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C
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
Hey there....Newbie here in dire need of expert advice. I have tried ask.com, google, AVS Forum and cannot get anything decisive so why did i waste so much time without seeing the light and coming to the experts here? For shame I say but now I'm here.

I need to buy a 6x16 multiswitch to use for my existing DirectV service. The reason is after finishing my basement i will have a total of 4 DVRs in the house and of course want a switch that can handle at least 16 coax ins. I have researched a bit and have seen the following: Terk MSWB616, Zinwell WB 616, and seen some Spaun ones at solidsignal.com.

When I first had the installer over replacing me with the new MPEG 4 dish and some HD DVR and HD sat boxes, he said that Dtv doesn't have 6x16 multiswitches(only 8 output ones and two cannot be combined due to new MPEG 4 signal, but he could put two 8 outs to 2 dishes but i didn't want two on the roof).

He said they couldn't so i jumped online and found a Zinwell and a Terk for like $300 and $500...oddly he took one look at the labels and commented on the color citing the purple Zinwell wouldn't be good because he said those colors don't work to well......don't ask me, he said it. So I showed him the Terk and he saw yellow and wasn't into it but saw the Terk WB616 and it had a white label and he said "Get that one".....again, don't ask me but he obviously wasn't color blind but maybe a label bigot. :O

So now the white labeled Terk MSWB616 is at Amazon for $199 with free 2day shipping while the Zinwell (ominous purple label mind you :) ) I have seen for around $125.

Experts, what should I do? I can't find any comparisons of the two online for example as on CNET or anywhere. Any ideas? Thanks,

CKJ
18 Replies · 5012 views
str8poolbanger
ckjackson

you can use 2 6 x 8 switches, the tech mustve been new or was not properly trained. i have attached a pdf file that i use with all the new techs that i have to train. i hope that this will save you some money in the long run, not that the 6 x 16 wont help you and probally make it easier.....but 2 is possible...
grydlok
You can't use OTA with a 6X8 or 6X16. All seperate runs for ota.


Before somebody says SWM switch it's still doesn't have a timetable for release.
C
ckjackson

you can use 2 6 x 8 switches, the tech mustve been new or was not properly trained. i have attached a pdf file that i use with all the new techs that i have to train. i hope that this will save you some money in the long run, not that the 6 x 16 wont help you and probally make it easier.....but 2 is possible...


Do they have to be 2 switches that are qualified for the new MPEG 4 frequencies? Just curious cause when they installed my upgraded MPEG 4 dish and gave me new HD boxes and HD DVR boxes they put in a new 4x8 box and ran the power for it off my old 4x8 box that was installed 3 years ago by them? So for the new HD DVR appointment i would need them to bring a new 6x8 MPEG 4 switch and four of those splitters? Do they carry that stuff on the truck or at least the splitters or is there a place i should go an buy them. Me thinks just getting the 6x16 zinwell online would be easier then hoping the guy has all this in his truck and will understand your directions on how to install. Ideas?? Thanks,
Bob Nielsen
The 4 x 8 multiswitches won't work with Ka-band. I believe that Directv installs 2 WB68 switches with splitters instead of a WB616 mainly because of cost (it's supposedly cheaper for them that way). You can cascade a 4x8 off the newer switch if it only feeds older receivers. Since the WB616 is powered, that might work better if the runs are long, although you might not get reimbursed for the cost.
C
The 4 x 8 multiswitches won't work with Ka-band. I believe that Directv installs 2 WB68 switches with splitters instead of a WB616 mainly because of cost (it's supposedly cheaper for them that way). You can cascade a 4x8 off the newer switch if it only feeds older receivers. Since the WB616 is powered, that might work better if the runs are long, although you might not get reimbursed for the cost.



Ok, just looked at my setup again and am perplexed. He disconnected my old Zinwell 4x8 but its still plugged in and powered up with maybe the OTA in the attic attached and an out going to the hub of the house sat in. When he brought the new Zinwell WB6x8 i have the 4 lines coming in from the MPEG4 dish(that were going into the old 4x8) and then 8 outs and 4 of those outs connect to the basement boxes(1 HD DVR 20, 2 HD 10, and one old sony purchased old school digital box from 2000) 4 upstairs(1 HD DVR 10-250 and 1 non HD DVR in the bedroom) so the multiswitch is full. The odd thing is my HD DVR 10-250 MPEG2 still gets the OTA HD channels, the digital locals but not the HD locals except for the old package that for some reason is still active on that box of FOX HD on ch 88 and NBC HD on Ch 82. So are you saying that I shouldn't be getting OTA at all and perhaps I am somehow thru my home hub that connects to the old zinwell which activates all multimedia taps in the house for the 3rd coax receptacle on them?

