos until I'm ready to upgrade them, or do I need to have 2 dishes (yikes)?

Is there a special multiswitch to give me 5(+1)-to-8(or more) connectivity? Do I use my current multiswitch for now, until I need access to the other 3 LNB's for HD?

Thanks, ahead of time

 

[boba]

I currently have 2 RCA DirecTV receivers (standard) + 2 DirecTivo units (standard, obviously). I have a Dual LNB dish and a 2(+1)-to-8 multiswitch connecting everything. My dish is mounted on the peak of my roof, ~30' off the ground....

I'm renovating my attic and I was trying to get the contractor to use a lift/bucket-truck to bring the materials in, rather than bring sheetrock through my house up 2 flights of stairs. He's also going to be putting in a couple skylights, so they will be accessing the roof. Anyway, accessing the roof is difficult. So I was thinking I could coordinate a DTV installer to upgrade my dish now, in preparation for when I decide to go HD. I posted this question on another website, and someone kindly volunteered that I should install a 5-LNB Dish. So...

5-LNB Dish .. does it point to the same spot as my current dual-LNB? (I'm asking because I have many tall trees around, and my dual is giving me a 95% signal .. but anything lower on the horizon could be substantially less).

Will it work with my existing receivers/DirecTivos until I'm ready to upgrade them, or do I need to have 2 dishes (yikes)?

Is there a special multiswitch to give me 5(+1)-to-8(or more) connectivity? Do I use my current multiswitch for now, until I need access to the other 3 LNB's for HD?

Thanks, ahead of time

The AT9 looks at 5 satellites instead of the 1 you are currently seeing. Two of the satellites are located to the west of 101, 119 and 110 you will need 110 for HDTV the other 2 are Ka satellites at 99 and 103 just slightly different from your current 101.
Yes the AT9 will work with your current receivers as long as they are plus receivers.
A 4 way multiswitch is built in and the only multiswitch that currently works is the WB68 6 in and 8 out.

Call Directv to see if they will upgrade you without a HD receiver that will be their decision not ours.

 

[scub0y]

The AT9 looks at 5 satellites instead of the 1 you are currently seeing. Two of the satellites are located to the west of 101, 119 and 110 you will need 110 for HDTV the other 2 are Ka satellites at 99 and 103 just slightly different from your current 101.
Yes the AT9 will work with your current receivers as long as they are plus receivers.
A 4 way multiswitch is built in and the only multiswitch that currently works is the WB68 6 in and 8 out.

Call Directv to see if they will upgrade you without a HD receiver that will be their decision not ours.

-----

Are all the satellites at the same angle above the horizon?
How do I know if I have "plus" receivers? My Tivo's are RCA DVR39 and DVR40 and my receivers are RCA 480RE and 420RE.

Is the cabling still RG-6?

When you say "a 4-way multiswitch is built in" .. built in to what? I have a wiring distribution in my basement (think network IDF closet) starring RG-6 to all the rooms. Ideally, I'll bring all lines to that spot in the basement for redistribution through the house. Currently, I have the 2 RG-6's going to my basement multiswitch and then going to the 4 (actually 6, because of the Tivo's) receivers.

If the new dish still pulls in from the current satellite, won't the line(s) coming from that LNB(s) still work on the existing multiswitch?

Thanks.

 

[bobnielsen]

-----

Are all the satellites at the same angle above the horizon?
How do I know if I have "plus" receivers? My Tivo's are RCA DVR39 and DVR40 and my receivers are RCA 480RE and 420RE.

Is the cabling still RG-6?

When you say "a 4-way multiswitch is built in" .. built in to what? I have a wiring distribution in my basement (think network IDF closet) starring RG-6 to all the rooms. Ideally, I'll bring all lines to that spot in the basement for redistribution through the house. Currently, I have the 2 RG-6's going to my basement multiswitch and then going to the 4 (actually 6, because of the Tivo's) receivers.

If the new dish still pulls in from the current satellite, won't the line(s) coming from that LNB(s) still work on the existing multiswitch?

Thanks.

From your location, the 110 and 119 satellites will be a bit lower in elevation than 101. The 99 and 103 satellites are closer to 101, obviously.

You should use RG-6 coax with a solid copper center conductor. There are four outputs from the built-in multiswitch. To feed two receivers and two DVRs, you will need 6 lines, so run the four (2 existing and 2 new) from the dish to a Zinwell WB68 multiswitch, which has 8 outputs. This multiswitch is compatible with the new dish and has the necessary frequency response to handle the Ka-band satellites at 99 and 103.

