Once again would love to hear from the experienced out there, this time in relation to TV satellite dishes. Basically not sure what's best, either a hand cranking roof mounted dish or the portable tripod type. I gather there is about $1000 difference, naturally I prefer ease of operation but wonder what is more practical. I'm not a huge TV watcher but like to keep an eye on a few of the important things such as cricket, AFL, NRL and the occasional fishing show.
Again thanks for any advice.
KFT said
03:10 PM Jan 30, 2016
G'day NFA
It all depends, If you like to camp in the shade of a tree then the fixed dish will nearly always have a tree in the sight path to the satellite. Convenient to use yes very.
I am still using a chest height tripod and have been for the last 10 years or so. I can position it where it can get a good signal, I do not have to get down on my knees to set it up or aim it. I do peg it down so it will not blow over.
We too like to watch the Tenis and the NRL games so it just has to be right.
Hope that helps you make a decision.
Frank
mickm said
03:22 PM Jan 30, 2016
The roof mount is better in that you don't have to find a space to store it, but as the other post says you may be snookered by an obstacle. Also some of the roof mounts are smaller units that are not ideal for WA. I have a portable system which I carry in the shower well as I could not justify the price of the roof mounted system. There are 3 things that are critical for a removal system.
1. An 80cm dish is required for reception in some places.
2. A good digital sat finder tuned into the Optus satellite
3. An ajustable tripod to get the thing level. Fixed base plates don't cut it and a few degrees is critical.
Mick
Gundog said
07:54 PM Jan 30, 2016
I vote for the manual version because thats what I have. But i have a clamp the fits the drawbar or rear bumper and a tripod, the makes positioning very flexible, aiming I have the elcheapo swing neeedle sat finder and a compass, i have wikicamps app on the tablet that combined with the aiming info from the vast box, enables me to aim in the general direction and elevation and then use the satfinder to fine tune the 3 requirements - elevation, direction and and LNB twist.
I use a 4head LNB using 3 feeds 1 to the vast and 2 to the IQ foxtel box
My dish is 80cm which I will upgrade to a 90cm dish when i get to Mackay (from Vansat).
My dish travels on the rear bumper.
No Fixed Address said
09:19 AM Jan 31, 2016
Well it sounds like manual is the way to go, and a lot less expensive.
Thanks to all for the insight and advise.
Sparkster said
04:32 PM Jan 31, 2016
I use the triangular base setup for the dish which sits very close to the ground and is easy to use and is not influenced by the winds as the tripod types can be.
I've seen the tripod types flapping quite a lot in heavy winds and spoken with the the owners afterwards and they have said that they lose signal in those conditions.
I've found it very easy to set up and get full signal in minutes on most occasions.
I use primarily the analogue signal meter and in some cases the digital one one but seem to have most success with the analogue one.
So if you want to keep it simple and cheap the analogue is the way to go.
Well worth having as you'll get a signal all over the place and in crook weather when you can't get out it's great.
Yabbietol said
07:17 PM Jan 31, 2016
Recently bought the below kit from Access in WA ($600 with postage) it works real well and for an extra $150 option got the fancy Sat finder which is very easy to use. It was not too hard to set up and there are videos on their site help a bit.
Good luck there is much gear to choose from just be careful of some of the cheap options that are not a complete set up, they sometimes save money by not supplying cables, etc.
-- Edited by Yabbietol on Sunday 31st of January 2016 07:18:12 PM
iana said
08:28 PM Jan 31, 2016
Hi "No Fixed Address" (A true Grey Nomad Eh!),
I went and brought the kit from Access Antennas, the tripod set up looked quite strong. I haven't used it yet on a trip, but set it up at home a few times to see how the set-up works. The tripod has an outer and inner tube used to raise and swivel the dish, the dish is attached to the inner tube, and then the two locked together by a clamping bush. I found that the dish wobbled because the inner tube was only supported by this one bush (clamp). The tripod is now at an engineering company getting another bush made up to support the bottom of the tube.
