Which satellite system to install in Motorhome

Bessa

We need to get this fitted asap. Which is the best system to get?

aerosol

Depends on your budget and needs. Do you want a fully auto system? A crank up?
We watch so little tv when in the van buying a proper system couldn't be justified.I have a maxveiw dish n tripod using an old sky box as a receiver.Using a compass only it takes me a few mins to set up.Problem with this is we usually want to watch it when its raining which means getting wet setting up!

Bessa

Hi we have what you have already, but we want to get an automatic system fitted. Its not that we watch a lot of TV, but like to keep up to speed with whats going on in the world.

KoNiT

but like to keep up to speed with whats going on in the world.

then get a laptop with mobile broadband.. would be better off..:D

Note - if you get an auto system, I've an Oystersat (was on it when I bought it)
You'll need Jacks on the camper for windy weather or it'll be loosing signal on the windier days & then tracking for a signal... :mad::pac:

maybe the newer models aren't as bad..


excuse the smileys... my son is :mad: on the mouse;) i type...
;) :cool: & :eek: I think I'll be all day trying to change the post!!
:cool::P

Bessa

We are thinking of the Camos dome satellite.

irishrver

we have the camos dome in motion system and are very happy with it we purchased it through aertec into our 2nd year now, had one on a tripod before very neat and tidy setup when stopped turn off the search facility or every time the camper rocks it searches again the motor's are noticable at night/quiet, while in motion it works about 85% of the time every time the view is blocked by bridges and trees buildings etc lining the road you will lose picture on south bound legs of your journey if you cannot see the sky to the South East niether will your sat you will also not get rte and BBC in the south of France or Northern Spain after 7.30 at night something about broadcast signal strength all others seem to work we take the multi-room box from the house when we go other wise I have a free view box in there it gets all the BBC ITV CH4 etc you will need inverters etc to power all this unless you only intend to use it when parked and connected

Aidan_M_M

I've fitted the Dome , the OysterSat and the new CarBest one , the Carbest is the cheapest and seems to work just as well . Needs less room to swing around on the roof than the Oyster sat.

bido

The camos is the best great price fitted from Aertec in co. meath.the wind wont affect it.

Aidan_M_M

Liam does great work , and is brilliant at what he does , but he sells more than Camos for a reason! The dome is expensive , and has a small dish inside . Compared to the Oyster 65/85 or the Carbest.

niloc1951

I have on of these http://www.maxview.co.uk/products/info_B2590.html
It will pick up RTE, BBC, ITV, as far south as a Barcelona, all the south coast of France and over as far as Austria and up to Denmark, it will pick up a lot of the other Sky channels right down to the south of Spain and the Algarve.
Even though its a manual system, after a little practice you can lock on to a satellite within a minute, a lot faster than some of the auto systems, AND because its manual there are no complicated electrics to go wrong.

Aidan_M_M

yup I've fitted them too , and they do work well . End of the day , whether its manual or auto , it's just a dish and LNB , so any of them will bring in a signal . The Auto just makes finding it easier!

niloc1951

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

yup I've fitted them too , and they do work well . End of the day , whether its manual or auto , it's just a dish and LNB , so any of them will bring in a signal . The Auto just makes finding it easier!

I have one of these http://www.promaxprolink.com/accessories/ms-250.htm fitted, they can be left permanently fitted in line as they let the signal pass through without loss. They make finding the signal so easy when used in conjunction with the 'signal test' screen from the decoder, usually less than one minute. In weak signal areas I can often get a signal when 'neighbours' with auto systems can't get a 'lock on'.

Bessa

Thank you all for your help, we will have the Camos fitted.

Aidan_M_M

One advantage of the Camos , on blustery days like today , you'll have no problem with the picture "freezing" .:)

Elizabethw

Hi, can you tell me where to get info on the CarBest system?

Betsy Og

Got one a while back, got TV guy to tune it in from his home satellite dish.

So I have all the channels tuned in on the box only to get a lock on the satellite. Tried it for half an hour one evening but no luck. Any tips? Anyone have success with the Lidl system? Also got a full size dish from Lidl with another decoder box - if I used that would it make it any easier?

Would the digital compass thing be any good?

Thanks,

martyc5674

Ive the lidl setup on our van...literally takes 2 minutes to set it up.
It U-bolts onto the bike rack with wing nuts very easily.