 

[scub0y]

From your location, the 110 and 119 satellites will be a bit lower in elevation than 101. The 99 and 103 satellites are closer to 101, obviously.

You should use RG-6 coax with a solid copper center conductor. There are four outputs from the built-in multiswitch. To feed two receivers and two DVRs, you will need 6 lines, so run the four (2 existing and 2 new) from the dish to a Zinwell WB68 multiswitch, which has 8 outputs. This multiswitch is compatible with the new dish and has the necessary frequency response to handle the Ka-band satellites at 99 and 103.

---

This is all good info. So, just a couple more questions.

When you say 110 and 119 are a bit lower, how many degrees are we talking about?

I thought the new LNB was a 5. You say the total lines are 4 (2 existing + 2 new ones). Am I missing something here?

I think I'll have to get a DTV installer out to look at the angles and measure signal strength before I do this. I hate the idea of topping trees, but if I have to I will .. I like my DTV too much.

 

[morgantown]

119 is the very lowest in the horizon, followed by 110... This may be a bit too much common sense, but I'd hazard to say that 119 is eighteen degrees lower that 101.

119 is the most problematic for those with tall tree's and any significant obstruction in the southern sky. 110 also has HD on it as well (ESPN and a couple others) and obviously is higher in the sky.

The four lines is correct as the dish has a built in M/S, IIRC.

 

[Teronzhul]

Each of the satellites is in a geosynchronus equatorial orbit, so while their horizontal separation would be a total of 18 degrees, their vertical separation is a factor of the Earths curvature and your distance from them. In North Florida the 119 is at an elevation of approximately 42 degrees, the 110 at 47 degrees, and the 101 at 52 degrees.

Over much of the United States I would imagine that the vertical separation would also be about 5 degrees per sat.

The new dish is a 5lnb yes, but the dish has a built in 4 port multiswitch as to not require 5 lines going to an external switch. Either you can use the built in switch to feed independent televisions, or you can bring the 4 feeds to a 6x8 zinwell or 6x16 to feed that switch if additional outputs are required. In any case, a minimum of 4 lines from the dish to your switch location is required.

 

[scub0y]

Each of the satellites is in a geosynchronus equatorial orbit, so while their horizontal separation would be a total of 18 degrees, their vertical separation is a factor of the Earths curvature and your distance from them. In North Florida the 119 is at an elevation of approximately 42 degrees, the 110 at 47 degrees, and the 101 at 52 degrees.

Over much of the United States I would imagine that the vertical separation would also be about 5 degrees per sat.

The new dish is a 5lnb yes, but the dish has a built in 4 port multiswitch as to not require 5 lines going to an external switch. Either you can use the built in switch to feed independent televisions, or you can bring the 4 feeds to a 6x8 zinwell or 6x16 to feed that switch if additional outputs are required. In any case, a minimum of 4 lines from the dish to your switch location is required.

----

Yikes, it sounds like the 119 may be an issue for me. If it's at 42 for you, I'm probably 2,000 miles North of you, that would put it considerably lower. I'm definitely going to have to have someone come out to check.

Somehow I don't see me getting this all together before we start getting snow, so I may be forced to revisit this in the Spring.

Thanks for the info.

 

[bobnielsen]

For your location (Boston):

Satellite AZ El
101 235.1 deg. 32.5 deg.
110 244.7 27.4
119 253.2 21.6

 

[carl6]

The "Dual LNB dish" you are referring to that you currently have - is it a round 18" dish with a single "dual lnb" housing, or is it an oval dish with two separate lnb's? I suspect the former as you only have 2 lines coming from it.

If that is the case (single round 18" dish), you can get away with your current multiswitch and wiring even with the new dish, as you are only accessing one satellite, the 101.

However, in order to move to HD you will have to run the additional two coax runs from the dish and replace the multiswitch. As to roof access, you want to run the coax at the time you replace the dish. As far as the multiswitch is concerned, you could postpone that until you actually upgrade your service to include HD.

Carl

 

[Staszek]

The AT9 looks at 5 satellites instead of the 1 you are currently seeing. Two of the satellites are located to the west of 101, 119 and 110 you will need 110 for HDTV the other 2 are Ka satellites at 99 and 103 just slightly different from your current 101.
Yes the AT9 will work with your current receivers as long as they are plus receivers.
A 4 way multiswitch is built in and the only multiswitch that currently works is the WB68 6 in and 8 out.

Call Directv to see if they will upgrade you without a HD receiver that will be their decision not ours.

Not true, the AT9 will work with any receiver. I have it working on an HR20 and R15 and two D10's right now. D10 and D11 are not plus receivers.