Is it possible for 2+ DirecTV receivers to share one dish?

[BamBam215]

I'm t hinking about adding another receiver and maybe a third one later on. Can I just use those cheapo radio shack coaxial splitters to split the wires from the dish to each receiver? Or do I need something specific and where can i get it? Thanks.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

I work at DishNetwork so I could be wrong about DirecTV, but with our stuff you can't use a splitter, you need to get a switch otherwise your signal quality degrades so much you won't get anything. Call up DirecTV and ask them what you need. It's probably going to cost you about $50 for the switch or so.

 

[stormbv]

We have DishNetwork, and we have 3 receivers and one dish. I don't know you'd hook them up, though, because the dudes who installed the dish did it for us. I know we pay $5 a month for the two extra receivers.

 

[MrBond]

You COULD split the signal, but I wouldn't. They make special splitters you can use (I'm not sure what they're called, but I remember seeing them in the dishnetwork install manual). You run one wire from the dish to the splitter, then those wires to other recievers in the house.

My dishnetwork dish actually has two places on it where I can hook up to seperate lines for different recievers. Not sure if DTV works the same way or not

 

[NutBucket]

You need a dual output LNB and a multiswitch to connect more then two receivers.

 

[nsafreak]

Yet another guy that works for Dish Network chiming in here....Splitter isn't going to work for what you want to do here. You'll have to get a switch and start paying an extra $5 a month for that extra receiver. Mainly because the secondary receiver won't receive the authorization signals unless Direct TV sends them down the stream.

 

[stormbv]

Originally posted by: ThaGrandCow
I work at DishNetwork so I could be wrong about DirecTV, but with our stuff you can't use a splitter, you need to get a switch otherwise your signal quality degrades so much you won't get anything. Call up DirecTV and ask them what you need. It's probably going to cost you about $50 for the switch or so.

Thank you for helping to provide quality programming to all of us country bumpkins.

 

[ElFenix]

most dishes have a switch inside that'll do two, three, or four rooms. if not, you can buy a switch at radio shack. don't get a standard splitter.

 

[BamBam215]

if i get a switch, does that mean i can only use one receiver at a time??

 

[NutBucket]

Nope. A mulitswitch allows up to 12 (depending on model) receivers to tune whatever channel it wants to independently of the others....

 

[jfall]

I have DTV. All I have is 1 dish with a dual LNB. One wire goes from one output to 1 receiver, the other to the other receiver. Simple as that. Two seperate receivers on one dish.. watch whatever you want on either one

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Originally posted by: jfall
I have DTV. All I have is 1 dish with a dual LNB. One wire goes from one output to 1 receiver, the other to the other receiver. Simple as that. Two seperate receivers on one dish.. watch whatever you want on either one

But he's in a single home / single reciever house. More than likely in the initial install they put in a single LNBF to save him some cash. He's going to have to upgrade some stuff and add a switch if he wants to add multiple recievers.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: jfall
I have DTV. All I have is 1 dish with a dual LNB. One wire goes from one output to 1 receiver, the other to the other receiver. Simple as that. Two seperate receivers on one dish.. watch whatever you want on either one

dual lnb means you can pick up 2 satellites, not necessarily that you can do 2 rooms

 

[Marauder-]

Yeah - The dual LNBs are for when you want to do the spanish channels or hdtv. Multiswitch is what you need. it shouldn't be too hard to install - they have a post behind the sats for where you can attach it to. The version 2 large elliptical sats came w/ dual LNB and a 4 port multiswitch.

 

[Wingznut]

I had a single LNB dish with one receiver. I picked up a dual LNB off eBay for ~$15 and a receiver off the FS/T forums. Then I just wired the second receiver off of the second LNB. It works perfectly, without a switch.