serial multiswitches

[dicke]

Has anybody had any experience in multiswitching an output from a multiswitch. My directtv oval dish is already multiplexed to 4 receivers. I now need another lead for my hd tivo. Can I multiswitch the lead that now goes to my hd receiver?

 

[Mr Tony]

you need a 5x8 multiswitch

 

[dicke]

I have a 5x8 multiswitch in the attic. I am trying to avoid having to pull another cable from the attic to my hd tivo.

 

[Darin]

You can't do what you want to do. You CAN run one multiswitch off of the outputs of another multiswitch, but in a multi-satellite set-up, you need four inputs for each multiswitch. So in your case, with an eight output existing multiswitch, four outputs (and therefore, four cables) would be needed for the downstream multiswitch. So, yes, you can put a multiswitch where your TiVo is, driven off of the existing multiswitch, but you'd need three more cables. Or you can just add one more cable straight off your existing multiswtich. Obviously, adding another multiswitch is NOT going to get you in the direction you want to go.

 

[ramcm7]

You should be able to do what you want. You don't necessarily need a 5x8 multiswitch, but you do need a CASCADABLE multiswitch. Just looking at Solid Signal's multiswitch offerings, you can get a 2x4 or a 2x6 that should meet your needs, taking two of the the feeds from the dish to the new switch. Ask retailers which switches would meet your needs.

 

[Darin]

You should be able to do what you want.

No, what he WANTS to do is use two tuners on his TiVo without adding another cable. He's not lacking for multiswitch outputs, he's lacking in cable runs to where his equipment is. From the way I read it, he wants to be able to put a multiswitch in the location of his HD-TiVo, so he can get more outputs at that location without pulling more cable. That would ONLY work if the number of cables he already has pulled to that location is at least four. The only other way he could do it would be with two cables, each of them stacked, but that would be a very expensive solution. By far, the simplest and cheapest solution would be another cable run, if possible.

Just looking at Solid Signal's multiswitch offerings, you can get a 2x4 or a 2x6 that should meet your needs...

Since it's an HD-TiVo that he's adding, I'm going to assume he wants to get the HD channels. Many of those are on 110 and 119, so he's going to want to get all three sats. A 2xN multiswitch will not provide multiple satellites.