# HELP! how do I split signal from OTA rooftop antenna with pre-amp to feed two HR10s?



## Leila (Apr 28, 2006)

I need help with getting HD OTA into my HR10s.

My current setup is like this: Rooftop antenna -> pre-amp(in attic) -> pre-amp's
AC adapter -> HR10 Pre-amp is required or I get very little signal. 

Now I want to feed the OTA signal to another HR10. I put a splitter between
the pre-amp and the pre-amp AC adapter. When I tried this, neither HR10 gets
any signal, and the pre-amp's AC adapter light shuts off....

Or do I need to split the cable from the antenna and use two seperate pre-amps?
(each with its own AC adapter?)

Thanks for your help!


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## rickaren (Oct 30, 2002)

I use a pre amp splitter from Lowes or maybe it was Home Depot to power my D* & E* HD OTA DVRs. Why would that not work? They do come in different amp amounts like 10DB or 20DB and easy to return if they don't work. Cost about $15/$25. But I would think you would have to eliminate the pre-amp in the attic to use one. Did you do a re-scan?


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## dishrich (Jan 16, 2002)

You need to put the splitter AFTER the pre-amp adaptor, but before the first Tivo & everything should be fine.
The way you did it might send pre-amp power into your Tivo's. (which is NOT a good thing!  )


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

You need to split it after the amp and it's power supply.

Antenna--> amp -->power supply -->splitter -->2 HR10's.

If it helps run some coax from the antenna to the amp, hook the amp directly to it's power supply, then some more coax to the splitter, then on to the two HR10's,
keeping the amp's power supply as close to it as possible.


phox


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

If that does not work, you may need to add a DC power block to the leg without the PS. In some situations it can load the circuit, essentially shorting the PS.


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## Nomarian (May 5, 2004)

_You need to split it after the amp and it's power supply.

Antenna--> amp -->power supply -->splitter -->2 HR10's._

This is the way I split mine. I used a Channel Master 7777 and then split it after the power supply and get signals in the 90s when before when I split it, it would barely get ouf out of the 50's.


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## Herb S. (Aug 18, 2006)

You need to get a splitter that will pass the voltage to amp., a regular splitter will not do this. I have an amp. mounted on the antenna, splitter also mounted to antenna, with power supply near tv. The special splitters are not expensive. I can give make and model number when I get home from work this afternoon. Good luck.


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## dishrich (Jan 16, 2002)

Herb S. said:


> You need to get a splitter that will pass the voltage to amp., a regular splitter will not do this. I have an amp. mounted on the antenna, splitter also mounted to antenna, with power supply near tv.


But you ONLY need a special splitter IF you are putting the splitter BETWEEN the power supply & the amp. In most cases, it is MUCH easier to just put any splitters between the power supply & the TV & then, pretty much any antenna splitter made for U/V TV signals would work.

Why would anyone NOT just do it this way is beyond me, (unless the ONLY place to put the split is between the amp/power, due to cable locations) but whatever - I've only been doing antenna work for 25+ years...   Seems like people are making this harder than it should be...


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

dishrich said:


> ...I've only been doing antenna work for 25+ years...   Seems like people are making this harder than it should be...


Well, I agree, but for someone like yourself it probably seems easy, while for those who don't have a firm grasp of what is going on electrically, it can be a bit hard to fathom. The problem is not that some understand it and some don't, it's that many of those who do have difficulty explaining it to those who don't in a way they can understand. A vague or incomplete list of instructions isn't that helpful to them, because they don't have enough info to fill in the blanks. Your explanation seemed pretty good, tho.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Actually, anyone with a bit of common sense should be able to figure it out. If you insert something in the signal path and you no longer get a signal, what could the cause possibly be?


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

I can't argue with that either. But, not everyone has an affinity for everything. If something is just not in your wheelhouse, any somewhat abstract component to even an easy concept can seem pretty daunting. That's why folks in that situation come here, so the best thing we can do for them is deal with them in a non-intimidating manner, try to place yourself in their shoes, and try to explain it in a way that they can understand.

For me it seems like the simplest thing in the world, but not because I'm a braniac, but simply because I have an affinity for that sort of thing. On the other hand, for someone to explain mutual fund investments to me, they'd have to talk to me like I was a 5-year old before I could even begin to understand. Not because I'm dumb, but because I just don't have an affinity for that.


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## Herb S. (Aug 18, 2006)

To further detail my setup on why I used a splitter that would pass DC voltage. I had an existing setup feeding just one tv and at a much latter date added a second tv. It was much simpler in so far as the cable run to the second tv was to mount the splitter on the antenna, otherwise the cable run would be at least twice in length to put the splitter after the power supply to the preamp. The splitter used was a ASKA SP21GDC, which didn't much more than a convential one.


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