Analogue TV is dead in much of the south west and by 2012 everything will be digital. Manual digital satellite systems for touring can now be bought for as little as £80, but are they worth having? Peter Rosenthal tests eight different set-ups
With analogue TV now being unceremoniously switched off in the South West - and other regions set to follow - you've essentially got three choices when it comes to watching your favourite soaps in your 'van.
One: get a digital aerial and invest in a Freeview box.
Two: get a digital satellite dish and receiver.
Three: only stay on campsites with TV hook-up.
Freeview boxes are notoriously fickle to set-up - the 'all or nothing' way in which digital transmissions are broadcast being the main culprit here - and speaking from experience can be a hit and miss affair on campsites. Until all the analogue system is switched off, the Freeview aerials do not broadcast at full power, which adds to the problem.
Basic satellite TV kits can be bought from as little as £80, but have the reputation of being tricky to set up. To see if this is actually the case, we assembled a selection of different kits and put them through their paces.
This took place at the (very tranquil) Caravan Club site of Elvaston Castle and initial results were not good. Despite spending some four hours reading instruction manuals and messing about with compasses and satellite finders, I failed to find a single signal. After much head-scratching it was decided that the massively tall trees surrounding the site were the issue and we moved all the kit to a second location with a much clearer view to the south (the dishes have to point South East to get a signal).
English-speaking satellite TV channels are broadcast on two main satellites – Astra 19.2E and Astra 28.2E – which are orbiting the earth at precisely the same speed as the earth is rotating (geosynchronous orbit) so they stay in a fixed position relative to your position on the ground. The two Astra satellites orbit above the equator at a height of 35,615 kilometres above the earth.
There are two figures you need to know when it comes to finding these two satellites – the angle of elevation of the dish relative to the horizontal and the azimuth. Azimuth is how far around the dish has to be rotated on a compass bearing. For the central area of the UK where this test took place, the elevation is a quite shallow 23 degrees – so you can see how certain geological features and tall skyscrapers etc can affect the signal finding ability given that this is such a shallow angle. It varies by a few degrees depending on your location in the UK. Head towards the equator and dishes need to point ever more skyward.
The azimuth needed to find the Astra 19.2E is located at 19.2 degrees east of south and Astra 28.2E at 28.2 degrees east of south (hence the names). The satellite systems features here picked up lots of other satellites, too, it’s worth noting.
One point I will make at this point is be wary of reading up on the subject on the internet. Frankly, the level of detail on many websites will just make your head spin and is overly complicated. If the subject really interests you from a techie standpoint, then get surfing. But, you just want to know how to make satellite TV come on your TV, keep reading.
KNOW THE JARGON
Satellite TV manufacturers love to baffle you with confusing acronyms and jargon. Here’s the important stuff:
Astra 19.2E – Satellite that broadcasts English speaking TV channels.
Astra 28.2E – Satellite that broadcasts the most English speaking TV channels.
Azimuth – angle of dish relative to the satellite, in a horizontal plane relative to the ground. Usually quoted as degrees east of south (eg for Astra 2 28.2E).
Elevation – angle of dish pointing upwards. Around 16 to 25 degrees for the Astra satellites in the UK.
Eutelsat – European satellite. Listed as ‘Hotbird’ on the receivers
Dish – the lump of tin that reflects the beams to the LNB. Available in various sizes and shapes. Bigger ones are harder to align on the satellites, but give greater range and more channels when locked on.
Free-to-Air – The free channels these receivers pick up. Buy the box and there’s no extra cost.
Freesat – collection of 140 free channels including BBC and ITV HD channels. Easiest to set up.
HD – High Definition. Used on both TVs and equipment to denote high resolution format
HDMI – Lead and socket system used to connect an HD receiver to the TV
HD Ready – Seen on some TVs and not as good as the full monte 1080p format
LNB – stands for Low Noise Block. The circular block on the pole in the centre of the satellite dish. Collects the reflected beam and converts it into an electronic signal sent down the co-axial cable.
Receiver – Digital box of tricks that converts the co-axial cable signal into a TV picture
Scart lead – two-inch long block connector that plugs into your TV and attaches to the receiver
WHEN DOES ANALOGUE TV GET SWITCHED OFF?
