522 Cable Question

[histry]

I was under the impression when I installed my 522 that cable would flow through the receiver and on to the other tv's off of the tv2 output.

I ran a line directly out of the tv2 coax to a tv and although I do get the satellite signal on the channel that I set in the receiver (72), I don't have any cable.

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[SimpleSimon]

You are correct. No passthrough for TV2. You'll need to find another solution - tell us more about what you've got where - and I do mean all of it - and we might be able to find a creative solution for you.

 

[histry]

I can do it with slide switches, but I really didn't want to. My question is, why do the suggest placing the cable in directly into the receiver then the tv2 out into the input of a splitter. That only makes since if there was cable signal passing on through. That's a little misleading on their behalf.

I saw a diagram of a splitter that had two inputs, is this real and does anybody know of where to find it. I'm guessing that would allow a combination of signals and allow it to work.

Thanks.

 

[Jahntassa]

If you mean like a regular cable TV splitter, and not a sat splitter. Yeah, you can just take a standard cable splitter, turn it around, and have the outputs act as ins, and the input act as the output to the TV. I do that with my UHF RF modulators.

 

[SimpleSimon]

histy: I have no idea what you're referring to.

As for your other question there are MANY different devices that have 3 connectors on them - splitters, combiners, diplexers, and so forth. They each have a different purpose in life and can NOT be interchanged - they do different things - even some devices of the same type have differences. You gotta know what you want to happen in order to get the right device.

 

[RBBrittain]

If you mean like a regular cable TV splitter, and not a sat splitter. Yeah, you can just take a standard cable splitter, turn it around, and have the outputs act as ins, and the input act as the output to the TV. I do that with my UHF RF modulators.

SOME regular cable TV splitters are reversible that way; they are usually marked "splitter/combiner". Nonetheless, the noise issues with such a setup can be problematic, and if it doesn't work just right, the FCC may come after you for pirate broadcasting. It's best to either use an A/B switch, or else get a unit designed especially to combine a UHF home-distribution output (like 322/522 TV2) with OTA/cable, THEN split it; I think Dishstore.net has such a unit (made by Eagle Aspen).

 

[RBBrittain]

I can do it with slide switches, but I really didn't want to. My question is, why do the suggest placing the cable in directly into the receiver then the tv2 out into the input of a splitter. That only makes since if there was cable signal passing on through. That's a little misleading on their behalf.

Not necessarily. The suggestion of putting cable into the receiver is for TV1's benefit; that's why the cable/OTA input is on the TV1 side. The suggestion of rearranging your cable splitter so TV2 feeds its input is so that your receiver can send Dish to the rest of the house via the TV2 output and your former cable wiring; that's why TV2's RF modulator is higher-powered than TV1's.

 

[Jahntassa]

SOME regular cable TV splitters are reversible that way; they are usually marked "splitter/combiner". Nonetheless, the noise issues with such a setup can be problematic, and if it doesn't work just right, the FCC may come after you for pirate broadcasting. It's best to either use an A/B switch, or else get a unit designed especially to combine a UHF home-distribution output (like 322/522 TV2) with OTA/cable, THEN split it; I think Dishstore.net has such a unit (made by Eagle Aspen).

True, though most of the splitters i've seen have said splitter/combiner. Those include RatShack, Home Depot, and cable provider splitters. And I don't know how the FCC would come after me for pirate broadcasting using a RatShack high-channel UHF modulator. That'd be like saying they'll go after anyone with an iRock. The thing doesn't put out enough to broadcast anything other than over a cable.

Plus, with the splitter/combiners i've used, it's never seemed to backfeed. I believe i've even tried it that way, and it always has to be upstream from the TV, but downstream from your cable sourse.

The RatShack modulator is a $50 piece, available at any Radio Shack.

 

[ShadowEKU]

On a related topic I wonder if anyone could help me with a solution on this one...

Ok my setup.

522 in Den with the tv2 output running under the house and split to the bedroom and my office.

311 with Tivo in the office hooked up to TV through Composite Inputs and the coax cable coming from the 522 hooked into its tuner

510 in bedroom with the coax coming from the 522 in its antenna port which passes through when i turn the 510 off.

I have it set up this way so i can watch all of my 522 recordings anywhere there is a tv.


My wife and I like to play gamecube at night alot. However we can only play it in the living room. I do have an RF modulator that can take composit inputs and pipe them out through channel 3 or 4. My question is: Is there a low cost solution to carrying these 2 signals on the one coax line. We use wireless controllers that practically work next door.

