Quad to Ocoto Questions (have Sky)

the_syco

Hello all,

Currently have Sky multi-room, with the main room having Sky HD, and the other room having just normal Sky.

Thinking of getting an Octo LNB so we can plug a freeview ferguson combo box in the back room, but was told that the Octo LNB would give less stable/not as good quality as the current quad.

How true is this, or was this used to be the case but is no longer?

John mac

you dont need an octo.

2 for skyhd
1 for normal sky
1 for ferguson box .

watty

The better expansion alternative is a Multiswitch that can take a Quad rather than Quattro with an extra ports in to add more satellites.

You can then have 16 feeds.
A multiswitch system is expandable 32 to 2000 feeds and easily 4 satellites.

Peter Rhea

John mac wrote: »

you dont need an octo.

2 for skyhd
1 for normal sky
1 for ferguson box .

Couldn't the 'normal' box be SD Sky+?

the_syco

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Couldn't the 'normal' box be SD Sky+?

I'm pretty sure it is.

/edit
I meant none-HD, but yeah, it's Sky+.

zg3409

You should have only 3 cables coming out of the dish, so no need to change to Octo yet. If considering octo wait until you need to, as combined Saorsat and FreeSat may be a better solution in the future than a combo box with Free Satellite channels and Saorview.

As Watty said if you are serious about having combo boxes ideally use a multiswitch and feed the TV aerial into the multiswitch so every room has the TV aerial signal if needed.

The best box for FreeSat/Saorview/Saorsat with a good guide and recording is not yet decided but hopefully something will emerge as the winner in the next 6 months. Until then I would just use your combo box and feed into the 4th port on the Sky LNB.

You can make the move away from Sky later if you decide to do so.

Ronnie Raygun

Why do people keep replying to this thread assuming the OP still has a spare output on their quad lnb?

Why do you think the thread was started in the first place?

Do you not think it a bit patronising to simply assume that people don't know their own setup & wouldn't even have thought of looking at the lnb or known how many feeds were needed for their existing receivers?

the_syco

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

Do you not think it a bit patronising to simply assume that people don't know their own setup & wouldn't even have thought of looking at the lnb or known how many feeds were needed for their existing receivers?

I'll admit to being one of those who doesn't know their own setup

I'll look at the dish when it stops fupping raining here at the weekends (too dark by the time I get home from work during the week when it's nice )

zg3409 wrote: »

As Watty said if you are serious about having combo boxes ideally use a multiswitch and feed the TV aerial into the multiswitch so every room has the TV aerial signal if needed.

We did have something like that I think: wire going from NTL jack in the sitting room to all TV's via the attic. When the NTL jack was disabled I think the multijack was disabled. Will look up what happened to the multijack, though.

=-=

If it makes any difference, there are two cables going into the back of the SkyHD box, and one cable going into the Aerial box. The latter cable is probably not really used atm, and I think once provided the rest of the house with TV signal (really not sure about this, but I know who to ask about it).

Would I be correct in saying that if I connected the two current cables coming from the satellite into the multiswitch input, I could output two cables into the Sky+HD box, and another cable that would lead to the last TV that I could use a combo box with?

I shall Google the multiswitch a bit more tomorrow: a bit late now.

zg3409

the_syco wrote: »

We did have something like that I think: wire going from NTL jack in the sitting room to all TV's via the attic. When the NTL jack was disabled I think the multijack was disabled. Will look up what happened to the multijack, though.

A splitter for cable TV is not the same as a multiswitch

the_syco wrote: »

Would I be correct in saying that if I connected the two current cables coming from the satellite into the multiswitch input, I could output two cables into the Sky+HD box, and another cable that would lead to the last TV that I could use a combo box with?

No. A multiswitch needs 4 cables from the dish not two. You would need a multiswitch compatable with a QUAD lnb NOT a Quattro LNB.

ShaneOC

zg3409 wrote: »

A multiswitch needs 4 cables from the dish not two. You would need a multiswitch compatable with a QUAD lnb NOT a Quattro LNB.

Any links for one of these please?

zg3409

ShaneOC wrote: »

Any links for one of these please?

This is not a recommendation but just a link to one:
http://www.satelliteandaerialsupplies.com/product/?s=optima-5x8-multiswitch-q2-technology-can-use-quad-or-quattro-lnb-new

This one takes in terrestrial (saorview) as well for combo boxes. At the box end you need a terrestrial/sat duplexer to split the signal again.


The way they are described is

A X B Multiplexer

If A=4 then suitable for Sky/freesat
If A=5 then suitable for Sky/Freesat and combo boxes with Saorview
If A=8 then suitable for Sky/Freesat and SaorSAT
If A=9 then suitable for Sky/Freesat and SaorSAT and Saorview

B = number of outputs (two needed for Sat boxes with proper record)

So a 5X8 Multiswitch is suitable for a Sky and or Combo boxes with 8 leads out. this would generally be one TV in the sitting room (2 leads) plus 6 other non-recording boxes in other rooms.

Some models will work with an ordinary 4 port LNB (Quad) but most makes need a specialised Quattro LNB.

If the original poster has a spare output on his dish then that is the way to go.

Peter Rhea

Google 'Q2 multiswitch'; Optima is one brand that comes up a lot & afaik EMP make them too.

Some posters here before have questioned the reliability of this kind of switch, might be no harm to do a bit of digging.

watty

EMP Centauri have a model that accepts Quad as first LNB. I'd go for at least a 9 x 12 (2 x LNBS in and 12 outlets), but a 17 x 16 is pretty "future proof" allowing up to FOUR LNBFs/Satellites and Aerial in and 16 outlets.

There are no inherent reliability issues with Multiswitches. You can drive up to 2000 outlets and ALL distribution systems use them. Like anything else "reliability" is down to installation and quality of the individual model. Many many companies make them. 28E needs to be the first LNB to suit Sky or boxes with no Diseqc as you ALWAYS get the 1st LNB by default if the box issues no Diseqc commands.

Always go for PASSIVE terrestrial input, not amplified as it's more flexible, works with HF, VHF, DAB, UHF and even cable broadband. An Amp (12dB for a 16 way, 9dB for an 8 way, + what ever other cable losses there are.) is better near the aerial (about 1.2m to 1.5m from it) and thus isn't going to be near the Multiswitch.

zg3409 has seen mine

It's easy to expand to have a second 9 x 12 or a second 17 x16 by a two way Sat IF splitter on Quad/Quattro LNB outlets driving Multiswitch inputs. Like a regular feed, you can't ever split the Multiswitch outlets (except between Sat and less than 900MHz, i.e. terrestrial)