Re: Loftbox users?

["Paul Robinson" <ukcueman@xxxxxxx>]

I've not had my loftbox very long, and I haven't connected my sky through
it
yet either, but distribution of RF signals to two TVs is working in a
reasonable quality. Your description sounds right, but the quality you're
getting sounds very wrong.

When you tested with your TV physically next to the loftbox, you really
should have been able to get a decent picture. You don't describe the
connections you made when you did this test. What you have to understand is
that whatever goes in to UHF2 is the thing that is distributed to each of
the "TV out".

So, most basic loftbox test is to connect aerial to UHF2, then put a TV on
one of the TV out connectors and see if you get a picture.

Then move the aerial to the "TV Ant" input, and loop back the
"Living Room"
output to the UHF2 input. You should now find you've got a picture on each
of the "TV out".

Then you can try adding sky to the mix.

As for the loss on the run to the bedroom...dumb question, but are you
*sure* you're using the same cable at each end?

HTH
Paul




----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruno Prior" <bruno@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_d@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2003 2:54 PM
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Loftbox users?


> A little extra info on distribution of terrestrial signal through
loftbox:
>
> I have now tried the following:
>
> TV attached direct to feed from aerial (i.e. TV positioned where
loftbox
> is located but connected direct, rather than through loftbox): As good
> as it gets round here (a bit hazy on Ch.5).
>
> TV located by loftbox and fed by short cable run from loftbox: very
poor
> signal on all channels - snow storm, some black & white and some
sound
> interference, but a little better than if the TV is disconnected from
> the loftbox.
>
> TV located in bedroom and connected direct to aerial by connecting
cable
> from aerial to cable to bedroom with barrel connector: Signal
seriously
> degraded, but some image and sound available for each channel
> (snow-storm effect). Better than the previous option.
>
> TV located in bedroom and connected to aerial via the loftbox: No
> reception on all but one channel (Ch.4 I think), which is very badly
> degraded. If anything, the signal improves when I disconnect the
bedroom
> cable from the loftbox, but this is marginal. Effectively, no signal
is
> coming from the loftbox, the minimal reception is presumably due to
the
> long cable run acting minimally as an antenna.
>
> So I seem to have two problems: (a) signal deterioration on the cable
> run from loftbox to bedroom, (b) signal deterioration within the
> loftbox. The combination of the two (sending a signal via the loftbox
> and a subsequent long cable run) seems to be deadly to the signal.
>
> Just in case I'm making an obvious mistake:
> the TV aerial is attached to the TV Ant port;
> the feed from satellite LNB1 is attached to Sat Ant;
> the Living Room port is connected to the integrated outlet plate
> (triplexer) in the living room;
> the Sky+ box's LNB1 port is connected to the Satellite port on the
> integrated outlet plate;
> the Sky+ box's LNB2 port is connected direct to the LNB2 on the dish
(or
> actually via a barrel connector near the loftbox);
> the Sky+ box's RF 2 port is attached to the return feed port on the
> integrated outlet plate, which is connected to UHF2 on the loftbox;
> the cables from the bedrooms are attached to ports 1 - 4 on the
loftbox.
>
> As I understand it, that should be right, so I don't know what's
> happening, but the result is certainly not useable. As things stand, I
> would certainly recommend against using a loftbox, as, incidentally,
> would my Sky installer.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bruno
>
>
> Paul Gordon wrote:
> > Thanks Bruno. Uselful stuff.
> >
> > In my case, I think my runs will be a lot shorter. - perhaps
15-20
metres
> > from the dish to the loftbox (in the cellar), then no more than
2-3
metres
> > from the loftbox to the MSWP in the living room, and the sky+ box
will
be no
> > more than 1-2 metres away from that. I'll be leaving a couple of
metres
of
> > slack in the long run from the dish anyway, so if I do find its
not good
> > enough, I can easily take the LNB1 cable direct to the Sky+ box
instead.
> > TBH, I'm not *that* desperate to distribute sky anyway, as I
already
have 2
> > digiboxes & 2 subs (1 upstairs, 1 down). The downstairs one
used to
> > distribute to the kitchen via the RF2 out, but I've long been
intending
to
> > replace that with a KAT5 feed anyway and send composite rather
than UHF.
> >
> > Upstairs I've not bothered distributing the RF2 out from the
digibox up
> > there because 99% of the time there's no need to be able to watch
in in
any
> > of the other bedrooms (I'm not in the doghouse that often!), plus
I also
> > didn't want the possibility of guests changing the sky channel
from
another
> > room as I might be watching in the master bedroom, or more
importantly,
TiVo
> > might be recording something.
> >
> > The most useful thing for me is going to be distributing the
CCTV, and
> > simplifying the mish-mash of coax cables I've built up over the
years...
> >
> > Paul G.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>From: Bruno Prior <bruno@xxxxxxx>
> >>Reply-To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> >>To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> >>Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Loftbox users?
> >>Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2003 14:17:37 +0100
> >>
> >>I've just done exactly that (LNB1 via the loftbox, LNB2
direct). The
> >>picture's fine, but I am getting some sound breakup, compared
to if I
> >>have the Sky+ box connected direct to LNB1. It's a hell of a
long run,
> >>though (around 25 metres of cable from dish to loftbox and at
least as
> >>much again from loftbox to intended location in living room),
so it may
> >>be that which causes the problem. Is there any such thing as a
booster
> >>for digital, that I could add to the line from the loftbox to
the living
> >>room?
> >>
> >>And as for distribution of the terrestrial signal - it's not
that great
> >>in my area to start with, but by the time it's covered that
distance via
> >>the loftbox, it's either hopelessly degraded or so weak that
the TV
> >>can't autotune to it at all (at least that's the only reason I
can think
> >>of why I don't seem to get any signal at all in some of the
rooms). I
> >>need to figure out a solution for that.
> >>
> >>Cheers,
> >>
> >>Bruno