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OH is looking at these as an addition for next year (I would like to point out this is without ever using the Status 530 aerial yet ahem) as he would like to receive satellite channels - this broadly translates into sport.  As we go to Europe for 2 weeks of the year he's thinking of getting the larger dish so we could receive satellite anywhere without having to alter the set up etc (although I can't see me sat inside watching tv whilst the sun shining).  Does this work as smoothly as he imagines - looking at this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330411002821&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT 

We use one if we're on a site where the normal tv signal is poor, it doesn't pick up sports channels though, it mainly gets the ones available on Freeview, and literally HUNDREDS of foreign ones, lol. I'm not an expert at all but you can get Sky on some, I presume you have to subscribe?

We always seem to find it fiddly to tune in for some reason but some seem to get it done in a few minutes.

We're glad we have it though.

Hi I went to Spain last year and got all the english chanels as far south as valencia. Using a 1.1 metre dish. Going further to alacanti the sky box has to be altered. Go to services type in 4-0-1 okay enter then go to default transponder 2 then 12129 then save. You should then recieve a few channels. ie movies and afew others.Oh and skew transponder 15 degrees.

Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 05/8/2010

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In the UK the terrestrial TV Status 530 will in something like 80% of the locations work and this ought to improve as digital switch over spreads.

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Is the 530 that basic, UFO-shaped one? Because that is utter tripe - we tried it on the first 4 sites we ever went to and it worked OK (analogue only) on the first one and virtually nothing on the other sites, which is why we bought a cheap (£80) satellite kit from Maplins.

That only has a 35cm dish but it worked fine in a site just north of Paris - going to the Vendee in a couple of weeks so we'll see if it works there...

Ah ok plenty of food for thought there - excuse me if I am being really dim here but if we take our Sky+ box do we just need the dish & a sat finder?

We will be going as far as Italy so I think thats why its a big dish

Yes Fiona Dish/tripod, Sat finder, compass.

Suggest long lead on dish so you can freely move it around to avoid trees, buildings etc. and would recommend SLX satfinder £14.99 from B&Q or online. This is an excellent sat finder and we found it so easy this year in France when we took our new Sky+HD box - for the sport.

We only use an old domestic small oval dish 53cmx43cm which has worked for us all over France [and UK]. However Italy may require a larger dish.

Check out this very good site for different dish size footprints across EU.

http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/

I have the Aldi kit, which consists of grey box which has a free to air 12/240v receiver, small dish, and various brackets for mounting the dish, a single LNB, f connectors, cable, and a useless compass.

I also have a large dish with additional LNB and a tripod. I use a MaxiView compass as an aid to setting the dish up initially. The receiver has its own set up page which is very simple to use.

This is not as simple as one thinks. When I started it took up to a few hers to get a sat link, I can do it within a few minutes, even through hedgerows, if I can find a big enough porthole to point the dish though (it has to have line of site). THIS IS NOT SKY, but free to air channels, it would be good to look at the new generation FTA HD units, if you have a HD ready TV?

Here are some links:-

http://www.mysilvercrest.de/en/artikel.php?a=82

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=217921

http://www.maxview.ltd.uk/products/satellite_equipment.html

 I have the Silvercrest setup also my large dish is by the same the tripod was purchased on ebay.

Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 05/8/2010

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Is the 530 that basic, UFO-shaped one? Because that is utter tripe - we tried it on the first 4 sites we ever went to and it worked OK (analogue only) on the first one and virtually nothing on the other sites, which is why we bought a cheap (£80) satellite kit from Maplins.

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The Status 530 is one of their latest offerings, while I agree that the old one that you are, I believe, referring to above was indeed a load of "tripe",  the 530 is IMHO a quantum leap. We use it on our Freeview box and provided there is a signal in that area then it works a treat for us.