Satellite TV while on the road

tgintl/jay,
Two comments on that:
1. Any decoder should work with the square dish in question.
2. The fully digitized signal that both Foxtel and Austar will soon be
releasing will require a new decoder box and you can bet you booties that
whatever the decoder box that currently comes with this square dish package
won't be able to use the new cards.
David

Most decoders will work with my dish but need to have the Dual Frequency option for the LNB setup. My system is designed for Aurora firstly and not Paytv, But even with the new digital Fox/Aus system you will not need to change anything as the so called digital revolution is only adding interactive options not changing the signal. The new satellite digital foxtell boxes have a phone line connection to allow the interactive options. If you did want to run foxtell on my system it will continue to work with the current red cards as long as you dont get the digitl package. shayne

Wow!!, is this a hot topic or what!!!. Over 30 posts on a thread in one day, is this a record?? What it has taught me is that things I thought simple can be quite complex. Again proving the value of this site. So until I get myself educated on this satellite stuff I'll be forced to stick to radio.

I am so much wiser with the B.O.G. and the endless supply of all to contribute ...I love it !!!! Meaningful debate on sumthin I know little about .... I'm learning fast ..I hope !! [smile] Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

Those of us whose BTs are in construction and we want to prewire for the eventual decoder and dish, what type of wire and plugs should we ask SIM to install: 1. from where the decoder will eventually reside to where it plugs into the dish and 2. from where the decoder will plug into the flat screen TV? Any other pre-purchase preparation we should request? tgintl/jay

Jay, Sound in Motion prewired my BT for use of an Abrolga System. There is a co-ax socket on the front of the van, under the overhang. This is connected via quad shielded co-ax cable to the decoder which is in the over head cupboard near where the ProStar is. The decoder output then goes into the Jaton X-Media dreambox which sends the video signal to the monitor - all done by Sound in Motion. There are photos in my album - Motley's Pics. Incidentally, I now have two extra co-ax sockets on the front of the van. One is to take an input from a fly lead where Caravan Parks have a comman antenna and distribution. This is becoming increasingly common. The other is to install an external powered antenna for use in situations where trees or buildings block the Satellite input. I carry a DX-2000 antenna but have to admit that it's only had on outing so far! After some discussion re my recent posting regarding apparent interference in the Jaton box when the ProStar is in PWM mode, I would be inclined to install the Jaton (or whatever) further away from the Solar Regulator, to minimise possible interference because of proximity, if I was doing it again

Thanks Pete All of our entertainment equipment as well as the TV screen will be on the annexe side of the BT and the electrical stuff on the off-side. tgintl/jay

Motley, This is the latest information coming from Brian at SIM in relation to choice of monitor. "We have been looking for quite some time for a dedicated flat panel tv with a built in tv tuner. We are now using a new Panasonic 17" flat panel screen with its optional tv tuner installed. This unit also has speakers inbuilt allowing it to be used as a stand alone Tv. This bypasses the need for the Jaton xmedia dreambox.The picture quality and viewing angle is great plus the bonus of internal speakers if you just want to watch tv. They have 12v dc input, composite video and S video as well as HD15 for your computor. This unit comes on a stand so it can be moved easily. The price of the screen is $1449.00 plus the installation so it will work out significantly less expensive than the original concept". Surprising how quickly stuff goes out of date or is superceded by the next improved model. Angie

Whatever the logistics of your installation may be depending on the hardware
that you choose, insist on having no less than quad-shielded RG-6 cable with
no more than 1 or 2 F - connectors between the LNB and decoder.
Depending on the dbA gain of your dish, a good set up should yield a minimum
of both signal strength and quality of 90%. Signal quality is the important
figure, not strength. A signal quality of 60% will give you a good picture
in ideal weather conditions. Ideally in good weather you should be able to
receive a quality of 90%. This will ensure reception even in poor weather,
clouds/rain. The larger the dish, the stronger the strength and quality
received.
Bob, I suggest that when benchmarking the square dish, you hook it up to
your UEC decoder and check the quality of signal. What we really want to
know is whether the square dish will tune in to the C1 in FNQ and the
Kimberly. If you can compare it to the performance of your 90cm dish, we
should have a reasonable idea of its performance.
Look forward to the results.
David

I look forward to the results also .... I dont mind carrying the bigger dish for longer trips but for our local camping I'd like to be able to put dish behind effie's rear seat. I just need to know it works and is maybe sub $300 .... As a side note my campersat dish worked all through a storm with large amounts of lightning at Woodford. I know this because we were huddled in the BT with 35knot winds with heavy rain for over an hour. It did stop for the 5-8 mins of the storm passing over. The dish was pegged down with 3, 10mm tent pegs. Also, Shayne .... My wife was asking after I showed her your web page (gotta convince the director to get the funds) where is your ABN ....???? She says the Australian Securities makes us put an ABN on even our lowly brochure given to bona fide client/patients. It also has to be on our invoices/receipts/letterheads. Is advertising in an internet forum exempt from this statute ???? Anthony Explore this Great Land ... Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

Anthony,
My ABN is with my accountant who advised me yesterday not to do anything as yet until I finalise the forms with him.
As I have tried to explain before.
This whole system only started as I was trying to help my dad and his mates from the sky high prices of systems that really are not very practical. So I was only selling this system by word of mouth, for which you don’t need an ABN. I was just starting to get into a few shows to test the water, while the paper work was being done and all of a sudden my details were posted on the net and I have not had a chance to scratch myself.
So as you can see, it has caught me out a little as I never thought it would cause such a stir. Plus I was not ready to deal with the number of calls. I will have all the relevant details soon, and will gladly inform you.
Also seeing as my webpage is a personal page and not a company site or advertised site I am pretty sure I don’t need to post any company details. But I will check on that too.
As for now I am going back to word of mouth selling as these people already have seen the product working. I only wanted to save people from the huge expence and size of satellite TV, I know my product is the best out there and time will show what is true.
Thanks all for you inquiry’s and I will be back when I have the relevant details to stop people questioning my credentials. As well, I do have someone showing it at the Albury show and I will be at Sydney in April. thanks. Shayne

One last thing for cobra I asked my dad about the signal strength and so far he has used it up and down the east coast, he remembers that at YAMBA he was getting about 82% SIGNAL QUALITY and a simialr signal at BYRON. These are as far east as he has gone and I dont think you can get any further east. He has also used it in SA and eastern NSW but cant remember the signal strength. But it was working. Thanks. shayne

OOpps. Western or central NSW.......not eastern again. sorry s

Shayne, You probably know this but in case you dont .... excluding yourself no-one in this thread here sells sat tv systems. In fact no BOG member sells them as far as I know. Just thought I'd add that in case you thought otherwise ... Regards Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

In a post on the Caravan group it says: Globalsat where one of 3 businesses I spoke to who advised against the flat dish. They advised me they were harder to setup when on the move and are made more for fixed installations so they can be painted or decorated to suit your decor and are unobtrusive. If you look at the Attisat website this view is confirmed.