We are going to buy one and would like your opinions.  What is the difference in the large and small dish Besides price. We want to use it in places like kandanga donation camp, kilcoy, moore, gunalda, kilkivan, n up and down the east coast. Anyone bought one in brisbane  n installed it? Thanks everyone. Be happy and stat sane. Cheers. Rocket

Ps do not want to fit it on the van just have it on the ground.

-- Edited by the rocket on Sunday 20th of September 2020 02:21:04 PM

Bought mine in Vic from a company called SatPlus. Known for their excellent products, customer service & advice.

They also are up in Qld. There are some great apps to help in finding the satellite. Use both my phone & satellite finder together to make the job easier. As long as there are no trees in the way, you should find the satellite in around a minute. Larger dish is better for reception in fringe areas.

G'day Rocket,

If you are only needing to view satellite TV on the east coast then a dish the same as foxtel use will do. If you ever plan to travel into the centre or the west coast you will need a minimum 80cm dish to gather enough signal.

We have been using satellite TV for more than 15 years and I do sell and install the systems to caravans.

I very highly recommend you purchase a satellite meter similar to this one: www.satplus.com.au/products/satplus-3240b-digital-satellite-meter?variant=18261795766341 

Purchasing a cheaper meter will only lead to difficulties locking on to the satellite. The meter I have linked to above is easy to use and of good quality and will certainly make life easier.

I too recommend Satplus.

Hope this helps

Frank

outlaw40 wrote:

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Only my observations so may not be accurate but people with the smaller dishes seem to to have more trouble locking onto the satellite.

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That is completely incorrect. Smaller dishes are in fact substantially easier to lock onto the satellite. 63cm dish is the preferred size all around Australia for Vast. The larger the dish the smaller/narrower the focus point.

The best dishes are the ex 65cm slightly oval Austar/Foxtel dishes off houses. Generally can get a dish from the local rubbish tip shop for $5 or $10.
These are dishes with four position locking bolts easily converted to wing nuts. The LNB arm is also easily detachable.
Paramount to have a good tripod with leg adjustment
https://www.satplus.com.au/collections/satellite-tv-parts-and-accessories/products/satellite-tripod-signalmax-brand?variant=747040287
WikiCamps satellite finder on your phone with a built in compass, and  a digital meter is your friend.
In the beginning you will need patience to setup the dish, practice 

the rocket wrote:

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We are going to buy one and would like your opinions.  What is the difference in the large and small dish Besides price. We want to use it in places like kandanga donation camp, kilcoy, moore, gunalda, kilkivan, n up and down the east coast. Anyone bought one in brisbane  n installed it? Thanks everyone. Be happy and stat sane. Cheers. Rocket

Ps do not want to fit it on the van just have it on the ground.

-- Edited by the rocket on Sunday 20th of September 2020 02:21:04 PM

-- Edited by the rocket on Sunday 20th of September 2020 02:23:41 PM

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 I was up in the gulf a few years ago and a bloke was swapping his small dish for a large dish so I would go for a large one also use 5 m lengths of cable with joiners for extra reach and I would recommend to get the best quality tuner to take out the @#$%& when setting up .

Cheers

KFT wrote:

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G'day Rocket,

If you are only needing to view satellite TV on the east coast then a dish the same as foxtel use will do. If you ever plan to travel into the centre or the west coast you will need a minimum 80cm dish to gather enough signal.

We have been using satellite TV for more than 15 years and I do sell and install the systems to caravans.

I very highly recommend you purchase a satellite meter similar to this one: www.satplus.com.au/products/satplus-3240b-digital-satellite-meter?variant=18261795766341 

Purchasing a cheaper meter will only lead to difficulties locking on to the satellite. The meter I have linked to above is easy to use and of good quality and will certainly make life easier.

I too recommend Satplus.

Hope this helps

Frank

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 Hi kft, thanks. We had a satellite dish, did not use it for years n sold it. We have a connection in the wall of the caravan but we have 2 tv. The past one was big so wondered if that is still needed. Will have  at what you suggest. Rocket

Smaller dishes do give more problems when setting up and locating satelite, 80-85cm is probably the most common size, do not go smaller.
Agree with 2trout, Monica, Monica, Monica, really?

