Got Installed Yesterday!

[NoPlanC]

I'm up and running, caught a little Tennis in HD yesterday which was great (and long awaited).

Couple things I'm surprised about: 1. Installer ran 4 RG6 coax in from the dish to a Directv SWM5 multiswitch. Thought I'd read here that only 2 coax cables and no multiswitch is required with only 2 DVR's.

Also he installed the multiswitch to a floor joist in a future finished room in my basement. I spoke to him about that as he was doing so. He hemmed & hawed a bit & said something about cable runs. I let it go remembering an earlier thread about how little these guys get paid. Maybe I can relocate it to a utility area later when I start finishing my basement.

Also the switch was quite warm. So I checked behind the the family room TV and found a Power Inserter. Never read about these on this forum. Is this also necessary?

I'm trying to figure out what I need to take my DTV Service on the road with us in our RV this March. Trying to figure out what to purchase. Can I purchase & use a slimeline Dish & tripod like this: HEAVY-DUTY TRIPOD FOR LARGER HD SATELLITE DISHES - NEW! - eBay (item 280197403798 end time Feb-08-08 09:27:59 PST)

Will I also need a multiswitch and power inserter? Can I use one of the new HR21 DVR I just had installed.

My apologies about the length of this post. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[charper1]

1. Installer ran 4 RG6 coax in from the dish to a Directv SWM5 multiswitch. Thought I'd read here that only 2 coax cables and no multiswitch is required with only 2 DVR's.

All 4 are required to a point. DVRs are multi-tuner units. If you have only 2 DVRs that equals 4 tuners. So 4 lines needed without an additional external switch, BUT you would not have any room to expand, so its a good thing that the switch is already there. If you only had 2 standard units then no switch needed as the multi-LNB dishes have one already built in.

Also he installed the multiswitch to a floor joist in a future finished room in my basement. I spoke to him about that as he was doing so. He hemmed & hawed a bit & said something about cable runs. I let it go remembering an earlier thread about how little these guys get paid. Maybe I can relocate it to a utility area later when I start finishing my basement.

Well with a free install they will almost always install to the easiest location accessible that is "out of the way" of daily living. Did you offer up another location? Even if it would have cost you.

So I checked behind the the family room TV and found a Power Inserter. Never read about these on this forum. Is this also necessary?

These are MPEG4 HD boxes, so these are likely the B-band converters and yes, they are required.

I'm trying to figure out what I need to take my DTV Service on the road with us in our RV this March. Trying to figure out what to purchase.

How many "tuners" do you plan on using? If 4 or less then 1 dish, no switch, and lines to connect; one line per tuner. And again DVRs are multi-tuner units.

 

[jcrandall]

Actually, he has the new SWM-5 switch - so he BETTER have NO B-band converters. The SWM does it without the dongle. The power inserter is required, it powers the switch in your basement. The switch will be WARM to the touch - but not hot.

I have an SWM-8 so I am very familiar with it.

For traveling you could just use a dish - no multiswitch. For DVR boxes you'd connect two lines from the lnb to the receiver, for non-dvr just one. You'll want the heavier duty tripod for the slimline - make sure it is a 2" OD post.


Technically - you only have 4 tuners with just 2 dvr boxes, so you really didn't need the SWM switch - unless he could only run one line to each receiver from the basement. Anyway - that is a pretty high-tech switch, I'd keep it

 

[charper1]

Ah missed the switch model #

THX

 

[Randall DBS]

Maybe you could post some pictures of your install?

 

[BluegrassGuy1976]

If I may make a suggestion to you about finishing your basement.... Do you intend to drywall or go ceiling tile? While this is totally your preference, some things to keep in mind when deciding...

Drywall, while it looks VERY nice when it is all done, the downside is you lose access to EVERYTHING above it. Whether it is a cable line, electrical wiring, water pipe, you name it. If something were to ever happen where you needed to get in there, you'd literally have to rip part of ceiling down to get to it. I've seen water lines burst above drywalled basement ceilings and it gets very VERY messy. Same thing if you ever needed to add additional wiring or cable, you'd have a hard time doing so without tearing part of the ceiling out.

Ceiling tiles. They may not look as sharp as a nice smooth drywall ceiling, BUT the big advantage is you can easily pop them out to access anything you need to get to. And they are easily replaceable if one gets damaged.

Personally I dread doing DVR installs into finished basements that were pre-wired because usually there is no way to run that 2nd line, and I don't like explaining to someone that it can't be done. I am waiting patiently for the day that the "regular" techs get access to the Single Wire multiswitches, it will make life SOOOOO much easier.

Just some things to keep in mind.