KVH TV4 question

Four Suns

Four Suns

Not a pot stirrer
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 4, 2006
10,533
Williamsburg, VA
Boat Info
2003 480 DB
Engines
QSM-11 Diesels
Yesterday I activated my two new DirecTV H21 receivers on the new AV stuff on my boat. Overall, it was pretty painless to activate those and deactivate the old RCA box. The UI is much much better on the H21.

I have a couple of questions. The base of the KVH TV4 has two RF connections and the manual says to hook a receiver to each. Sea Ray only ran a single RG6 cable from the hard top to the salon so instead of running another cable, I just put a splitter on the single RG6 (and redid their crappy connector). Both boxes activated and downloaded new software just fine but it seems when one is "downloading" something, the other box's video stops working and I get a "searching for signal" message. Does this problem go away if I run two RG6 lines up to the KVH? I assumed they just had a splitter built into the antenna but maybe there is more to it than that. They both work just fine when they are not downloading or talking to the antenna.

Also, when doing the setup, I selected the "round antenna/single LNB" setting and it gets the 110 sat just fine. Do I need to select a different setting to get the other sats up there? If one sat box wants one sat for a channel and another wants a different sat for a channel, who wins?

I'm going to call KVH tech support probably on Monday but just wondering if anyone knew these things.
 
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Gary- RF splitters do not work with the satellite signal. To run 2 satellite receivers, you will need 2 RG-6Q cables from the KVH Dome. They're labelled RF1 and RF2. The receiver connected to RF1 will control which satellite the KVH will track. If your local stations are on anything other than the 101 satellite, you will need to set your receivers for dual LNB, else the KVH and the receivers will only look for the 101. Also, ~some~ of the newer sat receivers do not output the 'tone' on the LNB to tell the KVH to switch satellites. In that case, you are either stuck with the 101 satellite or you can install a manual A/B switch (KVH part) to the KVH to switch between the satellites. I like the manual switch because it has 2 LED lights, A & B. Blinking A means searching for 101, solid A means locked on 101, B=119. I like the feedback.
 
Four Suns said:
Bastard.
Click to expand...

Yeah- that realization that you have to run another cable along a route that you worked so hard to put back together only days ago really sucks.

Sea Ray ran 2 cables from my KVH, but my boat had the Master Stateroom sat receiver option so they had to.
 
Well... that project is going to wait until I'm in Nantucket... I am not pulling that apart right now. I'll slip off the hard top and break my arm or leg or bust open my foot or something if I do that today. I'm heading out to the river and do a little boating and run over some idiots in small boats today.
 
Four Suns said:
I'm heading out to the river and do a little boating and run over some idiots in small boats today.
Click to expand...

Hopefully some of them will illicit the "25ton 14 knot pass". :grin:

I've got some video of a group of pro wakeboarders surfing behind my boat. We filled fuel, water, and waste tanks and added 10 fat sacks in the cockpit/bilge. There's a breaking 6' wake with a large curl at 1350RPM.
 
When we put in a second Direct TV unit in our master stateroom we ran a line direct from the second Sat antenna output to that stateroom and put a receiver in that master stateroom. The cable took a fair amount of time to run and it took two people to do so.Sea Ray had conduits in the hardtop so we were able to follow them down. You may want to consider putting in a multiswitch when you are going through all of this work. We did not and when the third set was added it once again took more time to put the multswitch in and wire it. If you locate the multiswitch in the correct place you can use existing antenna wires to get the signal to any place there is a TV now.

When will you be in Nantucket we will be there a week from Monday

Mr Salt
2001 540 CPMY
Caterpillar C-12s
 
OK Matt... I'm on the boat looking at this stuff. I don't have much patience for crap that doesn't work right.

I have two H21 boxes with the DVR functionality. They each require an input from the sat dish. So I need four inputs.. Should I hook RF1 to one of the sat boxes video input and then split RF2 three ways and put that into the second sat box video and sat box 1 and 2's DVR port? That way, only sat box 1's video can control the KVH and sat box 2 and both DVRs get what they get...

The reason I have the DVR stuff is that is the only H21 model that supported the AM21 off-air ATSC tuner module so the Glomex can work with the GUI on the H21... if that makes sense.

BTW... watching a non-HD sat signal sucks after watching all this HD stuff.
 
Gary;

I kep getting logged off so here is a short answer. You will screw up the sat antenna if you do not use an active multiswitch. KVH manual gives you the model number.

We leave Nantucket on the 16th for Martha's Vineyard we arrive in Nantucket on the 14th

Have a safe trip

Rich
2001 540 Cockpit Motor Yacht
Caterpillar C-12s
 
So here's a diagram from that switch manual:

kvh1.jpg


It appears that as long as I have one primary receiver controlling the dish, I'm ok to plug the second receiver, as well as the DVR inputs since they are just a "receiver", into the multiswitch.

Nothing is ever easy... pain in the butt.
 
OK... so this is from the KVH TV G4 install guide... same as my TV4 minus the "G" electronics.

KVH2.jpg


There is no switch there but it does say the multiswitch blocks the tone and ability to go to different satellites.

So I have to go buy more crap.... as expected.
 
Channel Master stuff is regular RF. Should be sold at most electronics suppliers. Don't know your area, but check the yellow pages for anything related to TV or RF antennas.

Best regards,
Frank C
 
I can get the splitter thing locally... I'm referring to the KVH manual sat switch...
 
Sorry. Thought you meant the "active multi-switch."
 
Now that I have to redo the whole damn face plate I fabricated to house this KVH thing, what are the odds that:

1. I can still buy one and
2. The dimensions for the flush mount cut out in the manual are accurate?

It's raining so it's a good day to work in the shop but I *know* if I redo this cabinet thing today, it will be all wrong or I can't find the thing because they don't make it anymore.

I could just get by with plugging a receiver into RF1 and the other into RF2 and not hooking up the DVR on each H21 but that would be way hokie. "Don't use the DVR because I never hooked it up."

I'll just go steal one... Matt? Where do you keep your boat?
 
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Gary we will be leaving Nantucket on Wednesday so I guess we will miss you.

If you are going to have more than two sat receivers on your boat, you will need an active multiswitch, otherwise you will ultimately ruin the antenna The multiswitch sends the proper voltage to the antenna on the cables. I got mine on eBay.

Have a safe trip up north.

Rich

2001 540 Cockpit Motor Yacht
C-12s
 
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