Advice - 4 TV's Compliacted set up!

2012paddy2012

I have 4 TV's. 2 up.2down. I had an extra on upstairs but its gone. This set up had all TVS working.(see pics).

I took the dish feed from sky box and connected it to walker box in bedroom.
The cable for terrestrial was there on a saorview box. All works grand.
I want to move the sky box out of attic.

Advice re: this would be appreciated.

photo No.1- When I take this cable out of "Aerial IN" on sky box I lose Irish stations upstairs two TV's ONLY. Downstairs are fine.
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Photo No.2 -That cable going in to "AERIAL IN" is connected to the 'SERIE' box - there is a right and left side input , either side of this connection-
Q. I presume that this is a splitter/booster box and sends the aerial(Irish) stations onwards from right/left inputs?
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When I plug out the input on the right hand side of serie box I lose the Irish stations from all four TVs.

AND when I plug it back in on RHS and disconnect the left hand side I only lose the Irish stations on downstairs TVS ONLY -
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photo3.- the LHS output cable is going to a splitter-
a splitter is used for downstairs TV -front room as there is a combo box there...this may be that splitter?! also another splitter used for front room.. Upstairs....no longer required ..and I think also a further splitter for Sony TV(built in tuner) ...in kitchen there is also a feed from satellite dish as the extra cable for humax box. that's connected externally along wall , not in attic!
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My main thing now is to get that sky box out of the attic! I don't need it there. Its only function now is as part of a loop someway passing the terrestrial signal along.

photo -Kitchen splitter---I am nearly definite that this is the feed to the kitchen .. a saorview aerial and sat dish feed to kitchen for TV and one "in" to Humax and then as I say there is an external for the twin feed for humax box also.
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I am really wondering rather than crawling around the attic floor how could I step by step work out what's what! There is also a booster there as with the 5 TVs it was required , it also may not be required .. as there is only 4!!

Any help appreciated.

Paddy

Peter Rhea

The 'Serie' box is a power supply unit for a masthead amplifier, with the amplifier itself usually located close to the aerial. One cable will be 'aerial in' & the other 2 will be outputs.

Photo 3 just seems to be a 'plain' splitter/combiner with no filtering for different frequencies, so will just be splitting the aerial signal to 2 points.

'Kitchen splitter' is a satellite & terrestrial combiner/splitter (Alcad ME-214).

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

The 'Serie' box is a power supply unit for a masthead amplifier, with the amplifier itself usually located close to the aerial. One cable will be 'aerial in' & the other 2 will be outputs.

Photo 3 just seems to be a 'plain' splitter/combiner with no filtering for different frequencies, so will just be splitting the aerial signal to 2 points.

'Kitchen splitter' is a satellite & terrestrial combiner/splitter (Alcad ME-214).

You seem to be 100 % spot on! There is a box on aerial itself that must be amplifier ... Any idea about joining the two cables some way at back of sky box some way to something ! To allow me get rid if it ... Thks

Peter Rhea

If RF1 & RF2 of the Sky box are each feeding an upstairs room, you could simply replace the Sky box with a splitter like in photo 3.

Did only 1 of these rooms have a 'magic eye' in place? These will only work on RF2.

Where does the 'booster' fit in?

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

If RF1 & RF2 of the Sky box are each feeding an upstairs room, you could simply replace the Sky box with a splitter like in photo 3.

Did only 1 of these rooms have a 'magic eye' in place? These will only work on RF2.

Where does the 'booster' fit in?

Spot on again there was a red eye on the tv in the room where I have removed the tv ... So can I remove the rf2 cable ... Will have to hop up in attic again to look and then if I join the cables at rear of sky box into an ordinary three way splitter ... You reckon that will do that job .. Yeah !?

Peter Rhea

You need to find the 2 cables going to the rooms where you want terrestrial tv & join them to the outputs of a 2-way splitter, with the aerial cable (currently connected to Sky box RF-in) connected to the input.

It's likely you already have such a splitter on the cable from RF1 or RF2, since you were feeding 3 upstairs rooms. If you had more than 1 'magic eye' fitted, then the splitter will be on RF2.

RF1 will be feeding a room with no magic eye.

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

You need to find the 2 cables going to the rooms where you want terrestrial tv & join them to the outputs of a 2-way splitter, with the aerial cable (currently connected to Sky box RF-in) connected to the input.

It's likely you already have such a splitter on the cable from RF1 or RF2, since you were feeding 3 upstairs rooms. If you had more than 1 'magic eye' fitted, then the splitter will be on RF2.

RF1 will be feeding a room with no magic eye.

Ok Thks just taking a few notes! Will have a bash tomorrow

Is a cheap ish splitter like pic .. Ok fir joining cables as you say ( it's -4 way will pick up 3 way ) if its ok to use Thks again

Peter Rhea

Do you know which cables are actually feeding the rooms where you need a terrestrial tv signal?

