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Hello having recently bought our first caravan and towing it to conwy for a few days we noticed a few vans with satelite dishes has anybody here bought or used one and is there a particular set up to go for? what are they like to alllign tune in? ive got a 15" lcd tv but the reception was awful on the normal aerial we took

thanks ian and andrea.

Hi and welcome,

If you do a search you should find a load of posts on this subject. I do use satellite TV in my van. I take the Sky box from home and a second dish that I got from e-bay (about £17). I made my own stand from a washing line post spike and a bit of old steel tube I got from the tip (total cost £2.99). I then bought an alignment kit off e-bay (about £15) and have had great TV eveywhere I've been except two sites, where there were trees in the way.

When you search the other posts you will find a link to a site that describes everything in more detail.

Good luck

Mike

Look here

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ReturnPage=Active&ForumID=8&TopicID=16400&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=6&showActive=10

Hi Ian & Andrea

Setting up a satellite system for your Caravan isn't too difficult and once you get used to it you can have it up and running in 10 minutes. I use a Multimo dish (£120 from Towsure)  see gallery picture. Although it's not cheap it is small (40 cm diameter) and unobtrusive. You could use a second hand sky mini-dish and mount it on a tripod , but the tripod will need anchoring down to stop it getting blown over.

To set it up I find the right direction using a compass. adjust the elavation angle and using a sat finder (electronic bleep type)  turn the dish until the sat finder is bleeping at the loudest strength. Once the dish is in the right postion I use 2 heavy duty tent pegs to hold the dish in position on the ground - this also stops it getting blown over - When we leave the caravan unattended I just disconnect the cable from the dish and slide it out from under the tent pegs. The dish is then safely locked away inside the caravan.To use the dish again it is simply slid up to the the 2 tent pegs and does not have to be re-aligned again. I use an old sky digital box to receive the picture - the box is put under the front seat locker and connected to the tv using co-ax arial cable - I use a Sky infra red link that plugs into the TV arial socket so that I can operate the digi-box using the remote.

I have used the Multimo as far north as Fort William in Scotland and it would be OK in Northern France.

You dont need a sky card for several channels and if you use the sky card from home you wont be able to get the movie channels if you suscribe to them at home.

If you end up with a sat system you wont be dissapointed . It certainly has put an end to a lot of frustration with poor reception using Arials.

Good Luck.

Use this link for more info

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/de.sullivan/

Terry thanks a million you have cut through a mine field of conflicting information like a laser! i gave up on the idea before i even started but after perusing your enllightening site i have truly seen the light!!! ive bid on a dish on ebay and i'm sure pretty soon i'll be marvelling at my crystal reception when all around, my neighbouring van dwelling friends damn and blast as they furtively trudge outside in the pouring rain to swivel their terrestrial tv antenna's to gain slightly less fuzz than before, come lets all join together and praise Terry this modern day guru of satelite tv,

cheers Terry.

Is it Terry who is the Guru or David Sullivan

You can pick up Sat systems at car boots

I recently got a dish and digi box for £5

Hi

A good source of information is www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk 

Regards

Tyreman

Hogle

I can't take any credit for David Sullivans excellant 'Satellite for Caravans' web site

I was just pointing you in the right direction.

Totally agree about David's website but that is not to mean that I was trying to detract from your previous posting Terry

Regards