Let me say right up front, that I’m not an installer, and if this forum is for installers only, well, I apologize – I’m new here
This is my situation: Some years ago, I installed a central wiring cabinet (14.5”X42”X4”, flush mounted, and closed in normal operation), and pulled 2 runs of RG-6 (as well as 3 runs of UTP) to 20 some outlets placed strategically through the house. A few months back D* installed an MPEG4 upgrade – slimline antenna, and a couple of HD receivers, and I realized that my efforts at future proofing my home were for naught. I care about having a terrestrial signal, not only for the dot-channels, but for FM as well. It was OK for a while, until I added an AM21 to an HR21 and had to run the terrestrial signal halfway around the room along the baseboard. I debated pulling a 3rd run of RG-6 into the outlets with DVRs or getting a SWM solution. I kicked it around long enough for the price of SWMs to drop low enough to settle the argument, and just purchased an SWM-8, Power Inserter, and 4 port splitter. Now that I have it in hand, I have some questions.
1) So, I need support for 6 tuners, in 4 boxes. I initially thought that I would install the SWM, PI and splitter in the wiring cabinet (It previously housed a Spaun 5x8, and more recently a Zinwell WB68), so there’s room. On reading the paperwork which came with the PI, it looks like this is a bad idea – the instructions say to allow room for ventilation, which won’t happen in the wiring cabinet. But, I notice that the splitter (Holland STS-4) has a pair of power passing ports. Am I correct to avoid mounting the PI in an enclosed space? Can I wire the PI between the splitter and a receiver, using the red ports, rather than between the splitter and the SWM, which is how the instructions show it?
2) With regards to the SWM, the information I’ve seen, indicates that it’s OK for outdoors, and has to operate in ambient temps < 52°C. I’m wondering if it will get too hot in the wiring cabinet (with the PI mounted externally). The PI will source 40 some watts, but I don’t know how much of that will be dissipated in the SWM. Does this box get hot? I was thinking that if I wound up installing the SWM at the ODU, I would put it in a weather proof box, which would then be in the sun for most of the day. So, the question is meaningful regardless of what I do. I know it’s a judgment call, and I know I can install it and check its’ temperature, but maybe someone’s already done that, or something similar.
3) Do I terminate unused ports on the splitter if I have any (they will be fully populated, but there’s a remodeling project coming up, which will pull the plug on a receiver for the duration, and it’s good to know anyway).
4) The recent DirecTV installation did not use grounding blocks where the four cables enter the house. I asked, and was told basically that “this is how it’s done” by both the installer and a D* CSR. But unless the ODU is a grounding block, it would appear to be out of compliance with NEC. No one could tell me that it was a grounding block, just the mantra - that's how its done. The ODU is grounded properly. Is this in fact a proper installation? I live in an area where mold and mildew is more of a danger than lightning and thunder, but still…
Rich Miller
HR/AM21-700/Sharp HDTV 1080p
HR20-100/Sony HDTV 720p
H20-200/Sony EDTV
H20-600/Vista PC
DVRs networked 802.3x
