Satellite in Suitcase £64.99 at Lidl

[RobinR]

These at Northampton Lidl again! I have seen boating outlets selling them for about £150 and Maplin between £90 to £70.

 

The easiest way to set up s with the rim of the dish near vertical, point slightly east of south, tune to BBC1 London and set the tuning tone to "ON" with the TV volume sufficient for the ton to be heard from where you are setting up the dish. Slowly move the dish in an easterly direction and as the signal improves the tone will go to a higher pitch then lower as the signal falls. If BBC1 London is on screen you have found the satellite otherwise you have found Astra 1 or Hotbird. Astra 2 is further to the East and a little lower. If you can't detect it by moving the dish, aim the dish a little lower and repeat the above. When aligned with Astra 2, fine tune the dish in both horizontal and vertical planes. If using the mounting with rubber suckers, these only work on a smooth surface. With a curved roof two in use is the best you will manage and one is ok but use plenty of water to ensure sufficient suction is achieved. It now takes me less time to set up the dish than to tune the TV and align the aerial on a new analogue transmitter!

[Tonyl]

Hi ,

On the subject of Sat TV, when moored up, is there a problem when the boat list from side to side slightly, when one moves around inside the boat. I assume it would depend on orientation of the boat(NSEW) in relation to the Satellite, but would guess that any slight angular movement at the boat end (dish) would have a serious misalignment effect.

 

Tony

[alan_fincher]

Hi ,

On the subject of Sat TV, when moored up, is there a problem when the boat list from side to side slightly, when one moves around inside the boat. I assume it would depend on orientation of the boat(NSEW) in relation to the Satellite, but would guess that any slight angular movement at the boat end (dish) would have a serious misalignment effect.

 

Tony

There can be, though it probably depends on the boat, and the weights of those moving around.

 

It certainly tends to hold the signal better if the dish is pointed in roughly the same direction as the boat is facing, rather than at 90 degrees to it, when, as you say, rocking can disturb the picture. With 4 adults on board we found it best to tune the dish with people sat roughly where they were going to be when watching, because if they all then move to the other side you can lose the signal.

 

I've been told that because a big dish is actually more directional, that the smaller ones as used in the satellite suitcase actually work better on a narrowboat than more expensive ones with a larger dish size.

[BlueStringPudding]

Hi ,

On the subject of Sat TV, when moored up, is there a problem when the boat list from side to side slightly, when one moves around inside the boat. I assume it would depend on orientation of the boat(NSEW) in relation to the Satellite, but would guess that any slight angular movement at the boat end (dish) would have a serious misalignment effect.

 

Tony

 

Yes - if anyone walks through the boat the reception goes and comes back when the boat levels out again. Also the wind vibrates the plastic dish sufficiently to kill the reception on a blustery day too. We can vouch for that!

 

Still swear by it as for under £50 it was a bargain. Although for some reason the local news has no signal in this area, but most of the rest of the regional BBC's do... so we get to watch London or Norwich or Cambridge weather forecasts instead of our own!

[twocvbloke]

Yes - if anyone walks through the boat the reception goes and comes back when the boat levels out again. Also the wind vibrates the plastic dish sufficiently to kill the reception on a blustery day too. We can vouch for that!

 

The wind actually blew the dish off my dish once, but that was VERY strong wind, but thankfully it landed in my yard so I still have it intact!!!

 

 

I've been told that because a big dish is actually more directional, that the smaller ones as used in the satellite suitcase actually work better on a narrowboat than more expensive ones with a larger dish size.

 

That is correct, the larger the dish, the harder to keep it aligned on an unstable platform, so the smaller the dish, the better for narrowboats, caravans, motorhomes etc...

 

There is also a dish called the "Multimo" which is basically a cassegrain design (dual-reflector for those unsure), aswell as being prime-focus, it's a little more pricey, but is worth the investment according to some who have them...

[RobinR]

Just a couple of comments re points made:

 

The dish is less likely to lose signal if placed along the centre line of the roof because this location is subject to less movement for a given amount of roll. (Think of an aircraft's wing tip vs a seat in the cabin)

 

Sky dishes - with the main elliptical axis in the horizontal plane - are less suited to use on a boat than an equivalent circular one and one with the major axis in the vertical plane is more suitable than a circular one. The shy dish is the shape it is to minimise interference form adjoining satellite positions in the Clarke Belt.

 

To reduce signal loss to a minimum, carefully align the dish for maximum signal. Initially set up on a strong signal, retune to a less strong one and adjust for maximum signal again etc etc.

[colin stone]

50 euro in Lidl here in France!!!