Maplin Portable "Suitcase" Satellite TV Receiver on Offer.

[alan_fincher]

I've just noticed on Maplin's site that their potable "suitcase" Satellite Receiver & Dish is currently on offer at £30 off.

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Module...=1&DOY=21m4

 

This is a basic, but perfectly adequate, system, already in use by many people on the canals and these forums.

 

As seventy quid, it's not as cheap as i has been sometimes previously, but still excellent value.

[Maverick]

I have one and can recommend them to anyone. Once up and working they are fantastic.

[Nickhlx]

...same sort of system is also coming available at Lidl, I think from Thursday, at £64-99

 

Nick

[BlueStringPudding]

No more watching Doctor Who with intermittent cut-outs because Warwick has no concept of BBC1, eh? Sounds appealing...

[alan_fincher]

...same sort of system is also coming available at Lidl, I think from Thursday, at £64-99

 

Nick

Yep, that is the same one this time, I think.

 

So it can be run off 12 volts - no inverter required. Sometimes the Lidl offer is on a 240 volt model.

 

So it's £5 less at Lidl than Maplins.

 

The one thing I do recall from a couple of years ago, is that several people made a trip to Lidl for the then current offer, and despite being there at opening time, didn't secure one. There is a view that Lidl advertise cut price goods to get you to the store, but may not be too serious about stock of what they have advertised.

 

With Maplins, if they say they have stock, they generally have.

 

(BTW when I looked at one in Maplins after I has bought mine, the LNB was actually branded as Lidl!....)

 

BSP,

 

Like all satellite systems, whether £70 or £2000, you do need a line of sight "view" of the Astra satellite for it to work. If you are moored where buildings or trees obscure that view, no satellite system will be able to work for you.

 

Alan

Edited April 21, 2008 by alan_fincher

[BlueStringPudding]

BSP,

 

Like all satellite systems, whether £70 or £2000, you do need a line of sight "view" of the Astra satellite for it to work. If you are moored where buildings or trees obscure that view, no satellite system will be able to work for you.

 

Alan

 

I'll buy a long cable and send Kev for a long walk. For the sake of 45 minutes every Saturday evening, it's the least he can do.

[alan_fincher]

I'll buy a long cable and send Kev for a long walk. For the sake of 45 minutes every Saturday evening, it's the least he can do.

Can he climb sheer sided buildings ? You might need less cable, and hence get less degredation of the signal.

 

He's got to end up close enough that you can yell "up a bit.... right a bit..... down a bit..... stop!.... etc).

 

Alan

[BlueStringPudding]

Can he climb sheer sided buildings ? You might need less cable, and hence get less degredation of the signal.

 

He's got to end up close enough that you can yell "up a bit.... right a bit..... down a bit..... stop!.... etc).

 

Alan

 

 

I'll use my mobile phone to yell up a bit down a bit!

 

And I think with enough encouragement he probably can climb a sheer sides building - the prospect of the mood I'd be in if I missed an episode of Doctor Who would be encouragement enough, I suspect.

 

Excuse me while I check my Ood for Red Eye...

[barge sara]

A word of warning on dealing with Maplin on the interweb...

 

I recently ordered an item shown as in stock on their website.

Payment was taken off the credit card.

Received through the post notification that they were out of stock and could not get more, they attached a credit note for the purchase price but not the postage cost.

Phoned them and was told to send the credit note back with a request for a full refund to my credit card. Did that.

Recieved a credit back to the credit card of the purchase price but not the postage charge.

Phoned again to complain, still waiting for a refund of the carriage charge.

 

Would I deal with Maplin again, er, that would be a no!

 

John MV Sara.

[Maverick]

I'll use my mobile phone to yell up a bit down a bit!

 

And I think with enough encouragement he probably can climb a sheer sides building - the prospect of the mood I'd be in if I missed an episode of Doctor Who would be encouragement enough, I suspect.

 

Excuse me while I check my Ood for Red Eye...

 

I'm waiting for the return of Billie Piper. God am I waiting. Got the tissues ready.

[BlueStringPudding]

I'm waiting for the return of Billie Piper. God am I waiting. Got the tissues ready.

 

 

I hope for tears of emotion...

[Maverick]

I hope for tears of emotion...

