Cabling for SKY HELP !!!

daveg

Folks any help on this would be much appriciated.

I’m building a house at present at trying to ensure I have all the wiring correct before I move in. The electrician has wired 3 coax cables from the attic to the sitting room.
1 of the cables is for RTE/TV3 arial,
1 is for SKY and the other is a
return from the sitting room to the attic and then this is distributed around the house.

My problem is that I want to buy a second decoder (from the UK with FTV card for BBC UTV ect). I want to install the second decoder in the living room so I can then feed this to the rest of the house – but I’m 1 coax short.

My question is can I use 1 of the coax for both sky and the TV3/RTE ariel ?
Is there any other way around this ??

ShaneOC

Hi Dave,

It sounds like you may be more than 1 co-ax short. I don't think that you can carry the UHF/VHF signal and the satellite signal on the same length of co-ax. If you you want to feed the rest of the house with the FTV digibox you will need a third length, i.e. the same as your sitting room.

ShaneOC

By the way, if you really want to make the house future proof for Sky, it might be worth having a fourth cable from the attic to the sitting room in case you ever decide to get Sky+.

A lot easier to put the cable in now

daveg

ShaneOC thanks for the reply. I was hoping that I would be able to bring the output of the 2 decoders (via a splitter) to 1 coax and feed this up to the attic to be fed around the house. Is this ok ?? F**K me this is a headache.

ShaneOC

OK I thought you meant a seperate room for each digibox. You are still a co-ax short as you need an independant run from the LNB on the dish to each digibox.

Combining the output via a splitter shouldn't cause any problems.

PacMan

Have your RTE/TV3 ariel from the attic, go directly into a signal booster in the attic for distribution to other rooms in the house. As RTE/TV3 are going to be on Sky, you can "Lose" the RTE/TV3 aeriel feed to the living room. This can instead be used for the new UK registered digibox. But you will have to get a second dish or a quad LNB.

daveg

PacMan excellent idea. Another question - Can the output of the two decoders (in the main sitting room) be fed into 1 coax (via splitter) and fed up the attic to then be ditributed around the house ? Also can the RTE/TV3 feed into the attic be fed on the same distribution coax around the house:rolleyes: Thanks.

Genghis

Dave,

I had been thinking about a similar arrangement in my house. But there is one problem I thought of that maybe someone can help me with.

I understand from your e-mail that you will have two digiboxes (one Irish, one UK) in your living room. That also struck me as the easiest way to get the 'full-line-up' of channels, and also to allow for some leeway on recording one channel and watching another, etc.

However, how do you ever control both? All Digiboxes have the same remote, and so probably all work on the same IR frequency. Therefore if you try to change channels on one, you change channels on both!

Forget recording individually, forget being able to view different channels in each room etc.

Am I right, or can anyone confirm if there are alternative set-ups that allow this to work?

ShaneOC

If you do not have RTÉ and TV3 going to the sitting room then you will not be able to record them and watch digital or vice versa.

The output does not need to be combined using a splitter. All you have to do is route the RF cables as follows

Aeriel --> Main Skybox IN --> FTV Skybox IN

If you then connect one of the RF outs from the FTV skybox to TV/Video in the sitting room and the other to the coax feeding back up to the attic you will have an output from both digiboxes. You will need to change the output frequency of one of the boxes using the installers menu (Press Services - 4 - 0 - 1 - Select)

RTÉ and TV3 can all be carried on one cable. Depending on what bands (UHF/VHF) you pick up the channels you may have to get a small gadget (I think its a diplexer) to combine the signals properly.

daveg

Genghis - not quite sure how to get around this. Possibly block the IR input on 1 decoder and change the channels maually (can this be done ??) and use the remote for other decoder.


ShaneOC - Thanks again for the reply. I have a video upstairs which I can record RTE/TV3 on. Good to hear the outputs of the decoders are joined.

Does anyone have a better wiring solution than the one I have come up with? Should I put one of the decoders upstairs ?

ShaneOC

See attached file for the way I am wiring my house.

