RG6 Cabling Requirements for Hopper vs DPP

[sparc]

The cost of the equipment to do such a test runs into the thousands of dollars so I'm afraid there is no "inxpensive" way to test unless you know some who already has the equipment.

i tried doing some searching via google and came to the same conclusion. I would imagine that Dish would provide techs with something like this if the cost were minimal.

If someone wants guarantees, replacing the cable seems to be the cheapest option.

rdinkel's experience is a good sign that most RG6 cable will work as long as the condition has held up over the years. I would imagine many installers will start reusing existing cable once they figure this out as well. It will be a difference between what Dish wants and what works in the field.

 

[rdinkel]

rdinkel: I think you and I are the only guys in Woodland Park with DISH I swear, 9/10 dishes on homes up here are D*!

One issue is Dish provides our HD locals on a spotbeam (129, transponder 2) aimed close to the New Mexico border--resulting in very low signal strength for Woodland Park. DirecTV does not have low signal strength for our locals.

 

[bcwmachine]

More or less same problem in Cortez, Co. except it's 129, transponder 10 which is aimed at Albuquerque, and Cortez is on the edge of the beam.
Why Cortez is in the Alb. DMA instead of Denver is still a sore point with me.
bcw

 

[rdinkel]

More or less same problem in Cortez, Co. except it's 129, transponder 10 which is aimed at Albuquerque, and Cortez is on the edge of the beam.
Why Cortez is in the Alb. DMA instead of Denver is still a sore point with me.
bcw

We have great signal strength for Denver DMA, but not for our Colorado Springs/Pueblo DMA. FCC says we are eligible for the Denver networks as "significantly viewed," but Dish will not authorize them.

 

[strogonowski]

Today I did the 2-Hoppers and 4-Joeys install without replacing any of my 22-year old RG6. I had a brief issue with the first Hopper not wanting to boot up, but leaving it in standby for about 45 minutes caused it to spring to life. Overall, my approach of installing the Duo Node at the patch panel in the center of the house worked very well. No issues at all with signal strengths. Clearly the old RG6 passes the full 3ghz signals. One thing about older quality cable, it is more likely to have been solid copper conductor instead of today's copper coated steel. Wife and I are really impressed with the system. Picture quality is certainly even better than our previous VIP receivers.

Thanks for great info. How long is the old RG6 cable from the Node to the Hopper? Mine is about 25-30 feet from the patch panel to where the Hopper would go. Just wondering if it will work.

 

[sparc]

Thanks for great info. How long is the old RG6 cable from the Node to the Hopper? Mine is about 25-30 feet from the patch panel to where the Hopper would go. Just wondering if it will work.

I would be more cautious if you were nearing the 100ft level on older RG6 and that's mostly because we don't have too much feedback on forum members testing this out to the maximum. I'll bet rdinkel's average run is at least 30 feet.

here's an example of maximum distances on rated cable....

Week 3 training pdf has a listing of the following:

• Maximum 200-foot cable length from LNBF to farthest Hopper
• Maximum 200-foot cable length between any Hopper and Joey

pulled from their training site (click weekly uptraining and 2012): https://rweb.dishnetwork.com/departmental_content/TechPortal/content/tech/rtp.shtml

 

[rdinkel]

My 22-year old RG6 runs from Duo Node to the Hoppers are probably about 30 feet each. No performance issues for me. And I bet 50 - 60 feet would not be a problem either, as long as your original cable was good quality and you upgrade the barrel connectors and wall plates.

 

[angiodan]

When I built my home 8 years ago, I ran FutureSmart Speedwrap cable. Searching the internet, this was all I could find on specs.

View attachment Speedwrap cable specs.pdf

I'm guessing it should be okay, but it would be at least 75 foot runs from my node to Hopper. Anyone more familiar with this cable?

 

[isaacmorseMI]

When I built my home 8 years ago, I ran FutureSmart Speedwrap cable. Searching the internet, this was all I could find on specs.

<img src="http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=75876"/>

I'm guessing it should be okay, but it would be at least 75 foot runs from my node to Hopper. Anyone more familiar with this cable?

My 8 year old coax works great with the Hopper. Probably about 75-125 feet from the node to each Hopper (I have two of them).

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[rdinkel]

I like the fact that your Speedwrap cable has solid copper core--which should help with higher frequencies, but clearly this cable was not intended for 3 ghz use. I say try it and see if it works. Then let us know, please.

 

[angiodan]

Am going to wait till OTA is available, but will let you all know then.

Thanks.