If they're both split off from, say RF2, then you can simply join RF-in to RF2, using the cable joiner that's already connecting RF2 to the Sky box socket. Or you might want to eliminate an unnecessary joint, if the splitter is within reach of the cable feeding RF-in.

If you do need to install another splitter, use a 2-way (1 input, 2 outputs) version, as a 4-way still divides the signal by 4, whether there is anything connected to the outputs or not. Use a metal-bodied type like this one, or the f-connector type in your photo 3, so at least you'll know it's properly screened against interference.

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Do you know which cables are actually feeding the rooms where you need a terrestrial tv signal?

If they're both split off from, say RF2, then you can simply join RF-in to RF2, using the cable joiner that's already connecting RF2 to the Sky box socket. Or you might want to eliminate an unnecessary joint, if the splitter is within reach of the cable feeding RF-in.

If you do need to install another splitter, use a 2-way (1 input, 2 outputs) version, as a 4-way still divides the signal by 4, whether there is anything connected to the outputs or not. Use a metal-bodied type like this one, or the f-connector type in your photo 3, so at least you'll know it's properly screened against interference.

I have all the reception in the tvs I want to just remove the box from attic ....
The sky box as you say is just sending signal here and there ... I just don't want to unplug cables willy nilly ... Resulting in my confusing myself ! I will try what you suggest and see how I go ps thanks for all your advice to date ...

2012paddy2012

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

I have all the reception in the tvs I want to just remove the box from attic ....
The sky box as you say is just sending signal here and there ... I just don't want to unplug cables willy nilly ... Resulting in my confusing myself ! I will try what you suggest and see how I go ps thanks for all your advice to date ...

Up in attic now ! Basically I pulled out the rf out 1 and the rf out 2 joined then on the outs of a splitter then connected the aerial in cable at box to the in .. On the splitter. Has no effect at all on downstairs tvs. But neither upstairs are getting any signal. If you can see pic now the rf out 1 is disconnected and I have no signal upstairs front bedroom I have signal at tv upstairs back bedroom. ... Opposite is the case then ... Rf out 2 disconnected no signal at back bedroom tv but have at front. I think that's fairly simple so rf out 2 is back bedroom tv (Irish stations ) and rf out 1 is the tv in front bedroom.

I just wonder did I connect properly at the splitter as outlined above ... And as you advised ... If I did why it not work!

I know it's difficult to understand set up as you don't see it ! Advice appreciatd.

Second pic is showing cable rf out 1 ( front bedroom tv ) just that it is connected to a " double ( dual ) cable ... That was fir satellite stations to front room which I don't require at mo... Just in case it has something to do with the problem ! Cheers

Paddy

Edit 2 nd pic poor ... Just shows dual co ax cable anyway don't think it's relevant Thks

Peter Rhea

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

. . . I pulled out the rf out 1 and the rf out 2 joined then on the outs of a splitter then connected the aerial in cable at box to the in .. On the splitter. Has no effect at all on downstairs tvs. But neither upstairs are getting any signal.

What kind of splitter? Maybe post a pic showing any writing/numbers?

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

What kind of splitter? Maybe post a pic showing any writing/numbers?

The smaller if these two one has the old type co ax fittings bigger one has the new .. Used the smaller

Peter Rhea

Looks like a decent splitter & one would hope there would be plenty of signal for 2 tvs available from the masthead PSU output.

One thing I'm still not clear on is how the other front bedroom tv (the 1 you no longer need) was fed.

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Looks like a decent splitter & one would hope there would be plenty of signal for 2 tvs available from the masthead PSU output.

One thing I'm still not clear on is how the other front bedroom tv (the 1 you no longer need) was fed.

Oops there was two tvs at front house and one I don't need any longer .. Both were able to receive irish/ free to air so I have dispensed with one tv ... The other which I refer to in post is kids room that has connection from that box and he has irish stations through a saorview box the signal is coming from the out on the sky box .. I don't know after that I would have thought that the splitter should work ... It doesn't really matter but I have a plugged in sky box in attic I don't need and wouldn't mind getting rid of

Peter Rhea

I asked about the 'dispensed with' tv, as it was probably fed from a splitter on 1 of the RF-outs & if that splitter is still there, it would be causing unnecessary signal loss to the other tv on that feed.

And then there's the 'booster' you also referred to earlier: has this been disconnected altogether? Or maybe it's part of the RF2 distribution?

2012paddy2012

Peter Rhea wrote: »

I asked about the 'dispensed with' tv, as it was probably fed from a splitter on 1 of the RF-outs & if that splitter is still there, it would be causing unnecessary signal loss to the other tv on that feed.

And then there's the 'booster' you also referred to earlier: has this been disconnected altogether? Or maybe it's part of the RF2 distribution?

Oh confused now ... Will check and get back to you. Tomorrow.... Many Thks ...