Diplexor must be installed because of powered antenna? (Depends on antenna model)

[Mr. Old School]

it depends on which off air antenna you are getting ...if you are getting the stealth then it comes with a seperate power inserter ...if you are getting the winegard sensar antenna then it must use the diplexor to get power from the stb because no seperate power supply is included

ok, I have the same problem and that's exactly what the installer told me...that you had to have the diplexer for power...must be because my antenna is the winegard sensar.

I saw an inline signal amplifier at Radio Shack today for $34.99. Would it work if I ran my own seperate line, disconnected the diplexer, and put the signal amplifier in place between the OTA input and the OTA cable which I would run straight to the antenna myself?

I'm not getting any locals at all and based on everything I've read and even from talking to some Voom people, it seems clear that the diplexer is the culprit.

 

[Mr. Old School]

I don't know how exactly VOOM ships these items, but according to Winegard's web site Winegard’s Sensar II (GS2000A) Includes a 117 VAC power supply:

Well I saw the guy take mine out of the box and I certainly didn't see one of those.

 

[satmaster]

I'm actually getting my installation right now and the installer says (after agreeing to not install the diplexer and run 2 lines) that he remembered that it is not possible without the diplexor because vooms ota antenna must be powered. he says it gets its power from the stb. am i right that this is a crock of bs? doesnt the antenna get its power from the stb from some separate input on the box itself?


EDIT: MOD plz move this... i posted in the wrong section by accident!

That is correct. The Sensor II antenna requires 12 volts which the special Winegard Diplexor provides. The FAQ should be modified.

 

[satmaster]

its a crock of bull, because my diplexor never did work, the only way i get my local channels to come in is to run one line from the ota and another from the sat, then to an a/b switch otherwise if i hook the ota cable to the stb or the diplexor i get nothing from the ota.

Be advised that when Voom changed from Channel Master to Winegard antennas they also changed the Diplexors from Channel Master to Winegard.

Since the antenna Voom is getting from Winegard is a special version shipped without a power supply.

Installers can not run 2 lines and you should not ask them to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
What you may end up with is a installer that does not know it won't work and you will end up with no off air signals. Also the installer is allowed to charge you for the wire since its not part of a standard install.

Some (if not all?) 3 and 4 room systems were shipped with DirecTv multiswitches that would not work unless the installer installed a power injector (not provided by Voom) in the ANT line. If you have one of the DTV multiswitches it must be installed with some type of voltage injector to work.

Have not received a 3 / 4 room system in some time so I do not know if the new special made Voom multiswitch is ready yet.

If you have one of the first diplexors that has 2 inputs and one output and are having problems you should ask Voom to replace it with a new version. They do work just fine.

 

[sat4me]

I don't know how exactly VOOM ships these items, but according to Winegard's web site Winegard’s Sensar II (GS2000A) Includes a 117 VAC power supply:

VOOM is not shipping the Sensar with the power supply. The 2000 model is shipped from Winegard with the amp. as a separate antenna system assuming no STB to power it.
The VOOM version is probably purchased from winegard special without the amp, because it's not needed as VOOM has pwer from the STB using the winegard combiner/diplexer.
I've said many times prior on this forum, the use of the diplexer is in MOST ALL residential installations just fine. There was a short period of time in November/December, ChannelMaster (Diplexer included with the Stealth at that time) couldn't supply VOOM of their high-quality diplexer and VOOM was forced to supply to the installers a cheaper quality off-shore diplexer that did cause problems in some installations, thus all the negative chat about diplexers and "forcing" the installer to run separate cables.
Just let the installers install as the VOOM engineers have designed it to be installed. Remember Wilt is a VOOM engineer and if you want to challange him, go right ahead.
Also these VOOM STB's all don't correctly "see" the correct channel freq. with the channel mapping on channels, until the next big software upgrade download coming soon, just hold tight, the auto scanning is supposed to solve most everyone's OTA issues as long as the OTA signal is being received by the antenna at your location.

 

[satmaster]

I don't know how exactly VOOM ships these items, but according to Winegard's web site Winegard’s Sensar II (GS2000A) Includes a 117 VAC power supply:

Voom has made a special deal with Winegard. They ship the Sensor II in a box with the pipe that mounts on the back of the dish. They include no model # one the package and no manuals. Since the ANT has no model# on it we really do not know if its a SENSOR II but it looks like one.

Shipped in the Dish box is a special Winegard Diplexor that has a voltage on the ANT port.

 

[satmaster]

ok, I have the same problem and that's exactly what the installer told me...that you had to have the diplexer for power...must be because my antenna is the winegard sensar.

