new dish owner want multiple receivers

[prix03gt]

Just got direct tv yesterday, so I am a newb.....

Slimline 3Lnb dish. Looks like 1 Lnb but I am told it has three built into one head.
There is one wire coming down from the dish into the house and directly into my HR20 HD receiver.

What do I have to do to setup another HD receiver? Is this as simple as buying a two way splitter, or do I need one of those SWM jobs?

A link to the hardware I need would be helpful. I don't want to climb on the roof or pay for the install of the second box ($100). I would really just like to plug and play if possible.

Thank You

 

[JosephB]

Are both of the tuners on your HR20 working from that one cable? if so that means you already have a SWM setup. You'll need a splitter, but a regular cable tv splitter won't do. You need a directv swm approved splitter. various sizes are available here: DirecTV SWM8 - Single Wire Multiswitch - $159 Including Power Inserter - Free Shipping here's a tip: don't get more ports than you need (you'll need one per receiver) because unused ports need to be terminated, and it can be a pain to track them down. You can always split it again if you add yet another receiver.

second tip: the line going from your existing receiver needs to go into the red out port and your dish goes on the in port. This is important because the red ports are for power, and the power inserter should be on your existing receiver.

 

[prix03gt]

I only have one HR20 currently and I am relatively sure there is no SWM already setup. The wire just goes right from the dish to my single HR20 and that is it. I just wanted to know if I can get away with something cheaper than the SWM you suggested for $160. For that price, it is cheaper to pay DTV to come out and setup the new receiver for me....

I think these newer dishes actually have the SWM built right in, so could I just purchase something like this?

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SWS-2

 

[JosephB]

I only have one HR20 currently and I am relatively sure there is no SWM already setup. The wire just goes right from the dish to my single HR20 and that is it. I just wanted to know if I can get away with something cheaper than the SWM you suggested for $160. For that price, it is cheaper to pay DTV to come out and setup the new receiver for me....

Actually, if you just had DirecTV installed yesterday there is a very good chance you already have a SWM setup. To determine this, do you have dual tuners enabled on the HR20? Better yet, do you have a BBC (small box inline on the RG6) hanging off the back? If you only have one line from the dish to your DVR and you can record two things at once, you already have a SWM.

If this is the case you do not need the SWM switch, you need the SWM splitters: DIRECTV SWS-2 Satellite 2-Way Wide Band (2 -2150 MHz) Splitter (SWS-2) | SWS-2 [DIRECTV] | 2-way Wide Band Satellite Splitter, One Port DC Path (Indoor/Outdoor) )Distribution Components Splitters AMPLIFIER SWS-2 SWS2 SWS 2 sts2 SWm5 SWM-5 SWM SWM8 SW

Do you know if the dish has one output or four?

 

[randyk47]

You only have one wire from the dish so there actually is a good chance you have a SWM LNB. Look at your signal strength meters and see if one shows SWM. If you've got that then you've got SWM and all you need is a SWM approved splitter to feed another receiver. The SWM splitter isn't more than $10-$15 compared to having to install the whole SWM-8 module and splitter which is going to run you $100+.

 

[prix03gt]

dish has one output only as far as I can see.
Receiver is not a DVR so it only has one input and that does have the BBC on it

 

[JosephB]

My previous post was incorrect here. Since you have a BBC that means you do NOT have a SWM LNB as Bob says below. The dish has 4 outputs in that case, you probably can't see them. You'll need: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SL3-SWM http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=PI-21 and http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SWS-2. Adding the above equipment would allow you to run one line from the dish to your house, and then once inside you can use the splitter to connect up to 8 additional receivers.

Otherwise, you'll need to run a line from the new receiver all the way to the dish. If your new receiver is a DVR, you'll need two lines all the way to the dish.

 

[Bob Nielsen]

dish has one output only as far as I can see.
Receiver is not a DVR so it only has one input and that does have the BBC on it

You previously said you had a HR20, which is a DVR. Since you do have a BBC, you do not have a SWM system. If you purchase a SWM LNB to replace your current one, it will be less expensive and require less cabling than using an external SWM.

 

[prix03gt]

receiver is H20 and I do have BBC
Checked the signal meter and no mention of SWM

Sounds to me like it is cheaper and easier to get the installers to hook everything up for me for $99

 

[Jared Twomey]

receiver is H20 and I do have BBC
Checked the signal meter and no mention of SWM

Sounds to me like it is cheaper and easier to get the installers to hook everything up for me for $99

since you have a non-swm set up that lnb has 3 available ports on it. You would just have to run a new coax from the dish to where you want the receiver.