Combining Digital Terrestrial and Freesat on one cable

user1842

Hi,

Im not sure should this be in the Satellite section or not but here are my questions:

1. Can you combine the Irish Digital Terrestrial signal with the Freesat signal on one cable? (I have a aerial and a Freesat dish beside each other but only one cable running down to the TV).

2. Can one Freesat cable be split to feed two boxes. I know sky+ needs two feeds as every other channel is on a different polarisation. Is this also the case for Freesat?

Cheers

championc

Absolutely possible. All the info you need is in http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056099284

user1842

Cheers, could not find that with the search function

watty

A satellite "splitting" distribution system needs FOUR cables. Usually a Multiswitch is used.

The coax cable for Satellite IF actually has FOUR groups of channels. For Freesat, Sky or any other satellite service except Saorsat.

You can use a Diplexer. Looks like a splitter/combiner but marked SAT, TV and COM. Can add two signals or split them.

So, yes you can combine Aerial and dish signals on one coax and separate them again.
You can't split a single Satellite cable to more than one box. But a Quad LNB or Quattro LNB has all four possible sets of channels, so a box called a Multiswitch can then fed 16 to 2000 outlets. You can split input to a Multiswitch in groups of four to have more multiswitches but the output of a Multiswitch "mimics" an LNB, so the output can't be split.

See http://www.saortv.info/satellite-saorsat/distribution/
and http://www.techtir.ie/tv-radio/satellite-distribution

user1842

watty wrote: »

You can't split a single Satellite cable to more than one box. But a Quad LNB or Quattro LNB has all four possible sets of channels, so a box called a Multiswitch can then fed 16 to 2000 outlets. You can split input to a Multiswitch in groups of four to have more multiswitches but the output of a Multiswitch "mimics" an LNB, so the output can't be split.

Ok would that mean that if I wanted a Freesat box with a built in PVR, I would need two feeds to my dish/multiswitch?

TheDriver

I have this system done. In attic, you have a combiner box for sat and terrestrial into one, down she comes and then a splitter wall plate at the bottom. You can then use that one feed for the sat to power a foxsat+ PVR (only one that works with one cable) and terrestrial for DTT.

user1842

TheDriver wrote: »

I have this system done. In attic, you have a combiner box for sat and terrestrial into one, down she comes and then a splitter wall plate at the bottom. You can then use that one feed for the sat to power a foxsat+ PVR (only one that works with one cable) and terrestrial for DTT.

So would I be correct in saying that you can have a PVR for Freesat with one cable to the dish but you cannot watch one channel while recording another?

Thanks for the excellent links championc & watty, answered a lot of my questions.

watty

dmclean1842 wrote: »

Ok would that mean that if I wanted a Freesat box with a built in PVR, I would need two feeds to my dish/multiswitch?

two feeds to the PVR and one or both of them with a Sat/TV splitter.

tonymayo

TheDriver have this system done. In attic, you have a combiner box for sat and terrestrial into one, down she comes and then a splitter wall plate at the bottom. You can then use that one feed for the sat to power a foxsat+ PVR (only one that works with one cable) and terrestrial for DTT.

Yes, I have been using this system also for past two years, combining Foxsat HDR and analogue terrestrial. It works perfectly. Only disadvantage is unable to utilise Foxsat twin tuner feature. But you cannot have everything.

rurs

tonymayo wrote: »

Yes, I have been using this system also for past two years, combining Foxsat HDR and analogue terrestrial. It works perfectly. Only disadvantage is unable to utilise Foxsat twin tuner feature. But you cannot have everything.

You can loop the output of tuner 1 into tuner 2, and then have a certain selection of channels to view if you're recording. The majority of the mainstream Freesat channels are in the low band, so then it comes down to whether the channel you are recording is horizontal or vertical.

EG, you could record BBC2 England, watch Channel 4. (Both low band, ie under 11.7GHz, horizontal). Not Channel 4 +1, that's low band vertical.

user1842

You would have to be very careful to select the right channel

tonymayo

I have been doing the tuner 1 to 2 loop and it does work on certain channels.

rurs

I'm not sure if the Foxsat has a specific setup option for loop through, if it does, then unavailable channels might be greyed out. Anyway, if you select a channel that's not available, a "No Signal" message or something similar would be all that would happen.

Obviously, two cables are much better, but if that's not an option, loop through is a reasonable compromise.

user1842

rurs wrote: »

I'm not sure if the Foxsat has a specific setup option for loop through, if it does, then unavailable channels might be greyed out. Anyway, if you select a channel that's not available, a "No Signal" message or something similar would be all that would happen.

Would a "No Signal" message appear or would it actually change the channel, thus changing the channel that is being recorded or would the box stop that.

selfbuilder1

tonymayo wrote: »

I have been doing the tuner 1 to 2 loop and it does work on certain channels.

How do you set up this loop method? I have a Sagem PVR and would like to set it up this way as at the moment I have only one input connected which is causing problems.

Thanks.

rurs

selfbuilder1 wrote: »

How do you set up this loop method? I have a Sagem PVR and would like to set it up this way as at the moment I have only one input connected which is causing problems.

Thanks.

The STB needs to have an LNB loop out, normally beside or underneath the input. You connect a short cable from loop out 1 to LNB input 2. Not all STBs have a loop out. Which model do you have?

selfbuilder1

Thanks Rurs,

My Sagem box doesn't have a loop out only two inputs. Thanks for the reply.