What TV setup is best for caravan?

[figbat]

My two penn'orth:

We bought a TV (a 'dumb' LG one) and added the Amazon Fire stick that we already had to it. We plug it into the caravan's aerial/amplifier for terrestrial Freeview and use a mobile wifi router for the Amazon streaming. Assuming decent TV and/or mobile signal both work perfectly well.

In truth though, we almost never use it and the TV often stays packed whilst away. The only time I can recall us using it in earnest was when England were in the Euro 2020 final and we happened to be away in the van.

So I'd first of all review your need for TV at all. If you still want one then plenty of good advice above.

 

[Jcloughie]

I will take a contrarian view here. I dumped the Status rooftop tv antenna, I actually filled the hole by mounting a DAB radio antenna on a piece of aluminium. Anyway TV…. We have a portable satellite dish we rarely use. We also have good mobile broadband. I have fitted a decent rooftop 4G antenna feeding a Teltonika 4G router. These get resold for caravan/motorhome use rebadged and with an antenna at vastly inflated prices, beware packages sold to the unwary by dealers. I use a Virgin SIM, unlimited data Europe wide at about 22 a month. Mostly we use the 240V smart TV fine as we usually have good broadband with this setup. We use Amazon, Netflix etc etc as usual. Obviously service is never guaranteed but mostly no need to break out the satellite dish.

Steve

I also rely on WIFi but we still used the aerial as well. We were caravaning for 39 years and went through all sorts of trauma with poor aerials and dishes. I have no doubt dishes have improved, but with the way WiFi and terrestrial reception have improved, I don't think we were let down for the last 5 years.

We used two network suppliers and always had a data signal on one of them. HD signal could be streamed without issue. And we just tethered to the phone. But clearly, a WiFi antenna would be an advantage.

If, and this never happened, we were let down by any of the above, we had many hours stored on a hard disk.

So we only had a TV and phones to worry about. Nice and simple but effective and cheap.

I could see the sense of having a dish when abroad but as the footprint has been reduced and the need for a bigger dish is needed. This was never for us. WiFi is good all over Europe though a VPN may be needed.

I wonder if some are not aware of just how digital terrestrial reception has improved, and the same with WiFi with very cheap data deals available.

Smarty, as I mentioned earlier has the added benefit of being able to switch plans month by month. And if you do end up short of data you can get an instant top-up.

Smart TV’s are advantageous and well priced. But if a ‘dumb’ TV is to be used, a Fire stick will make it smart.

John

 

[Dustydog]

In conclusion no TV signal, no WiFi NO Telly😜😜😜. TG for Satellite👍👍

 

[Jcloughie]

In conclusion no TV signal, no WiFi NO Telly😜😜😜. TG for Satellite👍👍

My point was. This situation just has not happened for the last 5 years. And if it did, I had backup. But of course, there is no guarantee, a bit like trying to get a satellite signal in trees.

If TV is that precious to you then a dish is a good idea. But I feel the OP would like to hear about the options.

John

 

[SteveW]

I also rely on WIFi but we still used the aerial as well. We were caravaning for 39 years and went through all sorts of trauma with poor aerials and dishes. I have no doubt dishes have improved, but with the way WiFi and terrestrial reception have improved, I don't think we were let down for the last 5 years.

We used two network suppliers and always had a data signal on one of them. HD signal could be streamed without issue. And we just tethered to the phone. But clearly, a WiFi antenna would be an advantage.

If, and this never happened, we were let down by any of the above, we had many hours stored on a hard disk.

So we only had a TV and phones to worry about. Nice and simple but effective and cheap.

I could see the sense of having a dish when abroad but as the footprint has been reduced and the need for a bigger dish is needed. This was never for us. WiFi is good all over Europe though a VPN may be needed.

I wonder if some are not aware of just how digital terrestrial reception has improved, and the same with WiFi with very cheap data deals available.

Smarty, as I mentioned earlier has the added benefit of being able to switch plans month by month. And if you do end up short of data you can get an instant top-up.

Smart TV’s are advantageous and well priced. But if a ‘dumb’ TV is to be used, a Fire stick will make it smart.

John

As you say you might expect to need VPN but maybe things are improving regarding European TV streaming? Our foreign use so far has been in Holland, Denmark , Norway and France and we had full BBC, Netflix and Amazon over 4G. Scandi 4G was unbelievable, fast broadband in the most unlikely places,

Steve

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

I'm going to be getting a satellite dish setup because I often end up at sites with no TV signal. If you don't have Sky at home then I would suggest a dedicated Freesat box rather than an old Sky box otherwise you'll have a load of channels on your guide which you can't watch. Sure you can put the free channels in favourites but then they'll all be in a higgldy piggldy order and won't be sorted into categories.

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

You don't need satellite in the UK

Depends how much you want to watch TV. I've been on sites with patchy signal and one of the unlucky ones on a pitch with no signal. I don't go away to watch TV but if it's pouring down with rain at night...