* Border has already started and finishes in 2009
* Westcountry started in April 2009 and finishes in September 2009
* Granada switches in 2009
* Wales starts in August 2009 and finishes in 2010
* STV North switches in 2010
* STV Central switches between 2010 and 2011
* West switches between 2010 and 2011
* Channel Islands switch in 2010
* Central, Yorkshire and Anglia switch in 2011
* Meridian switches between 2011 and 2012
* London switches in 2012
* Tyne Tees and Ulster switch in 2012
To find out when your region switches to digital, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.digitaluk.co.uk" www.digitaluk.co.uk and enter your postcode. Or you can ring 08456 505050.
HOW TO CONNECT UP A SATELLITE SYSTEM
The physical connections for a satellite system are very straightforward. There’s a satellite aerial connected via co-axial cable to an electronic receiver box. All the kits here came supplied with co-axial cable with screw on terminals already attached at both ends making connection easy. The receiver has a lead that plugs into 240V (or 12V) and then needs to be plugged into your TV. Scart leads are used on normal boxes, while the HD receiver tested was connected via a (supplied) HDMI cable. Five minutes work, if that.
HOW TO FIND A SATELLITE SIGNAL
Make sure you have a reasonably clear view to the south (no tall buildings or trees blocking your view). Next, you’ll need to use a satellite finder. Maxview and Roadpro supplied small silver boxes for this task inset with LEDs. This is connected into the co-axial cable near the LNB. The following instructions were supplied by Roadpro and are very simple to apply.
Set the satellite dish level (with the box ones use a perfectly level table) and set the elevation of the dish to the correct number of degrees (eg for Nottingham it was around 24 degrees – maps are supplied with the dishes, so you can work out the elevation for your area). Point the satellite dish north and adjust the gain knob on the sat finder until the first LED just starts to flicker on and a slight audible note is heard.
Next, slowly rotate the whole dish clockwise until you hear the sat finder start to make a continuous tone (all the LEDs should light up, too). The brighter the lights and the higher pitched the tone the stronger the signal. Adjust the elevation up or down according to what gives you the strongest tone.
Next follow the on-screen prompts of your receiver box and search for channels (you may need to manually search for Astra 19.2E and Astra 28.2E). You should now have more channels than you ever thought you’d need on a TV.
All the boxes featured here will get you hundreds of free TV channels, including all the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five channels.
From my experience at Elvaston – if you can’t find a signal and the view south is interrupted in any way – give up hunting for a signal immediately. There may be other issues involved – ring up the firm that supplied the kit and ask their advice. This really is the golden rule, here – I wasted four hours searching for a signal at Elvaston having read everything in the manuals. At the second location, I found the signal in seconds.
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KIT 1: COMAG SATELLITE DISH AND COMAG SC25-S RECEIVER
Total cost £80 (budget £30 for sat finder)
Falling at the first hurdle, the Comag SC25-S receiver didn't plug into The TV as the plastic body of the receiver fouled on the TV's housing. A scart lead extension cable had to be purchased (this was a tenner).
The 40cm dish scores points for being made of metal and coming with a reasonable number of fixing options (sucker mount, free-standing, U-clamp for pole), but it can't be used in the case and lacks a satellite finder and compass (both of which you really do need).
The receiver is a bit naff looking - and you have to plug in an additional sensor (which is supplied) to get the remote control to work - but makes up for it by having an identical on-screen menu system to the Maxview receiver. The remote control box is identical too. It's performance was impressive and although the picture was slightly softer than the Multimo/Zehnder combination it was very good. It found hundreds of channels on both Astra 1 and Astra 2 - including all the regular terrestrial channels you'd want to watch.
I was particularly taken with The Entrepreneur Channel and very tempted to ring up for a motivational CD box set...
For the money, it's excellent value, but you do have to spend another £30 to £40 on a sat finder and compass before you could really use it.
You'll never find a satellite unaided. Also the written instructions are hopeless - I gave up and used the on-screen menus which were far clearer. You need a crosshead screwdriver to assemble it, which isn’t supplied. Similar kits are also sold in Aldi, and other discount stores, from time to time. It’s very compact when boxed up so would be ideal for smaller camper vans where space is at a premium.
