TiVo Community Forums Archives - DCT 2000 RF Bypass?

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DCT 2000 RF Bypass?
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Posted by: RGM1138

Yesterday, I went in to the cable office to exchange digital boxes. In passing, I asked if they had one with an RF bypass built in.

I was told that it had to be "installed" into the the box and asked if I knew how to do it. I said no, (D'oh!), and was told that a cable tech wouldn't be available to come out for about a week and a half.

Does anyone have a Motorola DCT 2000 box with an RF bypass already in it?

What is involved in "installing" it into the box?

How does it compare (signal wise) with using a splitter?

Thanks much!

Bob

Posted by: pauly666

It's an external module that fits on the back of the box - I'm sure when the techie comes round to, ahem, install it, you'll laugh! ;) It just pushes over the F connectors already there. The only difference between it and a regular RF splitter is that you can control if from your DCT2000 remote control using the RF BYPASS key.

Posted by: gardavis

What's that loop on the back of the DCT? A short cable is connected to two F-connectors. Is that an RF-bypass?

Posted by: Seattle86

The back of my DCT-2000 had two loops IIRC.

Posted by: trainman

I happen to have a DCT-2000 with an RF bypass sitting on top of my TiVo, so I'll confirm that it's a little silver box attached over some of the connectors on the back, and there are two short loops of coaxial cable involved. There's no "RF BYPASS" button on my cable box remote; instead, it goes into RF bypass mode when the box is switched off.

Posted by: RGM1138

quote:
Originally posted by pauly666
It's an external module that fits on the back of the box - I'm sure when the techie comes round to, ahem, install it, you'll laugh! ;) It just pushes over the F connectors already there. The only difference between it and a regular RF splitter is that you can control if from your DCT2000 remote control using the RF BYPASS key.

Ah, okay, I've found the bypass "switch". On my remote, you have to go into the Setup menu, then into Cable Box, where the Bypass has an on or off status.

Let me make sure that I understand you correctly. If you switch on Bypass, do you lose the S-Video/Composite output of the cable box? In other words, you can't have both outputs active at the same time?

Bob

Posted by: RGM1138

quote:
Originally posted by trainman
I happen to have a DCT-2000 with an RF bypass sitting on top of my TiVo, so I'll confirm that it's a little silver box attached over some of the connectors on the back, and there are two short loops of coaxial cable involved. There's no "RF BYPASS" button on my cable box remote; instead, it goes into RF bypass mode when the box is switched off.

Jim.
Your box may be set up similar to the one I have.

Hit the Menu button on your remote. You should have a Setup menu near the bottom of the page. See if there is a Cable Box sub menu inside Setup. That's where my box has the RF Bypass as well as See Config., Time Display, ect.

Bob

Posted by: DJRobX

So all that contraption does is allow an RF bypass?! I saw it hanging off the back of my sister's Cox digital cable box. My AT&T broadband box just had a jumper between the two top coaxial connections.

Seems like an awfully complicated setup for such a remedial function. Why wasn't it just built into the DCT2000's circuitry? What does the DCT2000 do if you don't have the RF bypass and you shut it off? When I had mine it was always slave to the TiVo so I didn't pay much attention.

-- Rob

Posted by: pauly666

quote:
Originally posted by DJRobX
Seems like an awfully complicated setup for such a remedial function. Why wasn't it just built into the DCT2000's circuitry?

Cost.

quote:
What does the DCT2000 do if you don't have the RF bypass and you shut it off? --Rob

When you switch off the box without an RF Bypass unit on the back, the RF output TO TV is switched off.

So people don't have the remote controls with the RF BYPASS button on them? That's a shame...

The loop on the back going from TO RF IN to RF IN is basically a cable splitter for different devices in the box. It's an old design and needs to be incorporated inside the box... its just no cable company has asked for it to be done yet!