I also found that the cabling was messy, and am looking at making a semi-fixed position for the tripod on the "A" frame, and install some fixed aerial cabling from there along the chassis up to the set box position.
I did not go for any sat finders except what was in the kit, and found that between the supplied sat finder, and the sat finder program supplied with the set top box, it was easy to set up.
No Fixed Address said
06:59 AM Feb 1, 2016
Actually I like the idea of attaching it to the A frame or the rear bumper bar on a swing out type of attachment, but I'm figuring this would be great for storage but have the same drawbacks as a roof mounted one when parked under a tree etc.
Yabbietol said
05:12 PM Feb 1, 2016
I purchased this "bent pipe" when I bought my kit to save on postage.
I then went to a car exhaust pipe company and got them to make me a couple of lengths of exhaust pipe which they flared to fit the "bent pipe". I then bolted the pieces of exhaust to the caravan. One pipe on the front and one on the back, the "bent pipe" then just sleeves into the flared end of the exhaust pipe and is secured by a long bolt inserted through a couple of holes I drilled.
Therefore, I have a mounting point for the antenna dish on both the front and back of caravan which gives me 360 degree coverage. The tripod is stored in a locker and only used if I cannot get good reception from either the front or back mount due to trees or other obstructions. I store the dish under the bed, as I am not comfortable with travelling with the dish permanently mounted, though many people do travel with their dish mounted on their A frame or rear caravan bumper.
PS the "bent pipe" comes with a jockey wheel clamp for mounting the pipe, but I preferred to not use it and used the exhaust pipe mounts instead.
AlanandNise said
05:30 PM Feb 1, 2016
We have an 80cm tripod mounted dish and Satplus decoder from Access antennas. We also use a digital satellite finder. I've made an offset pole for the dish that mounts on the rear bumper of the van, or on the frame of the firewood carrier on the front for times when we can get clear line of sight to the satellite from the van. We carry the dish on a bracket mounted inside the rear bumper. I've used jockey wheel clamps to attach the poles to the van bumper, and it is a simple matter to attach and detach the pole/holders from one place to another.
The decoder is permanently set up in a cupboard under the bench where the TV bracket is mounted, so there is no setting up and taking down the internals every time we move.
It takes about 5 minutes to detach and set up the dish, and about another two minutes to lock onto the Optus satellite.
I agree having the "S" mount is a good idea, with mounting points fore and aft, you should be able to get "line of sight" to the satellite from one mount or the other. If your bumper is strong enough its the way to go (my bumper isn't strong enough). Permanent wiring to each mount and its a great set up.
Hi folks,
Once again would love to hear from the experienced out there, this time in relation to TV satellite dishes. Basically not sure what's best, either a hand cranking roof mounted dish or the portable tripod type. I gather there is about $1000 difference, naturally I prefer ease of operation but wonder what is more practical. I'm not a huge TV watcher but like to keep an eye on a few of the important things such as cricket, AFL, NRL and the occasional fishing show.
Again thanks for any advice.
It all depends, If you like to camp in the shade of a tree then the fixed dish will nearly always have a tree in the sight path to the satellite. Convenient to use yes very.
I am still using a chest height tripod and have been for the last 10 years or so. I can position it where it can get a good signal, I do not have to get down on my knees to set it up or aim it. I do peg it down so it will not blow over.
Have you had a look here?:www.satplus.com.au/collections/roof-mounted-satellite-systems
We too like to watch the Tenis and the NRL games so it just has to be right.
Hope that helps you make a decision.
Frank
The roof mount is better in that you don't have to find a space to store it, but as the other post says you may be snookered by an obstacle. Also some of the roof mounts are smaller units that are not ideal for WA. I have a portable system which I carry in the shower well as I could not justify the price of the roof mounted system. There are 3 things that are critical for a removal system.
1. An 80cm dish is required for reception in some places.
2. A good digital sat finder tuned into the Optus satellite
3. An ajustable tripod to get the thing level. Fixed base plates don't cut it and a few degrees is critical.
Mick
Well it sounds like manual is the way to go, and a lot less expensive.