Build quality: 6/10
Ease of set-up: 5/10
Channels received: Hundreds
Picture quality: 8/10
Value for money: 10/10
From: Maplins
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KIT 2: ZEHNDER COMPLETE SATELLITE KIT
Total cost £160 (dish £70)
Maxview MXL006 Camping Kit dish and Zehnder DX65 receiver
Similar in design to the Comag set-up, but with a larger blow-moulded case, this set allows enough room for the receiver to be stored in the box, making it easy to store and transport. The box is slightly larger than the Comag unit and all fixings and even a screwdriver are supplied. It also came with a satellite finder and a nifty satellite finder compass and angle device (although this can't be used with the dish in the box).
I didn't like the fact that the satellite dish is plastic, but the overall packing of the kit - and the fact that you can use it in the box (as we did) makes it easier to set-up than the Maplin’s kit.
The Zehnder receiver is slightly larger than the Maxview one, but easier to connect the co-axial cable to. I found the on-screen menus not as obvious as the Maxview one, but it’s still pretty easy to configure.
The kit achieved a vast number of channels on both Astra 19.2 and Astra 28.2 and the hard part was pinpointing what to watch. All the usual terrestrial channels were available.
Build quality: 7/10
Ease of set-up: 7/10
Channels received: Hundreds
Picture quality: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
From: Towsure
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KIT 3: MAXVIEW MXL006 CAMPING KIT DISH AND MAXVIEW MXL020 RECEIVER
Total cost £170 (dish £70)
As with the test of kit 2, the 40cm satellite dish comes with all you need to set it up and is straightforward to use.
Connecting the co-axial cable to the Maxview receiver is fiddlier than with the other receivers on test as there are some other connectors in the way and not much space for your fingers. The box is physically smaller than the other receivers on test (except the Comag one) so takes up less shelf space. I found it slightly more intuitive to set up than the Zehnder box, too.
The kit achieved a vast number of channels on both Astra 19.2 and Astra 28.2 and the hard part again was pinpointing what to watch. All the usual terrestrial channels were available.
Build quality: 7/10
Ease of set-up: 8/10
Channels received: Hundreds
Picture quality: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
From: Maxview
KIT 4:
MAXVIEW B2554 54CM DISH & MAXVIEW MXL020 RECEIVER
Total cost £230 (dish £130)
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Although far bulkier than the 'dish in a box' kits, this 54cm Maxview dish is made of metal and is nicely made. All the nuts and bolts are supplied and fit together precisely. It does take a while to build, though, docking it points on ‘ease of use’.
The tripod was also easy to assemble and the kit includes the all-important satellite finder box and a useful compass indicating the satellite location.
It locked onto a signal quickly and gave a strong signal via the satellite finder, making aligning it pretty straightforward. The Maxview receiver also appeared to find the TV and radio channels more quickly than with the smaller boxed Maxview dish. The volume was also louder and had to be turned down. The picture quality was also slightly better than with the 'dish in a box kits' to my eyes.
I especially enjoyed the DMC channel, which seemed to consist mainly of Chinese speaking folk interspersed with the odd English word - Newcastle was definitely mentioned at one point. There was also a distractingly quirky Italian channel, which seemed to entirely consist of motorbike and car video adverts. Finding these bizarre channels is part of the fun of satellite TV.
This kit certainly works well and was quick to find the satellites with, but its overall size may be a drawback if space is at a premium.
Build quality: 10/10
Ease of set-up: 8/10
Channels received: Hundreds
Picture quality: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10
From: Conrad Anderson |
KIT 5: ZEHNDER MULTIMO SATELLITE DISH AND ZEHNDER DX65 RECEIVER
Total cost £240 (dish £150)
The Multimo dish differs from the others tested here in that it has no assembly – you connect the sat finder box and co-axial cable to it, and that’s it. I took it out of the box and plonked it on a level table. It uses a metal dish and a well-made base plate (that can be attached in a variety of different ways). With the Zehnder satellite finder attached it logged onto the signal very quickly, taking just seconds to find a strong signal. The instructions supplied by Multimo and Roadpro were the best of all the dishes tested.
