622 Coaxial Cable

[mebgardener]

My house is pre-wired with RG59 coaxial cables to 4 rooms. I am about to use the modulated output of the 622 to send programming through the existing cabling within my house. My question is, should I bite the bullet and replace the RG59 with RG6? Or Does it matter?

 

[lakebum431]

Try it first and see what it looks like. If it works you'll be good to go. My guess is it will work fine. If it doesn't then you'll need to replace the wiring. But I sure as heck wouldn't replace it before you try it.

 

[RandallA]

RG-6 rated to at least 2200 MHz is required from the LNBs to the receivers. RG59 might work in short runs but you'll probably have problems in the future. You could use RG59 for the RF modulated output in the 622 to feed the second TV.

My suggestion is to replace the cable to RG6 so you don't run into problems in the future. If you have Dish Network installed, they should run new RG6 cable to the 4rooms.

 

[bhelms]

It all comes down to what frequencies you're trying to send through the existing RG-59. If it's only "broadcast" freqs. less than about 500MHz or so you should be good to go. As RandallA mentions, 59 won't work very well for any sat. signals, but it should be OK for the 622 RF modulated output, CATV, OTA, etc. RG-6 is lower loss so it will be better in any application, but will it make any difference with your intended application?

Experiment, preferrably before the installer arrives. Use a modulated output from a VCR, game, etc. into the system and see how it looks at the 3 locations remote from where you'll locate the 622.

Is your existing cable buried in the walls, etc. or exposed? An installer won't replace any in-wall cable. He will surface-mount RG-6 with very few wall/ceiling/floor penetrations. If you have hidden cable now, will a surface mount system be OK by you?

If you're doing any furure upgrades, tho', think RG-6...

 

[mebgardener]

Thank you all. I will experiment first since the cabling is already there. The only thing I was worried about was that the RG59 wouldn't work. I already knew that the E* requires RG6 for the satellite signal because that was mentioned in the installation guide. However, the guide does not mention a particular cable type for the RF modulated signal.

 

[jrfuda]

I have the modulated output from my 622 feeding 3 additional TVs using an existing RG59 "network" in my house (RG6 feeds the sat from the dishes).

Originally, I had only one additional set connected to what was then a 522, and it worked fine. Later, I added some splitter/combiners to the system to get the 522's output to all my sets. At this time I also added a modulator to modulate the output of my 400-disc DVD Changer and my video baby monitor to all the TVs.

My modulator (low-priced Dayton 3 channel modulator from Parts Express) easily got a clear picture to every set in the house, but the 522 did not. I then lowered the gain on the modulator until its picture matched the picture coming from the 522 and then put them all behind a 10db amp. Now I get crystal clear reception on all the TVs of 622 (both TV1 and TV2), DVD, and baby monitor content. I'm using:

21: 622 TV2 output
52: 622 TV1 output
62: DVD
64: Baby Monitor
66: For future use.

I also added a high-pass filter to the setup becuase I was getting some herringbone on the remote sets. The filter only passes VHF and UHF, and blocks everything else (FM, Ham, etc.).

Bottom line is RG59 will defineately do with one remote set, but may get fringy as you split it, in which case a $30 amplifier may fix the problem easier than rerunning a bunch of RG6.

- Try it first like it is. If it does not work, try adding an amp, if that still does not work, return the amp and try the RG6.

- Also, make sure that there are no attenuators installed. For some reason, my original installer thought they should be installed, which resulted in less than perfect picture quality. Once removed, everything cleared up.

 

[mebgardener]

Again, thank you all! I have 2 analog TVs using the modulated signal from the 622 and the picture quality is impressive. This message is to confirm that RG59 works without adding extra filters/amps and such. Very nice box from E*. On further note, I was not that pleased with the 811 and now I am very glad that I upgraded to the 622.