Yes - no problem. You can just use the three legacy ports for the three older units.

You probably want to put the H20 on a SWM port. If you use a legacy for it, then you lose the access to the MPEG 4 HD signals.

Reply to Michael's help

Thank you for the fast response and the good catch concerning the H20 and MPEG-4.

But what is the best way to do that if the room where the SWM power supply is located cannot have another coax exiting or entering?

Can this (second) output be taken from the SWM8 box at the dish?

Thanks again.

Yes - the SWM8 has two SWM outputs. Think of it as if a 1x2 splitter were built into the box. Either output can support up to eight tuners, but the two together only support the same eight total.

Work-Around For 5 LNB w/SWM-8

My entire system, (as described in my original thread) is not compatible with a SWM-8 because of the single tuner input receivers, (models H20 and H10). Additionally, the H20/H10 units (being single tuner-only boxes) cannot receive the required satellites via SWM ports.

Since the H20 is a MPEG-4 unit, it is able to receive the 99 satellite - but not by way of the SWM ports. My H10 is an old MPEG-2 unit, so its locals can only be received in SD anyway.

However, (and fortunately) that was not "the end" of the story for my SWM hopes. I just had to achieve dual tuner ops for my main HD DVR (HR21) receiver - and using only a single RG6. So I had to find a way. Here's what I did.

Since I must use the 5 LNB slimline dish, I installed the SWM-8 on its mount as normally would be done. I used the SWM-1 port for my single feed room, which has my main HD home theater system with the HR21 receiver, where I also installed the SWM-1 power supply. I connected the SWM-8 legacy ports to feed the H20 and H10 receivers that are in 2 bedrooms.

To make this work, I had to deny myself the benefits of the 99 satellite my local channels MPEG-4 decoding, since neither of these tuners could access the required satelite via Legacy ports - and cannot tune in to a sufficient number of transponders to get full channel ops when attempting to use SWM ports.

So the solution was simply to" lie" and select the "3-LNB Oval dish" in the set-up. True - now the local channels are only SD, but at least I can get them, along with MOST of my other Favs. Exceptions are few......No Ch 255 (MGMHD) and maybe 1 or 2 others, but the system is acceptable for use in a bedroom. In my case, my HDTVs in the BRs are only 26", so the definition absence on my locals is hardly noticed.

In contrast, the main theater system performs fantastic. For the first time now I can finally reap the benefits of dual-tuner Ops. So until I can get a single-tuner SWM-compatible upgrade, or afford DVRs in my bedrooms - this will work fine.

Due to the way my coax cables enter the house at different locations, using a SWM LNB is also undesirable. So the SWM-8 answered my main concerns - and this details how I made out. Hope this info helps someone else out there that might be in similar straits.

BTW - Don't look for help from DTV on issues like this, it will only come from forums like these. New installs are the only folks getting SWM systems, and it's up to the installers who needs them in which situations. Installing new DVR systems with SWM LNB setups is simple. It's only retros like mine that complicated matters a bit.

So can you run one of the lines from the satellite directly to the SWM and then to an HD DVR? If so, can the other 3 remaining lines from the satellite be connected directly to 3 other HD boxes(non-DVR)?

Nope - all four from the dish MUST go to the SWM.

Thanks, Michael. I was looking at the wiring diagrams on your website. I see that for a four receiver set-up you only need one power inserter. Can the power inserter be located next to one of the receivers or does it have to be closer to the SWM then out to the two receivers?

It can be located at one of the receivers.