It's nicely built with a steel dish and as the LNB is fixed relative to the dish there's very little to get wrong with it.
The Zehnder DX65 receiver is not quite as intuitive to use as the Maxview receiver and it's a little bit wider too, but it's not that tricky to set up. It picked up all the terrestrial channels that you'd want to see, plus a whole load of slightly more unusual channels. Favourite viewing was Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther on Film 4, which proved quite a distraction.
Build quality: 9/10
Ease of set-up: 9/10
Channels received: Hundreds
Picture quality: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10
From: Roadpro
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KIT 6: MAXVIEW B2566 66CM DISH & MAXVIEW MXL020 RECEIVER
Total cost £300 (dish £200)
The big daddy of the group - and stretching the term portable - is this whopper of a satellite dish. It uses the same tripod and satellite finder/compass kit as its smaller cousin and the build quality is equally as good.
It's the sheer size of it that dominates, though. Seriously, you could bath a baby in this dish. It's also a fair bit heavier than the 54cm version, so will eat into your payload a bit more. The idea behind the larger size is that it allows you to pick up more channels in Europe - or British channels when you travel further south into Europe. Although tent pegs are supplied to anchor the tripod legs, I’d worry about this dish in windy conditions.
Setting it up in an identical manner to the smaller Maxview dish, it proved much trickier to set up and initially refused to find a single channel from either Astra satellite. After a bit of tweaking the position, I did get it to find a satellite and the LED lights on the finder went off the scale the signal was that strong. It is much trickier to align than the other dishes, though.
The resulting picture was very good while there appeared to be vast numbers of channels, including all your favourites. Curiously the satellite receiver said it was 'full' - either I'd pressed the wrong button, or it had an awful lot of channels on it. Once locked on it does give a good clear picture, too.
Browsing through the channel list I was particularly pleased to catch up with the F1 qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Build quality: 9/10
Ease of set-up: 5/10
Channels received: Over a thousand
Picture quality: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
From: Maxview
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KIT 7: ZEHNDER MULTIMO SATELLITE DISH & GRUNDIG HD FREESAT RECEIVER
Cost £300 (dish £150)
If you want the easiest possible system to set-up, then this is it. The dish requires no assembly and merely needs to be placed on something dead level with a relatively clear view to the south. Roadpro provideS everything you need to get it aligned and it finds signals with ease.
Even if you don’t have an HD TV, the Freesat receiver makes up for it by being crystal clear to set-up. Apart from needing to enter the postcode of the area you’re in (via the remote control) and following a few simple on-screen prompts, the set-up is a doddle. You get slightly less channels than with a free-to-air receiver, though. 152 channels should be fine for most people though…
On the handful of HD channels currently broadcast – for which you’ll also need an HD TV - the picture quality was dazzling. It will spoil the regular channels for you, though, as they’ll seem soft-edged and blurred compared to HD, despite the fact that even in regular mode, this receiver gave one of the best pictures on test.
Build quality: 10/10
Ease of set-up: 10/10
Channels received: 156
Picture quality: 9/10 (15/10 in HD mode)
Value for money: 9/10
From: receiver – Maxview; dish - Roadpro
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KIT 8: MAXVIEW B2566 66CM DISH & GRUNDIG HD FREESAT RECEIVER
Cost £350 (dish £200)
We already knew the Maxview dish was aligned, so simply plugged in the HD box, connecting it to the TV via a HDMI lead (supplied with the unit). Switching it on and we got a 78 per cent signal strength - which sounds good - and after following the on screen prompts - it was happily finding channels. Unlike the other boxes, you had to firstly enter your postcode with this box and then it did the rest. There was no poking about menus though and it was the easiest of all the boxes to set searching for channels.
Only a handful of channels are currently broadcast via satellite, but even with the non-HD broadcasts, the picture quality of the Grundig was the best on test and super clear. The instructions for the receiver are equally as clear and easily the best of the bunch.
Shortly after being plugged in the unit also decided to update its software unprompted - so it really is an idiot-proof unit that doesn't need a degree in astrophysics to work.
