Advice Needed Multiswitch options

intracube

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2011
Messages
73
Reaction score
29
Points
18
My Satellite Setup
DM600
My Location
England
Hi,

I'm looking at replacing the satellite/terrestrial distribution around my house which has grown organically over the years and while I'm at it, increase the number of outlets in the rooms.

Currently, there are three fixed dishes:
1 @ 28.2E - quad LNB
2 @ 19.2E - single LNB
3 @ 13.0E - single LNB
(fourth might be added at some point)

A 17x8 or 17x10 switch looks ideal. Is there much difference on noise, crosstalk, signal loss from the different manufacturers (Triax, EMP-Centauri, Premium-X)? The later two are a heck of a lot cheaper than the equivalent Triax, but maybe you get what you pay for.

I noticed some of the Centauri switches worked with both quad/quattro LNBs, but since I'm replacing the other LNBs there's probably not much in it... but it'd be nice to save the quad LNB.

Can anyone recommend a good 2x sat, 1x tv wall plate?

Should a Sky Digibox work with the setup if I make sure the 4 cables from the 28.2E dish go into the first 4 inputs on the switch? (eg, will the switch default to sat 1 in the absence of any diseqc commands?)

Any other problems I might have overlooked?

Thanks!
 

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.
Very quickly - EMP Centauri do a standard range and a professional one. I believe both are good but the professional one offers more adjustability with gain on out ports and also power through for a terrestrial aerial amplifier.

If you put Astra 28 as the first input on the multiswitch this will (should!) make it the default and therefore suitable for $ly's offerings. So, yes.

I use wall plates with two sat out, TV out and FM/DAB out. One of the sat outs is a direct through feed, the other is via a triplexer which separates the TV and FM/DAB into separate outlets. TBH I can't remember the make and I've just realised that they are so old that they don't put the DAB onto the FM out but put it in with the TV. It's a hangover from the old Band III TV days.

Can't think of anything else.
 

satelliteman

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
12,039
Reaction score
387
Points
83
My Satellite Setup
See signature
My Location
Northants, Midlands UK & Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Port one normally defaults for 28e on the majority of larger switches
 

intracube

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2011
Messages
73
Reaction score
29
Points
18
My Satellite Setup
DM600
My Location
England
Port one normally defaults for 28e on the majority of larger switches
Thanks. I guess even if a switch defaults to the first satellite for all outputs on powering up, an output could still end up routed to a different dish by the last connected diseqc receiver.

Even if that's the case, it's no biggie. I'd just need to remeber to change to a 28.2E channel before swapping the receiver for a Sky box so it doesn't balk.
 

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.
That's exactly the type I have.

Quite a few suppliers make no mention of diplexing/triplexing. Are unfiltered plates common, or is it just a lack of info on the product pages?
Not that common. Single output ones, yes. TV/Radio/single sat less common nowadays with all the satellite recorders which need two feeds. Mostly the one as shown.
 
Top