How far can you run RCA cables?

[TominKY]

I read on this site that you only get stereo sound on a X22 if you use the RCA connections instead of the CH3/4 Coax. Since I was planning to locate the receiver in a closet out of site, this presents a problem. One solution may be to fish a long set of RCA cables above the ceiling to the TV set. My question - this would probably take about 20 feet of cable. Would this be too long? Would I experience significant attenuation at this length?

Thanks!

Tom

 

[rocatman]

I currently have a 50 foot long s-video cable with RCA connection for sound running from 811 through an unpowered switch box and there doesn't appear to be any degradation in sound or picture.

 

[TuxCoder]

The TV2 RF coax output on those receivers is in stereo however. Depending on your setup and usage, you might consider that in your plans.

 

[TominKY]

Tux,

Are you sure about that? Seems like the manual that I have for a 322 says that the TV2 A/V outputs are for stereo, and the coax is in mono. Guess I'll have to look at it again when I get home.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[NightRyder]

The TV2 RF coax output on those receivers is in stereo however. Depending on your setup and usage, you might consider that in your plans.

I thought only the 522 had stereo output on RF.


NightRyder

 

[TuxCoder]

I just know my 522 is, and is documented that way. I had read on here before that the 322 used the same UHF modulator with MTS output. But I never had actually verified in the 322 manual or anything, so I guess take my more generalized statement above with a grain of salt.

 

[NightRyder]

Here is a link to the receiver comparison chart on the Echostar Knowledge Base. It lists the 322 RF output as mono.

http://ekb.dbstalk.com/101


NightRyder

 

[Pepper]

Regardless of whether the box provides MTS stereo over coax (it does!), you will get better quality by using the RCA connections.

I ran about 60 feet of category 5 (ethernet cable) between den and bedroom with a standard 8-pin ethernet jack on the wallplate at each end (long ago swapped everything for the modular wallplates). I then made up two patch cables with one end as a standard ethernet connector and the other end as RCA connectors on each pair (one is left over). Works like a champ, and if I ever decide I need ethernet between those two locations, just swap the patch cables. The single unshielded twisted pair cable was a heck of a lot easier to get there than anything else I could think of.

I think (don't hold me to this, I haven't done the research yet) that all the outer edges of the RCA connectors are ground (bonded together), so I could probably get by with four actual wires for the three RCA connections, leaving five available for other uses - ethernet for example uses only four wires so with some creative crimping and multiple plugs at each end there are more possibilities - or there'd be enough left for an S-video connection as well. Or two devices fed from one room to the other.

 

[TuxCoder]

Pepper, I tried that same approach a year ago and couldn't get the signals to be very good. You didn't need to use any baluns then?

 

[DaveP]

A 20ft RCA cable run shouldn't be a problem. I'd just make sure you have a high quality cable. Look for one that has a thicker video cable. If you have the option, use s-video. A while back I picked up some nice 25ft S-video w/ stereo audio cables from ebay for about $20 - dunno what's out there now. If you want the ultimate in quality, you could run 3 pieces of coax (or at least one for the video) and put RCA ends on the coax (or use F-to-RCA adapters) - that approach is a bit more costly and harder to work with, though.

The electrical engineers among us may speak of capacitance issues with long A/V runs - I'll leave it to them to elaborate. I have a 100ft run in my house with no apparent issues.

 

[Pepper]

Baluns: no, I guess I bypassed that by just soldering the connectors directly to the cat-5 cable.

Quality: it looks and sounds fine to me, at least it's noticably better than the signal coming from the RF connection. I did make sure I used the matched pairs though, not just any two randomly picked wires from the eight. Maybe that made a difference.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Baluns would be the "right" method, but for short runs, you're OK without it.

I don't think I would try not grounding one side of a given twisted pair, tho. I think that would be asking for interference even more than the idea already is.

 

[truckracer]

i used rg-6 with rca plugs

I ran 3 runs of rg-6 about 100feet from my living room pansat 2500A (left, right, and video) to my gazebo in my back yard to a vcr that modulates it back to ch 4. I have NO Amplifiers (I probably should). I soldered rca plugs onto rg-6 coax. Inside on the back of my pansat, I used a pair of rca splitters from radioshack(its just 1 male plug with 2 female jacks on a pair of 6 inch cables). I did this on video and audio because the short patch cable goes into my surround receiver and the coaxes go to the gazebo.

my picture and sound is great 100 feet away from the pansat 2500A. It also works well with my directv receiver (rca drd 430-rg). I have no amplification (maybe in part because of the extra heavier gauge of wire (rg-6) over standard rca cables.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Yeah - I'd say RG-6 is to regular RCA cable as RG-11 is to RG-6.

IOW, Oh yeah!

 

[CygnusTM]

Wait a second. You are planning to put a 322 in a closet? How will you get the TV1 IR remote signal to the receiver? Only the TV2 remote is UHF.

 

[TominKY]

Cygnus,

Look for one of my other threads on this forum from several days ago that asks the same question. There is a way to set up the 322 (and 522) to use a second UHF remote for TV1 instead of the IR remote that is supplied. E* has even issued a service bulletin to this effect. The setup is done through the menus. This change was made to facilitate installations where existing cabling lends itself to putting the receiver in a central location versus next to a TV set.

 

[TominKY]

Is quality that much better?

Is there a big difference in quality between using the A/V connections and the coax? This is going to play a major part in my decision as to where to locate the receiver.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[CygnusTM]

OK. I understand now about the remotes now.

There is a huge difference in picture quality between AV and coax. Plus, as noted above, on a 322 there is no way to get stereo over coax. That right there would kill it for me.

 

[truckracer]

reciever in closet

remote control for tv 1 is infrared, you will have to use a remote control extender. Remote control for tv 2 is uhf (no problem there) depending on distance and type of construction of your house. Remote control extenders convert infrared remote signals to rf and then back to infrared to the receiver.
the remote extender receiver unit must sit on top of your tv set and has a small antenna that sends the rf signal to the receiver unit. Most of them have an external infrared transmitter that has doublesided tape that will stick to the front of the receiver (near the infrared sensor on the front of the receiver). I have a couple of these now and they work great.

another issue of the receiver in the closet is ventilation. Sat receiver create heat as does most electronics. This heat must be dissipated or the receiver will fail or potentially be a fire hazzard.

 

[jlhugh]

You can get another UHF remote if you want.