Oyster Cytrac DX Satellite Dish Thoughts (1 Viewer)

Nov 30, 2009
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As some of you may know i have converted a panel van this year.
The final edition to the build is a satellite system. As the title says i am pondering over the new Oyster Cytrac DX . Any thoughts on this type of flat dish system ?

This model seems to tick all my boxes (y)

My ideal wishlist for a satellite receiver is ....
Automatic
Mounting plate which can be bonded to the roof (no drilling)
Wind resistant
60 cm dish minimum or equivalent
Low Profile when not in use


I have only ever used a multimo type dish on a tripod which has been great but a hassle to set up at times. Not having any experience with automatic systems i would appreciate any thoughts or comments (y)

Here is a link to the system Broken Link Removed

Thanks.....Ralph
 

weekenders

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We have never had a dish, and from what I hear about having to take them down we are glad we have bought the omnimax done, we get a signal everywhere we go, and takes only a few mins to get a picture
 

Chipster

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We have Cyrtax twin. Been fine. Would be a bit more robust in higher winds than a normal dish I guess. Easy to use and switch satellites. Does what it says on the tin!!

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funflair

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The Oyster guys were show the Cytrac at the N+B factory bash in Germany recently, I talked briefly with them and my interpretation of the conversation would be that it was neater, lower profile, less problem in the wind and does not pick up a signal as well as the 85 cm Parabolic, so it comes down to where you want to use it and do you want the best signal as far South as possible.

Martin
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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Just bumping this up for Ralph, when he comes home from work .
Anymore members have this or have any pro's cons ?
Ta muchly.

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Zilevets

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We have this model on our van were away last week in winds of up to 70mph it's bonded on not drilled & it was fine could hear it rattle a bit but never lost a picture.
The caravan parked behind us also had one and never had a problem either.

Liz
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
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Thanks everyone for the replies so far (y)

Just in from work and going through them and have to say your telling me what i want to hear :)

I wonder if @eddievanbitz is doing black Friday deals :D:D
 

eddie

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Thanks everyone for the replies so far (y)

Just in from work and going through them and have to say your telling me what i want to hear :)

I wonder if @eddievanbitz is doing black Friday deals :D:D
LOL Nope just your usual, exceptional, exclusive, generous, massive 10% Funster discount!

Black Friday! Only the Americans could organise something so crass, Fighting each other for things that they don't want or need, just after they have said "Thanks" for all the stuff that they've already got !

Gotta love 'em!

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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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LOL Nope just your usual, exceptional, exclusive, generous, massive 10% Funster discount!

Black Friday! Only the Americans could organise something so crass, Fighting each other for things that they don't want or need, just after they have said "Thanks" for all the stuff that they've already got !

Gotta love 'em!

Cheers @eddievanbitz , I am more than happy with your generous Funster discount.
Just want to do a bit more research but i think this is the one (y)

Don`t know if you have fitted one personally, but if so is the mounting plate steel and have you had any problems bonding it to the ribbed roofs
on panel vans ? Ours is on the Boxer

Thanks.....Ralph
 

eddie

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Hi Ralph, the plate is aluminium, and there is no problem on ribbed roofs.

It's a popular choice with our PVC customers

Regards

Eddie
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
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Hi Ralph, the plate is aluminium, and there is no problem on ribbed roofs.

It's a popular choice with our PVC customers

Regards

Eddie

Thanks Eddie...... I will be in touch ;)

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Lorryman100

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I just had it fitted on Saturday and so far my choice has been a good one. When we started caravaning in 2007 we started off with the dish and tripod followed by the maxview crank up then on our last van we fitted the road pro camos dome. The dome was excellent giving us no trouble at all, always found the satellite when it had a clear view though took longer to acquire the further north we went. With the motor home I wanted as big a dish as possible that could cope with the breezes we get on the coast in Scotland as this is where we tend to holiday. The thought of putting a big 80cm dish on the roof filled me with a little trepidation as the dome worked fine in gale force winds were as I would be putting the 80cm dish down hopefully before it got damaged. After a lot of research I opted for the cytrac as the shape and size should and did cope well with the high winds on Saturday and Sunday with no loss of signal experienced. It has a location set up, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to help the dish acquire the satellite faster as well as the last position. So far the dish has acquired the satellite within a minute or so from pressing the control box start button. Initial reports that I had read of the system prior to purchase was that it was picking up the Sky beam into southern France and Germany which is as far south as we are planning to travel. The big test for me will be in how it performs when we go north to Morvich and on to the Cape over to Dunnet Head.
 

scotjimland

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This year I purchased and fitted the Broken Link Removed kit from Eddie, but maybe not suitable for your van.. ?

It was easy to install, comes with everything you need for a DIY fit.. Fixes to the roof with the supplied Sikaflex, no bolts used, with plenty length in the cables to reach the controller.., it was literally 'plug n play' ..

On our trip to SW France it performed faultlessly .. it is up and locked on in less than a minute... very pleased with it..

and it comes with a lifetime warranty on the satellite system.. two years on the controller.
 

