OMNISAT VUQUBE semi auto sat receiver

[Alanji]

Product details here (cheaper elsewhere)

 

I have read on other threads about the problems with trees and the boat moving so would be interested to hear of others experience. I will be CCing so will be in many different locations and do not want to shell out £500 on something which does not work very well.

[Guest]

Product details here (cheaper elsewhere)

 

I have read on other threads about the problems with trees and the boat moving so would be interested to hear of others experience. I will be CCing so will be in many different locations and do not want to shell out £500 on something which does not work very well.

 

Any satellite dish or receiver of any type requires a direct line of sight to the satellite nothing can get around this - so it doesn't matter if you spend 20 odd quid like I did on ebay or a few hundred on one of these - if you moor in a location that blocks that line of sight it just ain't going to work.

 

I find my basic dish is surprisingly tolerant of boat movement - don't know about these though.

 

 

ed - sight not site you oaf.

Edited February 7, 2013 by The Dog House

[bottle]

It will be the same as all other satellite dishes, if it cannot see the sky (SSE) it will not work.

 

The only advantage that I can tell is, if it persistently raining, you can tune in without getting wet.

 

Disadvantage it is heavier than 'standard' dish and not so easily moved so the dish can see the sky.

[twbm]

I think what you're paying the extra for is that as long as you point the handle north it finds the satellite itself. The quality and sensitivity of the dish is a different thing.

[Guest]

It will be the same as all other satellite dishes, if it cannot see the sky (SSE) it will not work.

 

The only advantage that I can tell is, if it persistently raining, you can tune in without getting wet.

 

Disadvantage it is heavier than 'standard' dish and not so easily moved so the dish can see the sky.

 

I'd also want to be pretty damn sure it was well and securely fastened down to prevent theft - and Alan don't forget it will affect where you can cruise in some cases as it will increase your air - draft.

 

eg I wouldn't fancy trying Standedge with it on the roof....

 

Further ed -

 

Options exist though it seems.

 

Edited February 7, 2013 by The Dog House

[bottle]

Martin

 

It is portable and not permanently mounted.

 

ps, can you reduce the size of that picture (please) it has just taken a minute to download on my slow mobile connection and used up most of my allowance for the month.

 

edit: Oh it looks like you have.

Edited February 7, 2013 by bottle

[Guest]

Martin

 

It is portable and not permanently mounted.

 

ps, can you reduce the size of that picture (please) it has just taken a minute to download on my slow mobile connection and used up most of my allowance for the month.

 

Yes so are suitcase gennies and people can easily make off with them too, all the more reason to secure it properly then. But yes it can come down if it's not permanently fastened, I would want to have it secured somehow though.

 

- I've already sorted the photo as I had no idea it was going to appear that huge.

[BargeeSpud]

Horses for courses. Setting up a dish manually at the end of every cruising day, can be a pain even with a sat finder, compass & clear line of sight. It is so easy to set up for Astra 19.2E instead of Astra 28.2. Still, a lot of money for the VuCube when you can get a dish, pole & sat finder for about £100.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Spuds

[Athy]

When I first saw the topic title I almost reached for my old Latin to English dic. Only the final word "receiver" gave it away as being a form of English.

[bottle]

Sop you did and I had already edited my post to say you had.

 

It was this bit:

 

and Alan don't forget it will affect where you can cruise in some cases as it will increase your air - draft.

 

That made me comment, thinking you did not realise it can be stowed away, when cruising.

 

[Guest]

Horses for courses. Setting up a dish manually at the end of every cruising day, can be a pain even with a sat finder, compass & clear line of sight. It is so easy to set up for Astra 19.2E instead of Astra 28.2. Still, a lot of money for the VuCube when you can get a dish, pole & sat finder for about £100.

 

I can't actually recall since the digital switch-over completed when we last used our sat system on the boat. We always get an excellent TV picture via. the aerial nowadays and the sat system bought for when we couldn't never gets used.

 

 

That made me comment, thinking you did not realise it can be stowed away, when cruising.

 

 

No - initially I was thinking it was like the Camos which AFAIK is permanently attached....or at least can be.

 

The fact this is portable to me means I would defo want it secured somehow - after all you wouldn't leave a box on the tow-path with £700 quid in it for someone to pick up and run off with.

 

[Guest]

Just a further thought Alan - have you checked out eBay - they are a good lump cheaper on there and there is a used older model too -

 

Currently at £142 with a couple of days to go.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OMNISAT-VUQUBE-REMOTE-CONTROL-SATELLITE-DISH-SYSTEM-TWIN-LNB-CARAVAN-MOTORHOME-/321065051912?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D5428700243035849217%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D321065051912%26

[BargeeSpud]

I can't actually recall since the digital switch-over completed when we last used our sat system on the boat. We always get an excellent TV picture via. the aerial nowadays and the sat system bought for when we couldn't never gets used.

I have no choice, I don't have a digital freeview receiver or TV at the moment, only a 12V satellite receiver, so I can only use satellite.

[dor]

I've got a £50 set from Aldi - dish, HD receiver, sat finder, cable etc.

 

I usually take about 2 minutes to set up when we stop. Check for SE direction in Nicholsons (I've got a compass, but you have to be well away from the steel of the boat to get an accurate direction).

 

There is another satellite nearby, but I find if anything this helps to confirm I've got the right sat. Once I have what I think is the right one, I just move it a bit to the right and up slightly - if there is another strong sat. there I know I was on the right one and move back to it.