I saw an inline signal amplifier at Radio Shack today for $34.99. Would it work if I ran my own seperate line, disconnected the diplexer, and put the signal amplifier in place between the OTA input and the OTA cable which I would run straight to the antenna myself?

I'm not getting any locals at all and based on everything I've read and even from talking to some Voom people, it seems clear that the diplexer is the culprit.

That is not clear to me. It may be that this ant will not work in your area.
Check antennaweb.org to see how many miles away your channels are.
This ant says 55 miles but it sometimes wont receive over 20 miles away.

Also you can test the ant by connecting it to your normal TV to see if you are getting analog signals clear. If you are then its working.
This will be hard to do since you will have to remove the diplexor from your receiver and connect a wire from the sat out to your sat in on the receiver and a wire from the ANT out to the ANT in on your TV.

 

[vinnyv07]

The installer can run 2 lines and has for alot of people for no charge. It is a part of the standard installation and you should not get charged extra for it. I actually had the VOOM installers come out to the house to run another line 2 months after the install to see if my OTA sig improved any. The Stealth Ant has a built in amp, that when connected to the diplexer which is connected to the receiver will power up the ant when the receiver is on. The receiver will give the Stealth power when it is on and connected via the diplexer. If you are not using the diplexer there is a POWER INJECTOR that the installer is supposed to give you to power up the Stealth. I took down the Stealth because I found another Ant UHF only gets a better sig for me unpowered than the Stealth did powered.

 

[electr0n]

OTA Lesson Learned

It's funny that I just found this thread today. I'm a new Voomer (installed on 6/9) and have been able to get all of my OTA channels except ABC (KVUE-DT). I assumed that it was an OTA mapping problem (as is mentioned all over this board) because I am only 8 miles from all of the broadcast towers.

Just to check I sent an email to Wilt and he got me in touch with a Voom engineer that verified that the mapping was correct for my area (Austin, TX). As an experiment last night I went to Radio Shack and picked up their amplified bidirectional HDTV amplifier and put it up in my attic and hooked it up. I was then able to pick up all of my local OTA's including KVUE. In fact, the signal quality went from 20 (best case) to 80. All of my OTA's now have signal quality of at least 80-90.

Sure enough during my installation I asked that the installer run two seperate cables without the diplexor (because of all the advice on this board). He agreed (was a really nice guy) and I do have the Winegard Sensar II which I understand is an amplified antenna. As a result I have an amplified antenna without power because I asked him to not install the diplexor. If I had let him do his thing and install the diplexor I probably would have had all my locals day one.

So the moral of the story is - let the installers do their job and escalate the issue if it doesn't work. That's what Voom pays their engineers for. I'm actually happy the way it worked out for me because now I have two cables all the way to my dish on the roof for when the DVR/new dish is available.

The only problem with my install was my own intervention :-( The Voom technical support has been excellent and helped me right away. This board has been a tremendous help - just make sure that you understand all the facts before intervening in an installation or troubleshooting a problem. The picture quality is excellent on all my channels and I am a very happy Voomer!

electr0n in Austin, TX

 

[sat4me]

Sure enough during my installation I asked that the installer run two seperate cables without the diplexor (because of all the advice on this board). He agreed (was a really nice guy) and I do have the Winegard Sensar II which I understand is an amplified antenna. As a result I have an amplified antenna without power because I asked him to not install the diplexor. If I had let him do his thing and install the diplexor I probably would have had all my locals day one.

So the moral of the story is - let the installers do their job and escalate the issue if it doesn't work. That's what Voom pays their engineers for. I'm actually happy the way it worked out for me because now I have two cables all the way to my dish on the roof for when the DVR/new dish is available.

The only problem with my install was my own intervention :-(

electr0n in Austin, TX

Proof! Please let the installers do what their supposed to. Unfornutatly this installer didn't know the diplexer had to be used.

This is not the STEALTH antenna they are using anymore and does not come with any in-line pwer inserter/amp.

Dual cable is not included in the installation until DVR is out later this year.

 

[Ilya]

satmaster and sat4me,

Thank you for your comments. It's great to have professional installers on this forum!
It is indeed very important information that VOOM no longer ships power supplies with their amplified OTA antennas. I wasn't aware of this. I'll make sure to mention this in the FAQ.

By any chance, do you know what voltage is supplied to the Winegard antenna supplied by VOOM? Is it 12 Volts or 18 Volts? Looks like Winegard has both types of power supplies.

Also, can you (or someone else who got that Winegard antenna) clarify: the diplexer/splitter that is at the STB side, is it still a snap-on module that attaches to the STB itself (as the one that came with Stealth)? Or is it something different now?

