Crank Up or Auto Satellite Dish

[robin]

I am having difficulty justifying the significant additional cost of a self seeking dish like the Alden system as opposed to a manual crank up dish like the Maxview. I have no experience of Satellite TV so would appreciate knowing the pro's and cons from those that have. (Apologies if this has been raised before - I have had a search through the threads, but couldn't see anything) Thanks Robin

[John NG5]

Sorry, forgot to say, my home is in Northern Ireland and my friends tell me that they can keep up to date using their home sky card which gets them BBC NI and Ulster TV. Good luck with your project. John 8-)

[John NG5]

Hi Robin, My first appearance on this forum would seem to be a complete b*^*"**s. I did try to tell you about friends who run a Burstner MH but being a complete novice, obviously, I did something wrong!! They have a Omnisat 66 crank up dish and use it successfully as far away as Portugal and tell me it now only takes 3 - 4 mins to set up. They take their home sky box and card with them and are very happy with this system. I beleive the Omnisat 66 is around £350. Regards to all, John 8-)

[david lloyd]

Hi Robin I have no experience of the Maxview system but when we were looking for a satellite system for the new van we started out by thinking the Maxview 66 seemed the best option for size/reception etc. I originally thought I would get the tripod mounted version but then worried about the storage space it would take up and the time to assemble, line up and disassemble again. So we moved to the roof mounted version and there seemed to be quite a few at the York show last year so I knocked on a few doors and asked how they found it. All those I asked were quite satisfied with the reception and operation of it so I asked Mike at Leisurepower about the system and how easy it was to line up etc. Although this seems straight forward enough he also had on his stand the semi-automatic version at £399 which I thought was good value for the little extra it cost. It will raise to the correct angle of elevation and then you just turn it to the correct compass point to start receiving the signal. Unfortunately, because it has a long pole inside the van (to turn the dish) it is best sited over the wardrobe which does limit where on the roof you can have it - unlike the crank up version. After all this I was left feeling unsure but the crunch came when we wanted the new van to fit under our carport -= and this had seemed to rule out most roof mounted models, especially the expensive auto systems. However, I then spotted the Oyster Caro which folds down to just 13cm and fitted perfectly. It is not as expensive as some of the bigger dishes - probably around the same price as the Alden ones - so we took the plunge and had one fitted. Have to say it worked perfectly through France this year and all round the UK so far. Hard to justify the cost, I know, but the ease of use and the fact we can take it with us if we change van are big plusses in its' favour. Good luck with the search. Regards, david

[colin]

Having set up my multi sat system at home, and having changed several dishes over the years, setting up a manual system when traveling is fairly easy for me, but a friend of mine could not set up his home system when he changed dishes, I set it up for him in couple of minutes! Another consideration might be how often you use it, I don't allways set up dish when I stop, but if I where setting up every day when traveling I think I would be tempted by auto system.

[Rees]

I understand your concerns. We have had a windup dish fitted trhough the roof, with the pole and very effecient meter (for locating the satellite inside the wardrobe). It has proved to be excellent and we always have managed to find the satellite (when there are no trees or high building in the direct line of sight to the satellite!). It was fitted by C.A.S Mobile Satellites (01782 280071 e-mail: casmobilesat@tinyline.co.uk) a small firm who are based in Stoke on Trent We took there van there (we live in Cardiff) and they fitted it whilst I waited. That was back in December 2002 and we are very pleased with the equipment (which is German) and the fitting. All the equipment is rust-proff aluminium. Total cost was £500 but it is easily carried and the dish folds dwon to a few cms from the roof and is no problem. They also supply the same equipment as a kit much cheaper whiuch you can fit yourself. we have enjoyed watching TV and hearing British radio all over Europe.

[bjphillips]

Does anybody know why we cant have one of the small mesh dishes on a motorhome like we have on the house,& so that it folds down ?Mine on the motor is quite a big diameter one & I often have to wind it down if it gets too windy on an open site because I'm sure it would bend the arm that raises it,it doesn't look that strong.I then resort to the aeriel.I saw one fitted to a caravan that remains on site all year although thats set & left in position all the time.The wind wouldn't have to much effect on the mesh one. (?) Incidently I take my home dijibox each time I go away .

[Terrytraveller]

Hi BJ, I have seen the small mesh type UK Sky dishes used on MH's whilst touring EU and they seem to pull in the sats pretty good, usually mounted on a mast secured to the rear ladder. I use the Multimo 40cm dish (£119) mounted on the roof, access and adjustment is through the skylight. The dish is secured on the roof with a purpose made platform incorporating a 6" stub which the dish is clamped on. The platform made from an offcut of plastic soffat, is permanently stuck to the roof using a adhesive sealant. The stub is mounted on a two inch angle bracket secured to the platform with countersunk screws on the underside. The dish is easily removed and small enough to be stowed away before moving. I can usually beat the automatic systems when setting up, and even receive signals when they can't down on the med!! Regards Terry

[robin]

Thanks, all. A manual crank up would seem the way for us to go as we are relatively occassional viewers. Robin :->

[colin]

[QUOTE]bjphillips - 2006-08-25 9:21 PM Does anybody know why we cant have one of the small mesh dishes on a motorhome like we have on the house,& so that it folds down ?Mine on the motor is quite a big diameter one & I often have to wind it down if it gets too windy on an open site because I'm sure it would bend the arm that raises it,it doesn't look that strong.I then resort to the aeriel.I saw one fitted to a caravan that remains on site all year although thats set & left in position all the time.The wind wouldn't have to much effect on the mesh one. (?) Incidently I take my home dijibox each time I go away .[/QUOTE] I don't know of anybody who produces a fold down mesh dish this small, I'm guessing this is because the market is relativly small, so fold down systems are made for the european market, and most of the rest of europe require bigger dishes than that for Sky.

[zulurita]

We like our Oyster twin automatic system. Its easy to use. When I bought a free standing one & a tripod I spent hours trying to get signals etc and usually gave up in the end :'( Have a sky box with a Freeview card so no ongoing fees. Also Oyster has now been tuned in to accept Itv1 etc whereas before couldn't get itv without the sky box. Seems its been deregulated or something like that.