RG59 in the Bedroom

[smakovits]

My whole house has RG6, however, in the bedroom on the second floor it is RG59. Till now, I used the TV2 output and things were fine, However, I am in the market for a new TV for the bedroom. The old was a SD Tube, the new will be an HD something.

I have been looking through a few threads but I want to be sure. Some posts say that RG59 can work, although others say it is suspect and should only be a temporary solution.

So, what is the real story. Can I get away with the RG59 with a HD STB connected to the TV or will I see poor performance due to signal degredation? If it will all work, great! If not, I guess I have 2 choices. The first is to figure out how to get a new RG6 to the bedroom or the second would be to wait on the new Sling receiver 300 and get a 922 for the basement as I do have a cat5e run to where the TV is.

Fun, Fun, I am hoping the RG59 will be adequate, but I also fear the worst.

Thanks

 

[KAB]

If you are going to have an HD receiver in the bedroom, you will need all RG6 direct from the Sat.

 

[ryotgz]

My installer said my existing line from the Cable Co. would be good enough. Quite sure its not RG6 and haven't had any issues.

 

[rmascare]

I'm running a 722 connected via RG59 from it to the switch. It's what was in the walls so I figured I'd try it before I did anything else. It's been working well for over a year. No issues.

 

[kvnfl]

If it is a short run, and if the cable is in good shape, and if there are no sharp bends in the cable, and if the connectors are in good condition then the RG59 will most likely be fine.

 

[w2kb]

The only way is to try it and see what happens. Being digital, it will work or it won't. If you get a steady picture you are fine.

 

[dvrexpander]

I would run RG6, replace the 59 cause why risk missing out on just a little bit of reception for a new TV to enjoy.

 

[BuddyBoy]

I think you will be fine. I've got a 200 foot run with 75 feet of 20 year old RG-59 in the walls of my house, and my 211 runs fine on it. A two-tuner receiver would be questionable with the stacked frequencies (DPP), but for a single tuner receiver I think you'll be fine.

 

[BuddyBoy]

If you are going to have an HD receiver in the bedroom, you will need all RG6 direct from the Sat.

WRONG.

 

[cditty]

If you have the ability to run rg6, I would do it. Will 59 work with a 211? Probably.

It may not. In my early dish 500 days, I had 59. It had all kinds of weird problems. You may get lucky and you may not.

You asked for advice and the general concensus from us will be rg6. You should always do your install to spec.

The folks telling you to leave the 59 are the same ones that will try to run 20 amps on a 15 amp circuit.

 

[TheKrell]

The folks telling you to leave the 59 are the same ones that will try to run 20 amps on a 15 amp circuit.

Oh come on now! the RG59 will probably work fine if it's a quality RG59 and there isn't too much of it. I've been running RG59 to my bedroom receiver (about 30') for 5 years with no problem. First it was a legacy setup, then a DP setup, and finally a DPP setup. All worked without issue.

But try pulling 20 amps from your 15 amp receptacle. Can't do that at all, since your circuit breaker would promptly trip.

 

[Andrewwski]

You can run a 20 amp breaker with 14 gauge - I've seen some poor electrical work doing it - but wouldn't recommend it. It's a safety issue.

Not the case with RG59. I have a ~30' run of RG59 running a 722 without any issues. You can't use RG59 for as long of a run as RG6, but for short runs it shouldn't be an issue.

You've got nothing to lose by trying it - if it doesn't work you can go from there.

 

[KKlare]

Another thing to ask is what is the load and what is the supply?
If the RG-59 has a steel core and is a long run (greater than say 60 ft.) it is time to replace it.
If you will have an external switch powered by this line, it should be solid copper and preferably RG-6, whose core is larger to compensate for the foam dielectric, a double win.
-Ken

 

[Claude Greiner]

Try it, see if it works and if not you need to replace the cable.

 

[Van]

Sure you can use an 85 S10 pickup with a little four banger to pull a trailer with 10,000lbs of bricks down the road and when it comes to that 5 mile incline over that mountain with a 10 percent grade well you can just see what happens.

I won't lie to you about this but its like playing darts blindfolded, there's always a chance it will work but like trying to get a bulls eye blindfolded there's a greater chance it wont. Over a 6 year period of installing dish I'd seen old as dirt 59 work while a brand new built house fully wired with it wouldn't work at all. Seen it take a dump anywhere from 5 minutes to a few weeks or months after it was put in use and while you can see examples from a few home owners on it those are just individual cases of it working not the experience of someone who has done the job for a good amount of time and gives a rats back side about the quality of his work and besides that dish wont warranty your system if it takes a dump with 59 in it specially when its the feed line to a receiver.

 

[Jimmerinwi]

I won't lie to you about this but its like playing darts blindfolded, there's always a chance it will work but like trying to get a bulls eye blindfolded there's a greater chance it wont. Over a 6 year period of installing dish I'd seen old as dirt 59 work while a brand new built house fully wired with it wouldn't work at all. Seen it take a dump anywhere from 5 minutes to a few weeks or months after it was put in use and while you can see examples from a few home owners on it those are just individual cases of it working not the experience of someone who has done the job for a good amount of time and gives a rats back side about the quality of his work and besides that dish wont warranty your system if it takes a dump with 59 in it specially when its the feed line to a receiver.

I agree. If you have a tech come out to add this receiver. He is required by code to replace that line. Will he do it? Depends on his work ethic. I have seen jobs with a brand new install, I have to go there for a service call and find nothing but rg59. I am required to replace it. It might work fine, but then again, why chance it. Replace it and be done with it.

 

[dvrexpander]

again, I'd replace it.

The 59 will prob work but you also have to be damn sure you don't have any low freq barrels inline like a wall plate and other locations, no splitters etc. Its worth the time to bring it up to spec so you won't have future problems and just replace it with RG6.

 

[whatchel1]

2 words

Replace it. Do you want to risk burning up rcvr for a few feet of RG-59? Also the barrel connectors may become a problem with bad connections.

 

[KAB]

I think you will be fine. I've got a 200 foot run with 75 feet of 20 year old RG-59 in the walls of my house, and my 211 runs fine on it. A two-tuner receiver would be questionable with the stacked frequencies (DPP), but for a single tuner receiver I think you'll be fine.

Risky advice.

 

[TheKrell]

What a bunch of namby pambies! To the OP, you will not burn up your receiver. My installer last week put in a 1000.4 while all of my receivers were plugged in. He gratuitously crimped new plugs on all cables, and he definitely created some sparks as he put a DEAD SHORT across the cable to see if the receiver was there. I was not pleased about that treatment, but all receivers survived and still work fine. Obviously Dish Network receivers can survive much harsher treatment than a little bit of RG-59 in the line.