Had to run a new cable to the dish for a client who wanted an extra TV location.

When I got it to the dish, I found that he already had 4 outputs so I couldn't hook it up.

He claims that in his old house he had 7 TV locations and he had the same connection box on his dish. He even showed it to me as he had removed it when he moved.

OK, so what gives?

Maybe he had a distribution amp?

It always love that phrase "He claims that"...

We all know what happens when a signal is split (or shall we say divided), and then there is a split off a previous split and the third and final split is to the modem.

Then comes the question: "Why is my internet speed so slow? It use to work better at the other place..."

So did you install the equipment to took from the pervious place?

As a side note I wonder what the people who are now at the previous place are paying someone to install the correct equipment to get those seven locations up and running and wondering why they even have to pay for extra equipment...I mean the cable is in place and it worked for the previous people...

...ramble...ramble...ramble

The device that he had is a standard unit. I've seen them before. They are installed at the dish. The 4 cables from the dish are connected on 1 side & the output cables attach to the other.

The one he had brought with him is identical to one that Bell installed here already. Existing is one for a PVR and the other 3 are for Receivers & TV's.

The only thing I can think of is that at the other house, cables must have been split at some point. I know you couldn't do that with older equipment unless you accepted that fact that one TV could only watch what the other TV was watching.

Maybe newer technology permits splitting as long as you have an added receiver. :shrug:

You need a multi-switch. Check out Solid Signal.

https://www.solidsignal.com/cview.asp?mc=02&m=DISH%20Network&c=Multiswitches

What's a 'satelight'? :p

Seriously, Ken is right. With many of the 'McMansions' around here, there are literally dozens of outlets that are accomplished with multi-switches. The small ones aren't too expensive, but when you get into larger scenarios, it gets costly and more complex than the stuff that we know. Sometimes, it is best to get the money for the cable run and leave it at that.

Ken the link shows three. The one on the far right looks like the one he has without the 4 outputs on the bottom.

Ed, I got paid. Just would like to know how it's done. This guy went to school with my older brother and his dad worked with my dad & I at Bell. He was known as "Cords & Dials" as that's about all he did.

I'll be honest, I've only installed DirecTv and bought the multi-switches for that. I really didn't look too closely at the ones in my links. Sorry.

For DirecTV, you take all the outputs from the antenna into a multi-switch and then you usually have 8 or 16 outputs to go to receivers. I would call or email Solid Signal and get a recommendation for DISH. They are a pretty good outfit. Sorry about the confusing link.

What model switch was it? It probably has a built in diplexer that combines multiple feeds into one line and then gets split with another diplexer. This is used all the time especially for DVRs that have multiple inputs but most homes are only cabled with one coax per location. The diplexer uses the single cable and brings in two satellite feeds.

I do not know the model. Never thought to take note. This was a new install by Bell just this past winter. They installed two cables to the living room (1 for the TV & 1 for the PVR)

I was hired to removed the original dish and clean up the old wiring from that dish as Bell hadn't done that. As well add a line to another room.

i just had a bell PVR put in, they dont do the 2 cables to the set anymore, they come with a thing that looks like a splitter for the 2 tuners, could that be your customers issue? i have a dish with no switch on the back and only 2 cables comming from it, 1 for my SD reciever and one for my 2 tuner pvr

The switch is part of the LNB and its got a built in diplexer.

FYI. A diplexer is not a splitter and a typical cable tv splitter will not work in these configurations.