Is anyone here familiar with hooking up Direct TV?

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

I have changed my mind and went back to Direct tv and I think the cable guy used the previous direct tv coax cables when I hooked up regular cable TV. I have both now BUT I am wanting to have direct tv on my big tv in the living room for ball season and then also a regular direct tv receiver in my bedroom.

I went out to the splitter outside and it is a Zimwell 3x4 splitter and the dish has the 18v and 13v hooked in from the satellite and I hooked in the double cable for the Direct TV DVR in R1 and R2, there are two more slots (R3, R4) and when I hook in the coax from my bedroom I get "signal loss" on my screen and the living room TV comes in with direct tv just fine, but when I unhook the coax from the back of the DVR in the living room, suddenly the bedroom direct TV will come in and it no longer says signal loss.

This is what I have... any ideas what I might be doing wrong???

 

[WhatTheHeel?]

If no one answers, I will try to check my wiring setup when I get home today. It seems like there is a diagram in the user manual they left me, but I could be wrong.

Does this help?

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

If no one answers, I will try to check my wiring setup when I get home today. It seems like there is a diagram in the user manual they left me, but I could be wrong.

Does this help?

Yeah, it definitely shows me that I have it hooked up almost the same. The only thing I do not recognize is the thing above the two receivers in this image that has directv on it and it has a cable coming into it before it goes to the receiver. Let me study this a bit.

 

[UNC '92]

I have changed my mind and went back to Direct tv and I think the cable guy used the previous direct tv coax cables when I hooked up regular cable TV. I have both now BUT I am wanting to have direct tv on my big tv in the living room for ball season and then also a regular direct tv receiver in my bedroom.

I went out to the splitter outside and it is a Zimwell 3x4 splitter and the dish has the 18v and 13v hooked in from the satellite and I hooked in the double cable for the Direct TV DVR in R1 and R2, there are two more slots (R3, R4) and when I hook in the coax from my bedroom I get "signal loss" on my screen and the living room TV comes in with direct tv just fine, but when I unhook the coax from the back of the DVR in the living room, suddenly the bedroom direct TV will come in and it no longer says signal loss.

This is what I have... any ideas what I might be doing wrong???

***Meant in jest with no ugly intent***

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

***Meant in jest with no ugly intent***

LOL.... this more accurately displays how things are around here right now with that stupid directv crap!

 

[WhatTheHeel?]

Well, of course I forgot to check my setup last night. I suppose you haven't figured it out yet?

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

Well, of course I forgot to check my setup last night. I suppose you haven't figured it out yet?

No. I cannot figure out why when I hook all the lines going to the receivers up, only one will work and it is the DVR and it will get a signal on Sat 1 but says searching for signal on Sat 2 (the other day before I messed with this I was not getting that message but testing the signal meters would show NO signal on Sat 2 and now with the message of searching for signal on 2, the meters test 94% on both????? not sure why either), and if I get a signal on that one Sat 1, the one in my bedroom gets "Signal loss". If I unhook the DVR THEN the bedroom receiver will come in fine. I have no idea. I am just gonna have Directv come out and fix it. It seems like it should be a simple thing to do since all I did was add Cable and I guess the cable guy used the lines I had for direct tv and then I changed my mind because I hated the cable DVR so decided to restart directv and now this.... ???? Usually I can figure things out like this fairly easy but this one has me stumped.

 

[UNC '92]

The device in the diagram shown is a power inserter and if your receivers are swm (one coax cable to each receiver) then you have to have it installed. It helps get enough power to push signal both ways on the cable. Your problem sounds like bad connectors, cable or the possibility of that inserter missing unless you don't need it. Have you tried different cables, providing you have them?

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

The device in the diagram shown is a power inserter and if your receivers are swm (one coax cable to each receiver) then you have to have it installed. It helps get enough power to push signal both ways on the cable. Your problem sounds like bad connectors, cable or the possibility of that inserter missing unless you don't need it. Have you tried different cables, providing you have them?

I have the ones that came with the direct tv originally. one is that double line thing that goes to the DVR and the other looks to me like a regular coax RG6??? something like that I think. I thought maybe it was not getting enough power for both because there is one slot empty and maybe all four need to be hooked into something. This one is definitely above my head this time. I will definitely watch the guy when he comes to fix it just so I will know anyway lol.

I think I am super woman sometimes and I am not! haha You should have seen me taking out a window and closing it up, doing the drywall... It took forever but I finally got it done! Now I have to work on finishing up my art room then I am gonna collapse and do nothing for a lonnnnng time!

 

[WhatTheHeel?]

OK, my setup sounds different than yours, but here is what I have. I doubt this is going to help any.

We have 2 TVs and one Receiver/Genie DVR. The cable from the satellite comes into a network box in our basement, not behind a TV.

The switch where the line comes in says "SWIM" and has one input and four output plugs.
* One of the output plugs is capped with some sort of terminator.
* One plug connects to a DirecTV Connected Home (Ethernet/network) Adapter, which ties into my home network.
* One goes to a black, SWIM ODU Only box, then a cable comes out (marked "Signal to IRD") and goes back into the wall.
* The other one goes back into the walls directly from the switch.

