Satellite system for France - will this one work?

[NeilE]

As per title http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150703910308?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Will it work on the south coast of France?
And if not,can you recommend one?

Thanks

 

[Clubman1]

The price quoted in your post is IMHO a tad expensive - I paid £84 for an Easyfind Satellite upgrade kit which comprised of Easyfind LNB, digibox receiver, compass,scart cable and 10m of co-ax cable. Maplins are (were) selling a folding 60cm dish in case similar to that shown in your post for £40 (ish) a couple of weeks ago. That said the dish and box were a bit bulky and heavy so I have stuck with my original 60cm dish and tripod (Maxview). A 60cm dish will pull in a signal as far south as northern Spain, we were receiving a signal with a 60 cm dish in the Gerona are in April/May this year, after 10 mins of "tweaking". Have a look at In21 Limited for Easytune kits.

 

[Lutz]

I think reception of UK channels on Astra 2D with a 60cm dish may be a bit dodgy in the south of France, particularly in case there are any dense thunderclouds in the way, and you would do well with a larger dish, but you'll find more information under http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/

 

[otherclive]

We have used our 54cm dish as far south as Narbonne and the Camargue without any problems. As Lutz says thunderclouds can affect reception but we have never encountered them but when it rains we give up any thought of tv given the din inside the van!!!

 

[PR]

That seems rather expensive to me. It is almost twice what we paid for a complete kit!

 

[dave8858]

Neil

You can buy any cheap satellite reciever ( we used the Aldi one in Burgundy no problems and I think it cost a whopping £49.99) I can recommend the new High Definition ready one from the same supplier which costs a whopping £59.99. The key to receiving decent satellite reception is the size of the dish.

I'd approach your nearest specialist satellite dealer and buy a 60cm dish ( I know an 80cm dish is recommended for Astra 2D in southern france but they do tend to be a bit conservative in the footprint estimations of the satellite and who wants Joddrel Bank outside their caravan?.

The Aldi mount as supplied will be a little too flimsy for the bigger dish but my solution to this is a vehicle screen mount for a 12 inch screen bolted to a £1.99 Wilkinsons dog food dish. This can then be drilled around the lip and awning pegs can be used to steady it in windy conditions. Being low to the ground its less susceptible to wind and unlike a tripod does not require getting on for a 3 ft diameter piece of flat land to stand on. This arrangement has served me in France quite satisfactorily.

Piccies avialable on request.

Hope that helps

Dave