Been playing around with our sat dish and Vast system, No matter what, I couldn't get a signal, until I found the poor cable connection with the aerial cable. It seems to me that this cable with the solid copper central wire, and "F" type connectors is really designed for permanent installation, not to be done up, then disconnected at every camp move. Could this be why we still have PAL connectors and fly leads in the shops being a better connector for constant disconnection, and the cable being more flexible.
Is the way to overcome this problem to mix these two systems?
I see the moving and setting up the dish, connecting and disconnecting of cable will be a constant headache of poor connections.
Been playing around with our sat dish and Vast system, No matter what, I couldn't get a signal, until I found the poor cable connection with the aerial cable. It seems to me that this cable with the solid copper central wire, and "F" type connectors is really designed for permanent installation, not to be done up, then disconnected at every camp move. Could this be why we still have PAL connectors and fly leads in the shops being a better connector for constant disconnection, and the cable being more flexible.
Is the way to overcome this problem to mix these two systems?
I see the moving and setting up the dish, connecting and disconnecting of cable will be a constant headache of poor connections.
Do others see this as a problem?
We have all "F" type fittings on our Vast/Fox setup. Make sure that the fittings are clean and done up tight. Loose connections don`t work. A couple of the cables I made myself.
Give the fittings a spray with Inox/ CRC. The cables ends are joined while traverling so they don`t get damaged.
How do you have your set-top box set up?, is there a permanent short lead to a junction box or connector to the outside of the van, or is the main long lead just poked through a window or gap to connect directly to the set-top box, to keep the number of connections down.
The long lead is also an un-cooperative mess of hoops and trip points from the van along the ground to the dish, is this just part of the journey.
Trying to be smart a while back I changed my connectors on the LNB fly lead & the main cable end to PAL connectors as well as the Sat Finder connectors to speed up connection & disconnection.
This was fine for awhile until I started having difficulties setting up.
Traced the problem to the PAL connectors so changed back to F type.
The long lead on the ground is par for the course, get used to it.
When it was time for a new van I specc'd a rooftop auto dish. No more worries lol.
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Neil & Lynne
Pinjarra
Western Australia
MY23.5 Ford Wildtrak V6 Dual Cab / 21' Silverline 21-65.3
PAL connectors can get loose and fall out. You can get BNC connectors which have a bayonet type fitting. They are used for instrumentation cables, but would be OK for your TV. Eventually the copper core will fatigue and you will have to re-terminate whatever fitting you use.
Like Phillipn I have all "F" compression connectors and have know problems with them. You do not say what was the poor connection, but originally I had problems with crimped connectors, when I changed to compression connectors end of problem! "Bunnings" now carry both types of connectors plus the tool required to make your own, a bit of expense to start with but worth it in the long run to make your own. Plenty of "you tube" tutorials if not sure how to make them yourself.
How do you have your set-top box set up?, is there a permanent short lead to a junction box or connector to the outside of the van, or is the main long lead just poked through a window or gap to connect directly to the set-top box, to keep the number of connections down. The long lead is also an un-cooperative mess of hoops and trip points from the van along the ground to the dish, is this just part of the journey.
I have a "through the wall" F type connector which is pernamently connected to the satellite set up box
I have the long lead which came with the satellite system, plus my own (about 5 meter) lead, for when there are no trees close by, plus a (about 2 metre) lead, for when setting up the dish When everything has been connected, I place any excess aerial lead, under the motorhome
All my leads have the compression end, rather than carry my compression tool, I just carry (somewhere in the vehicle), a F type screw on connector for emergencies If I was pernament living in my RV, I would probably carry the compression fitting tool, or just ad lib with an open end spanner, a ring spanner, and a pair of multi grips, then seek out a pair of extra hands
Knock on wood three times, and hope for the best ouch, ouch, and ouch again
I have not had any problems up to date
If/when I have aerial lead problems, it should be easy to find the problem with a multimeter, as I think the main two problems would be, a break in the main wire, or the outside brading, touching the main wire
As at as the crook connection that I have, I have no idea at the moment what it is, as it is working at the moment, and I am waiting for a re-hit on the card as I have a E16-4 error coming up on the commercial channels, how ever Vast is down with technical problems and nothing has happened as yet.
I have a few changes to do to the system, I shall attend to the poor connection problem as soon as vast has done its thing.
PS do you get AFL on vast? if not I have wasted my money!
you get any AFL game on VAST that is being televised by the commercial channel carriers you receive in the area you are located. For SA/NT you get regional carriers for channel 7 on South Central, so you get whatever they are carrying, and as they generally take the channel 7 feed from Melbourne, you get games televised in Melbourne. As I understand it, channels 7, 9 and 10 are carried on VAST by South Central, Imparja, WIN and GBN around Australia, so you don't get metro programming.
If you use your Foxtel box, and have the Football Channel in your package, you will get that.
So the answer is yes, you will get AFL, but not necessarily what you are used to from your metropolitan based channels.
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Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
As at as the crook connection that I have, I have no idea at the moment what it is, as it is working at the moment, and I am waiting for a re-hit on the card as I have a E16-4 error coming up on the commercial channels, how ever Vast is down with technical problems and nothing has happened as yet. I have a few changes to do to the system, I shall attend to the poor connection problem as soon as vast has done its thing.
PS do you get AFL on vast? if not I have wasted my money!
We get all the West Australian free to air stations, and get whatever AFL games those stations are showing, wherever we go in Australia
We can, (but do not bother), change from West Australia, to any other state by going on the Vast website, and changing the state we say we are travelling in, then change back when we come home
The only downside to this, is that if the boss wants to watch something she has to watch it at an earlier time, as West Australian time is behind all the other states
I told a couple of half truths here, I have in fact glued mounting studs to the roof of the van, and can fit the dish out of harms way. Its trying to figure out how to bring the aerial wires down to the set top box that's caused the headache. And no its not too hard to put up there and adjust. Thanks for the AFL info guys, but I am still getting an E16-4 error and can't asses these channels.
ouch, ouch, and ouch again 