 

[Jahntassa]

I would say you could put your RF modulator, and your Gamecube, in the same room as your 522. If your Wavebirds (I assume those're the controllers you're using) are all you use, then there's no real reason to need to access the GC while you're gaming. Put the RF modulator between the 522 and the cable line feeding everything else. It means that when you play the GC, it might cut-off the 522 from the rest of the TVs, but that wouldn't matter unless you wanna watch TV and GC at the same time.

 

[ShadowEKU]

I would say you could put your RF modulator, and your Gamecube, in the same room as your 522. If your Wavebirds (I assume those're the controllers you're using) are all you use, then there's no real reason to need to access the GC while you're gaming. Put the RF modulator between the 522 and the cable line feeding everything else. It means that when you play the GC, it might cut-off the 522 from the rest of the TVs, but that wouldn't matter unless you wanna watch TV and GC at the same time.

wow why didnt i think of that

 

[Jahntassa]

Heh, i've done a setup like that a few times. Otherwise known as switching dorm rooms in college, so I had to resetup everything. I had a switch that would change between my Tivo, computer, DVD player, and gamecube feeding a two-room suite. So you could watch anything from any TV. It does have limitations..but as long as you can deal with that..you're good.

 

[haertig]

I have a 522 and a 322. To distribute outputs, I take the two 522 RF outputs (one modulating on channel 4 and the other on 73) and the two 322 RF outputs (modulating on channel 3 and 91) and go through a 4-way combiner (splitter used "backwards"), to an amp, then to my house's cable distribution. There are more splitters downstream that split that distribution out at each TV. Thus any TV can tune the correct channel to gain access to any of the four 522/322 tuners. Of course if one of my TV's "steals" some other TV's normally assigned channel, then it also has to steal that other TV's remote so it can control the correct TV1/TV2 on the correct 522/322! Such is life.

A problem occurs however. Pumping both channel 3 and channel 4 into that combiner/amp/splitter arrangement creates interference. Channels 3 and 4 are too close to each other. I solved this the cheap way ... I simply unplugged the channel 4 feed (522 TV1). There are more spohisticated ways if you really want to have all four tuner outputs distributed. I think there are gadgets made to combine adjacent channels without interference, but I don't know from first hand experience. Or you could buy some seperate modulator and get the 522 TV1 output onto a different channel not so close to the others. Unfortunately, both the 522 and 322 TV1 RF outputs can ONLY modulate on channel 3 or 4. The TV2 outputs have a much wider set of (non-adjacent) channels you can choose from.

You might be able to use some derivitive of the above setup to get your 522's TV1 cable feed-thru distributed to other TV's.

 

[SimpleSimon]

haertig: Good setup! Yes, it's a shame that 3 & 4 interfere with each other - and there's no way around it that I've ever seen. It's just that they're too close together for most TVs to separate them. A separate modulator hooked to the RCA outputs and sending it out via the VHF-HI band (7-13) would be perfect.

 

[haertig]

haertig: Good setup!

You might very well recognize it. I think it was YOU who held my hand a few months back when I was new to Dish and walked me through various setups and options! If you didn't tell me exactly how to do this, along with warnings about adjacent channel interference, then it was only a small step for me to take things that you DID say and wind up with this setup. Although, as best my feeble mind can remember, my setup is verbatim what you suggested.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Well, dang! I certainly didn't MEAN to pat myself on the back, but I'm glad I was able to help you out!

 

[AJF]

I'm doing the same at my house, but the biggest problem is not being able to control TV2 using IR. It means shuffling remotes back and forth. If TV2 could be controlled using IR, I could program 1 universal remote to control and access both . I think this was a great lack of foresight on Dish's part and I don't see why they would not include IR for both tuners .

 

[SimpleSimon]

They think that single mode solves the problem. Maybe it does - have you considered using it?

 

[AJF]

Single mode doesn't really help my situation . In single mode I would lose the ability for 2 tv's to be watching 2 different programs at the same time .

Right now I have a 522 split between my two daughters rooms and a 322 split between my kitchen and guest room. I'd like to be able to access TV2 from the guest room too, which is easy to do since it's modulated to another channel, but because it's UHF remote only, I have to switch remotes rather than using a universal remote for both . Also, I would like to modulate the signal from a DVD megachanger to some of the rooms and have one IR remote to control both , but it's a problem since TV2 is UHF only.

Sorry about the long, complicated post.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Sorry, I still don't see the issue. Most people leave a E* remote in the room with the attached TV and program it to control the other devices in that room.