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

How do folks get on with their tripod mounts? They all seem a bit on the low side. Doesn't the signal break up everytime a vehicle goes past?

 

[Jcloughie]

Depends how much you want to watch TV. I've been on sites with patchy signal and one of the unlucky ones on a pitch with no signal. I don't go away to watch TV but if it's pouring down with rain at night...

Have you tried WiFi?

John

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

Have you tried WiFi?

John

I've used it before. But it varies a lot from site to site.

 

[otherclive]

How do folks get on with their tripod mounts? They all seem a bit on the low side. Doesn't the signal break up everytime a vehicle goes past?

I had a quite small satellite dish from a company in Melksham who supplied complete packages. It literally sat virtually on the ground but we had no problems with vehicles moving past. The dishes angle must have been sufficient to acquire a signal if a car passed by.

 

[JTQ]

How do folks get on with their tripod mounts? They all seem a bit on the low side. Doesn't the signal break up everytime a vehicle goes past?

It have "this" super ground hogging satellite dish, being low just one part of its attraction, it is very stable and easily secured from wind gusts. Its "tripod" is small light and tucks in its tote bag.
As said previously the beam is coming down at about one in two over the viable footprint of the beam. So yes if you place it right by the road cars passing within 2.5 to 3 metres away will break the beam; those with any savvy would seek to place it that bit further back on their pitch.

With the signal having travelled thousands of miles from way up over Africa, travelling down another couple of feet brings no discernable degradation to the signal!
It obviously has not the envy status of a large engineering structure with vivid white dish, but then that's never been important to us, practicality, minimum hassle eg, weight storage bulk etc, and not attractive to the low life is more our personal take.

Edit: from that excellent though now defunct satellite business in Melksham, little doubt the chap Clive used?
The only modification I made, now ten years back, was add an "Easy Find" LNB to take advantage of the Avtex's integrated Easy Find licenced software LINK; so easier setting up exploiting the night times darkness, another aspect not inviting unwanted "interest" in what we own.

 

[otherclive]

It have "this" super ground hogging satellite dish, being low just one part of its attraction, it is very stable and easily secured from wind gusts. Its "tripod" is small light and tucks in its tote bag.
As said previously the beam is coming down at about one in two over the viable footprint of the beam. So yes if you place it right by the road cars passing within 2.5 to 3 metres away will break the beam; those with any savvy would seek to place it that bit further back on their pitch.

With the signal having travelled thousands of miles from way up over Africa, travelling down another couple of feet brings no discernable degradation to the signal!
It obviously has not the envy status of a large engineering structure with vivid white dish, but then that's never been important to us, practicality, minimum hassle eg, weight storage bulk etc, and not attractive to the low life is more our personal take.

Edit: from that excellent though now defunct satellite business in Melksham, little doubt the chap Clive used?
The only modification I made, now ten years back, was add an "Easy Find" LNB to take advantage of the Avtex's integrated Easy Find licenced software LINK; so easier setting up exploiting the night times darkness, another aspect not inviting unwanted "interest" in what we own.

That’s a striking coincidence. We used it extensively abroad and prior to the satellite footprint being changed we obtained a signal as far south as Millau. It seemed to generate interest and discussion from passers by who were struck by its design.

 

[Gixergupster]

Yes I watched a video on YouTube about a very useful app to find the correct satellite to point it at..👌🏼

 

[Dustydog]

I had a quite small satellite dish from a company in Melksham who supplied complete packages. It literally sat virtually on the ground but we had no problems with vehicles moving past. The dishes angle must have been sufficient to acquire a signal if a car passed by.

That’s the one Clive. They set me up years agur boffin expert , Sproket, steered me towards a semi professional electronic sat finder. Circa £100+ it enables dish orientation usually within 60 seconds.
On John’s point I can only say we say we use the dish because of the number of sites where WiFi and TV signal are very poor. Of course we do use the terrestrial aerial but it is hit and miss.

 

[Jcloughie]

On John’s point I can only say we say we use the dish because of the number of sites where WiFi and TV signal are very poor. Of course we do use the terrestrial aerial but it is hit and miss.

I am not anti-satellite dish. But have had bad experiences from earlier ones from lugging around, physically setting up, then trying to get a signal. But then we have had bad experiences with TV reception, WiFi reception and cost. All these are so much improved to what they were.

For the last years of our caravaning, we found life so much easier doing what I suggest. But our mindset is if I don't get a signal, We won't worry about it. We all need to do what is most suitable for our lifestyle. And what is important to us.

John

 

[otherclive]

Just about able to see the Melksham Satellites mini sat dish which is sited amongst the general clutter that was us on holiday. It’s behind the dog crate. This was near Montignac and the dish had to point uphill and there were mature woodland at the top. But it still acquired a good signal. Great piece of kit.