 

Of course. wot else

[jelunga]

...same sort of system is also coming available at Lidl, I think from Thursday, at £64-99

 

Nick

Lidl's offers are regional. Here on the South Coast it is not on their emailed offers list yet.

 

I bought the set from Maplins last time it was on offer, about 6 months ago, but have not had the chance to try it yet. But they had two models. One was crap relying on a suction cup system to mount the dish which kept falling off. The other has the dish mounted on a more efficent metal thingy that works ok.

 

I know I said I had not used it yet - I just practised the erection process.

Edited April 21, 2008 by jelunga

[alan_fincher]

I just practised the erection process.

Ooh, Err !

 

Billy Piper again ?

 

If the "camping" suitcase system hasn't changed, (and it looks like it hasn't), it contains both a base with 3 large suction pads, and a "G cramp" type device, as alternate ways of mounting the dish.

 

In the past, I've always used the sucker thing, which stuck very firmly to our painted cabin top, despite it having quite a heavy curvature on it.

 

Mind you since then some non slip paint has been applied, so the sticker base is probably going to fail now.

Edited April 21, 2008 by alan_fincher

[BlueStringPudding]

I bought a Maplin satellite suitcase doobery yesterday - a B grade one (still with guarantee) for fifty squids. Looking forward to playing with it at the weekend.

[thenightowl]

I bought on from Aldi the other week, £65. Basically the same set up as all the rest. Two things that were an improvement for me.

Firstly comes with soft case (given the plastic one is very bulky). Secondly the base had a very large surface area, with no wind would be self supporting, attach magnetsto cope with wind, it hinged to allow various types fitting. POST/WALL even showed attached to a side of nb!

 

Peter

[jelunga]

I have now had occassion to use the Maplin Suitcase system on a Nb. We had a holiday early May and I decided to take the satellite thing and see if it worked. They supply 3 different dish mounting methods. One to permanently screw to a wall etc, a G clamp system that worked very well securing the dish to the gunwale in the front well deck, and the three point suction cup mounting,. Where we mooried with no obstructions in the line of sight to the satellite, then the G clamp was used. Where there were trees and thing in the way I used the suction mount on the roof. Both gave good results. The alignment tool they supply it a great idea and works well. Only if you are not on a large hunk of steel boat. It is designed to clip on the back of the dish and allow you to point the dish in the correct direction for the satellite you are trying to lock onto, and gives different locations in europe. There is also an azimuth setting aid to get the vertical alignment correct.

 

BUT, being a magnetic compass device, the steel of the boat makes it useless. So I had taken it off and away from the boat, away from most of the magnetic influence of the boat, and worked out which direction to point the dish. With the tone assist alighment setting, I had no problems in 95% of the mooring places. The only problem was when moored at Trinity Marina, when the buildings obstructed the signal. I can recommend this kit from Maplins.

[BlueStringPudding]

I have now had occassion to use the Maplin Suitcase system on a Nb. We had a holiday early May and I decided to take the satellite thing and see if it worked. They supply 3 different dish mounting methods. One to permanently screw to a wall etc, a G clamp system that worked very well securing the dish to the gunwale in the front well deck, and the three point suction cup mounting,. Where we mooried with no obstructions in the line of sight to the satellite, then the G clamp was used. Where there were trees and thing in the way I used the suction mount on the roof. Both gave good results. The alignment tool they supply it a great idea and works well. Only if you are not on a large hunk of steel boat. It is designed to clip on the back of the dish and allow you to point the dish in the correct direction for the satellite you are trying to lock onto, and gives different locations in europe. There is also an azimuth setting aid to get the vertical alignment correct.

 

BUT, being a magnetic compass device, the steel of the boat makes it useless. So I had taken it off and away from the boat, away from most of the magnetic influence of the boat, and worked out which direction to point the dish. With the tone assist alighment setting, I had no problems in 95% of the mooring places. The only problem was when moored at Trinity Marina, when the buildings obstructed the signal. I can recommend this kit from Maplins.

 

 

Cool. So my tinkering this coming weekend may prove frustrating using the compass doobery that was supplied with the dish, then?! I won't get too cross with it and lob it in the canal if I can't get it to work then... I'll see how it goes.

