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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Alarms, Phones, Aerials, CCTV & Datacomms >> sky "shared dish" https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1272146363 Message started by plugwash on Apr 24^th, 2010, 10:59pm

Title: sky "shared dish"
Post by plugwash on Apr 24^th, 2010, 10:59pm

How does this work? I'd at first guess a multiswitch but while sky say bonding is required they don't seem to say anything about power supply.

Do they have a special multiswitch that can run off the sky boxes or something?

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by big_all on Apr 25^th, 2010, 1:11am

you get 4 way adapters but the dish needs to point in different directions to get freesat if thats what your talking about!!

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by Lectrician on Apr 25^th, 2010, 8:57am

I think what Plugwash is gettin gat is where Sky say they will install a shared dish for a block of flats for example - where does the power for the multiswitch come from.

In my experience with multiswitches, I have never seen one that does not require a supply. Stacked multiswitches can recieve their feed from the main multiswitch, via the terrestrial coax linking them.

Perhaps sky do have one that takes it power from an input. I wonder though, because the voltage changes (could be overcome with a little circuitry I guess), there may be not enough current to power a multiswitch, if only one feed was used to power the multiswitch and that person moved out, unplugged their box, or didn't have sky, the system would drop.

Perhaps they only offer this service to buildings with upto 4 flats, using an OCTO LNB?

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by CWatters on Apr 26^th, 2010, 7:35am

big_all wrote on Apr 25^th, 2010, 1:11am:

you get 4 way adapters but the dish needs to point in different directions to get freesat if thats what your talking about!!

You don't need a motorised dish to get Freesat with a capital F (but might do if you also want other free sat channels).

You might wish to check that both houses are on the same mains phase and I guess there could be earthing implications. There is potential for equipment damage if the earths for the two recievers were very different.

I think you can get a bracket that allows two seperate Dual LNBs to be installed on one dish. That might be safer than one quad LNB but may weaken the signal a bit?

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by CWatters on Apr 26^th, 2010, 7:41am

Lectrician wrote on Apr 25^th, 2010, 8:57am:

I don't think Sky themselves install multiswitches I think you have to go to a specialist installer. I think Sky only do very basic two house shared dish systems using a quad LNB.

Most flats will have some kind of communal power paid for via the maintenance charge (eg for hallway lighting). You also need power for regular TV aerial distribution.

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by Lectrician on Apr 26^th, 2010, 7:42pm

They do install multiswitch systems (subbed out obviously). They subsidise installs of them.

It is very common to have different phases in blocks of flats, and have a communal distribution system with a single earth. This is why they specify a bonding bar, and why most multiswitches come with a built in bonding bar.

Title: Re: sky "shared dish"
Post by LS on Aug 13^th, 2010, 2:33pm

I've never got involved with aerials generally, with exception to some extensions and minor cable alterations. However I often work on large buildings and blocks of flats, and it's surprising how many systems get installed without proper supplementary bonding provision - and these are often systems put in by large "professional" companies.