Satplus are agreat company to deal with and the information they give is so so helpful. I have no association with them other than a very happy customer over about 15yrs
regards
Ian

Simply buy a Satking Promax....automatically finds satellite.Park your van,press button on your remote,and head to the the beer fridge.By the time you've selected your beer and sat down,the TV will be up and running.If you forget to lower the Satking before you again set sail,it will automatically lower itself once you reach 20km/hr. Cheers.

P.S Satking have a retailer in Underwood,and I had mine fitted by a chap who lives near Kingaroy.

yobarr wrote:

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Simply buy a Satking Promax....automatically finds satellite.Park your van,press button on your remote,and head to the the beer fridge.By the time you've selected your beer and sat down,the TV will be up and running.If you forget to lower the Satking before you again set sail,it will automatically lower itself once you reach 20km/hr. Cheers.

P.S Satking have a retailer in Underwood,and I had mine fitted by a chap who lives near Kingaroy.

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 21st of September 2020 08:53:43 AM

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 Hello yobarr, sounds great. Little out of my price range though. Thanks for your reply. Rocket

Hi all; I used to have a old foxtel dish and lnb that i got from a job at the time, this worked reasonably well. That dish now lives on the roof of my man cave and connects to the vast receiver in the caravan when we are at home.

We now travel with a 80cm dish and lnb. A bit easier to set up than the old foxtel dish. As for mounting, we have a fold up tripod that is used on the ground and is also pegged down to the ground as well. I also have a couple of long RG6 quad cable that are used if i have problems with trees and need to move the dish around.   

Wanda wrote:

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Smaller dishes do give more problems when setting up and locating satelite, 80-85cm is probably the most common size, do not go smaller.
Agree with 2trout, Monica, Monica, Monica, really?

Satplus are agreat company to deal with and the information they give is so so helpful. I have no association with them other than a very happy customer over about 15yrs
regards
Ian

-- Edited by Wanda on Monday 21st of September 2020 08:23:03 AM

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Sadly you are technically incompetent to work out or do the necessary research that a smaller dish 65cm is substantially easier to focus on the satellite than a larger dish.  Maths can work out anything and everything. If you cannot do such basic maths to see a smaller dish is easier to focus on the C1 satellite over a larger dish, you are obviously exceedingly poorly educated in maths.
The reason why qualified professionals in their disciplines don't post here is because people that don't know guess and post rubbish to see their name up in lights.

The other advantage of a 65cm dish is the wind loading and keeping the dish anchored and focused.
You only need a 65cm dish everywhere in Australia for VAST.  Why do you think you only see 65cm dishes mounted on houses around Australia.
Now toddle off and go and do your research and learn basic maths to calculate how much easier it is to focus a 65cm dish over an 85cm dish.

Edit. Don't make wild statements as so many like to make here. Only post what I know is right and correct.
Look forward to the apologies when you find out I am correct. 

-- Edited by Monica W on Monday 21st of September 2020 06:05:09 PM

Monica W wrote:

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Wanda wrote:

---

Smaller dishes do give more problems when setting up and locating satelite, 80-85cm is probably the most common size, do not go smaller.
Agree with 2trout, Monica, Monica, Monica, really?

Satplus are agreat company to deal with and the information they give is so so helpful. I have no association with them other than a very happy customer over about 15yrs
regards
Ian

-- Edited by Wanda on Monday 21st of September 2020 08:23:03 AM

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Sadly you are technically incompetent to work out or do the necessary research that a smaller dish 65cm is substantially easier to focus on the satellite than a larger dish.  Maths can work out anything and everything. If you cannot do such basic maths to see a smaller dish is easier to focus on the C1 satellite over a larger dish, you are obviously exceedingly poorly educated in maths.
The reason why qualified professionals in their disciplines don't post here is because people that don't know guess and post rubbish to see their name up in lights.

The other advantage of a 65cm dish is the wind loading and keeping the dish anchored and focused.
You only need a 65cm dish everywhere in Australia for VAST.  Why do you think you only see 65cm dishes mounted on houses around Australia.
Now toddle off and go and do your research and learn basic maths to calculate how much easier it is to focus a 65cm dish over an 85cm dish.

Edit. Don't make wild statements as so many like to make here. Only post what I know is right and correct. 