Jaws

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In the words of Scotty, the Star Trek engineer, 'ye canna change the laws of physics' :)
If you intend staying north of the south of France and never going to Italy then a small dish of any type is fine

If you are intending travelling further afield then the bigger the dish the better off you will be.
There are no magic cures as such.
Sure the smaller units work very well and they do tend to have really good LNB's fitted as standard, but at the end of it all, it is simply a matter of size

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Jul 21, 2011
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Hi Ralph
I had a oyster-cytrac-dx fitted to my van. No trouble apart from the usual trees. That's the only problem with fixed dishes.
It locks on and finds satellites quickly any other time.
I see you are in Wakefield why not go and talk to Robert Jackson, he can't be far away, he fitted mine great help and a good job too.
The only thing I would do before having one fitted is bond a aluminium plate to the roof which I did on my PVC because the roof had ridges. I got a plate and drilled and tapped 10mm holes same profile as the base of the dish. Thus when you change vans the dish can be removed easily. If you want more info P.M.
Colin
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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Since 2009 with motorhomes several caravans then tents before that.
I just had it fitted on Saturday and so far my choice has been a good one. When we started caravaning in 2007 we started off with the dish and tripod followed by the maxview crank up then on our last van we fitted the road pro camos dome. The dome was excellent giving us no trouble at all, always found the satellite when it had a clear view though took longer to acquire the further north we went. With the motor home I wanted as big a dish as possible that could cope with the breezes we get on the coast in Scotland as this is where we tend to holiday. The thought of putting a big 80cm dish on the roof filled me with a little trepidation as the dome worked fine in gale force winds were as I would be putting the 80cm dish down hopefully before it got damaged. After a lot of research I opted for the cytrac as the shape and size should and did cope well with the high winds on Saturday and Sunday with no loss of signal experienced. It has a location set up, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to help the dish acquire the satellite faster as well as the last position. So far the dish has acquired the satellite within a minute or so from pressing the control box start button. Initial reports that I had read of the system prior to purchase was that it was picking up the Sky beam into southern France and Germany which is as far south as we are planning to travel. The big test for me will be in how it performs when we go north to Morvich and on to the Cape over to Dunnet Head.

Hi @Lorryman100 Glad you are impressed with the flat dish and the way it stood up to the wind last weekend (y)
We too spend a lot of time up in Scotland especially on the Western Isle where it can blow.
Don`t think you will have any reception problems at Dunnet Head, We got a great signal on our little Multimo dish at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse.
Your a little bit further north at Dunnet Head but with the bigger dish it shouldn't be a problem (y)
Thanks for a great post.

Thanks....Ralph
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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This year I purchased and fitted the Broken Link Removed kit from Eddie, but maybe not suitable for your van.. ?

It was easy to install, comes with everything you need for a DIY fit.. Fixes to the roof with the supplied Sikaflex, no bolts used, with plenty length in the cables to reach the controller.., it was literally 'plug n play' ..

On our trip to SW France it performed faultlessly .. it is up and locked on in less than a minute... very pleased with it..

and it comes with a lifetime warranty on the satellite system.. two years on the controller.

WOW.....Lifetime warranty, I like the sound of that (y)
We intend to keep this van for at least the next 15 - 20 years so a warranty like that would be comforting.
Like you say though, it might not be suitable for my vans roof as it has ribs.
I think the Cytrac has a slightly bigger footprint and a mounting plate which i can Sikaflex down.
I will have to have a word with @eddievanbitz before i decide on which one to go with.

It certainly sounds like its performing well for you (y)

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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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Hi Ralph
I had a oyster-cytrac-dx fitted to my van. No trouble apart from the usual trees. That's the only problem with fixed dishes.
It locks on and finds satellites quickly any other time.
I see you are in Wakefield why not go and talk to Robert Jackson, he can't be far away, he fitted mine great help and a good job too.
The only thing I would do before having one fitted is bond a aluminium plate to the roof which I did on my PVC because the roof had ridges. I got a plate and drilled and tapped 10mm holes same profile as the base of the dish. Thus when you change vans the dish can be removed easily. If you want more info P.M.
Colin

Hi Colin, Glad you too are happy with the Oyster Cytrac. Thanks for the recommendation but I will be fitting the dish myself so it will be supply only i am looking for (y)
Great idea on the fixing plate (y) I think the system comes with a mounting plate. If the supplied plate falls off centre on the roof ribs i may fix a larger one first to balance it out. I already have a four way roof gland in place to take the wiring so its just the dish to mount hopefully just using Sikaflex and primer.

Thanks for the idea, I may just be back in touch...

Cheers.....Ralph
 
Jul 21, 2011
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Hi Ralph
See if Robert Jackson can do you a deal on supply only, the Cytrac does come with a mounting plate and Robert has his own replacement ones made, but I found that the ribs on my Peugeot AS Warwick Duo did not give enough surface to match the Cytrac foot print so I got a piece of Alluminium plate from a local HGV wagon body builder.
Colin
 

eddie

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The AS4 Alden is bonded to the roof as @ScotJim mentioned and everything you need is in the kit, even gloves lol The two "skids" are designed to bond to two of the "higher" parts of the roof and can be unbolted and left of the van and replacements bought/made should the van be sold.

