Sky Plus with only one feed?

makum101

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Were thinking of buying an apartment property fed by a communal dish with one dish feed into each apartment. Is there a way I split this to make two feeds for my sky plus box?
 

rolfw

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You can split the single feed, but you will be limited to recording what you are watching and pausing.

There is a unit called a stacker/destacker, if there is a redundant output at the headend, then that can be combined into a single cable and split again at the outlet.
 

makum101

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Bugger! :-doh!

Many thanks. I suspected that. Oh well back to the estate agents...:(

Or is it finally time to move to Cable and Telewest's TV Drive triple tuner :eek:
 

rolfw

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You can always check with the management company whether there is any redundancy on the multiswitch.
 

makum101

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True, problem is the house is in the UK and I'm only over there for a week to finalise the purchase. Doesn't leave me much time but I'll give it a go.

:)
 

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rolfw said:
You can always check with the management company whether there is any redundancy on the multiswitch.

A managing agent that understands multiswitches, isn't that a bit optimistic?

Well, there could be spare outlets, but unlikely, most systems were installed without regard for Sky+.

If it's a cascade system - also unlikely - then it's "fairly" easy to add an extra multitap on the end.

If 2 other apartments only want terrestrial digital, not Sky, then it would be technically possible for them to share a single multiswitch outlet, thus leaving one free. Then, when you've got a 2nd outlet, if a running a 2nd cable isn't possible, there's also the stacker/destacker mentioned above (£200+). Possible, but messy, there's all sorts of ifs and buts ....... depends on agents, tennants' agreements, installation costs, etc.

(but, it's possible to "upgrade" almost any system, so wait until you're there with the 1 input SKy+, then see about what can be done .....)
 

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OK Im here now and only have one input.

Management are not willing to run another feed to me and wont tell me if its a cascade system, so any splitting has to be done from my apartments single outlet.

Im not bothered about recording two channels at once but I would like to get rid of the problem of my box not turning over to record a channel if I program it in and turn off the plus box.

Would a "smart switch" do it? Braymar sell them for 15 quid, and it says that one output controls the polarity. If I connect that to input 2 on the +box would it then turn over the channel and start recording rather than failing to record?

Also I heard that you can run one multi switch into another. Can I not just buy a multi switch and connect my apartment's sat fed to the new switch then two outputs from that to my +box?

Many thanks in advance

Makum in exile.
 

rolfw

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Well now you are actually in the apartment, you can perhaps find out who installed the TV system and contact them directly to ask if there is any redundancy on the multiswitch.

You cannot start playing around with multiswitches, they can be cascaded, but only if they are the correct type, you could seriously affect the other occupants' TV reception and the installation company will make a charge to put it right again. :)

If there is no chance of a stacked feed, then a two way "F" type splitter with DC pass should suffice for minimal functionality of the Sky+ box.
 

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As Rolf says, you can still playback a previous recording, while recording a single channel, but without 2 lnb inputs (ie, 2 multiswitch outputs), there's no possible way you can get full SKy+ functionality:

Without a multiswitch upgrade, 2 possible solutions are:

1) Does the tv distribution also get freeview? If so, just split the incomming cable using a wideband 450-2900 Mhz "satellite splitter", used in reverse, and you can send the 2nd output (reversed, so marked as "input!") to a separate Freeview receiver, which will at least give you those particular channels twice over. (note, must be a METAL BLOCK sat splitter, with dc blocking on one port for sat reciever, the usual white plastic coax splitters will just dc short the SKY+ lnb input socket!).

2) Needs co-agreement with other residents. If 2 other people want only terrestrial tv, and no Sky satellite at all, then MAYBE they would agree to share a single multiswitch output, from which they can both get all terrestrial channels. In which case, there's then one spare multiswitch output, which you could feed to the 2nd lnb input. Note, everyone has to agree, including the managing agent/ landlord, you might anytime be asked to remove it, and you also have to somehow run a 2nd cable into your flat from multiswitch.

Also, as Rolf says, you can split the one i/c feed and send to both lnb inputs, but either one port is dc blocked, or if not the higher dc volts will "override", so if you can't specify which lnb input a recording is done from, there will still be problems!
 

makum101

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Hi Guy's

Many thanks for the prompt replies. This site is a great resource!

OK... I bought a Two way (metal block) satellite splitter with "DC Pass" on one output. (view here... _http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=SATALLITE%20splitter&ModuleNo=9273&doy=26m8).
Is this the item you both refer to?

I know that the plus box records on input 2 and I watch on input on 1 - remember i don't want/need FULL functionality - just to allow the plus box to turn its self over for a pre programmed recording - So my theory is if i put the DC pass channel to input 1 that should give the recording input (2) control of the lnb.
Or have i got it the wrong way round?

Again many thanks in advance guys.

I am planning on testing it tomorrow. *Makum crosses fingers and locks apartment door*

Re freeview: Nope, we get one sky F connection socket market 'SKY', one Coaxial Terrestrial aerial socket and a return which goes to the bedroom. (except the builders didn't do my return cabling so it goes nowhere!)
 

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Yes, that's exactly the type of splitter being referred to.

sorry, of course you don't get uk freeview, I didn't look at the location ..... !
 

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