Multi-room, Multi-sat configuration help

mellwaters100 · 05-11-2007

Hello,

I am looking at investing in a multi-room, multi-sat configuration and have spent the last few days doing all the groundwork. I am pretty close to what I want to do, but feel a sanity check is in order!

I plan on going for a 90cm dish with a multi-LNB config pointing to Astra 28.2E, Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E.

I then want to distribute the Astra 28.2E feed to, 7 or 8 rooms, with at least one of those rooms with a twin-tuner PVR (thus 2 feeds). The Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E feeds only need to go to one room.

To complicate this further, I would also like to send down a DAB signal to all rooms.

The main question here is, what is the best product to distribute all of this around the house?

I was looking at the Triax TMS 5in, 8 out switches and was wondering if a Diseqc switch could be placed on one of the outputs combined with the inputs from the Astra 19.2 and Hotbird feeds?

Is there an easy (and relatively cheap!) way of doing this?

Thanks for any guidance!

**HB13DISH** · 05-11-2007

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

Hello,

I am looking at investing in a multi-room, multi-sat configuration and have spent the last few days doing all the groundwork. I am pretty close to what I want to do, but feel a sanity check is in order!

I plan on going for a 90cm dish with a multi-LNB config pointing to Astra 28.2E, Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E.

I then want to distribute the Astra 28.2E feed to, 7 or 8 rooms, with at least one of those rooms with a twin-tuner PVR (thus 2 feeds). The Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E feeds only need to go to one room.

To complicate this further, I would also like to send down a DAB signal to all rooms.

The main question here is, what is the best product to distribute all of this around the house?

I was looking at the Triax TMS 5in, 8 out switches and was wondering if a Diseqc switch could be placed on one of the outputs combined with the inputs from the Astra 19.2 and Hotbird feeds?

Is there an easy (and relatively cheap!) way of doing this?

Thanks for any guidance!

Hello mellwaters and welcome to the forum.

I understand from your post that you are probably thinking of one dish system installation.
Considering that there are going to be quite a lot of costly receivers in the house, and taking into account that the regulation are for 2 dishes installation, I thought that it might be worth your while to consider putting another dish in an optimal location to help with the cabling system so that they come down nicely to the nearest rooms and also with the choice of the distribution parts.
The cost of installing another dish system is really quite cheap nowadays in the UK.
Have you decided on which receivers to buy ?
Personally I wouldn't invest in FTA boxes, only with boxes that have cams (embedded or CI).
You should get a very nice discount for 8 receivers.

mellwaters100 · 05-11-2007

Hi there,

I did consider a second dish, although I do already have a 2 aerials on the building - will be replacing one of them with the sat dish - the other needs to remain because it serves another part of the house.

Was going along the route of - in theory, this should work off a single dish?

Is it possible to get x2 LNBs pointing at Astra 28.2 (one of which is a Quattro) and then singles on the other sats?

In terms of receivers, was planning on a single PVR in the main room, but then smaller (and cheaper) receivers in other rooms as these would only be occasional (kitchen, kids bedrooms, etc). Wouldn't get them at the start, simply do the wiring ready.

**HB13DISH** · 05-11-2007

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

Hi there,

I did consider a second dish, although I do already have a 2 aerials on the building - will be replacing one of them with the sat dish - the other needs to remain because it serves another part of the house.

Was going along the route of - in theory, this should work off a single dish?

Is it possible to get x2 LNBs pointing at Astra 28.2 (one of which is a Quattro) and then singles on the other sats?

In terms of receivers, was planning on a single PVR in the main room, but then smaller (and cheaper) receivers in other rooms as these would only be occasional (kitchen, kids bedrooms, etc). Wouldn't get them at the start, simply do the wiring ready.

Thanks for the clarification. So it is going to be a one dish system then pointing to three satellites, unless you can install 2 dishes at the same location and use one dish for Astra 28.2E (because it is more complex) and the second one for Astra 19.2E+HB 13E

I will leave it to the experts to reply regarding the type of LNBs to use, but there might be a problem putting 3 LNBs which are not single because of the body width. Let us hope I am wrong.
Regarding receivers, I think that there is a Dreambox PVR model which has a dual tuner. Worth checking on the website.

**tesla** · 05-11-2007

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

I plan on going for a 90cm dish with a multi-LNB config pointing to Astra 28.2E, Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E.

