Running two boxes

[Lollie]

Is it possible to run two digi boxes showing different programmes from one dish?   My teenage son thinks he rules the remote these days, he can watch the same programmes as us in his bedroom or his own choice when we have french tv on, but just wondered if the other option is possible?

Lollie in rain sodden Loire Atlantique!!

[Martin963]

Yes,  but NOT by physically joining up the cables!.  

The safest (and only) way if you have Sly boxes is to replace the existing LNB on the dish with a dual one,  this has two connections and you run two cables out,  one to each box.  The LNB is essentially a 2 in 1.

The only other way is that most (at least a lot of) non sky DVB-H boxes have a second F connector on them.   This is a kind of loop through,  and allows you to daisy chain a second receiver upstream from the first.   When you turn on the second upstream receiver it takes priority on the tone and voltage switching (but does it safely). 

The drawback with this is that if the two receivers are looking at programmes with different pols and frequency bands the upstream receiver wins and the picture vanishes from the first one in the line.   But if they are same (say you want to watch two different BBC progs) then you can.   Saves going on the roof to replace the LNB

But to repeat,  don't try combining cables up to one LNB,  you'll end up with "expensive smoke".   And if you try the loop through, check that you've used the right ins and outs on the receivers.

[Lollie]

Thanks Martin, will pass on to hubby and son!