The receiver/DVR has only the cable coming from the wall into it. No switches or other devices.

The second TV has a small box called DirecTV Whole House Client which has coaxial to the wall.

The dish itself is a Slimline and has just one LNB (if I remember my terminology correctly.)

There is no special equipment between the dish and where it comes into the network box in the basement.

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

OK, my setup sounds different than yours, but here is what I have. I doubt this is going to help any.

We have 2 TVs and one Receiver/Genie DVR. The cable from the satellite comes into a network box in our basement, not behind a TV.

The switch where the line comes in says "SWIM" and has one input and four output plugs.
* One of the output plugs is capped with some sort of terminator.
* One plug connects to a DirecTV Connected Home (Ethernet/network) Adapter, which ties into my home network.
* One goes to a black, SWIM ODU Only box, then a cable comes out (marked "Signal to IRD") and goes back into the wall.
* The other one goes back into the walls directly from the switch.

The receiver/DVR has only the cable coming from the wall into it. No switches or other devices.

The second TV has a small box called DirecTV Whole House Client which has coaxial to the wall.

The dish itself is a Slimline and has just one LNB (if I remember my terminology correctly.)

There is no special equipment between the dish and where it comes into the network box in the basement.

Oh you have one of those newest systems. Mine is completely different. Maybe I should just upgrade to what you have. That sounds much better. I'll have to call them and see if I can. Thank you for your help though.

 

[tarheelinfl]

They will come to your house and hook you up!!

 

[DSouthr]

I have changed my mind and went back to Direct tv and I think the cable guy used the previous direct tv coax cables when I hooked up regular cable TV. I have both now BUT I am wanting to have direct tv on my big tv in the living room for ball season and then also a regular direct tv receiver in my bedroom.

I went out to the splitter outside and it is a Zimwell 3x4 splitter and the dish has the 18v and 13v hooked in from the satellite and I hooked in the double cable for the Direct TV DVR in R1 and R2, there are two more slots (R3, R4) and when I hook in the coax from my bedroom I get "signal loss" on my screen and the living room TV comes in with direct tv just fine, but when I unhook the coax from the back of the DVR in the living room, suddenly the bedroom direct TV will come in and it no longer says signal loss.

This is what I have... any ideas what I might be doing wrong???

You are trying to use a cable TV splitter for your direct TV, that is your problem. Your LNA, the units at the center of your dish, they are typically to be run to one and only 1 receiver. If you try to split that signal to multiple receivers you drop your signal strength so that none of the receivers will get enough signal strength to view. Get a dish with a dual LNA and you can run multiple receivers, in other words TV in 2 different rooms. IN order to run multiple TVs on a single LNA you have to amplify the signal and that you must have a Direct TV rep do for ya.

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

You are trying to use a cable TV splitter for your direct TV, that is your problem. Your LNA, the units at the center of your dish, they are typically to be run to one and only 1 receiver. If you try to split that signal to multiple receivers you drop your signal strength so that none of the receivers will get enough signal strength to view. Get a dish with a dual LNA and you can run multiple receivers, in other words TV in 2 different rooms. IN order to run multiple TVs on a single LNA you have to amplify the signal and that you must have a Direct TV rep do for ya.

Actually, I am using what Direct TV initially set up, their lines/cables and the Zinwell splitter. I have the main cable that is one of those double coax cables like this:

and the zinwell:

I have the double cable in the RX1 and RX2 lines but the DVR ALWAYS has Signal loss 771, searching for sat 2.

In RX3 I have the single coax RG6 (I think that is what it is called) in the RX3 and nothing in the RX4 slot on the Zinwell. When I have the bedroom TV that is hooked in the RX3 slot on it works as long as I disconnect the DVR in the living room.

All of these cables were provided by Directv. I had just turned off my directv and hooked up cable but then changed my mind and restarted my directv and when I went to hook the lines the cable man had taken off of my Zinwell directv and used to hook into his cable splitter, this is what happened.

Oh, and I have the dual LNA dish already as well.

 

[DSouthr]

Did he put the protective caps back on the splitter ports when he switched from dish to cable, doubt he did. Clearly, you are weakening your signal strength by trying to split it, that is my best guess. I have had to have cable amp my signal and that is a direct wire from them to me and it still runs on the edge of having enough signal. Every receiver you hook in weakens your signal so you either have to amplify it or supply individual signals that are not split.

Seems to me you are trying to run 3 receivers off of what is designed for only 2.

 

[chick_bleeds_carolina_blue]

Did he put the protective caps back on the splitter ports when he switched from dish to cable, doubt he did. Clearly, you are weakening your signal strength by trying to split it, that is my best guess. I have had to have cable amp my signal and that is a direct wire from them to me and it still runs on the edge of having enough signal. Every receiver you hook in weakens your signal so you either have to amplify it or supply individual signals that are not split.

Seems to me you are trying to run 3 receivers off of what is designed for only 2.

okay, that makes sense. There are caps on some of them but not all of them. I bet there is something missing like an amplifier or something like that. Maybe the cable guy took it when he hooked the cable up...????? I think you're on to something about the signal being weak. I'll try checking that issue next. Thank you so much for your help. That might just be it!