Getting power to OTA antenna

[smodak]

smodak, if you only have one STB, then it's likely just a single wire coming from the LNB to the diplexer. Disconnect it on either end. Cover the open connector of the diplexer with some rubber or a watter-resistant tape to prevent watter from getting into it. If the cable on the roof is long enough, it is better to bypass the diplexer completely.

P.S. I would still check the power supply and all of your connections first...

Thanks Ilya. Just to double check
1. The coax from the roof diplexer is connected to the radioshack diplexer down below (say, D).
2. The 'sat output' of D (marked with DC pass) is connected to the PS 9370 terminal marked with "to Pre-amp"
3. The other end (marked with "To Antenna") of PS 9370 is not connected to anything.
4. The 'antenna out' of D is connected to the HTPC.

I am not missing anything, right?

 

[Oldman2]

I believe that the Sensar ll is the antenna used in mobile applications.
I have the Sensar lll also known as the GS 2200.
See here for source of my Sensar lll info:
(I can't post url's because I havent made 5 posts.)

Go to winegard site
Select products
Again select products
Select VHF/UHF/FM
Select Off-Air-Antennas
Select Sensar lll for home

I also found on Winegard site that the power injector to be used is the PS 9370.
It works with all their powered antennas.
I found it for sale here: (Do a Google search for: ) Willy's Electronic supply
Enter PS-9370 in search box.

$21.62
$27.60 including ground shipping.

 

[Ilya]

Thanks Ilya. Just to double check
1. The coax from the roof diplexer is connected to the radioshack diplexer down below (say, D).
2. The 'sat output' of D (marked with DC pass) is connected to the PS 9370 terminal marked with "to Pre-amp"
3. The other end (marked with "To Antenna") of PS 9370 is not connected to anything.
4. The 'antenna out' of D is connected to the HTPC.

I am not missing anything, right?

Sounds correct. Though that "to Pre-amp" vs. "To Antenna" label on the power supply is a bit confusing. Try the other one, just in case.

 

[Ilya]

I also found on Winegard site that the power injector to be used is the PS 9370. It works with all their powered antennas.

Yep! That's the one!

 

[smodak]

Sounds correct. Though that "to Pre-amp" vs. "To Antenna" label on the power supply is a bit confusing. Try the other one, just in case.

Sorry, My Bad. Its a typo. Its marked 'to preamp' and 'to TV' (and not to antenna). The issue remains though ..

 

[Ilya]

Sorry, My Bad. Its a typo. Its marked 'to preamp' and 'to TV' (and not to antenna). The issue remains though ..

In this case, it's all correct.

If you really want to try something else, you can switch the diplexer and the power supply: connect tha cable coming from the roof to the power supply ("to pre-amp") and then connect the diplexer to the other connector ("to TV"). Shouldn't make any difference, but why not give it a try. (Perhaps the problem is caused by a poor contact in one of your connections, and re-attaching them all might fix it ).

Oh! And make sure that your RadioShack diplexer doesn't pass voltage to the "antenna output" - this could be causing the problem too!

 

[smodak]

In this case, it's all correct.

If you really want to try something else, you can switch the diplexer and the power supply: connect tha cable coming from the roof to the power supply ("to pre-amp") and then connect the diplexer to the other connector ("to TV"). Shouldn't make any difference, but why not give it a try. (Perhaps the problem is caused by a poor contact in one of your connections, and re-attaching them all might fix it ).

Oh! And make sure that your RadioShack diplexer doesn't pass voltage to the "antenna output" - this could be causing the problem too!

Nope, exact same problem - no signal at all. The Radioshack Diplexer does not pass voltage on the antenna side. I think I have to get hold of a multitester. The PS must be bad.
All I need to get from the 'working' to not working is disconnect the sat able from Voom Box and connect it to the PS. So, I do not think it is bad connection. Something the voom box can do which the PS cannot. Something to do with the dish/lnbs?
Well, I would first get a multitester and rule out the PS issue before proceeding any further.

 

[Oldman2]

Do you have a trouble light that plugs into the cigarette lighter of your car?
You could use it to check for 12 volts DC at the output of the power supply.
Any similar low power consumption device could also be used.
Cell phone Charger for example.

 

[ecstaging]

If the dish was disconnected and I connected the OTA to a directTv HD box, would that work?

 

[Ilya]

If the dish was disconnected and I connected the OTA to a directTv HD box, would that work?

If the box has an OTA tuner and as long as you provide the power to the amplified antenna (as discussed in this thread), it should work.

 

[ecstaging]

Thanks for the info, I have another question for you. If i went with E* would the dish point in the same area as the voom dish? Sorry for the dumb questions but I'm new to this and I'm trying to figure out what to do now ( as is every one else)

 

[jwcool]

D* HD tuner will power sensar OTA

If the dish was disconnected and I connected the OTA to a directTv HD box, would that work?

We switched to D* last week and the tuner seems to supply power to the antennae! D* is a let down (though HD PQ is adequate) and my wife is pissed about the loss of both style and ultra! we watch a lot of locals now!

 

[heyguy35]

I'm switching over to Dish and I want to keep ota antenna for my locals hd...So i'm thinking that since the dish and the antenna is already diplex into a single coax cable, you'll need another diplexer connected to the cable coming out from the wall so you diplex it back to 2 cables: 1 for "satellite in" and the other for "antenna in" on the back of dish 811 receiver and any hd receiver. If the receiver can't power the antenna then go buy a power suppy or a pre-amp

 

[smodak]

Nope, exact same problem - no signal at all. The Radioshack Diplexer does not pass voltage on the antenna side. I think I have to get hold of a multitester. The PS must be bad.
All I need to get from the 'working' to not working is disconnect the sat able from Voom Box and connect it to the PS. So, I do not think it is bad connection. Something the voom box can do which the PS cannot. Something to do with the dish/lnbs?
Well, I would first get a multitester and rule out the PS issue before proceeding any further.

