[net.video] Satellite TV Receiver Query

wolit@mhuxd.UUCP (wolitzky) (07/27/85)

My mother-in-law would like to share her neighbor's satellite
dish antenna, but doesn't want to be restricted to watching
the same program as her neighbor.  Is it necessary to purchase another
receiver (both of which would then be hooked up to the same LNA), or do these
receivers tune a whole "bank" of channels, which are then selected using
something low-cost, like a cable TV channel selector?  Assuming a cooperative
neighbor, how inexpensively can I accomplish what she wants?  (She already
knows that she's going to be limited to channels carried on the same satellite
her neighbor is tuning, of course.)
-- 
Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 201 582-2998; mhuxd!wolit
(Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (07/27/85)

Since most cheap satellite TV setups use a downconverter which
is "tuned" by the receiver, you would probably end up needing
two receiver/downconverter sets.  You would also have to make
sure you got enough power out of the LNA to feed both units,
and you would be restricted to simultaneously watching channels
not only on the same satellite, but on the same POLARIZATION
as well (half the transponders are vertical, half are horizontal).
To get around this, you'd need a dual-polarity feedhorn and
another LNA as well.

--Lauren--

albert@ucbvax.ARPA (Anthony Albert) (07/30/85)

In article <2608@mhuxd.UUCP> wolit@mhuxd.UUCP (wolitzky) writes:
>My mother-in-law would like to share her neighbor's satellite
>dish antenna, but doesn't want to be restricted to watching
>the same program as her neighbor.  Is it necessary to purchase another
>receiver (both of which would then be hooked up to the same LNA), or do these
>receivers tune a whole "bank" of channels, which are then selected using
>something low-cost, like a cable TV channel selector?  Assuming a cooperative
>neighbor, how inexpensively can I accomplish what she wants?  (She already
>knows that she's going to be limited to channels carried on the same satellite
>her neighbor is tuning, of course.)
>-- 
>Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 201 582-2998; mhuxd!wolit
>(Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

My understanding of the situation is this:
The receiver corresponds to the cable converter. What you can get
is a block down converter/LNA which will enable more than one
receiver to be hooked up.

-- 
				Anthony Albert
				..!ucbvax!albert
				albert@ucbvax.ARPA