When will my current HD 10-250 not allow me to see HD locals like ch 88 and ch 82(for some reason ABC and CBS never were active)? or am i just lucky to have those grandfathered on my access card at all since the installer in Feb was shocked I had them?

And the existing old school purchased sony digital boxes and my non hd dvr still get digital locals and this MPEG4 change only affect HD locals, not digital locals?

So the WB6x8 isn't powered but the WB6x16 is?

Should I call the installer company for my 8/13 appt and have them make sure they have a WB6x8 and those 4 KA band splitters on the truck so he can do it that way to save me from buying a WB6x16 or will they always have that stuff on the truck?

Thank you all in advance. You are real lifesavers for learning me some satellite system. LOL
Bob Nielsen
Only the H20 and HR20 can get the MPEG4 HD locals and RSNs. The channels in the 80s are MPEG2 networks from L.A. and N.Y.C. If you live in one of those places, you will get them as locals, but those in other areas who qualify for waivers can get them also (normally either LA or NYC, not both). The MPEG2 HD (80s) will probably go away eventually, as will the other MPEG2 HD (ESPN, HDnet, etc.) but until they do you will probably continue to receive them. Directv occasionally will audit the waivers to see if people still qualify and may discontinue them if necessary to meet legal requirements. You should call Directv to make sure that the WB68 and splitters are on the order.

I don't know why you still get OTA, unless the installer added a diplexer on the line between the WB68 and the receiver.
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68565 Replies · 2675550 views
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dishstaller
Little Miss Dangerous - Ted Nugent
RaiderPower
Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Spin Doctors
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sdfntx
Jump Down, Spin Around - Harry Belafonte
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long_time_Dish
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks
H
This Old HEART Of Mine(Is Weak For You)-The Isley Brothers
iJustine
Last reply · posted in iJustine
1 Replies · 8 views
T
It's not even where it folds!
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
20 Replies · 494 views
S
That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.
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Almighty1
That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.
Yes, the Western Electric phones that says "Bell System Property, NOT FOR SALE, Western Electric".
AZ.
AZ.
Yes, the Western Electric phones that says "Bell System Property, NOT FOR SALE, Western Electric".
someone is showing their age
Almighty1
someone is showing their age
LOL. It depends if the person saw it during the years when they were actually still available which is 1968 to 1983 meaning the person could be 43-58 years old or they can even be a few years old if they learned to read and write at a young age and actually saw a telephone with that label somewhere recently just like even here in San Francisco, payphone still exist physically in public places but whether they can be used or not is a different issue. It still looks like this even today:
1792633296785.webp
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dishstaller
I opened my Radio Shack in Sept 1984 and right about that time they did the whole deregulation thing with the phone companies. I bought TONS of those phones that had been refurbished with a new outer shell. You could throw one of those out of a 3 story high window and it would still work.
That was an interesting time in history. I would have older customers come in and ask about phones.....they were terrified that they were going to get into trouble hooking up a second phone without the phone company knowing about it. One of the funniest episodes of WKRP was the one where Johnny thought the cops were showing up because they had an unregistered phone. I guess younger folks can't conceive of a time when you were limited to the number of phones you could have in your house....and limited to the length of the cord 🤣
navychop
someone is showing their age

You should hear his stories about when rocks were soft and pterodactyls were the new kid on the block!
dishstaller
One of the funniest episodes of WKRP was the one where Johnny thought the cops were showing up because they had an unregistered phone.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA0yZ1nrm6M&pp=ygUPd2tycCBwaG9uZSBjb3Bz
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
He was 71 yrs old. One of my favorite songs is Seminole Wind....the violin is killer.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sh9P3X33w
5 Replies · 45 views
FTA4PA
Rest In Peace
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M
I Wish I Could Have Been There is an amazing song. Rest in peace Mr Anderson.
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Bobby
Rest in peace.
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comfortably_numb
Hope you're out there Swingin', John.
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dishstaller
I Wish I Could Have Been There is an amazing song.
That's one of those songs that hits a little too close to home for me. I like the song but just can't listen to it. It's kinda like that song "Daddy never was the Cadillac kind".....reminds me too much of my Grandfather who died Feb 18, 1995.
N
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
My OTA is not working anymore. This started after the latest update. I have the OTA dongle with a OTA antenna that I've been using for years. My hopper does not recognize the dongle anymore and when I go to the OTA setting, it has a screen that says to plug a dongle into the USB. I tried unplugging and plugging back, in the same usb port and other ports. The Hopper does not recognize it. Anyone have same issue?
201 Replies · 5110 views
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Scott Greczkowski
Did you people having this issue contact Brittany yet? Shes trying to keep track of things and it would be good for you to contact her as maybe she can get this somewhere and get fixed.

