Satellite dishes/digital boxes.

[Guest Mike Culver]

Shall we invest in them?. We are getting conflicting reports on reception from 'dishes' in France and Spain. we know that'size matters' but with a reasonable sized dish what can we expect to receive? does the type of digital box help and would it help if it was mounted on the roof or just on a tripod, any suggestions ? in anticipation thanks. Be lucky Mike

[Guest barrie]

i use a satellite system around la rochelle & get excellent reception from astra 2with the dish on a tripod in my back garden.my system cost 75 euros in a french supermarket.well worth it !

[Guest David]

I too have heard conflicting reports. I have bought a Pace 1000 (javelin) Digibox and was thinking of getting the Maxview 66cm x 80cm eliptical dish on a tripod to match with it but would also welcome any advice/information. Regards, david

[Guest Bill Ord]

I've seen the Maxview recieving all the free channels in the Nice area this year. It was roof mounted and from my experience if it recieves BBC 2 in that area then it's going to be fine down to about Barcelona. One of the best designs; being eliptical it's about the same as an 85cm in performance Bill Ord

[Guest Brian Kirby]

No direct experience of this, but I have a Roadpro catalogue that gives a huge amount of information on dishes and what they do and on the boxes. They say that they will give advice on what works where, and on what to buy/expect for different locations. They also claim wide touring experience with the equipment they sell (which comes from a variety of manufactirers), and that if they tell you something works, the advice is based upon their own experience. They've convinced me they know what they were talking about, but I still haven't convinced myself I want to spend all that dosh just to get the news. (The rest of the current TV offerings I think I can happily live without!) The summary seems to be that you are clost to/at the limits for reception of many UK stations in much of Southern Europe. However, not all dishes are equal and some small ones out-perform larger ones. I suggest you see what they have to say before you part with your cash. Can't hurt. Regards Brian

[Guest Colin]

Last January I managed to receive BBC1 and Sky news in the Coimbra area of Portugal using a roof mounted Maxview 66cm dish. Colin

[Guest Mike E]

Colin I've been trying to find a supplier who can provide and fit a Maxview 66cms crank up rooftop dish. I have rung around many dealers and have failed to find a suitable supplier. The only one I found wanted around £700 to supply and fit which I consider extortionate given that the dish cost comes in around £350. I have even e mailed Maxview but they have ignored my request. Could I be so bold as to ask where did you buy yours and who fitted it?

[Guest Dave]

I'm sorry to re-post this question from about 10 days ago in a different thread, but I didn't get any replies and I was wondering if anyone had actually seen it (and of course I'm quite keen to get some help!). I was talking to Andy Harris of Roadpro at the Earl's Court show on Friday and was very interested to hear that you can get Sky and CNN plus some BBC radio programmes using just a 300mm diameter dish in Southern Spain. Being in the planning phase of ultimately full timing in Europe but still wanting to keep in touch with world news in English (but not wanting a 1200mm dish to get Sky Sports etc, from what I can gather - nor wanting to pay 40 quid a month for the privilege either!) this sounded like a good alternative. He quoted about 400 pounds for the lot including digibox etc which sounded OK as a one-off payment. The article he pointed me at in their catalogue is also on their website: http://roadpro.co.uk/techTips01.asp?TechTipID=15 and I was wondering if anybody out there has any comments on it, or any clever (and legal!) ways of getting more stations down in Malaga?

[Guest JohnP]

If you are after a Maxview Crank-up try Melksham Satellite. They can be found at www.satelliteonline.co.uk. They are very efficient and the goods are dispatched direct from the manufacturer and received within a few days. I don't know what your DIY skills are like but I fitted my unit myself to a new van. The large mounting plate was glued on with Sikaflex. However, you do have to have the courage to drill the hole through the roof for the mechanism. The instructions are comprehensive and it is easy to line up in use. The fitting instructions can be found on the Maxview website

[Guest Mike E]

Thank you John P. My DIY skills are OK but I would prefer not to fit one of these myself as me and water leaks go together. I have e mailed the Melksham supplier to see if he can suggest a local fitter. In the meantime any further suggestions for a supply and fit job would be welcome.

[Guest Rees]

Since December 2002 we have had a roof-mounted dish on our Herald Aragon. This was supplied and fitted by CAS Mobile Satellites, 2 Cranleigh Ave., Sneyd Green Stoke on Trent (tel 01782 280071). LKen Caswell, the man who runs this business, says that he is the sole importer of this particular dish equipment in the UK. The dish is a German manufacture under the name CAS SAT-LIGHT. The aluminium rust-free dish has 65cm diameter and folds down to about 21cm from the roof. It has been fitted into the wardrobe, with excellent seal through the roof and is operated manually from wihtin the van, with an excellent satellite direction meter. The total cost of fitting was just over £500 but we are very pleased with the installation and quality of the aerial. However, Mr. Caswell will also supply the same equipment for self fitting for about £150 less. He alsooffers other much more expensive dishes as well. We use our dish with a Pace 100 minidigi box (bought for less than £100 on eBay!). We continue to receive excellent pictures and radio etc throughout much of France, much of Germany. This year we received got S4C, BBC radio 4 and Channel 4 (England) in Bologne, Italy but not the BBC1, BBC2 or ITV1. It is splendid be able to receive Welsh language TV and radio so far from home! We went for the manual aerial because if problems arose it would be cheaper to repair than an automatic system. Providing there are no trees, tall buildings in the way, we always receive excellent pictures - whether on mains hookup or from the leisure battery. Hope this might be of interest.

[Guest Mike E]

Thanks Rees. As a Welshman I would be more than happy to receive S4C while in Europe although my Welsh is not that great. In fact my wife tells me it is non existant. The reason I was interested in the Maxview is because it employs a crank up system and elimintes the need for a poll and an adjacent wardrobe. It has a handle that folds flush with the inside roof. This means that it can be fitted anywhere on the roof. I shall though speak to the CAS people. Thanks for your response. Are there any Maxview crank up satellite system owners out there who can advise on a supply and fit dealer?