 

[sat4me]

The installer can run 2 lines and has for alot of people for no charge. It is a part of the standard installation and you should not get charged extra for it. I actually had the VOOM installers come out to the house to run another line 2 months after the install to see if my OTA sig improved any. The Stealth Ant has a built in amp, that when connected to the diplexer which is connected to the receiver will power up the ant when the receiver is on. The receiver will give the Stealth power when it is on and connected via the diplexer. If you are not using the diplexer there is a POWER INJECTOR that the installer is supposed to give you to power up the Stealth. I took down the Stealth because I found another Ant UHF only gets a better sig for me unpowered than the Stealth did powered.

Yes many of you have "talked" the installer into the second line, good for you.
vinnyv07, you were provided the Stealth antenna that was shipped with a power inserter at the time you were installed. That's not the case any longer.

VOOM supplies a totaly different antenna and combiner/diplexer.
The SENSAR is made by Winegard and is shipped without any power inserter and already has the amplifier-board installed/built in the antenna itself. It cannot be taken out and will not work without power by itself.
Yes, if you or the installer want to supply the power inserter separtely, go ahead. the installer does not have them to install with the installation and will charge additional if requested.

vinnyv07, I know you mean well, however, what happened during your install with your equipment is a totally different case today and in other locations.

I have two VOOM systems in different states, one in Colorado, is the Stealth with the ChannelMaster diplexer/combiner and ALL my OTA channels come in perfectly.
In California, the Stealth won't work due to where my home is there and I have NO OTA, because NO signal or LOS to the towers 50 miles away, totally blocked by terrain. Oh well, what's VOOM supposed to do about that? I guess I should have them "plow down" those hills so I can receive the signal they "promised" me. Ha !

 

[sat4me]

satmaster and sat4me,
Thank you for your comments. It's great to have professional installers on this forum!
It is indeed very important information that VOOM no longer ships power supplies with their amplified OTA antennas. I wasn't aware of this. I'll make sure to mention this in the FAQ.

By any chance, do you know what voltage is supplied to the Winegard antenna supplied by VOOM? Is it 12 Volts or 18 Volts? Looks like Winegard has both types of power supplies.

Thanks for the positive comment.
Actually I'm not a VOOM installer. I used to be one years ago back in the BUD days and did Primestar, worked on the initial Beta installs for both D* and E*, so I've been around along time and have seen my share of dishes and OTA's. I'm level 1-3 SBCA certified, and sometimes hang around some guy's I know in Colorado that are one of the big VOOM installers, so I get the latest "scoop" from them.

To answer your question, I believe voltage is 12 minimum. I have not been told specifically this, but understanding the the receiver provides 12 to 18 volts for LNB switching, then the OTA would have to work off of either as well.

 

[sat4me]

Be advised that when Voom changed from Channel Master to Winegard antennas they also changed the Diplexors from Channel Master to Winegard.

Since the antenna Voom is getting from Winegard is a special version shipped without a power supply.

Installers can not run 2 lines and you should not ask them to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
What you may end up with is a installer that does not know it won't work and you will end up with no off air signals. Also the installer is allowed to charge you for the wire since its not part of a standard install.

Some (if not all?) 3 and 4 room systems were shipped with DirecTv multiswitches that would not work unless the installer installed a power injector (not provided by Voom) in the ANT line. If you have one of the DTV multiswitches it must be installed with some type of voltage injector to work.

Have not received a 3 / 4 room system in some time so I do not know if the new special made Voom multiswitch is ready yet.

If you have one of the first diplexors that has 2 inputs and one output and are having problems you should ask Voom to replace it with a new version. They do work just fine.

satmaster,
Great to have another expert on the forum.
I can answer the multiswitch question...
The JVI multiswitch that ships for the 3, 4, ROOM receiver installations, does not have pwer-passing OTA input and will not work without the diplexer/combiner first. Now, the biggest problem currently, VOOM has made a mistake in shipping that JVI switch. It will not work PERIOD with the Sensar. Not even using a dual diplexer/combiner ahead of it.

VIP to know for now those that will be having more than TWO STB's installed.

The installer MUST use a DUAL diplexer/combiner that comes with the standard equip. and ALSO will need to use a DIFFERENT multiswitch form another supplier, such as P10 or channelmaster, anything but the JVI.
JVI is perfectly fine except the specific one supplied has filters in it that will cause a cross-short of signal and will cause the SAT voltage to cancel itself.

Hopefully VOOM Installs Inc is correcting this issue. I know the install company I hang around every so often alerted them last week about this, so lets see if that info makes it way to all their installers, if not then now you know what's up.

 

[Sherlock]

I have just read all this thread and man am I confused! I had Voom installed a week ago and the installer said that he didn't get an amplifier for the OTA antenna. It is a Weinguard but I don't know what model. When he activated the box, Voom told him that he didn't need an amplifier. He insisted that he did because there was a little sticker on the antenna that said "amplified". He also told them that he had checked Weinguards website and it said that it needed an amplifier. They set up another service call for next Friday for him to fix the thing. He didn't even aim the antenna, just stuck it on the pole. I am getting all my locals except one right now. I think if it was aimed correctly I could get that one too. I can't get on my roof so I can't check it out. My question is, if he comes back should I let him install an amplifier or not. I don't want him to mess up what I already have.

 

[sat4me]

I have just read all this thread and man am I confused! I had Voom installed a week ago and the installer said that he didn't get an amplifier for the OTA antenna. It is a Weinguard but I don't know what model. When he activated the box, Voom told him that he didn't need an amplifier. He insisted that he did because there was a little sticker on the antenna that said "amplified". He also told them that he had checked Weinguards website and it said that it needed an amplifier. They set up another service call for next Friday for him to fix the thing. He didn't even aim the antenna, just stuck it on the pole. I am getting all my locals except one right now. I think if it was aimed correctly I could get that one too. I can't get on my roof so I can't check it out. My question is, if he comes back should I let him install an amplifier or not. I don't want him to mess up what I already have.

If you're receiving OTA channels, then your installer must have used the wingard diplexer/combiner for it to work. Sorry your installer seems like he doesn't know.. if you're missing one channels, that may be due to the channel mapping is wrong for your zipcode or that one missing channel is in a different area than the others.. check on www.antennaweb.org to see what the OTA channels are possibly available. If they show different compass headings then you may not receive that one channel.
Also, I'll say again, wait for VOOM to send us our next software download in a few weeks, this is supposed to help "fix" a lot of the OTA problems we hear about.
hang tight, for now, doubt your installer/ service call will do much other than make sure the aim is correct. The installer is not a magician, so don't expect him to make an antenna work when in some cases there well may be a signal issue at your location.

 

[Kentstater72]

I have a simalar situation going on. I had the installer run two lines with no diplexer and now find out I have no signal with the winegaurd.
Could I try hooking the coaxial up using the cable amplifier left behind in my attic by my old cable provider?

 

[DarkSmileyX]

How can you tell what brand of diplexor you have? I think Iv'e got the wrong diplexors and the JVI multiswitch, so I have none of the right parts to make the antenna work. Figures... I did'nt even need the 4 output multiswitch, Iv'e only got 2 receivers.

 

[Sherlock]

If you're receiving OTA channels, then your installer must have used the wingard diplexer/combiner for it to work. Sorry your installer seems like he doesn't know.. if you're missing one channels, that may be due to the channel mapping is wrong for your zipcode or that one missing channel is in a different area than the others.. check on www.antennaweb.org to see what the OTA channels are possibly available. If they show different compass headings then you may not receive that one channel.
Also, I'll say again, wait for VOOM to send us our next software download in a few weeks, this is supposed to help "fix" a lot of the OTA problems we hear about.
hang tight, for now, doubt your installer/ service call will do much other than make sure the aim is correct. The installer is not a magician, so don't expect him to make an antenna work when in some cases there well may be a signal issue at your location.

All local stations are mapped correctly on the box. The one I can't receive is located on the same mountain top as the others, 14 degrees and 16 miles away. I think that if I can get the others, I should get that one also. I can also receive two stations from 264 degrees at 10 miles away. The one I can't get is CBS. All the others, PBS, ABC,NBC,Fox,UPN come in fine.

The installer admitted that he didn't know much about OTA. He did a great job on the dish though.

Thanks for your input and advise.

 

[sat4me]

How can you tell what brand of diplexor you have? I think Iv'e got the wrong diplexors and the JVI multiswitch, so I have none of the right parts to make the antenna work. Figures... I did'nt even need the 4 output multiswitch, Iv'e only got 2 receivers.

This has been a problem for the installers.
They are shipped a bunch of equipment that is not all the same. In some dish boxes there are no diplexers, in others the correct 2 output combiner/diplexer is in there, then the worse, only a JVI multiswitch, which will NOT, no way, can't work with the Sensar antenna.
So, the poor installer is left with sometimes the wrong equipment to make the OTA work. In your case, sounds like the installer picked up what appeared to be a dish and your receivers to install. No one knew the JVI multiswitch was in the dish box until it was opened at your house. Oh well, the installer could only do what he could do with that JVI and connected the dish/LNB to it for your SAT VOOM service.
Here's what you need to do, call VOOM and the installer back, tell them you have 2 STB's and no OTA, because the installer installed the multiswitch and what you need is the Winegard dual diplexer/combiner installed instead. It will take them 15 minutes to swap out, connect the OTA to it and they should be done, and assuming you have good OTA signal you'll be in business.
Good luck