Hi All,

So I have TiVo with dual tuner and an HD receiver and only 2 LNB fed coax cables. I'd like to be able to use a coax AB switch box connected to the HD and 2nd tuner on the TiVo so that when I'm not watching HD, my TiVo has 2 tuners connected.

I searched Radio Shack for a product like this, but couldn't find it.

2 questions:

1) Will it work?
2) Does an AB switch for coax exist?

- Thanks in advance!
- Jon

What you need is called a Multiswitch and it will allow you to have everything connected at once and receiving different stations.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55509

-Dylan

>> What you need is called a Multiswitch

Well, I don't want to run another coax from the dish. I just want to use the same cable for 2 uses - one on my TiVo and one for my HD...

I know that if I'm using the HD, the 2nd tuner won't work and I'm ok with that...

- Jon

Go read what is at that link I posted. It's all explained.

Dual LNB --> multiswitch --> 4 (or 8 or 16) directv receivers

>> Dual LNB --> multiswitch --> 4 (or 8 or 16) directv receivers

Hm. I have a 3 LNB dish... If I wire both coax cables into a 2x4 LNB, will I be able to get all the channels?

- Jon

Ok, I read and re-read this note on the TiVo forum. Looks like I'd need to install a multiswitch at the dish and expand the number of cables I can have running from the dish. That's not my goal. My goal is to NOT run another cable. I already am feeding 4 receivers from the dish and I can't run another to my place...

That's why I am looking into an AB switch box...

- Jon

How are you only running two cables if you have a 3 LNB dish? Do you already have a multiswitch at the dish?

I'm running all 4 cables from the dish, 2 are going to other receivers, and 2 cables are going to my place...

I can't run any more cables to my place at this point... That's my dilemna. I have a Spaun 2x4 multiswitch that I used to use when I had a single LNB dish, but I don't think it will work for this dish or solve my problem...

- Jon

So you have 3 LNB's with 4 cables being fed from them? Are the two that come into your place fed from the same dual LNB? If not, can you reroute them so that is the case? If you can get both of yours to be fed from one dual LNB then you can use your multiswitch inside your place.

Anyway, here is the answer to your original question. However, I don't know if these will work with the high frequency DBS signal. Good luck.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=55&ObjectGroup_ID=93

I have a Terk dish that has all 4 coax connectors inside the head that's behind the LNBs. Are the connectors somehow grouped in pairs on there? I can easily re-arrange, but would need to figure out which 2 to run it to. My Terk manual says nothing about it. Calling Terk now...

- Jon

Ok, Terk is telling me that I need a 4x8 cascadable multi switch. They say that you can't cascade multiswitches unless you have one that has the ability to do this and it has to be a 4x8 or 4x16 etc.

I went and bought an AB switch at Radio Shack and I'm going to try that now...

- Jon

AB Switch box (3 bucks from Radio Shack) works like a charm!

- Jon