On BBC HD, there was a programme featuring Jimmy Nail and the quality of the picture was astonishingly sharp - I can tell you that he has a Barclaycard in his wallet and would have been able to read the number if it had been sticking out of his wallet a bit further! In another scene he was holding some box containing an electronic gadget and you could read all the bullet points on the side of it!
The detail of HD is astonishing and this extra sharpness somehow makes it seem more 3D and realistic too. It's only 2D, but the actors are far more defined and separated from the background. If you have an HD TV already, the Grundig 'box is well worth the money. Overall, the best box on test - even if you're not bothered by HD the standard picture is very good and the ease of set-up is a joy.
While the Grundig box is easy to set-up, the large dish is not the easiest to align – hence the lower overall set-up score.
Build quality: 9/10
Ease of set-up: 7/10
Channels received: 156
Picture quality: 9/10 (15/10 in HD mode)
Value for money: 9/10
From: Maxview
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THE VERDICT
At the first location the satellite TV wouldn’t work, but digital TV was easy enough to find via the TV’s built-in Freeview box. At the second location, Freeview couldn’t be found easily, but the satellite reception was excellent.
Compared to Freeview, there are also hundreds more channels. Possibly even thousands in the case of the largest Maxview dish tested. Finding what you want to watch is actually quite tricky with such a vast array of channels – some boxes came with lists of channel numbers, which proved invaluable. Press the button marked EPG to find what you want to watch. Exploring all the channels was quite fascinating, though, and good fun. I had no idea how many channels there were out there. All the systems tested here will give you all the analogue channels, plus Film 4, BBC 4 etc and all the radio channels.
All of the dishes tested here are fine for the UK, but if you live in Scotland or Wales, or plan to visit France or Spain, you may need a larger dish – speak to your satellite supplier for advice on this (all the companies featured here were ultra-helpful in this respect).
The largest 66cm Maxview dish is probably overkill for most places in the UK and its sheer size could give storage issues. In fairness to Maxview, this is more aimed at people touring deeper into Europe You’d also need to be careful with it in high winds (as with all dishes).
Satellite TV is clearly not perfect and the set-up of these manual systems requires a little practice, but the results are definitely worth it. Freeview isn’t perfect either and setting up Freeview aerials can be a pain (my house aerial took months and still doesn’t work well).
The most comprehensive solution would be to have a digital aerial on your ’van, a Freeview equipped TV and a satellite system. However, if you only want to plump for one system and want to get the most channels, then free-to-air satellite TV is the way to go. If you really want the ultimate, then HD systems are also well worth looking at – the difference in picture quality is very tangible.
CAMPING TV
Roadpro kindly supplied a DQ W1700CI 17-inch high-definition LCD TV for the test.
This retails for £429.99 and comes complete with a built-in Freeview system and a DVD player, operating on both 240V and 12V. At Elvaston, this TV managed to find two analogue channels and 17 digital TV channels (on an old bent aerial) without any effort. Even in non-HD mode, the picture quality was first-rate. The TV also takes minutes to set-up and you don't have to read the manual, just follow the on-screen prompts. If you need a new TV I’d highly recommend this model - a really nicely made bit of kit. It also comes with a two-year warranty on the screen. It has thoroughly spoiled all my viewing on the expensive Sony TV in my house…
Our thanks to:
Elvaston Castle Caravan Club site, Borrowash Road, Elvaston, Derby DE72 3EP (tel: 01342 327490; www.caravanclub.co.uk)
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CONTACTS
Conrad Anderson, 57-59 Sladefield Road, Ward End, Birmingham B8 3PF
(tel: 0121-247 0169; www.conrad-anderson.co.uk)
Maplins (stores nationwide; tel: 08445 576000; www.maplin.co.uk)
Maxview, Setchey, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE33 0AT (tel: 01553 811000; www.maxview.co.uk)
Roadpro, Stephenson Close, Drayton Fields Industrial Estate, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 8RF (tel: 01327 312233; www.roadpro.co.uk)
Towsure, Holme Lane, Hillsborough, Sheffield S6 4JR (tel: 0114-250 3045; www.towsure.com)
For links to our full Satellite TV range and more information on the subject please go to our Mobile Satellite TV Systems Home Page.