Firstly, it's not possible to get Astra2 and Hotbird with a regular dish.These angle between these two orbital position is high (15,2 degrees). You sould get a Wave Frontier dish that has a subreflector.

http://www.msg-shop.gr/media/products/wa.jpg

I don't know if there is any alternative solution.

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

I then want to distribute the Astra 28.2E feed to, 7 or 8 rooms, with at least one of those rooms with a twin-tuner PVR (thus 2 feeds).

4 room and 2 feeds per room....you need a lot of IF signals, one octo LNB is not good. You should take a quattro LNB.

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

The Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E feeds only need to go to one room.

The IF distribution should like the system in the following picture.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/382...stemht5.th.jpg

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

I was looking at the Triax TMS 5in, 8 out switches and was wondering if a Diseqc switch could be placed on one of the outputs combined with the inputs from the Astra 19.2 and Hotbird feeds?

I haven't worked with Triax multiswitches. you need one with terrestrial input for the DAB. check the requency range of the terrestrial input. In each room you should include one socket that gets one cable and has two outputs: one for SAT-IF and one for terrestrial signal.

Any unused outputs of the multiswitch should be terminated with an F-type terminating resistor (75 Ohm). The trunk lines (in case of cascadable multiswitch) should be terminated with dc-block terminating resistors.

**rolfw** · 05-11-2007

It's quite possible using a single 90cm dish tesla.

Take Astra 28.2 as the main focus Quattro LNB and fed into an 8 way multiswitch (there are some around with minimal through loss on the IF (satellite) side or a 12 way if more twin tuners are to be used, the DAB signal can be fed into this, then as the original poster suggests, having one output and the Hotbird and 19.2 E feeds connected to a four way diseqC switch for the single room. The diseqC switch probably won't pass the DAB signal though.

If you are yet to run the cables, then an alternative is to use an Octo LNb and send the DAB down to the rooms via separate cables.

Are you going to be using Sky digiboxes on the outputs?

**v9oly** · 05-11-2007

Originally Posted by mellwaters100

I plan on going for a 90cm dish with a multi-LNB config pointing to Astra 28.2E, Astra 19.2E and Hotbird 13E.

I have a Raven Gemini 90 dish with 3 lnbs pointing to these three satellites, very pleased with it.
But I don't think you can have more than one lnb pointing at the same satellite.

Regards,
Ollie

**rolfw** · 05-11-2007

mellwaters11 means a multiple output LNB Ollie, like an Quattro or Octo.

mellwaters100 · 05-11-2007

Thanks everyone, for help on this, much appreciated.

I spotted the Octo LNB today and wondered about it, the only downside would be a little bit extra cabling from the dish.

Perhaps a dumb question, but is there any difference / merit in an Octo LNB vs a Quattro to a multiswitch? Presume it is a matter of preference?

In answer to your question RolfW, I have a couple of old Sky boxes kicking around, I think one of them even has the FTV card, so was going to see if they worked off the Astra feed. Even if they provided the basic BBC / ITV channels off of the bat, I'd be happy with that in a couple of rooms!

**rolfw** · 05-11-2007

The difference between an Octo LNB and multiswitch with Quattro LNB is price, the Octo LNB is much cheaper as an option and easier to set up, but has obviously the disadvantage of not carrying the DAB signal. Also, a multiswitch can serve many more receivers as they are made in 8, 12, 16 or 24 output, they can also be cascaded, so it is a flexibility advantage.

Do you need DAB to every room?

Below is a 12 outlet multiswitch in operation.

jphili · 06-11-2007

Hi Rolf,

neat setup in the picture. Was just wondering what's just before the multiswitch? Is it protection or a filter, amplifier or something?

**tesla** · 06-11-2007

Is octo LNB the right solution? There is a restriction to 7 rooms with only one PVR. Every PVR needs 2 cables.

rolfw, perhaps Spaun or Hirschmann DiSEqC switches support terrestrial feed.

**rolfw** · 06-11-2007

@ jphili. It's an IF/RF amplifier, gives the sat signals and TV signals a little kick in the backside before launching around the system.

@ tesla. No it may not be, but some of the feeds may bot be used, so could be patched together when needed from a central point, if not then of course the multiswitch is the other solution.

Not sure about the DiseqC switches and terrestrail RF, will have a check around today.

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