Diplex sanity check

gadgetmind

Please could someone take a quick look at this diagram.

http://www.foxhill.co.uk/Diplex-Diagram.pdf

It's multi-room Sky+ with a tvlink compatible amp, so pretty straight forwards. However, I'm wanting to diplex the signal from another LNB feed onto the coax going to one room, split into TV and sat at the far end, but also keep the tvlink working.

Does this make sense?
Should I go up a dish size to allow for losses in the diplexing?
Will the TV/freeview signal suffer at all with this setup?

Thanks

Ian

rolfw

That should work, but as you say, there is some loss with the Diplexers, best thing is to try it and see whether there is unacceptable loss.

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gadgetmind

Another option that was suggested by a potential installer is a multiswitch. However, I doubt we can find one that allows the digilink signal back to the UHF input and thus back to the Sky+ RF2. And no chance of getting DC power to the digilinks (though we can locally power them with DC injecters)

Or does anyone else have another cunning plan? I guess we could always use RF for remote control of the central Sky+ box, but I've had mixed results with PowerMids.

Ian

rolfw

Don't think a multiswitch is the solution, have a look at the Triax unit at the middle of the following page. _http://www.bitzshop.co.uk/acatalog/Amps___Splitters.html

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gadgetmind

The Triax DDU?

I keep looking at loftboxes etc. and they seem to give a lot we don't need (diplexing to main room, FM) and miss things we do (TV and SAT to various rooms via a single CT100 with digilink back to main room)

The best solution might be a multiswitch to provide lots of SAT feeds and a digilink friendly TV amp/splitter to provide lots of TV feeds, and then use the DIP1+DIP2-DC solution for where these need to go to the same room!

However, to kick off with they might be OK with just four SAT feeds. If they need more in the future it's then just a case of swapping the LNB for a quattro and adding a multi-switch.

We have 5xCT100 from node 0 (a boot cupboard) to the loft for SAT and TV, 5xct100 from node 0 to the main room where the sat+ is going, and then 1xct100 to each other room.

Ian

rolfw

The DDU offers you several satellite feeds.

I assumed this was a personal installation, is it for someone else?

Many people now may be better served by two or three digiboxes based in a central point, with cat 5 carrying composite signal from all three (switchable) and a separate RF feed for a digital tuner in the TV.

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gadgetmind

Yes, but do they have the UHF from the central Sky box and also digilink remote back to it?

It's for some close friends. I've helped them do CT100 and cat5 cabling and am now working with them to find a good installer and work out exactly how they want to rig things up. Lots of options!

I've kind of done similar at home, but with Freeview PVR, DVD and network media player instead of Sky boxes, and with RGB SCART instead of composite+cat5.

Ian

gadgetmind

Installer is adamant that we'll be OK with current 45cm dish with a quad LNB despite the extra joints in the cables and despite the diplexers.

I'm inclined to trust him as, 1) He seems to know what he's on about, 2) He could make more money by selling us a larger dish!

Thoughts?

Ian

rolfw

A zone 2 minidish is about a tenner more, so not really price critical.

Sorry missed your reply, been a bit tied up with other bits and pieces.

The DDU does everything a loftbox does, plus additional satellite feeds, but having said that, how many satellite boxes does each point need access to, by trying to answer (or anticipate) every request on a wish list, you can end up with a very expensive and complex system, of which most features will be unused.

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