 

The Aldi dish has a little inclinometer on it which helps as well - the UK sat is about 21 deg. the other nearer 30.

 

I would take a fair bit of persuading to part with £600 for the benefit of having one of these as you are still going to need to put it out and secure it.

 

Also, is this one actually self-seeking or is it just moved remotely?

[Alanji]

Thanks for all the replies but no one has actually said how they get on with the Vuqube, despite pictures of them.

 

Dor - it is remote control - the self seeking ones are over £1k

 

Martin - thanks, I will keep an eye on the Ebay one. I had not started looking up prices yet - still trying to find out if it is worth it.

[Good Morning Bob]

Hi

 

I have one sat on my roof and have found it great.

 

The unit is not too heavy, easily picked up one handed, but seems to sit steadily on the roof even in the high winds we have been having recently.

 

It is pretty tolerant of boat movement. The bow of my boat swings a fair bit on my mooring but the dish seems to maintain signal pretty well. Only at the extreme edge of the movement, in really heavy wind, have I lost the picture and it has returned quickly as the boat swings back.

 

The remote control makes setup very easy. The main advantage being you can sit inside and watch the signal strength meters on the Tv as you move the dish around.

 

I agree with some of the comments above, Out on the cut I would want to secure the unit somehow. It does have a metal eye to thread a cable or padlock through.

 

While cruising I have been taking it off the roof.

 

/jh

[bottle]

Thanks for all the replies but no one has actually said how they get on with the Vuqube, despite pictures of them

 

I wonder why that is, maybe because we do not wish to spend £500 on a plastic box with a dish and a little motor inside, when for a lot less money and very little effort something cheaper is available.

 

ps. I have a standard dish on a tripod and providing the dish can see the sky, I can set it up in about one minute maybe two. No compass, just a signal meter that I only use sometimes.

[OldGoat]

I wonder why that is, maybe because we do not wish to spend £500 on a plastic box with a dish and a little motor inside, when for a lot less money and very little effort something cheaper is available.

 

ps. I have a standard dish on a tripod and providing the dish can see the sky, I can set it up in about one minute maybe two. No compass, just a signal meter that I only use sometimes.

 

 

For the lazy / or those who don't want to get wet you can buy a dish motor for under £40, which IIRC runs of the LNB supply....

[Bobbybass]

Sop you did and I had already edited my post to say you had.

 

It was this bit:

 

 

 

That made me comment, thinking you did not realise it can be stowed away, when cruising.

 

 

Thing is...that if you are going to the trouble of stowing it away...and then getting it out each time...you may as well use a cheap dish and line it up yourself...no ?

[ditchcrawler]

Product details here (cheaper elsewhere)

 

I have read on other threads about the problems with trees and the boat moving so would be interested to hear of others experience. I will be CCing so will be in many different locations and do not want to shell out £500 on something which does not work very well.

A boat moored behind us at the Blue Lias, the satalite dish popped up rotated left, then right. It did this a few times and laid down again. Few minutes later it popped up again and repeated the actions. It was still doing this when we came home from walking the dog, the reason was he was moored beside a willow tree.

[Guest]

A boat moored behind us at the Blue Lias, the satalite dish popped up rotated left, then right. It did this a few times and laid down again. Few minutes later it popped up again and repeated the actions. It was still doing this when we came home from walking the dog, the reason was he was moored beside a willow tree.

 

A boat we looked at when we were buying had one of these dishes like this I guess -

 

 

There was a lot of 'whirring' going on while the motors where struggling to get the dish aligned and it too failed (the boat was just outside Crick marina under canopy of trees) - I do wonder about power consumption of these things especially if you are off grid.

[bottle]

Thing is...that if you are going to the trouble of stowing it away...and then getting it out each time...you may as well use a cheap dish and line it up yourself...no ?

 

Yes, exactly what I and many others do.

[Grace and Favour]

A boat moored behind us at the Blue Lias, the satalite dish popped up rotated left, then right. It did this a few times and laid down again. Few minutes later it popped up again and repeated the actions. It was still doing this when we came home from walking the dog, the reason was he was moored beside a willow tree.

 

One cannot transcend the sound of Willow on the ether

[Alanji]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will go for the manual option - there are a lot of other things I can spend £500 on.

[Bobbybass]

A boat we looked at when we were buying had one of these dishes like this I guess -

 

 

There was a lot of 'whirring' going on while the motors where struggling to get the dish aligned and it too failed (the boat was just outside Crick marina under canopy of trees) - I do wonder about power consumption of these things especially if you are off grid.

 

I have a Camos dome. Brilliant piece of kit.

 

Obviously..there is NO SATELLITE DISH IN THE WORLD that will work if you are behind a tree !!

Or does anyone know differently ?

Is there some kind of clever...around a tree...dish out there..?

I actually get annoyed with people with automatic dishes..that seem to think that they spent the money...so it should work under a tree !

 

The Camos does not use any power once lined up...and even then it only uses about 30Ma to align.If it fails to align after a couple of 'spins' it ceases and shuts down. It doesn't need any fancy cabling as all of the commands etc, go through the core/screen cable that the signal goes through.

 

The dome is totally sealed, and so all bearings etc are protected from the elements. It never needs any maintenance.

 

Brilliant, but then you pay for that at £1200

Edited February 11, 2013 by Bobbybass