Satellite Dual Tuner - Single Cable

[sschopra]

I had just purchased a new starchoice PVR and it has a dual tuner for watching one channel and recording another. (Requiring two coaxial cable inputs).

Problem is I live in an apartment and have only one cable running into my room. Is there a satellite splitter that will allow me to use the dual tuner functionality?

Or something else that can be done as I am sure my building will not allow me to re-wire from the roof!

Thanks

[Mistro]

Not exactly sure how the Satellite boxes work, but couldn't you just split your incoming coaxial line? Since that one dish is providing the signal for all the other people in the apartment I don't think it would be too different. That's kinda how it is with normal cable. You don't necessarily have to have a dedicated line for multiple boxes.

I could be wrong.

[sschopra]

Hey. I'm not exactly sure. Apparently its more complicated to split satellite signals than regular cable signals. If anyone has any familiarity with this it would be great.

[l69norm]

I had just purchased a new starchoice PVR and it has a dual tuner for watching one channel and recording another. (Requiring two coaxial cable inputs).

Problem is I live in an apartment and have only one cable running into my room. Is there a satellite splitter that will allow me to use the dual tuner functionality?

Or something else that can be done as I am sure my building will not allow me to re-wire from the roof!

Thanks

Talk to your apartment manager. You need 2 sat feeds for a dual tuner PVR. Sat systems are configured so that 1/2 the signals are horizontal polarization and the other half are vertical polarization (for starchoice). Each tuner sends signals to a special splitter (i.e. voltage switch) for the right polarization toview the proper channel.

If you have only 1 cable for the dish and split the signal to two tuners, the two tuners will fight for control when the channels are opposite polarization.
You'll have to watch the same channel on both tuners to prevent that from happening.

[jasperException]

:arrowu: +1.

You can't simply split a single satellite coaxial cable into 2. You will need 2 separate cables from the satellite dish or multi-switch. No other way.

[saltyvinegar]

You need a special splitter box on your satellite, sits behind the dish connected to the pole. I don't know what it's called specifically but I have one on my dish for serving 8 receivers altho I only have 2 receivers. I have 3 seperate lines coming through the wall into my apartment and the dish was already setup when I moved in.

[Aske001]

Problem is I live in an apartment and have only one cable running into my room. Is there a satellite splitter that will allow me to use the dual tuner functionality?

Your apartment building has wiring from an individual per-tenant satellite dish on the roof into your apartment? Isn't that unusual?

[sschopra]

Well if you continue to search and search. You will find the answer. I'm not sure if this will work for everyone. But it has worked for me so far - fingers crossed.

I bought a Power Pass Satellite Splitter from Bestbuy for 10 bucks. Connected the single cable from my wall into it. Placed two high grade cables from the other end into each port of the dual tuner. Everything works perfectly so far. Can record live tv, record tv and watch all other channels without difficulty, go to bed and record things while things are off.

If you use low grade cables into the satellite it won't work. Trust me. That was my original problem. Changed the cables, everything is good so far.

This was told to me by a FTA satellite retailer. Told me to try it.

[l69norm]

...This was told to me by a FTA satellite retailer. Told me to try it.

If it works for you, all the more power for you. I think you'll find that only 1/2 the channels will work, depending on what tuner is in control. The tuner in control outputs out either 13V or 18V to tell the dish which half of the channels to feed. The other turner's control won't get through properly, so it's going to be missing 1/2 the channels

Your apartment building has wiring from an individual per-tenant satellite dish on the roof into your apartment? Isn't that unusual?

No, the dish will feed a multiswitch distribution system.

[jasperException]

I bought a Power Pass Satellite Splitter from Bestbuy for 10 bucks. Connected the single cable from my wall into it. Placed two high grade cables from the other end into each port of the dual tuner. Everything works perfectly so far. Can record live tv, record tv and watch all other channels without difficulty, go to bed and record things while things are off.

sschopra, can you give me the model of the "Power Pass Satellite Splitter" that you bought from BB? I know there are splitter and multi-switch for satellite that are passive (no addition of power and relies on power from receiver) and active (has one line connected to wall outlet for addition of power). I know that you can use a splitter to split one line from satellite dish into 2 lines with both lines working on 2 receivers. With that you can watch with 2 receivers and 2 TV at the same time. But the problem is when one person changed the channel on one machine, it will affect or clash with the other machine.

That's why ppl would need a multi-switch with 2 separate lines to 1 Dual LNB from the dish to get 2 or more receivers working at the same time. See this link (http://www.kusat.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=14_23&products_id=78) for explanation of available multi-switch.

What you mentioned in your post contradict with what I was taught thru many articles that I read from internet. Were you able to record 1 show (say an episode of Friends) while browsing or watching an episode of "The Simpson" at the same time? And most important question is the episode of Friends that you record while watching "The Simpson" works perfectly without any interruptions? Last question is are you sure that you are using satellite equipments (doesn't matter if FTA, Bell ExpressVu or StarChoice) and not analog or digital TV like ShawDigital etc. I know analog or digital TV works with conventional splitters.

Edit: Thanks l69norm for the clarifcation:
If it works for you, all the more power for you. I think you'll find that only 1/2 the channels will work, depending on what tuner is in control. The tuner in control outputs out either 13V or 18V to tell the dish which half of the channels to feed. The other turner's control won't get through properly, so it's going to be missing 1/2 the channels


You need a special splitter box on your satellite, sits behind the dish connected to the pole. I don't know what it's called specifically but I have one on my dish for serving 8 receivers altho I only have 2 receivers. I have 3 seperate lines coming through the wall into my apartment and the dish was already setup when I moved in.

That is a multi-switch (http://www.kusat.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=14_23&products_id=78). You probably have this (http://www.kusat.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=14_23&products_id=77).


Your apartment building has wiring from an individual per-tenant satellite dish on the roof into your apartment? Isn't that unusual?

Not sure what you mean, but I believe his apartment has so many dishes on the root and each dual LNB has 2 outputs and connected to multiple multi-switches in cascade to increase the total outputs so that each tenant of the apartment is supply with 1 or more satellite lines (eg. 4 dishes for 100 tenants). Not 1 dish per tenant (eg. 100 dishes on the roof when apartment has 100 tenants). Just happens that his apartment has 1 line to each tenant.

[sschopra]

Well I have now been using this system for over 1 week with no difficulties. All of the channels are working. I went through every channel while watching a recorded program. and every channel while recording a program and watching something else. I can't seem to find a flaw yet. Not even a decline in my HD picture quality. I thought as well I might loose half the channels but I havn't. Apparently with this splitter one half doesn't communicate with the other 1/2 so it doesn't screw up with the polarities. But who knows. I'm just happy it works for me.

If it works for you, all the more power for you. I think you'll find that only 1/2 the channels will work, depending on what tuner is in control. The tuner in control outputs out either 13V or 18V to tell the dish which half of the channels to feed. The other turner's control won't get through properly, so it's going to be missing 1/2 the channels



No, the dish will feed a multiswitch distribution system.