View Full Version : New Direct TV 5LNB dish and OTA antenna?
I've had a rooftop antenna for a couple years that I've been using with Direct TV. I just had the new HD Direct TV 5LNB dish installed, and now there is no signal from my antenna to my receiver.
The installation guy said that the new dish works on the same frequency as the antenna, and it blocks the antenna signal when run through one cable. I would have to install a separate line from my antenna to the receiver. Is this true?
My main cable from the dish runs through the house, so I would have to run the cable down from the roof to my basement. Seems kind of stupid to have the new dish interfere with OTA antennas to me.
CJL
Frederick, MD
rochmndx
02-02-2006, 01:05 PM
That's impossible. direct TV operates in the Ku band from 2.7GHZ-3.2GHZ. OTA broadcasts are from 50-760ish MHZ. The installer probably told you this because he was too lazy to install diplexers, or just wanted to get you to subcribe to Direct TV's local channel service.
It can easily be fixed.
Ratman
02-02-2006, 02:02 PM
It can easily be fixed.
Suggestions?
rochmndx
02-02-2006, 06:53 PM
Get a sattelite and OTA antenna diplexer, and combine the signals. On the recieveing end, these diplexers can be used in reverse with little loss.
You can get diplexers at most consumer electronics stores, and possibly even wally world.
twaller
02-02-2006, 09:05 PM
The installer is correct. The new Direct AT9 dish uses an LNBs that downconvert part of the Sat signal to occupy the same real estate as the OTA Signal. It cannot be diplexed together.
Smthkd
02-02-2006, 09:24 PM
The reason for this is because the new 5 LNB dish uses KA and KU bands. Because KA band is at a higher frequency, the OTA frequency would interfere. Therefore the installer is right, you "CANNOT" diplex the OTA with the new 5 LNB "KA/KU" dish, you must install a seperate line!
Thanks for the info, what he said seemed fishy, but my antenna was already coming through a diplexor with the new dish, and there was no signal at all from the antenna, and a reasonably good one from the 5LNB dish. The only thing that was different was the new dish, I'm using the same receiver that pulled in my locals with the old dish. So it seemed plausible.
Im also noticing that the new HD locals occasionally pixellate briefly and then drop out for a second. This happens fairly infrequently, so I don't think it's a signal strength problem, it's almost like there is a brief interference with the signal, or could be bugs in the H20 receiver. Not sure.
rochmndx
02-03-2006, 03:41 PM
Sorry about the mixup. I don't own a dish, but know for a fact that the old dishes would work with diplexers. It makes sense to down the Ka band signals to a lower frequency, dues to the rolloff characteristics of RG-6.
The pixellation could be due to a drop in signal due to heavy rain fall, or thick clouds. It's probably not a bug in the reciever.
