New - add tv's with own equipment

[robbp]

OK, I am new to this sattelite stuff, and have been poking around the site some. Here is my scenario:

I just hada a professional 2 room 1 receiver installation completed, very nicely done, thank-you. I do not know the receiver model, but it's a very nive DVR enabled device, and the disk is a 500. The house is brand new, and I wired coax from a central point to all the locations, with 1 coax run to the outside of the house. The Dish installer used the one coax to connect the dish, and then split the signal to my two tv's.

I have 5 additional rooms I would like to set up, and probably made a mistake buying 5 receivers on e-bay (1x501, 2x301, and 2x311). I will check them out with Dish when they come to see if they can be used.

So here are my questions:
1) Should there be a second coax line running from the dish outside to the central point?

2) Can I simply use sattelite splitters to split the signal to my additional rooms?

3) Should I pony up the $$ for a professional from Dish to come do this for me? and would there be a per-room charge?

Thanks,
Robb

 

[RandallA]

3) Should I pony up the $$ for a professional from Dish to come do this for me? and would there be a per-room charge?

Definitely! Because from the statement below, you should have someone to install the extra receivers for you.

"2) Can I simply use sattelite splitters to split the signal to my additional rooms?"

You can't split the satellite signal, it doesn't work like cable. You will need a couple of DPP44 switches or a DPP44 and a DP34 to feed the extra receivers.

 

[boba]

OK, I am new to this sattelite stuff, and have been poking around the site some. Here is my scenario:

I just hada a professional 2 room 1 receiver installation completed, very nicely done, thank-you. I do not know the receiver model, but it's a very nive DVR enabled device, and the disk is a 500. The house is brand new, and I wired coax from a central point to all the locations, with 1 coax run to the outside of the house. The Dish installer used the one coax to connect the dish, and then split the signal to my two tv's.

I have 5 additional rooms I would like to set up, and probably made a mistake buying 5 receivers on e-bay (1x501, 2x301, and 2x311). I will check them out with Dish when they come to see if they can be used.

So here are my questions:
1) Should there be a second coax line running from the dish outside to the central point?

2) Can I simply use sattelite splitters to split the signal to my additional rooms?

3) Should I pony up the $$ for a professional from Dish to come do this for me? and would there be a per-room charge?

Thanks,
Robb

If you were smart instead of trying to cheat the system you would have had everything installed free when you were a new customer. Now that you are an existing customer they could charge you several hundred dollars for switches and labor. The receivers you bought off Ebay maybe owned by DISH or they may have outstanding balances you will have to pay before you can use them. Each receiver will cost you $5 per month wether you leased them or purchased them.

 

[robbp]

Thanks for all the insight.

$169 for a professional installation visit and they will provide 1x2 room receiver, so I have to purchase the other 3 AND, that install will run me an additional $150 for the additional 3 rooms. I am not knocking the professionals, or their service, but $316 to screw in a multi-switch (which I still have to purchase at $200) is a little much in my book.

So here we go, things I have to purchase, no way around it:
$200 multi-switch
$250 yellow cards for receivers ($50 each)
- That is all if I can handle screwing in my own multi-switch

$169 professional install for 2 rooms
$150 professional install for additional 3 rooms

TOTAL to just have it done: $819
TOTAL do it yourself: $550

Oh yeah, the professional way only costs me an extra $20 per month, the do it yourself way is $25 per month. Doing it myself will end up costing me the same after 5 years and 4 months.

hmmmmm.... let me think

 

[robbp]

OK, researching the multi switch options the DPP44 and DP34, there seems to be some $ savings hope. The DPP44 is a powered switch, which is necessary to hook up legacy receiver equipment. But, I have 301, 311 nad PVR 501's which are DishPro gear with Backstacking. So according to Dish's install guides, they can drive the less expensive DP34 switchs just fine. 2 of those vs 1 DPP44 and 1 DP34 saves about $225.

 

[skyviewmark]

Or you should have had four rooms installed for free from the start.. Then all you would have to worry about would have been one room..

 

[skyviewmark]

Why is it that people think they are saving anything by buying their equipment as opposed to Leasing it. The fees for each receiver programming are the same either way.. Maybe the pleasure of doing it theirselves? I install these things. And I can do just about anything.. But when the pipes break I call a plumber. In the end I will be happier with him crawling around under the house instead of me.

 

[robbp]

If you count them up, I am putting in 7 sets, not five. So, your "standard professional 4 room installation" would have included 2 of those sets that have two remotes. That's fine for the room with the receiver, but the second room better be placed somewhere where the uhf signal can bounce around enough to get back to the receiver. Without going into the details of my house construction, not a plausible solution.

Buying vs leasing? You really have no choice in the matter - although Dish tries to make you think you do. They will prvide 2 (and only 2) receivers. You have to purchase the rest from a reseller... don't believe me, call them and ask.

 

[gdarwin]

Buying vs leasing? You really have no choice in the matter - although Dish tries to make you think you do. They will prvide 2 (and only 2) receivers. You have to purchase the rest from a reseller... don't believe me, call them and ask.

Leased 211, and two 622's
Owned 942, 311

It can be done by contacting ceo....

 

[KAB]

House construction makes no difference since the UHF antenna on dual receivers can be combined with the coax going to TV 2 two then split back out again...right in the same room as the set.

 

[RandallA]

Robb,

All we're trying to tell you is that you should've gone for the initial 4 rooms and then add the receivers you needed. It would've been a lot easier because some of the equipment would've been already there. You already made your decision, so you'll need to spend money in getting it done. Good luck!

You could go with two DP34s but remember that you need 2 cable runs for each dual tuner receiver.

 

[Scott6760]

Where are you located? If you're near me I would be willing to install it for you (for less than $800 lol). You will need at least one more cable run to the outside. You will need to purchase a DPP 44 switch unless you are willing to run a second line to your current dual tuner DVR receiver. Also, do you really NEED to watch 7 different channels at a time? You could have dish come back out and install another dual tuner receiver (for $169) and slip the installer an extra $50 to mirror the picture to the 3 extra TV's

 

[robbp]

Thanks for all the help folks... I realize I should have gone with two rooms, but alas, I am moving forward.

I am having trouble understanding the necessity of the second coax run either to te dual receiver or the sattelite... could you explain why?

 

[Jared Twomey]

Thanks for all the help folks... I realize I should have gone with two rooms, but alas, I am moving forward.

I am having trouble understanding the necessity of the second coax run either to te dual receiver or the sattelite... could you explain why?

You need the second one outside because by installing a multiswitch in the line, you are disabling the built in switch in the lnb... so you need another line run in from the dish to the central location.

you will need a second line to the dual tuner.... because it has "dual tuners"... it needs two feeds from the switch.
currently it is only using 1 wire, because it is connected to a DPP Twin (Dish Pro Plus) twin, which uses certain bandstacking techniques to only use 1 line. The only other thing you could use to do that is the DPP44 switch. The DP34 is Dish Pro... not Dish Pro Plus