Thanks to all for the insight and advise.
I use the triangular base setup for the dish which sits very close to the ground and is easy to use and is not influenced by the winds as the tripod types can be.
I've seen the tripod types flapping quite a lot in heavy winds and spoken with the the owners afterwards and they have said that they lose signal in those conditions.
I've found it very easy to set up and get full signal in minutes on most occasions.
I use primarily the analogue signal meter and in some cases the digital one one but seem to have most success with the analogue one.
So if you want to keep it simple and cheap the analogue is the way to go.
Well worth having as you'll get a signal all over the place and in crook weather when you can't get out it's great.
Recently bought the below kit from Access in WA ($600 with postage) it works real well and for an extra $150 option got the fancy Sat finder which is very easy to use. It was not too hard to set up and there are videos on their site help a bit.
Sat Kit:
www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-kits-systems/caravan-satellite-kits2/
Optional Fancy Sat Finder:
www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-products/satlink-rv-caravan-satellite-alignment-meter-with-digital-screen-display-built-in-rechargeable-battery-12v-car-charger-and-240v-cable/
Good luck there is much gear to choose from just be careful of some of the cheap options that are not a complete set up, they sometimes save money by not supplying cables, etc.
-- Edited by Yabbietol on Sunday 31st of January 2016 07:18:12 PM
I went and brought the kit from Access Antennas, the tripod set up looked quite strong. I haven't used it yet on a trip, but set it up at home a few times to see how the set-up works. The tripod has an outer and inner tube used to raise and swivel the dish, the dish is attached to the inner tube, and then the two locked together by a clamping bush. I found that the dish wobbled because the inner tube was only supported by this one bush (clamp). The tripod is now at an engineering company getting another bush made up to support the bottom of the tube.
I also found that the cabling was messy, and am looking at making a semi-fixed position for the tripod on the "A" frame, and install some fixed aerial cabling from there along the chassis up to the set box position.
I did not go for any sat finders except what was in the kit, and found that between the supplied sat finder, and the sat finder program supplied with the set top box, it was easy to set up.
Actually I like the idea of attaching it to the A frame or the rear bumper bar on a swing out type of attachment, but I'm figuring this would be great for storage but have the same drawbacks as a roof mounted one when parked under a tree etc.
www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-kits-systems/caravan-satellite-kits2/s-bend-pole-with-draw-bar-mount-to-suit-satellite-dish/
I then went to a car exhaust pipe company and got them to make me a couple of lengths of exhaust pipe which they flared to fit the "bent pipe". I then bolted the pieces of exhaust to the caravan. One pipe on the front and one on the back, the "bent pipe" then just sleeves into the flared end of the exhaust pipe and is secured by a long bolt inserted through a couple of holes I drilled.
Therefore, I have a mounting point for the antenna dish on both the front and back of caravan which gives me 360 degree coverage. The tripod is stored in a locker and only used if I cannot get good reception from either the front or back mount due to trees or other obstructions. I store the dish under the bed, as I am not comfortable with travelling with the dish permanently mounted, though many people do travel with their dish mounted on their A frame or rear caravan bumper.
PS the "bent pipe" comes with a jockey wheel clamp for mounting the pipe, but I preferred to not use it and used the exhaust pipe mounts instead.
We have an 80cm tripod mounted dish and Satplus decoder from Access antennas. We also use a digital satellite finder. I've made an offset pole for the dish that mounts on the rear bumper of the van, or on the frame of the firewood carrier on the front for times when we can get clear line of sight to the satellite from the van. We carry the dish on a bracket mounted inside the rear bumper. I've used jockey wheel clamps to attach the poles to the van bumper, and it is a simple matter to attach and detach the pole/holders from one place to another.
The decoder is permanently set up in a cupboard under the bench where the TV bracket is mounted, so there is no setting up and taking down the internals every time we move.
It takes about 5 minutes to detach and set up the dish, and about another two minutes to lock onto the Optus satellite.