Advice Needed Using the loop port on my Openbox receiver?

[dankargo]

Hi guys,

I have a motorised dish connected to an Openbox V8S receiver. I notice the receiver has a "Loop" port on the back and was just wondering if I could use this port to connect a coaxial cable to a DVB-S2 USB receiver and view 4:2:2 feeds on my laptop?

I didn't really want to have to unplug the coaxial cable from the LNB IN port each time I wanted to view 4:2:2 feeds on my computer.

Would it work this way?

 

[Analoguesat]

Yes it should do although the first receiver will probably need to be on the same band/polarity. I rigged 2 of my receivers up via the loop a while back - it soon got changed as it was bloody annoying!

 

[smoggy07]

On my Dreambox the Loop Out only works if the Dreambox is in standby (not off at the switch or powered on viewing channels).

Another thing to remember is the Loop Out is introducing a break in the coax so you will loose some signal strength/quality too

 

[dankargo]

Thanks both of you for the quick responses.

Great to know that it can be done but I think the loss of signal strength/quality might make this a little tricky. The feeds I'm after are the EBU ones at 7/10e and are usually of very low power at the times I'd be wanting to pick them up. I've managed to pull them in but only just on my 80cm dish, unfortunately though the Openbox won't display them. Is the Azbox still the only receiver out there that can decode and display 4:2:2?

 

[Analoguesat]

You could get get an isolating A/B manual switch. Theoretically they introduce a minor loss in the circuit but Ive never noticed any problems when using mine.

Are the EBU feeds fta? They used to be encrypted in a secure system

 

[dankargo]

You could get get an isolating A/B manual switch. Theoretically they introduce a minor loss in the circuit but Ive never noticed any problems when using mine.

Are the EBU feeds fta? They used to be encrypted in a secure system

Thanks for the suggestion, they seem quite ideal.

I believe they are FTA, they are the Eurovision feeds that air in November/May.

 

[Terryl]

Just use an LNB with two outputs and run coax directly to the USB receiver, you may/will have problems trying to use the loop output.

Useless port, I don't know why they even put it on the equipment.

 

[mapperuo]

Useless port, I don't know why they even put it on the equipment.

It can work just fine. For wimbledon I actually chained 3 Openboxes up with Loop out and it was just fine with the strong 28.2 signal.

 

[Terryl]

Yah that will work if their on the same satellite and transponder polarity, but try a different satellite or transponder channel with one of the boxes hooked into the loop output, it doesn't work too good.

Kinda of a big mess if your watching football in the den and the main gets switched over to the cartoon or cooking channel.

And I think they followed the design of other boxes, (they are all about 90% the same inside) the loop output is used to run the secondary tuner card that gets installed to watch 8PSK turbo channels or other RF modes not supported by the main tuner.

Thats why it's best to have a home run up to the LNB or switch with a coax from the secondary receiver.(or more)

 

[dankargo]

I guess for my situation though , using the loop out would work? I'd only be wanting to watch the one feed, using the port to connect the dish to a DVB-S2 USB device to display the 4:2:2 feed (which the openbox won't do)

 

[mapperuo]

I guess for my situation though , using the loop out would work? I'd only be wanting to watch the one feed, using the port to connect the dish to a DVB-S2 USB device to display the 4:2:2 feed (which the openbox won't do)

It will work fine if its strong enough signal, I do the same from my TM5402 HD into an EyeTV which opens 4:2:2 on my mac.