Satellite Installation

Methods, tips and tricks

Specific instructions by system type

• DirecTV systems
• Dish network systems?

General Rules and tips - please read these before you dive into a specific system

All of the satellite vendors use similar technology and installation techniques are similar from brand to brand – however, the complexities of individual systems require professional installation of BOCS if the home uses satellite TV and improper installation can damage the satellite system and require costly repairs.

Two systems in use
Generally, Satellite systems use one of two methods to get signals to your Satellite boxes (STB) throughout your home

1) A Multiswitch system - Most DirecTV systems


2) A “SWM” system – these can be either built into the dish or a standalone switch with 4-6 inputs and one output. The SWM (usually pronounced Swim) allows the home to be wired much like a CATV system with splitters, and only one wire to each STB regardless of how many tuners it has inside. SWM systems are appended with a number that designates how many STBs they can handle – SWM-5 and SWM-8 systems are most common. This includes some DirecTV systems and at least for the purposes of this discussion, we will group Dish into this category.

Basic Rules for Satellite installations

For now, the biggie is that to make this work the best, we need to (generally) put all the satellite receivers in one place, put the Xtender there, and treat the rest of the home like a Cable TV home - with Xtender basically acting like the cable company. No supercombiner is required. Depending on the type of satellite boxes and their set resolution this sometimes results in the ability to put those satellite boxes out of the way in a spare bedroom or the basement - details provided in the pages on the specific systems.

Unless you purchase a Satellite-Supercombiner? (available Q3 2009), a few basic rules streamline installation.
1. In a multiswitch system, only one COAX line can be shared between Satellite and BOCS systems - long story just trust me.
2. For Directv HD systems, you must use splitters/combiners and NOT diplexers
3. If possible, use existing CATV coax wiring for BOCS signals and keep it separate from the Satellite system until you reach the TV.
4. In a SWM system, use the CATV coax system to get the BOCS signals back up to the SWM switch and then feed that signal into the ANT-in connector on the switch.
5. If any STB you are using does not have an NTSC tuner built in
- a. Use a DC-Block F barrel and connect the diplexed or split BOCS signal into the ANT-IN connector on the STB. When the STB is switched off, it will pass the BOCS signals through to the ANT-OUT connector that goes to the TV.
- b. Use a diplexer or splitter as described above to feed the sat signal to the STB, and the BOCS signal directly to the TV ANT-IN (STB would be connected to TV via composite or component or HDMI cables)
- c. Some STB manufacturers provide an external tuner device that attaches to the STB via a USB connection and allows cable and OTA channels to be integrated into the Guide on the STB – contact your satellite provider for more information
6. In most cases, one of the primary objectives of installing BOCS in a satellite environment is to allow the homeowner to rent fewer boxes. This also simplifies installation in many cases as standard definition boxes can be moved to a central location – near the Multiswitch or SWM – Satellite and BOCS signals would then not need to be shared.

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