Now while unofficial, I am hearing this issue wasn't caused by DISH's software team, but was caused by a chipset driver update that seemes to have hosed some older USB devices. If this is indeed the case I can see why DISH didn't know and why they are slow in fixing it as they need the chipset company to fix its drivers and release them to DISH so they can be pushed out to all.

DISH does not hate you guys nor do they want you to buy new USB dongles. I am rather sure they didn't even know this was an issue until they saw it posted.

Again contact Brittany if you are having this issue, so she has your info and hopefully she can do something for you to keep you happy. :)
bookworm370
Did you people having this issue contact Brittany yet? Shes trying to keep track of things and it would be good for you to contact her as maybe she can get this somewhere and get fixed.

Now while unofficial, I am hearing this issue wasn't caused by DISH's software team, but was caused by a chipset driver update that seemes to have hosed some older USB devices. If this is indeed the case I can see why DISH didn't know and why they are slow in fixing it as they need the chipset company to fix its drivers and release them to DISH so they can be pushed out to all.

DISH does not hate you guys nor do they want you to buy new USB dongles. I am rather sure they didn't even know this was an issue until they saw it posted.

Again contact Brittany if you are having this issue, so she has your info and hopefully she can do something for you to keep you happy. :)
Thanks, but until they do, can't Dish just revert to the old driver that worked? Then test the new driver when delivered,d before pushing it again.

But then what does an old CIO know! I've only reamed quite a few buttholes from my people that didn't do that! ;)
S
Thanks, but until they do, can't Dish just revert to the old driver that worked? Then test the new driver when delivered,d before pushing it again.

But then what does an old CIO know! I've only reamed quite a few buttholes from my people that didn't do that! ;)
dish can't revert back to older drivers or updates. although just one reason not to buy the ota dongle!!!
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ppappas
dish can't revert back to older drivers or updates. although just one reason not to buy the ota dongle!!!
They can absolutely put the old driver back if they wanted. This is an embedded software environment in which they have total control. All they have to do if build a new version of firmware with the old OTA driver and test it of course. They just don't want to spend the resources doing so. If they are not going to continue supporting the single tuner adapter, then they have to say so.
Almighty1
They can absolutely put the old driver back if they wanted. This is an embedded software environment in which they have total control. All they have to do if build a new version of firmware with the old OTA driver and test it of course. They just don't want to spend the resources doing so. If they are not going to continue supporting the single tuner adapter, then they have to say so.
Unless of course they didn't keep a copy of the old drivers and can no longer get it. Then there is always the their support for the product is EOL after a x amount of time so it will make the consumer have to buy the current product offering.
B
Anyone heard any updates on this, I'm still having the issue so thought I'd check in.
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Almighty1
Anyone heard any updates on this, I'm still having the issue so thought I'd check in.
No updates but if you can get DISH Technical Operations to roll you back to H710 or earlier even though H708 would be best because it also eliminates another problem like in this comment, you will also no longer have the problem as long as you don't update manually or forced to any new version until the problem is fixed as the problem started in H711 and still exist in H712 and H713.
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dishstaller
Installed an off-air antenna a couple days ago for a customer who had just cancelled his Dish service. He had a dual off-air adapter and gave it to me. Cool. I'll keep it on the truck....might come in handy. Got to admit I don't watch anything as far as live tv goes anymore. Even if we have severe weather, our local channels will have a live feed on Youtube.
navychop
In other news, it was announced that the software fix for the two tin cans and a string will not be forthcoming. A hardware fix is required. However, that fix will let you receive stations from a gazillion miles away.

Truck roll charges may apply. Two year commitment required.
M
Last reply · posted in Over the Air Television By RabbitEars.Info
Interesting article about the work being done to develope an ATSC 3 converter box. Yes it does mention affordable.
6 Replies · 211 views
navychop
DEATH TO NEXGEN!
TRG
TRG
17 years ago the US turned off analog OTA signals in favor of digital broadcasting. Now the push is ATSC 3 "Nextgen TV". But nobody seems to be able to agree on DRM implementation protocols. People don't want to hook their TV up to the internet in order to watch over the air TV. At least I don't. With all the data they collect about your viewing habits the box should be given away at no cost.
navychop
Comb your hair.
primestar31
DEATH TO NEXGEN!
star trek GIF


It's dead, they just don't know it yet. They killed it by forcing DRM on it, and that TOTALLY botched implementing it.

There is absolutely NO compelling reason for anybody to switch to ATSC3.0. They only want it as a total and complete money grab.
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navychop
I truly hope you are right.
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