blackrose Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 Another boater I met on my travels showed me one of those things today. They obviously take up a lot less space than a satellite dish, but if you only want freesat/freeview channels are there any disadvantages compared to a satellite dish? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005ERD2IQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_6524492CASX2S34P6KZW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmck Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 We have had an Omnimax aerial for the last ten years. It's on a magnetic base, so easy to bung on the cratch board at the end of a days cruising. (Metal plate affixed to facilitate) and then remove the next day. I cannot see any advantage to the moonraker. It's fixed for a start, which personally I would not want. I recently replaced the cable to the Omnimax, which has vastly improved reception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 Thanks, but I'm not asking about the advantages of one brand over another. It's a bit more basic than that. I just want to know if there are any disadvantages compared to a satellite dish? I didn't know about these devices and just wondered why people still bother carrying a big satellite dish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmck Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 You won't get freesat with a moonraker, it receives terrestrial channels like freeview. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUMPY Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 Having had both I used the sat dish fixed on my home mooring, and the Moonraker when away, disadvantages of each: Sat dish, big and cumbersome when boating and you need a clear view of the satalite. Moonraker, you need a reasonable strength of TV signal and an app ( or look at local TV antennas) to tell you the direction to point it, yes they are directional. Also you may have to retune TV depending on where you travel to. Obviously it's two different receivers Freesat and Freeview but if you already have Freesat then the TV usually will have Freeview providing it's not to old. Different HD channels on each system (more on Freesat but not Ch4) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGoat Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 We have both satellite and terrestrial systems . Blackrose - as you may remember when you were on the Thames, there's a big hole in terrestrial reception between (say) Windsor and Reading, thus our dish comes into play. One thing about satellite reception is that you always know where the sat: is and can plan where you stop to avoid signal blocking trees. With terrestrial signals you have to know where the appropriate aerial masts are (details on the web) - frinstance Reading to Lechlade and the Oxford canal is well covered by the Oxford transmitter. Well into the midlands is covered by Holme Moss (?) and so on. You can buy various sizes of dishes from the very small camping variety that Aldi / Lidl occasionally sell (of marginal utlity IMHO), through Sky type and larger work well. I bought a Selfsat flat panel from Amazon before the prices went silly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 (edited) Ok thanks all. I think I'll just stick to the satellite dish for the time being. Won't terrestrial channels be phased out eventually? Edited June 12, 2021 by blackrose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUMPY Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 59 minutes ago, blackrose said: Ok thanks all. I think I'll just stick to the satellite dish for the time being. Won't terrestrial channels be phased out eventually? I very much doubt that they will be phased out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 Ok, I'm not sure I know the difference between terrestrial and digital channels. When I was using conventional TV ariel recently I only scanned for digital channels. Are they terrestrial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily Rose Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 36 minutes ago, blackrose said: Ok, I'm not sure I know the difference between terrestrial and digital channels. When I was using conventional TV ariel recently I only scanned for digital channels. Are they terrestrial? All TV channels are digital now, analogue disappeared years ago. If you use an aerial you get terrestrial channels. If you use a satellite dish you get satellite channels. Both are digital. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 (edited) Ok thanks. Edited June 12, 2021 by blackrose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGoat Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 (edited) 56 minutes ago, Lily Rose said: All TV channels are digital now, analogue disappeared years ago. If you use an aerial you get terrestrial channels. If you use a satellite dish you get satellite channels. Both are digital. Wot he said / wrote. In the begining there was a void and behold the government of the time saw that was bad. And Lo some folks in Chelmsford said - instead of newspaper vendors shouting 'Star, News, and Stannard (their pronunciation was poor), we can distribute information over the air. Thus 2LO was born with the catch phrase "This is 2LO, 2LO calling" and the BBC was born. And the Government saw that is was good... Time marched on And the airwaves was full of Dick Barton Special Agent who was murdered by some folks in Portlad Place and replaced by the Archers (aarrgghh) and the likes of Mrs Dales Diohrea (sp). In time as technology developed and more and more voices prattled and waved all sorts of things about and it became possible to have more than Auntie distributing The Truth, that the wires and space available became grossly overladed - which was Not A Good Thing. And Lo (again) Some wizard realised that you could stick a machine up in the sky which could dispense zillions of sound and pictures to everybody and all at once. And Lo (again) some Ausie realised that he could make loadsa dosh by putting a lump of technology very high in the sky which say everything you ever wanted to everbody in the Whole World - and people would pay him for the privilege. In s flash of genius he called it "Sky" The wise men in Westminster decided that perhaps Sky was possibly Not the best idea, thus today we have signals at house top level for those who are not convinced that a big dish in the sky was paramount and that an alternative should remain.... (I've run out of parodies), but the point is that both satellite and terrestrial broadcasting systems are alive and whereas the 'bandwidth' for earth based broadcasting is pretty full, there's still a lot of room for more channels from statellite broadcasting. The downside is that not all folks can receive both, thus old-fashioned-steam-radio propagation still exists. If you want to listen/ see what you want at all times on a boat then - depending on your cruising area, then you may have to have both methods of reception available to you. Both have disadvantages - which you may only discover when you coan't get a picture where you are moored... Does that help? I doubt....... The Catering Manager has proof read the above and pointed out several spewring errors - thus apologies to those who are offended. I return to point out that mebe the UK is probably the only place where broadcasting is split / duplicated between satellite and terrestrial broadcasting. Certainly in the USofA it's mostly satellite - but then its a Girt Big country. Edited June 12, 2021 by OldGoat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily Rose Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 I neglected to mention cable TV from such as Virgin Media in the UK (possibly only VM now, I don't know). This is also digital. This type of digital TV is probably not a lot of use on a boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 So really as they're both for terrestrial channels I should have been asking for a comparison of a conventional TV antenna vs. a Moonraker type box, rather than a satellite dish. Is a small moonraker box as good as a conventional TV antenna? What are the advantages/disadvantages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Brooks Posted June 13, 2021 Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, blackrose said: So really as they're both for terrestrial channels I should have been asking for a comparison of a conventional TV antenna vs. a Moonraker type box, rather than a satellite dish. Is a small moonraker box as good as a conventional TV antenna? What are the advantages/disadvantages? I very much doubt it, especially in marginal areas and those with horizontally polarised infill transmitters (Henley as the Thames has been mentioned). The Moonraker will be relying on its amplifier so needs a 12V feed and amplifying a crap signal will just get you a larger crap signal. Much like the squirrel cage and flying saucer jobs. Although you can not get 100% coverage, I found a small, easily stowed log periodic aerial with an inline amplifier (left over from an Omnimax) plus an app on my computer got me signal most of the time. Not very good a Beale Park and up the Caldon. The app gave polarisation to set the aerial. A cheap signal finder also helps to maximise reception. Edited June 13, 2021 by Tony Brooks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idle Days Posted June 13, 2021 Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 I have long wondered what happened to Dick Barton; so it was the BBC wot done it, sad that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGoat Posted June 13, 2021 Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Idle Days said: I have long wondered what happened to Dick Barton; so it was the BBC wot done it, sad that. I'm glad I'm not alone not only DB, but the intro tune (devils on horseback) signifying a chase, was replaced by dumpti - dumpti - dumpti -dum (probably signifying muddy boots squelching throug a field...) which is sad.!!! It's of canal significance 'cos the programme is recorded in the Beeb Brum studio hard by the start of the W&B canal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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