Every room will have terrestrial and an output from the Sky+ box. The Family room will also have a digibox of it's own. I can pick up the UK channels through an aerial so all rooms will have independant reception of RTE 1, Net 2, TV3, TG4, BBC1, BBC2, HTV and Channel 4.

daveg

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Attached is a layout of the coax wiring for the house. Unfortunatley the walls have been plastered (2 storey house) and there are concrete floors on the second floor so additional coax placement is going to be difficult.

daveg

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Attached is a layout of the coax wiring for the house. Unfortunatley the walls have been plastered (2 storey house) and there are concrete floors on the second floor so additional coax placement is going to be difficult.

PacMan

Both digiboxes can be connected to the output from your living room to be redistributed around the house.
Buy a remote control extender. A clever devise that allows you to change channels from other rooms with no wires. I bought mine from an ad I saw in Wotsat magazine.The company was Myers satellite. it cost about 30 sterling.
You will howver change channels on both digiboxes at once, but if each digibox is tuned into different channels on the bedroom/kitchen tv, then it doesnt really matter.
www.myersat.com

However dont forget to check out Tony's pages on the web.
He sells a range of satellite accessories on his site, and dont know if he sells these products.
www.satellites.ie

Tony

Originally posted by PacMan
Both digiboxes can be connected to the output from your living room to be redistributed around the house.
Buy a remote control extender. A clever devise that allows you to change channels from other rooms with no wires. I bought mine from an ad I saw in Wotsat magazine.The company was Myers satellite. it cost about 30 sterling.
You will howver change channels on both digiboxes at once, but if each digibox is tuned into different channels on the bedroom/kitchen tv, then it doesnt really matter.
www.myersat.com

However dont forget to check out Tony's pages on the web.
He sells a range of satellite accessories on his site, and dont know if he sells these products.
www.satellites.ie

Thanks for the plug.

You can combine a satellite and vhf/uhf signal using a diplexer and special wallplate. I hope good qulaity cable has been used ie CT100 or better. I hate to moan but I really wish electricians would stick to electricity, I've lost count of the number of houses where the electrician has failed to wire correctly for tv and satellite although I'm sure they mean well. If you want your car fixed dont call a plumber :-)

Regards Tony

fi

Originally posted by PacMan
Both digiboxes can be connected to the output from your living room to be redistributed around the house.
Buy a remote control extender. A clever devise that allows you to change channels from other rooms with no wires. I bought mine from an ad I saw in Wotsat magazine.The company was Myers satellite. it cost about 30 sterling.
You will howver change channels on both digiboxes at once, but if each digibox is tuned into different channels on the bedroom/kitchen tv, then it doesnt really matter.
www.myersat.com

However dont forget to check out Tony's pages on the web.
He sells a range of satellite accessories on his site, and dont know if he sells these products.
www.satellites.ie

If im not mistake that should read www.satellite.ie no "S"

swoofer

Dave G

The simplest and easiest way to overcome using the remote for 2 digiboxes is to use blu tack and tinfoil!! How u ask?

On your digibox there is a window on the front that conceals the IR receiver and if u look closely u will spot it. Cut and fold a piece of tin foil to cover the receiver bit and use the blu tack to hold it in place. Now the box u will change channels most can be left uncovered and then when u want to change the FTV one just remove tin foil, change channel and stick back tin foil. Works a treat.

Also do u know u can daisy chain your skyboxes using the RF sockets, change the RF in each one to different ones obiviously but make sure they do not interfere with TG4/TV3, then tune your tellys to these RF's, also tune your video as well. Then u can record everything on the video no problem but it will not be stereo from SKY as u must use the scart lead!! To use each box with a scart u will need a scart box and on it goes!!

Good luck

GBCULLEN

daveg

Folks - Thanks very much for your help.

Tony - The electrician used CT100 (thank God). I'm to blame for the wiring as I told him what I needed. Unfortunatly the walls are now plastered so I'm stuck.


GBCULLEN - Thanks for the info on the 2 decoders 1 remote.

Tony

Originally posted by daveg
Folks - Thanks very much for your help.

Tony - The electrician used CT100 (thank God). I'm to blame for the wiring as I told him what I needed. Unfortunatly the walls are now plastered so I'm stuck.


GBCULLEN - Thanks for the info on the 2 decoders 1 remote.

Good for him Dave, you are not exactly stuck as you can use a diplexer and wallplate to combine uhf/vhf and sat in effect giving you an extra cable.

Good luck with the new house