Caravan Satelite TV- Made Simple

Satellite TV for touring caravans, Campervans, and camping is an ideal way of receiving TV when there’s just no terrestrial aerial signal available. there are multiple advantages to satellite TV over that of the normal aerial.

If you own a Static caravan then things are pretty simple. you can either sign up to Sky TV and they will provide you with all the equipment and set required – this is exactly the same service you would receive at home. Try this link for great deals Sky One Shop customer-offers . Or you can go down the Free sat route –  read on.

The first major advantage is you can pretty much receive a good signal anywhere. as long as you have a clear line of sight to the sky you’re good to go.
Secondly, you can receive far more channels than that of standard tv. you can choose between Free sat, which has approximately 200 free channels or you can purchase a Sky+ box, take your Sky viewing card with you and receive all the channels you would at home. Sky+ boxes can be picked up on eBay for around £30-£40, or just take your home box with you.

Which satellite Dish should you buy for your caravan satellite TV, Motorhome or Camping experience?

The answer is, the dish itself doesn’t make much difference. In theory the larger the dish then the easier it is to find the signal, however, with the help of tuning devices and even apps on your phone this is all now really easy anyway.

Tips on selecting the right caravan Satelite TV dish setup

Look for a dish setup that you think will be quick and easy. look for a dish that meets your needs. If you’re only going to use the dish on the odd occasion, then you’re going to want a version that comes in a hard case to protect it whilst it’s in storage. If you want to permanently mount it to your caravan or camper van then look for the folding and fixed types.

Mounting/installing the dish

There are a number of variations when it comes to mounting the dish. Below I’ve pictured a few

 

Caravan Satellite TV tripod mounted dish

The Tripod style of dish is ideal for setting up on the firm ground and open spaces, if you can place it out of the way of harm, then you simply fold out the tripod attach the dish, use the signal finder to find a signal and you’re good to go.

Caravan Satelite TV – Suction cup mounted dish

The sucker mounting is great for getting the dish out of harm’s way and out of the reach of kids and pets. the sucker allows you to temporarily mount the dish to any flat smooth surface. this could be a car roof, the side of your caravan or even a window.

 

Caravan Satellite TV –  Folding Dish

The folding type is a more permanent solution. It is ideal for caravans and motorhome and allows for extremely quick setup. Some even find signal themselves automatically. This style will be permanently fixed to your caravan or motorhome, Ensure you mount it in such a way as to keep it out of the fast moving airstream during transit as this will cause a lot of additional drag.

 

 

 

Caravan satellite TV receiver

The satellite receiver is basically the box like that of your sky or Freeview box at home. Its what tunes into the channels. (some TV’s have Freesat built-in)

You have two options available here

The first option is to purchase the dish and receiver as a package. This is ideal for the regular camper as it will come in one hard case that is easily transported and kept safe. They also come cheap as a full package.

The second option is to purchase the receiver separately. I prefer this option as I can buy a far higher specification receiver or even take my SKY+ box from home with me at no additional cost.

Setting up your caravan satellite TV

Setting up your caravan satellite TV is really simple. ill Post again with a proper help guide so please subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive that. For now ill give you a brief description.

Step 1 – Setup and mount the dish. Point it South ( I’ll explain why in a future more detailed post – so please subscribe)

Step 2 –  Plug cable into a satellite dish, and the other end of the cable into the signal finder.

Step 3 – Take another cable from signal finder into the receiver (This step is optional but save time as you will see a picture when you have strong enough signal, rather than relying completely on the signal finder)

Step 4- Plug the receiver into your tv via HDMI or Scart and switch everything on.

Step 5 – Turn the signal finder up to around halfway on its switch and begin to rotate the dish on its horizontal axis. listen or watch the signal increase on the Signal finder and become louder (if it has audio). Once you find what you think is the strongest signal. lock the horizontal axis in place by tightening the knob or screw.

Step 6 – lower the power level on the signal finder to 1/4

Step 7 – rotate the satellite sigh on its vertical axis and follow the same steps as previous.

Step 8 – Check your tv is receiving a picture.

Step 9 – If yes then you’re good to go, if you still do not have a tv picture then lower the power level on the signal finder further and repeat steps.

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