2 digiboxes+cards on one sat dish

flux85

Hello whoever,

Got a sky digibox on the downstairs tv at the moment upstairs tv can watch whatevers on downstairs thanks to some adapter (stepdad done it). now a friend of mine has offered me another sky digital box complete with card, can this be used on the tv upstairs, and can they just turn over whatevers on or can they both watch seperate channels going through the same sat dish?

any ideas?

Thanks

mhku

I don't have $ky but I would guess if the primary box has a signal output (pass through) or you use a dual lnb on your dish, you could feed 2 boxes independently (with a fixed dish). BUT I stand to be corrected

BGonaSTICK

Easiest way is probably to swap the LNB for a twin output jobbie, or even a quad (more common), and feed the two boxes directly from that.

flux85

Sorry guys but im a bit of a lame-o whats an LNB? the primary box odes indeed have an output going to a splitter which goes to the primary tv and the upstairs tv are you saying put the splitter on the cable from the dish to the primary box so they share it? and dont sky monitor there system and stuff so would know were getting free multiroom?

Cheers

Topper

The LNB is what the dish focusses the signal into, if you got a QUAD LNB and cabled two of the four outputs (and blanked off the other two) one to each box, each receiver could independently change channel. However you would need two subscriptions of course.

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BGonaSTICK

As you've got a card with the new box, it should at least do the FTV channels upstairs. The LNB is very easy to change yourself if you can access the dish OK.

flux85

Ahh think i'm starting to work this out after googling the LNB is that lil thing that points at the dish, so simply swap it over and wire in new box, and pay Sky £10 for the extra subscription? sounds straight forward enough, you guys know any good sites can get the sorta equip would need for the job? (LNB, cables etc)

Cheers for the help so far

BGonaSTICK

Only a personal recommendation, but I would get my LNB from Ebay and my cable and clips etc from

_http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/Cable_PF/index.html

Check cable specs if you go elsewhere. All coax is NOT the same.

Your LNB must be for a $ky minidish and have either two or four outputs. I'd go for four, and then you have a direct upgrade path to $ky plus if required in the future.

Make sure you blank off and/or waterproof all your LNB connections with something called self-amalgamating tape (also available from TLC and other good retailers). It's a waterproof rubbery-type tape that bonds to itself over a period of about an hour to form a proper waterproof barrier.

flux85

Cool,

Thanks guys

spiney

Yeah, but be careful …..

You can “split” the signal from lnb to 2 digiboxes, but has strange results so not worth doing. Depending on which channels selected, one box will “take control”, leaving the other with three quarters of channels “missing”. There’s also some risk of damage, depending on digibox make, from 18v coming out of one lnb socket and going back into other one, for which reason you must use a “satellite” signal splitter, advertised as having one output “dc blocked”.

If you can reach the dish, then you might replace the lnb with dual output type. If lnb is held in “standard” circular bracket, that’s fine. Unfortunately, most Sky minidishes use a retaining pin instead, which means you need an lnb advertised as “Sky” (although electrically the same, you can’t easily fit “standard” lnbs to a “sky” dish; at least, I’ve never seen any kit for it. Look at the lnb pictures at cpc, to see what I mean, they have an “extra bit”!). As far as I know, there’s no “Sky” dual output ones, which means you’ll have to get quad output “sky”, more expensive!

Then you need a 2nd cable from other lnb output to other digibox, must be satellite grade, standard tv coax won’t carry sat signals more than a few feet. Wickes sell RG6U satellite cable, ok, but not waterproof, foam filled is better.

Good UK suppliers are Farnell components, www.cpc.co.uk (search there for “lnb”, and “satellite coax”). Also JW Hardy, www.jwhardy.co.uk

BGonaSTICK

Splitting, or 'loopthrough' is far from ideal and not to be recommended.

There are still twin output $ky LNB's available, as well as quads.

spiney

Fine, I did say it’s not worth doing ….

Loopthrough not possible on digibox, the facility isn't there!

Wouldn’t have wanted original poster to get dual lnb, then find it unusable!

If "Sky" type lnb, then yes dual output one better than quad, but where from?