Using splitters with Dish

[disciple4jc]

Recently I decided to experiment with the DPP Twin, DP Twin, and the DPP 44 switch. I peaked in a Dish 500 with a DPP Twin and ran 1 line directly to a 510 receiver and just before the Satellite in port, I put a two way ATRAS splitter. Out of the ATRAS splitter, I ran a line to the Satellite in on the 510 receiver. I ran a check switch and everything came in. I sat and watched the signal strength for about 10 minutes, it stayed constant 125 on 119 and 105 on 110. I then ran a line for 61.5 to the additional port on the DPP Twin and ran a check switch. Everything came in fine. I decided to replace the DPP Twin with a regular DP Twin and everything came in fine again.
Another experiment with a different setup, a SD 105 with a 61.5 and a DPP 44 switch. The line running to the 510 from the DPP 44 switch, I used the ATRAS splitter and ran a line out of it to the Satellite in on the 510 receiver. Everything worked fine.

Can anyone explain why everything worked fine with a splitter at the Satellite in? Everyone has always said you can't split satellite signal. Know I know for a fact you can split one satellite signal (dual LNB...119,110, or 61.5), but more than one?
Is this just a temporary thing and the splitter will burn out or what? Maybe it depends on the type of splitter? Any input will be appreciated!!!!!

 

[al]

Connect another receiver to the other leg of the splitter, and you will find that it will not work, once one receiver gives LNBF a conflicting request.

 

[rglore]

The receiver tells the switch/LNB which satellite signals to send down the coax. If two receivers are on the same coax and one wants a different sat or polaritiy than the other one, the switch/LNB can not send both and one receiver will show no signal.

 

[TNGTony]

What they said.

Back when I was selling DirecTV systems at Sam's, at least once a week there was some one who insisted they only needed the single LNB system and they would split the signal. After a couple of months, I stopped arguing with the customers and sold them what they told me they wanted. I made sure to tell them it wouldn't work, why it wouldn't work and how to make sure they could return the product to DirecTV because we did not accept LNBs or receivers as returns for a refund or exchange. None ever paid attention to me because, as you know, no one at Sam's ever knows what he's talking about. I made sure to mark their reciiepts so I knew I'd told them it woudln't work. It was funny watching these people come back wanting to return the system and being very annoyed with the return counter personel. Some getting pretty abusive...that is until they saw me. For some reason, each time they got very quiet and never looked me in the eye.

You cannot split a signal from a switch and have both receivers working at the same time. You can have 1 receiver work at a time for a while, but then you run the risk of damaging one of the receivers by constantly feeding the 13/18volts into the satellite in jack which is trying to send 13/18 volts out.

See ya
Tony

 

[disciple4jc]

Since you can't split a signal from a switch, you can split a signal from a dual lnb correct?

 

[webbydude]

Technically, that IS correct. But the type of splitter is important. It needs to be a hi-frequency splitter. Definately not one of your average Wally Mart type of things.

 

[TNGTony]

Under no circumstances can you just "slpit" a signal from the satellite to the receiver. You need to use a switch. A switch will generally not work with a single LNB. So yes you can feed many receivers with a dual LNB and only one receiver with a single LNB. But no, you can't split the signal.

If you only have two receivers and it is a single satellite system, all you have to do is plug a receiver into each output of the dual LNB and you are ready to go.

Dish Network, however uses 2 or more satellite locations depending on your set-up you can have a "Twin" or a "quad" LNB. This is the necessary LNB and switch combination for 110/119 the two main dish locations.


In any case you need a SWITCH and not a splittler. They are not the same thing. what a switch does is it routes the signal according to what the receiver needs. In the simplest case, locks one side of a dual LNB on one polarization and the other side of the LNB on the other. Then the outputs go to each receiver. The receivers then tell the switch which side of the dual LNB they need to see to pick up the correct channel.

The chart HERE has what you need to figure out how to do what you want to do.

If you have a specific question about how to get your set-up going, please ask!