[Chris J W]

Cool. So my tinkering this coming weekend may prove frustrating using the compass doobery that was supplied with the dish, then?! I won't get too cross with it and lob it in the canal if I can't get it to work then... I'll see how it goes.

 

The one in the kit I got was neither use'n'ornament in or out of the boat! Thankfully my spare phone has a compass as one of it's features, otherwise I'd've forked out for a cheapish hiking compass. I find standing about 6ft from the boat works best for working out where 147deg is. Then it's just a matter of using the built in tone feature to lock on to the satellite. Great bits of kit. Be even better as more channels go Free To View via Freesat.

[BlueStringPudding]

Well I can report that my cheap n cheerful satellite dish works a treat! I set it up on Saturday afternoon and in about an hour I was watching all sorts of crap! Yay!

 

Like some of you have found, I too found the satellite-finding gizmo that came with the dish a bit rubbish with about 4 different readings for south unless I walked down the towpath, plus the added confusion of having to work out in which direction my nearest city is - gawd knows how that's supposed to help, then twiddling the dial till it showed me where Astra is. So I resorted to following the destructions that came in the troubleshooting section at the back of the instruction manual for the digibox thingy instead. That suggested pointing the dish south then tweaking it 3mm to the left - precise enough for me!

 

So this weekend I enjoyed the first snow-free episode of Doctor Who since buying the boat , watched the latest series of Family Guy and found no less than 3 channels showing the same episode of Two Pints of Lager , which I can't stand. (So at that point I went to the pub and promptly drank Two Pints of Lager instead! )

 

So all in all, well worth £49.99 I say.

 

Here's a question though: how do I make it thief-proof? It's just attached to the boat via the G-clamp that comes with it at the moment, which any old scrote could undo. And I can't see anywhere to attached a chain to it as the whole thing kinda just clicks together. Any advice - as I don't fancy taking it down every morning and realigning it every evening?

Edited June 9, 2008 by BlueStringPudding

[bottle]

as I don't fancy taking it down every morning and realigning it every evening?

 

That is probably the only way to make it totally thief proof and even that is not guaranteed.

 

One thing that would be possible is to drill a hole through the threaded part of the g-cramp, and place a padlock through, to stop it being undone. Depends on the size of the bolt and a suitable padlock.

 

That only really secures the g-cramp but it may well act as a deterrent.

[saltysplash]

Here's a question though: how do I make it thief-proof? It's just attached to the boat via the G-clamp that comes with it at the moment, which any old scrote could undo. And I can't see anywhere to attached a chain to it as the whole thing kinda just clicks together. Any advice - as I don't fancy taking it down every morning and realigning it every evening?

 

 

If your in one place for a few days. with the dish in its correct position, just mark in chalk on the roof its direction and then remove the dish from the G clamp. Come home and slot it back in lining up the chalk marks and hope it hasnt rained since youve been at work

[BlueStringPudding]

That is probably the only way to make it totally thief proof and even that is not guaranteed.

 

One thing that would be possible is to drill a hole through the threaded part of the g-cramp, and place a padlock through, to stop it being undone. Depends on the size of the bolt and a suitable padlock.

 

That only really secures the g-cramp but it may well act as a deterrent.

 

That's stop anyone nicking the G-clamp , however every bit of the dish, LNB, supporting bar, bracket and clamp can be undone and taken to pieces separately! Perhaps I'll go for the chalk on the roof idea which is a good one... till it rains!

[alan_fincher]

Unless you are going to permanently glue all the components of the dish and LNB together, so it could no longer be flat packed, I can't see any possibility of securing it.

 

Getting the knack of lining it up is surprisingly easy, once you have the hang of it, so if you think it might "go walkies", I'd remove it between uses.

 

Often the easiest way of knowing where to point the dish when on a new location, is to look for dishes on other boats and buildings, and simply mimic them. If pointed roughly the right way, you can usually then fine tune on the "bleeper" alone, surprisingly quickly.

[Amwris]

That's stop anyone nicking the G-clamp , however every bit of the dish, LNB, supporting bar, bracket and clamp can be undone and taken to pieces separately! Perhaps I'll go for the chalk on the roof idea which is a good one... till it rains!

 

 

I will definitely have to get me one of these things. Instead of chalk try using a "glass pen" we use them in pubs for writing on glass (duh) and as weatherproof writing on chalkboards.

 

cheers

Phil