Sat.Disc - portable

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Any information on portable Satellite dishes appreciated, mag mount or suction fixing.

 

Am coupling it to a Avtex tv with built in Freesat so no decoder needed.

 

Most I have looked on tinternet seem to include the decoder (Maplin etc).

 

Thanks - did see one on Ebay but all the instructions were in German - and could not find a download in English.

 

Thanks, Happy Boating.

 

Leo.

[Nickhlx]

Hi,

 

Any information on portable Satellite dishes appreciated, mag mount or suction fixing.

 

Am coupling it to a Avtex tv with built in Freesat so no decoder needed.

 

Most I have looked on tinternet seem to include the decoder (Maplin etc).

 

Thanks - did see one on Ebay but all the instructions were in German - and could not find a download in English.

 

Thanks, Happy Boating.

 

Leo.

 

 

The Avtex has a menu option to energise the aerial cable with power for the mast head amp ( or not) - if in doubt try with it off first save risking the amp (or the TV)

 

Nick

 

 

[OldGoat]

The Avtex has a menu option to energise the aerial cable with power for the mast head amp ( or not) - if in doubt try with it off first save risking the amp (or the TV)

Nick

 

 

Please Sir,

The OP is talking about satellite kit not Freeview.

 

No mast head amp needed for a dish (but the LNB thingy needs a power supply)

[OldGoat]

Hi,

 

Any information on portable Satellite dishes appreciated, mag mount or suction fixing.

Am coupling it to a Avtex tv with built in Freesat so no decoder needed.

Most I have looked on tinternet seem to include the decoder (Maplin etc).

Thanks - did see one on Ebay but all the instructions were in German - and could not find a download in English.

Thanks, Happy Boating.

 

Leo.

 

Methinks you'll have trouble getting anything at a price that you consider reasonable. Plenty of choices for full sized dishes.

 

If you have the patience wait for Aldi / Lidl portable kit offers (cheaper than Maplin who are always overpriced), and bin the receiver part.

 

I don't fancy the very small dishes, so I bought a 40cm Triax - It's got a folding arm so stores better when not in use - and we stick it on a pole that can extend to get over hedges.....

 

 

 

Hurry, hurry, kit on sale at Ebay now for £25 BIN (11:09 1/7/2012) AND it's a dish kit (only) - looks a good one too with 3 magnets? or sucker?

Edited July 1, 2012 by OldGoat

[Keeping Up]

I checked and was disappointed to see that Roadpro no longer sell the Kerstan dish on its own. You can buy the complete kit from them with receiver etc, or you can buy all the parts of the dish individually as spares so you could build your own - but at silly prices.

 

I don't fancy the very small dishes, so I bought a 40cm Triax

 

Why is that? A smaller dish will be more tolerant of slight movements of the boat.

[OldGoat]

I checked and was disappointed to see that Roadpro no longer sell the Kerstan dish on its own. You can buy the complete kit from them with receiver etc, or you can buy all the parts of the dish individually as spares so you could build your own - but at silly prices.

 

 

 

Why is that? A smaller dish will be more tolerant of slight movements of the boat.

 

 

Dunno really, given that various folks have said the small ones are good.

HOWEVER at the time I decided,

• the small dishes were silly money (£140)
• the LNBs were of questionable quality and unusual design
• replacement LNBs are an issue - being "non standard"
• We like to put the kit away when not in use, not so much for being unsightly, but being attacket by trees (! Thrupp and other places...)
• We like to time shift programmes - so need a quad LNB which the "prime focus" dishes can't do.
   
  When ordering the hull I had a piece of tube inserted into the front lockers for a TV aerial (hadn't discovered satellite then), so it was simple to modify a wall mounted dish to fit on a pole. The Triax dishes are good because:-
• they are well designed and solidly made,
• The integrated pole mount has plenty of bearing area to make it solid (cheaper one's are a pain to set up)
• the arm (as previously said) can be modified to fold up - making it much easier to store when cruising than a large TV aerial

 

There you go - chapter and (too much) verse. Probably too complicated for most folks. But I do have to cater for The Management's entertainment requirements - else she won't go boating. I do enjoy the technical challenge as well....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nickhlx]

Old Goat..

 

This is true... However, our TV cable installed had a "mast head" amp installed out of sight that was independantly powered...

-- The Avtex has options to power or not to power e.g. a mast head amp.

-- A Sat Dish has a LNB... it needs power ... how it gets power may be from an independant in-line "block" or rely on the TV powering it - the TV will need to be appropriately set

-- Smaller dishes are lower gain and less directional, so have a greater beamwidth and thus less susceptible to mis-alignment from the optimum

 

Nick

[Emerald]

I have the Zehnder Multimo with magnetic mount.its an expensive piece of kit but works exceptionally well and aligns easily.

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Just a note to thank all who replied, my wife can now watch the 'pics while we are away.

 

I got an Aldi style suitcase dish off ebay and coupled this to an Avtex 16" TV with Sat tuner, it has proved to be a happy marriage, after a reasonable courtship looking for Astra 28.2 and after following guidance from various Forum members the relationship was consumated and finally they hit the 'G' spot (Astra).

 

The delivery room was my garage,will try in on the boat later.

 

Lots of channels were born, all perfect except Channel 5.

 

Tips for a happy marriage, set everything up carefully and get the dish level; essential tools, spirit level and compass.

 

Don't disconnect any parts of the ariel until it's all switched off.

 

Once again many thanks.

 

Leo.

[lesrollins]

Best of luck trying to use a spirit level on a boat whilst its still in the water.

[LEO]

Best of luck trying to use a spirit level on a boat whilst its still in the water.

 

Tend to agree, but it's a tug style with lots of ballast, a ton of engine and does not roll about too much.

 

Initial setting up with a level should be easy and then when in use (on dry land) the disc has a reasoanble tolerance of movement before the signal is lost.

 

It will be interesting...

 

Leo.

[bottle]

I have two spirit levels on my dish, well one actually as one became unstuck.

 

One to make sure the dish is vertical and one to ensure LNB is orientated correctly.

 

Of course everyone has their LNB orientated correctly.

[OldGoat]

Best of luck trying to use a spirit level on a boat whilst its still in the water.

 

 

I do every time we stop if I can't find the satellite(s) easily - but that's 'cos the pole is not fxed rigidly.

However, I doo moor the boat "tight" with springs to stop it moving.

A slight amount of roll doesn't affect the signal (much).