JohnP Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Has anyone had any experience with this model of satellite dish? Would be interested in it's quality, ease of setting and coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Hi John We have friends with a Swift Sundance who have bought one of these. They are very pleased with it. It lays flat on the roof when travelling and Bill has no trouble finding a signal. There are always the problems with tree's of course, but on the whole Bill is very pleased with it. We thought about getting one fitted too, but unlike Bill, our wardrobe is in the wrong place and we don't fancy having the handle etc on show in the centre of our living area. We have since bought a stand alone dish on a tripod. We have never not managed to get a signal, but sometimes we don't bother with it and then we have the problem of where to store it in the motorhome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Hi, We bought one and had it installed a couple of years ago. Control handle was fitted by our choice in middle of roof so that we can see TV when adjusting it, Wardrobe door would have blocked our view if we had fitted it there. Setting up requires a fair bit of patience at times, and it important to get the bearing correct for Astra2 as we have a Sky Minibox which is sluggish to respond. We set the bearing first to point where we think astra 2 should be and then crank up the elevation and fiddle with both in sequence until with luck the signal locks in. Squealer box is used and we tweak for loudest signal, but a better device which identifies the satellite would be a boon, but they cost an arm and 3 legs so we use patience. We have received Sky news when in South of France, and when in Austria (innsbruck) but coverage of BBC and ITV that far afield is poor. UK coverage is no problem, subject to tree obstructions etc Beaaring accuracy is important and a couple of degrees off is enough to lose signal. Trees are the biggest headache, getting a clear view is vital. typical set up time has been 5 minutes or less on a good day, to abandoning the attempt in frustation at worst and having a cup of tea while tempers cooled. Sky minibox is very slow in responding and a better box should be considered. When we had a freestanding dish, were we always able to position it to receive signals avoiding obstructions, but moving the van to do similar is not always feasible. Have fun, and enjoy it. tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I have one, it works very well, I use a Comag receiver that came with a Lidl camping set, they are still available for around £50. The signal indicator from the receiver is like lightening, I can simply swing around until I see a flash of signal and then peak for best signal. Takes me no more than a minute! It has pulled in BBC and ITV etc as far as the top end of Spain but then it is just the news channels etc. The channels and signal strengths may all change soon ( I fear for the worse) in Spain and France, so we will have to wait and see. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitrats Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Fitted one of these the other week. Easy to install yourself as long as you are brave enough to drill a 38mm hole in the ,be brave.The instruction are not brilliant so look at campervanstuff.co.uk, they have good instructions and photos too. Fitted ours in the roof close to the wall cupboards so the cable can drop inside the cupboard out of sight. Setting up is very easy as long as you find north the calibration ring does the rest. We keep a sat finder in the line hid in the cupboard. We have also fitted it so you can view whats going on through the roof light! As others say trees are the bug bare, I still keep the Aldi camping kit in the Toad in case of tree problems. The good thing is you set up very quickly without standing outside in the rain shouting to the wife inside! After lots of shopping around I got mine from conrad.co.uk . Another plus point is they are less likely to get damaged in the wind , unlike the dish type. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silicongyro Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 My experience is very similar to Halli - I also have the cheap Lidl receiver which is excellent with built in signal strength indication. I have used the Camos crank up plus unit for nearly 2 years now - virtually full time. It is durable, and has never needed to be lowered in winds, nor lost signal in winds. We have travelled over southern UK, north and west Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. The full range of UK based signals have always been readily received except in Spain and Portugal where only the southern Astra 2 beam is picked up - eg CNN, Sky news . Installation was pretty simple, and I am pleased both with the low exterior roof profile and the small proection into the living area roofspace. One tip I can offer is to try and buy a simple compass, but with transparent body - so that it is viewable from underneath. Then locate an area of your roof near to the wind up mechanism, but not near to ferrous metal or magnets - trial and error. Thereafter once you arrive at a site, wind up the aerial the same number of turns you lowered it the last time(in my case usually 9 or 10), put your compass on your roof spot ,align Crank up dial with north/south, and turn unit to indicated Astra 2 range. Fine tune with receiver indicator. Sounds complicated but I set up within 3 to 4 mins more or less ever time. Of course trees and other obstructions affect this Camos just as they do wih all satellite dishes/ domes. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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