I just take note of a few dish orientations prior to parking up so i know roughly what direction i should have the back of the van facing and its simple from there.

A few weekends ago after setting up the van realised i needed to take a spin to the shop...when I came back I reversed in over the tyre marks i had left earlier, turned on the TV and sattellite was lined up perfectly!!

Marty.

Betsy Og

Marty,

So basically you tilt it a bit over and back and a bit up and down and someone in the van says yes, back a bit etc etc ?? I tried that for a good while but, though close once, I couldnt seem to crack it.

Just trial & error, no other tricks??

meercat

betsy.

i have one also.i can set it up on the dinette table facing out the side window,(it also works through the front windscreen)this way i can adjust it while watching the tv myself.this way also prevents the wind blowing the dish over.

start by trying at home or beside existing dish to give you general direction of satellite.dish should generally be level or slightly down

turn astra 2 on by pressing p+ or p- button
find bbc1 london(station 0001)
press info button
you should get information screen
press 1(buzzer sounds/the pitch will change as you get closer to satellite)
move dish slowly (less than inch)wait 2 secs before move again
after moving dish all way round ,if you havnt received signal,tilt dish slightly and repeat process
keep trying and patience is a virtue
signal intensity should be 65% or greater
as you get nearer satellite quality should improve(above 65% is good enough)
when you find satellite press info again(note astra 1 and astra 2 are fairly close so be sure you have locked on to astra 2 for better tv stations.

just to echo the point practice setting up as much as you can in a spot where you know you can receive a signal and in no time you will be able to set up in minutes.
it may be an idea to connect to an existing satellite dish set on astra2 just to familarise yourself with the workings of your decoder.

martyc5674

What meercat says is spot on...the level to slightly downward facing dish is key, this way you only have to concentrate on one plane.
Didnt realise it would work inside the cab!!

When i pack up my dish i never loosen the nuts that determine its "up/down" angle...again this speeds up the whole process as i only have one plane to worry about assuming im parked up pretty level(not on a hill!!)

The way we usually do it is i ring the missus whos in the van watchin the telly, i stick my phone on speaker phone so i can have my hands free and she tells me when its locked on.
(the reason for this madness is the young fella is usually just gone to bed when we set the dish up and shouting out the window aint an option...but it works just fine as nuts as it sounds!!)

Marty.

Betsy Og

Thanks for all the tips guys, looking forward to cracking it.

Re being parked level, I suppose the thing to do there is have a small spirit level, make sure the base is level, tune in the dish, tighten the wingnuts so that angle wont ever change, so then when you set the base to level the next time you know the tilt angle is correct (ok if you go on the continent the angle changes I suppose).

1 last thing - I presume if you take a Sky box and sky card it should work just as well off the Lidl dish, after all once you find the Astra 2 and the feed works then the Sky box is basically just a different decoder from the Lidl one.

Must beg/borrow/steal the folk's Sky card for foreign trips (& maybe box - we have a 'freeview' skybox at home but gather the sky cards are now gone 1 box only), seems to be the only way to get RTE abroad - cant be missing me GAA matches !!! Will be great when/if RTE go on freeview, can then dispense with the old aerials.

meercat

dont worry too much about level parking.you will never get 2 sites bang on.
you can take your sky box with you
dish needs to be tilted up the further south you go
struggled to get astra 2 south of bordeaux though,you need bigger dish
got rte radio on lidl dish in france
got astra 1 further south.i am sure german tv will show world cup

martyc5674

Meercat..u say u got RTE radio on lidl dish, i never noticed radio stations on it,is there just a menu for them i need to go into?
Cheers,
Marty.

killalanerr

martyc5674 wrote: »

Meercat..u say u got RTE radio on lidl dish, i never noticed radio stations on it,is there just a menu for them i need to go into?
Cheers,
Marty.

yes marty their is an option on the remote to change to the radio stations you must not have noticed it you can get all the rte,s plus lots more pat Kenny in bordeaux

martyc5674

cheers for that..never spotted it(probably never looked for it either!!)...will be handy in France in the summer

meercat

yaeh .the radio gave news from home and mrs meercat kept up to date with the soaps.see lidl are doing them sats again

Aidan_M_M

Elizabethw wrote: »

Hi, can you tell me where to get info on the CarBest system?

what would you like to know?

YohanCabeye7

Hi, about the carbest antennae/satelitte, can't find any information about them on the web, is it automatic? is it foldable? how much are they roughly?