Engineering out any potential problems and giving a lifetime warranty has been a major coup for Alden and their customers

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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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Hi Ralph
See if Robert Jackson can do you a deal on supply only, the Cytrac does come with a mounting plate and Robert has his own replacement ones made, but I found that the ribs on my Peugeot AS Warwick Duo did not give enough surface to match the Cytrac foot print so I got a piece of Alluminium plate from a local HGV wagon body builder.
Colin

Cheers Colin, Had a browse on Robert Jackson's website and they have a 10% off winter deal (y) Looks like its only offered if they fit :(
Although he does extend Oyster satellite guarantees to 5 years ;)

Our PVC is also on the Boxer so looks like i will need a bigger base plate....No problem
Did you take any pictures of your install ?

Ralph
 
Jul 21, 2011
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Hi Ralph
I got a 3/16-1/4inch (showing my age) plate which straggled 4 ribs square. I drilled and tapped 4 X 10mm holes same radius as the holes on the Oyster. These holes were used to make sure I had a 2mm bed of Sikaflex by screwing 10mm bolts through until the patruded 2mm.
I put Sikaflex in beads same width full length as all ribs covered by the plate. I pressed down until the bolts bottomed out, then cleaned the outer edges to look neat.
I left overnight then removed the bolts. I cut 4 new bolts which didn't patrude through to fix the Oyster in place. And that's that.
I also used a multi way box Sikaflex to the roof which I used for Sat and Solar panels.
Regards
Colin
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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I got a 3/16-1/4inch (showing my age) plate which straggled 4 ribs square

:LOL::LOL::LOL: Being a builder there are some things that just don't suit metric measurements like...... 3 x 2 Flags, 4 x 2 Timber or 6 inch Bolts.
Nowt wrong with old school (y)
I can tell you really planned your install, it sound like a proper job with the tapping out and cleverly using the holes for a double purpose ;) I bet you have an engineering background ??
Anyway, i think i will defiantly be going with the Cytrac dish and will be copying your brill idea, Thank you (y)

I will cover the satellite install and add it onto the R n B Panel van conversion thread www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/rb-panel-van-conversion-begins.100614/ I can then finalize the thread and get all the costings together as promised.

Thanks for the info....Ralph (y)

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Lorryman100

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Some pictures and thoughts I had before you do your install. The control boxes on mine were mounted inside one of the cupboards that had the pre installed satellite cables. I got the control box mounted so that I could get easy access to the fuses and if need be I could pull the power feed into the system.

IMG_0100%20Medium.jpg


The dish comes in at about 17kg's so I had it mounted over one of the internal walls to stop any imagined roof bounce, in my case it was the wall that separated the toilet from the living area as that area also had a floor to ceiling unit incorporating the fridge freezer.

IMG_0115%20Medium.jpg


I asked the fitter to set up the skew as well as it is a manual set up, auto skew would have been a nicer option for travels in europe,

IMG_0114%20Medium.jpg


Good luck with the install and I look forward to following your progress in your blog. (y)
 
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Ralph-n-Bev
Nov 30, 2009
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Hi @Lorryman100 Thanks for posting pictures of your very neat install.
My mind is ticking over now i can see what comes in the kit. I already have the coax cable run and the 12v power for the controller.

IMG_6366.JPG


The black conduit running down right hand side is from the roof gland so its all together in the wardrobe.
Although i planned all this work, I was surprised to hear Rapido pre installed satellite cables just in case (y)

Nice looking van BTW (y)

Cheers.....Ralph
 

Lorryman100

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The cabling was pre installed from the TV unit through the toilet to the pictured cupboard. It consisted of the sat coax and power feed including an ignition live, the Cytrac uses this feed to put the dish down in case you forget when you start the engine and drive off. The system draws milliamp's when switched off so having the control box accessible means that I can disconnect the power feed when putting the MoHo into storage and at least stop one current draw from the leisure batteries. Another big plus of the system is how quiet it is when it raises/lowers and is searching for the satellite. The Camos dome system I had in the caravan made so much noise when operating I was worried it was on its way out but it did this from new and has been fitted for 5 years with no issues apart from the noise. I am surmising that the caravan roof is of a lesser thickness compared to the MoHo giving less noise insulation??

HTH Brian.
 

scotjimland

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including an ignition live, the Cytrac uses this feed to put the dish down in case you forget when you start the engine and drive off.

Hi @Ralph-n-Bev

for the 12v signal to close the dish, I connected to the 12v supply for the fridge that comes from the split charge relay.. (live when the engine is running).. that was a lot easier than running a wire back to the ignition... In-line fuse fitted at the supply end.

Just an idea.. you may already have though of that or have another plan..

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