Audio Systems: how to connect, rf modulator, bob silva

Question
this is a good one.....here i go

i need to connect my satilite receiver , my incomming tv cable service, vcr and dvd player to a tv with no rca or s video connections...only the normal co axle....i have purchase a rf modulator and a "switch box with 4 connection....how do i hook all of this up?.....no one seems to know....can you help...please advise...thanks...sam

Answer
Dear Sam,

First, I'm going to direct you to an on-line article on how to connect a VCR and DVD player to an "antenna only" TV via an RF modulator:

http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdlaserdisc/a/aadvdrfmoda.htm

I can't write a better "how to" for this than Bob Silva, so go to his article first.

Since you have both a satellite receiver *and* a cable connection, you'll need to connect each to an input on the RF modulator. Be careful, though. Most VCRs are designed so that you have a coaxial "antenna in" connection into the unit, and a coaxial "antenna out" from the unit. This is because VCRs are designed to work by interrupting the signal from a cable or satellite, a throwback to the days when the only video option you had besides the cable/antenna input was a VCR. I recommend therefore that you connect either the cable or the satellite feed into the VCR's "antenna in" input and run the "antenna out" output to the RF modulator. That way you'll need to set the modulator to, say, cable if you want to watch a VHS tape.

Finally, keep track of what's connected to what; what channels have to be on in order for something to work; and what remote controls you're using at any given time. Take the time to write down what you're doing. That way you'll avoid confusion later on if you need to switch something around.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin