ignorant homeowner needs your help

[fishfan26]

Here's what I know. I have a slim line dish going to two hd receivers which work fine. When I bought this setup directv told me more receivers could be added in the future. My daughter got a tv for xmas and directv sells new receivers for $99 with install. I tried to save money so I pulled an old R15 receiver from the closet, ordered an access card for $20, a remote for $15 and bought 100 feet of RG-6 coax and a ground block for $30. So now with $65 invested I was ready to hook it up.

I go up to the dish to connect the coaxes and find that all four outputs from the lnb's are being used. I call directv and they tell me I should have a multiswitch somewhere in the lines where I can hook up another receiver. I do not and now they want to charge me $50 to send out a tech to add one. WTF

What can I do? Can I split the signal or do I invest another $50 and chalk this up to live and learn? Thanks in advance for your advice/thoughts.

 

[Mr Tony]

You can get a 6x8 multiswitch on Ebay for a helluva lot less

Here is a current search

You would run all 4 lines from the LNB to the switch. Then 2 cables from the switch to each of the DVR's and one to the R15

 

[raoul5788]

If the two hd receivers you have are really receivers and not dvrs, then only two of the four lines coming from the dish are being used. Can you trace them and find out where they go?

I almost forgot, to Satelliteguys!

 

[kjlued]

Options

Option 1 buy a 6x8 hook the 4 lines from the dish in to the sat in ports (ignore the 2 flex ports)
This will give you 8 lines out.

Option 2 (assuming the other 2 receivers are DVR's) switch one to single tuner mode, and unhook tuner 2. Install the r15 only hooking up tuner 1 and running it in single tuner mode too. No mutiswitch required for this.

BTW, if you decide to go with option 1, did you consider that you need 2 cable runs to the DVR to get both tuners working?

 

[fishfan26]

Thanks for your help. Yes both my hd receivers are dvr and I know I need two cables to the R15. It's only about 40 ft from the satelitte. I guess I'm gonna get the 6x8 but that leaves me with another dilema. The four cables from the satellite come down from the roof into a ground block. From there two go into my attic and the other two go underground around house into bedroom. So the only place to install the multiswitch would be right after the ground block which is outside. Since I'm pretty sure the switch cant be outside I'm gonna have to run the two cables that go to the bedroom up through the attic. So after I spend $20 on the 6x8 and another $10 on more coax to re-run cables I'll have $95 and time crawling through the attic invested. Wish I would've just bought the new receiver installed for $99.

 

[raoul5788]

You can leave the multiswitch outside. If you want you can put it in a sealed box designed for it. If Directv will do it for $50, that's probably your best bet since it will include everything you need. Can you return the cable and ground block?

 

[kjlued]

Mutiswitches are fine outside and weather sealed.
It takes a pretty big box to hold a 6x8 and directTV will not provide one.
The installer might sell you one if he carries them, but most do not.
However, it really is not needed.

What kills me here is you will have almost as much money invested by the time you are done as you would have paid D* just to do it for you and you would have probably had updated equipment (an R16 or possibly an R22 both much better DVR's with larger hard drives).
I personally as an installer would have brought you an R22 if I had one available as after activation would have been an HD/DVR since you already have HD.
I may also have converted you to SWM and set you up with all the stuff to do MRV if I had spare stuff on my truck and then all you would have to do is find the thread here that tells you how to get it set up.