-- Edited by Monica W on Monday 21st of September 2020 06:05:09 PM

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 We are all friends here, a bit like sitting around a camp fire. you may be right, i do not know, but your remarks are a Bit savage. Rocket

blaze wrote:

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monica you are so wrong about dish size, 90% of sat dishes in tassie are 90cm, on the west coast they are mostlty 1.2 ground mt, I fitted the buggers for 12 years
cheers
blaze

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ROFLOL obviously you are old and haven't fitted satellite dishes for a long time. With Vast 65cm dishes can be used Australia wide..
A Satking Promax which is equivalent to a 62cm dish can receive Vast all around Australia why would anybody be silly enough to use a larger dish for travelling, a larger dish that is more difficult to focus and carry.
https://www.satking.com.au/satellite-tv/motorised-satellite-tv-system/pro-max-estimated-coverage-map

Now I will go and fly with the educated eagles for a while.

blaze wrote:

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monica you are so wrong about dish size, 90% of sat dishes in tassie are 90cm, on the west coast they are mostlty 1.2 ground mt, I fitted the buggers for 12 years
cheers
blaze

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 Hmmmm....seems to me that Mr Monica is perhaps using the forum for his own amusement? Thanks for your advice. Cheers.l

KFT wrote:

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Hi everyone

I have to ask, if a 65cm dish is all that is needed according to a poster here WHY do they even bother to make bigger dishes at all?

Seems to me there is a difference of opinion but nothing to back up the opinion as to why a 65cm dish is all that is required.

wonder if I should go for some popcorn?

regards

KFT

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Wonder if i should go for some popcorn Asks kft,

yes.got mine out last night. 

KFT wrote:

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Hi everyone

I have to ask, if a 65cm dish is all that is needed according to a poster here WHY do they even bother to make bigger dishes at all?

Seems to me there is a difference of opinion but nothing to back up the opinion as to why a 65cm dish is all that is required.

wonder if I should go for some popcorn?

regards

KFT

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Here are Mate, save ya going to the shop to get some. I have included a second one for Rocket.

blaze wrote:

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I know iam may be old but gack qhen I was doing it for a living, we tried 60cm dishes in a few sites in tassie and the signal wasnt strong enough, we fitted them for about a month and had to go back and change them all out for 90cm dishes. There are areas where a 60 would be fine but for a reliable service I would recomend 90cm

cheers
blaze

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Perhaps you should elaborate and give the full story. When you were supposedly fitting satellite systems the country was on Aurora and not VAST. VAST transmission power is over 50% greater with a much higher number of Ku band transponders directed to regions of Australia. Reception improved significantly after Optus C1 was retired and all transmissions moved over to the D satellites.
Been looking at my pictures of my rig setup at Marrawah, ****le Creek and Rocky Bay with my 65cm dish.
I don't spread false or incorrect information like some like to do. I am an engineering professional. An 80cm dish on fixed systems in the weaker reception areas to cover torrential rain storms would still be advisable. Travellers will never need bigger than 65cm anywhere in Australia. Coupled with the difficult to aim and focus an 80cm+ dish compared to a 65cm, carrying a larger dish, and wind loading. The signal strength across Australia on D1 and D3 is 42dbW all across Australia, and 44dBW over the large majority of Australia, and where most people travel 46dbW. In the 46dbW regions a 55cm dish would be satisfactory.
Sadly appears nobody has the simple math skills to calculate a 65cm dish is easier to focus than larger dish.
I don't have any vested interest to post incorrect information. If I don't know I don't blurt out my ignorance as so many here like to do. Sadly the demonstration by the ignorant and uneducated here ensures you don't get educated professionals posting which could in many cases improve the technical aspects of your travelling.  Ignorance is bliss to the ignorant and uneducated.

I have to hand it to you Monica W.

For many years people have been saying that Tony Lee is the most arrogant, irritating, annoying, intolerant, rude, ******* they have ever met, but now they will know that is completely wrong. You are.
Thanks.

BTW, There is a reason for using a bigger dish and that is because the small one has zero capability for handling thick cloud or heavy rain even in the eastern half of Australia let alone in south wester WA or souther Tasmania. Here at White cliffs we lost signal for about an hour the other day when a storm front rolled past - which of course wouldn't have mattered if we watched commercial channels, but we were watching the ABC. Too bad my big dish was sitting at home

One I have was ex pay TV dish commandeered from my house several years after we stopped paying for crap we could get for free

Cheap, very wind resistant, but has one bad problem - all the experts explain to me that it just won't work - even when I assure them it does - as long as I turn the TV upside down