 

[Buckman]

How do folks get on with their tripod mounts? They all seem a bit on the low side. Doesn't the signal break up everytime a vehicle goes past?

Yes it does. We have been on site where a motorhome parked across from us resulting in no signal. Also every time a vehicle passed, the signal would drop out for a minute or three. If they stop to reverse onto a pitch and they stop in line of sight, no signal.

Just to add down at Brean in Somerset where it is lovely and flat, there are areas where mobile signal is almost non existent and even a mounted sat dish struggles to get a signal. I have no idea what causes this abnormality however once the dish locks onto the signal no more issues.

 

[Woodentop]

For clarification, any dish you buy that has an offset LNB will not be pointing where you think. If the dish is exactly perpendicular the 'viewing' direction of the LNB will be 25deg upwards. With a dish on the ground 25deg elevation will clear 2m at about 14ft distance on level ground, i.e. roughly the length of a medium sized saloon car. If however you are in say Dijon your inclination will be more like 31deg which means you will clear 2m at a little under 11ft, a foot or so less than the length of a modern Mini convertible.

I think somewhere else someone said a 2:1 ratio. That is to clear an object with a dish at 25deg elevation the dish needs to be twice the height of the object away from the object. So a tree that is 30ft high will need the dish to be 60ft away from it in the middle of the UK, or farther away the more North you go and closer to the tree the farther South.

 

[RogerL]

For clarification, any dish you buy that has an offset LNB will not be pointing where you think. If the dish is exactly perpendicular the 'viewing' direction of the LNB will be 25deg upwards. With a dish on the ground 25deg elevation will clear 2m at about 14ft distance on level ground, i.e. roughly the length of a medium sized saloon car. If however you are in say Dijon your inclination will be more like 31deg which means you will clear 2m at a little under 11ft, a foot or so less than the length of a modern Mini convertible.

I think somewhere else someone said a 2:1 ratio. That is to clear an object with a dish at 25deg elevation the dish needs to be twice the height of the object away from the object. So a tree that is 30ft high will need the dish to be 60ft away from it in the middle of the UK, or farther away the more North you go and closer to the tree the farther South.

When we go to the far north of Scotland, our dish has a definite downwards tilt.

 

[Buckman]

For clarification, any dish you buy that has an offset LNB will not be pointing where you think. If the dish is exactly perpendicular the 'viewing' direction of the LNB will be 25deg upwards. With a dish on the ground 25deg elevation will clear 2m at about 14ft distance on level ground, i.e. roughly the length of a medium sized saloon car. If however you are in say Dijon your inclination will be more like 31deg which means you will clear 2m at a little under 11ft, a foot or so less than the length of a modern Mini convertible.

I think somewhere else someone said a 2:1 ratio. That is to clear an object with a dish at 25deg elevation the dish needs to be twice the height of the object away from the object. So a tree that is 30ft high will need the dish to be 60ft away from it in the middle of the UK, or farther away the more North you go and closer to the tree the farther South.

We are lucky that our dish as auto skew which adjusts depending on your location.

 

[JTQ]

We are lucky that our dish as auto skew which adjusts depending on your location.

"Skew" though is unlikely to change enough to make any material difference within the bulk of the UK, yes, if venturing to the eastern extremes of the beam over on the Continent. Some auto systems targeted at the UK market did not feature it, set for "here" and simply left as such.

Clearly the elevation changes and so often this is the "weakness" of dish systems purportedly targeted at us multi-locational users, the elevation trimming adjustment is poorly engineered. It needs to be accurately and finely marked plus readily adjustable. The Triax foldable that Melksham Satellite featured in the "Fast Find portable" kit with its large radius quadrant, together with the Fast Find's tripod telescopic back leg, excellently achieved that most tedious element of setting up. I recall, whilst travelling on the Continent where a change to elevation was necessary helping others with quite awful set ups with challenging excuses of elevation adjustment; clearly a product pulled from the domestic market where they only ever needed a onetime alignment.

Usually, the azimuth by comparison is readily tunable, the dish just turning on its mount.

 

[Dustydog]

Interesting the good old names keep popping up.
Melksham Satellites were great getting me started years ago. Long gone now.
We then had the brilliant David Sullivan who ran “Satellite for Caravans” for years. He covered absolutely everything you needed to know.

 

[otherclive]

Interesting the good old names keep popping up.
Melksham Satellites were great getting me started years ago. Long gone now.
We then had the brilliant David Sullivan who ran “Satellite for Caravans” for years. He covered absolutely everything you needed to know.

We were very fortunate only living a short drive from Melksham and they were excellent in talking me through the options, and did not regret buying their mini satellite dish and associated kit. It worked straight out of the bag and alignment as described by JTQ was a doddle. Compared to those larger satellite dish and tripod set ups held together with some car exhaust clamps it was simple to use. I even used their sat finder which worked well with the easy adjustment of the dish.