Thanks

Bessa

Just back from France and the Camos worked very well indeed.

Aidan_M_M

YohanCabeye7 wrote: »

Hi, about the carbest antennae/satelitte, can't find any information about them on the web, is it automatic? is it foldable? how much are they roughly?

Thanks

It's very like the Oyster in appearance and operation . But a lot cheaper!

deadl0ck

Sorry to drag up an oldish thread, but I was wondering how much (roughly) the dome systems cost including installation...
Even just a ballpark figure....

meercat

deadl0ck wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an oldish thread, but I was wondering how much (roughly) the dome systems cost including installation...
Even just a ballpark figure....

aidan mm on here does them www.pathoranmotors.com
also aertec were doing a special,supply & fit 1,500 http://www.aertec.net/gpage2.html

wonderworm

Leisure Technical Solutions in Dromore, NI install the Camos Dome as well. They have a winter promo, standard install only of dome @ £1179, will run that to end of RDS holiday show on the 3oth January.

bido

meercat wrote: »

aidan mm on here does them www.pathoranmotors.com
also aertec were doing a special,supply & fit 1,500 http://www.aertec.net/gpage2.html

We got two fitted on different MHomes.over the years from Aertec.(LiamO'Brien) 01/6219881 they are in Trim Co. Meath.
He even gave us a loan of a Mercedes for a few days while we were getting the last one fitted.:D

Betsy Og

Just to say (looking back over old posts) that I did crack it in the end, one point that I'd missed is that where is says the dish should be vertical or whatevever, that I used to interpret that as the arm that sticks out at the front, whereas it does really mean the metal dish.

Other than that I pop the telly out by the front window of the caravan so I can see if the picture pops up, and trial and error away until I get it (when you've done it a few times and know if works its a lot less annoying than when you thought it would never work). Other thing I've done is found an old clothes airer pole (basically a hollow metal bar) clamped it where the jockey wheel goes, and you instantly get elevation to avoid obstacles and people crashing into the dish, and also easier adjustment.

So the Lidl jobby works the finest once you stick at it and get it going a couple of times.

martyc5674

Betsy Og wrote: »

Just to say (looking back over old posts) that I did crack it in the end, one point that I'd missed is that where is says the dish should be vertical or whatevever, that I used to interpret that as the arm that sticks out at the front, whereas it does really mean the metal dish.

Other than that I pop the telly out by the front window of the caravan so I can see if the picture pops up, and trial and error away until I get it (when you've done it a few times and know if works its a lot less annoying than when you thought it would never work). Other thing I've done is found an old clothes airer pole (basically a hollow metal bar) clamped it where the jockey wheel goes, and you instantly get elevation to avoid obstacles and people crashing into the dish, and also easier adjustment.

So the Lidl jobby works the finest once you stick at it and get it going a couple of times.

Betsy I have the lidl one aswell.
There's a much easier method than bringing the tv outside. Just bring the decoder out, press info on the remote and the signal strength is displayed on the front panel of the decoder. I even used thus method recently to stick a free to air dish on the side of the house. The lidl decoder is so small it is dead handy to climb up on the roof with I!!
Marty.

Betsy Og

Hi Marty,

I dont have to disconnect the telly or bring it out of the caravan, just move it a little so I can see if I've gotten a lock on (with the new pole system I mightnt have to even move, just angle it out towards the front).

Have to say I dont find the strength of signal thing any good, thats the one tricky thing about looking for the satellite, I seem to get zero notice that I'm close, it either appears perfectly or zilch. After getting it a few times its quick enough after that.

Aidan_M_M

Betsy , you don't twist the dish around like as if it was an ordinary tv aerial , I got caught out with that in the early days! rather , you twist a bit , and stop , give it a few seconds and go again . The signal doesn't seem to register instantly on the display .

Betsy Og

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Betsy , you don't twist the dish around like as if it was an ordinary tv aerial , I got caught out with that in the early days! rather , you twist a bit , and stop , give it a few seconds and go again . The signal doesn't seem to register instantly on the display .

Thanks, yeah I'd copped that. Once you get used to it and you've a fair idea of the arcs to check and it doesnt take too long. Whereas shunt an inch, wait, shunt another bit - when you're miles off the target it can be frustrating.

lob

The Camos dome is now available from €999 excluding fitting from Aertec.

Aidan_M_M

Good price Liam .