Ilya,
I tried with a a multitester. No DC volt at all. I call the company where I bought it from (weisd.com). Guess what, they say, the PS-9370 is a AC power supply and not a DC one. I have measured the output and yes, it is a AC power supply. The guy offers to call Winegard and call me back (that was nice of him).
He called me back and said that 9370 is indeed the correct power supply and it is supposed to be an AC power supply. I told him that I measured the satellite out and it has 18V DC and it works with the antenna, so the antenna must work with a DC power supply and not an AC one. He told me "the rectifier in your antenna may have gone bad that is why it is working with DC but not with AC" - whatever that means!!! He also said that "he has no magic and there is nothing else he could do"
Now I am in a soup. Should I run to Radioshack and get a DC power supply to see whether it works with that?

 

[smodak]

Radioshack does not have a 12 VDC power injector. Where else can I buy one?

Would this work?
http://www.smarthome.com/images/7747big.jpg
http://www.smarthome.com/7749.html
http://www.mpja.com/directview.asp?product=4501+TV (the power supply part only)

 

[Impatient]

Ilya,
I tried with a a multitester. No DC volt at all. I call the company where I bought it from (weisd.com). Guess what, they say, the PS-9370 is a AC power supply and not a DC one. I have measured the output and yes, it is a AC power supply. The guy offers to call Winegard and call me back (that was nice of him).
He called me back and said that 9370 is indeed the correct power supply and it is supposed to be an AC power supply. I told him that I measured the satellite out and it has 18V DC and it works with the antenna, so the antenna must work with a DC power supply and not an AC one. He told me "the rectifier in your antenna may have gone bad that is why it is working with DC but not with AC" - whatever that means!!! He also said that "he has no magic and there is nothing else he could do"
Now I am in a soup. Should I run to Radioshack and get a DC power supply to see whether it works with that?

The PS-9370 is the correct power supply for the Sensor II antenna. I have both and they are working fine. From their website:
"PS-9370 POWER SUPPLY (117 VAC IN/18 VAC OUT)
Replacement power supply for 117 VAC operation. Red indicator light indicates unit on. Polyfuse protected. Use with Winegard amplified antennas and preamplifiers only."

Rewire as the following

Antenna out -> seperate coax -> grounding block coonctor -> coax -> PS-9370 -> Antenna In on TV.
Removing the diplexor at the antenna/dish and connecting the coax directly to the antenna is the key. I forced the original install as seperate wires to the dish and antenna.

 

[smodak]

The PS-9370 is the correct power supply for the Sensor II antenna. I have both and they are working fine. From their website:
"PS-9370 POWER SUPPLY (117 VAC IN/18 VAC OUT)
Replacement power supply for 117 VAC operation. Red indicator light indicates unit on. Polyfuse protected. Use with Winegard amplified antennas and preamplifiers only."

Rewire as the following

Antenna out -> seperate coax -> grounding block coonctor -> coax -> PS-9370 -> Antenna In on TV.
Removing the diplexor at the antenna/dish and connecting the coax directly to the antenna is the key. I forced the original install as seperate wires to the dish and antenna.

Thanks
Tell me one thing, the Antenna needs AC or DC? You said 18 VAC OUT. That means 9370 does supply AC (and not DC). The Voom box supplies DC ( I have verified it with multitester). So, how is it working now with the Voom Box? Does it mean that with the diplexer/combiner it needs DC and without it it needs AC?
Running a line directly from the antenna or rewiring is not an option for me as I do not have any way to climb up the roof I have to find an alternative.
I would still like to know the antenna needs AC or DC? If it indeed needs AC how is it working when I connect to the Voom Box? Anybody?

 

[Underdog]

If after voom goes down and you remove the dish, and you by a new STB that is only an OTA receiver, I understand that you are saying that you would need a PS-9370 but does the DP3020 that is connected up on the mast have to stay in order for the antenna to work or can you remove it with the dish. I was also told by a wingard CSR that it doesnt matter if it is a satellite receiver or not. If it is a powered receiver even if its just one for OTA such as a LG model you wouldnt need the power supply. It would get it off the STB. But then in that case you would need to keep the combiner up at the mast she said. Is this true?

 

[smodak]

Diplexer /Combiner Install (for so many people including myself)
________________
Its working with DC power (from Voom STB)

Non-Diplexer / Combiner Install (for 'Impatient' above and may be a few others)
____________________
Its working with AC power (PS 9370 )

According to Voom CSR (see Underdog's post) DC power from any source (HD receiver, any other satellite box) would work as long as you keep the diplexer at the mast.

So the theory looks like Diplexer/DC and Non Diplexer/AC works (even though its not making any sense to me!! But I have been proven wrong before )

Is there anybody, who has a working Diplexer install but powered by PS 9370 (or any other AC PS) to invalidate the above theory?

BTW, I just ordered the 18 VDC Power supply (7747 - Power Supply only) for 10 bucks from http://www.smarthome.com/7749.html . I will let you guys know how it works out.

 

[Impatient]

I have not measured the output of the amp. I will take a multimeter home from work and check it tomorrow. I was quoting the specs from the Winegard website.