Aldi SD Satellite kit (1 Viewer)

[autoswan]

I`m thinking of going to see if any are left they`ve been on offer since last Thurs has anyone got one or know if they`re any good ?

At £29.99 Ross make, includes dish size not shown ? will need tripod ?
Tuner 220 channels + 100 radio, stores upto 4000 programmes, remote control with zoom function ? option to recieve 1000`s of foreing channels so would expect it to pick up uk from all over eu ? no monthly fees 10m of co-ax cable .

After last couple of trips west swmbo missed tv when raining as roof fitted mini flying saucer was no use. This is cheap if it does the job and im not keen spending £100`s on a fancy system just for us to watch the c**p they mostly put on the box when we will hopefully be out and about not stuck in the mh when away but it be handy to have when wanted. :thumb:

 

[paulus the woodgnome]

brought one the other week used it at chatsworth it worked a treat placed it on motorhome roof with sucker no probs last time i went i couldnt get a picture with my aerial only thing was it was eurovision night well done englebert NOT

acually mine was a hd one and cost me 60 quid dont know if it was the same one dont think it was if it is i was ripped off

 

[pappajohn]

fiddly to set up due to small dish size....but you will soon get the hang of it and get faster.

the receiver will be a low quality one at that price so dont expect too many bells and whistles....EPG may just be 'now and next' format and no daily listings.

don't expect UK TV all over western Europe...it aint going to happen due to small dish size again.

northern/central France will/should be OK but it may struggle further south and in the northern reaches of Scotland

of course, in France/Germany etc you will also receive all the 'local' foreign programming as the specific country sat beam will be aimed at those countries

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[Geo]

I have replied to many of these posts about the cheap little sat kits and never changed my mind yet
They all seem to work and do what they say on the tin:thumb:

But unless you have the patience of Jobe and the will to beat it, it will have you cursing.

These gadgets have beaten many Men many times

Then along comes a seasoned user and says" let me show you how"

Eureeka
You can now set up and be watching Corrie in under 5 mins at worst
Till you are shown it may take an eternity and many are returned to the likes of Aldi and Maplins, tested and passed OK, then offered as B Grades at reduced cost
Nothing wrong with the Kit, Just Plain Simple Pilot Error
Best advise I cn give is get someone to show you how before giving up
Geo

 

[autoswan]

Thanks guys it looks like a cheapy with limited function but if it does the job then great, as time passes and i learn more maybe i will upgrade

A silly question but can the dish be made more effective by putting a larger bright chrome/foil metalic dish close behind it ?

 

[magicsurfbus]

I've put the £60 Aldi HD version on my conservatory roof and linked the tuner to my PC and am picking up nothing like 300+ channels. It may be a line of sight issue, but it could also be due to the small dish size. Don't expect miracles. Our local B&Q had a similar HD kit knocked down to £40.

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[GJH]

If you want a 12v system be careful as Aldi sell two different kits. I think the 12v one was on offer a few weeks ago and the current one may be mains only.

 

[Jaws]

Used one of the small dish Aldi specials for several years before I had the autosystem installed, and number one son still uses one to this day

The biggest problem I have is sorting through the 300 to 400 channels to find the brit ones !! ( and yep, used it with great success right down to Italy )

 

[autoswan]

If you want a 12v system be careful as Aldi sell two different kits. I think the 12v one was on offer a few weeks ago and the current one may be mains only.

Good point. Does the 12v come with a cig lighter plug in type fitting ?
When using off ehu i would prob use my 300w inverter so will check its wattage + tv.
Should it be ok to use double plug to plug into one inverter iff items used both come under the 300w max ?

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[pappajohn]

Thanks guys it looks like a cheapy with limited function but if it does the job then great, as time passes and i learn more maybe i will upgrade

A silly question but can the dish be made more effective by putting a larger bright chrome/foil metalic dish close behind it ?

you can put Joderell bank behind it and it wont make any difference.

the LNB is set at the correct distance from the dish so it 'see's' the whole of the dish and nothing more.

and radio waves are not reflected by shiny things any better than dull solid things..... hence sat dish's are generally matt black or white/off white

 

[pappajohn]

Good point. Does the 12v come with a cig lighter plug in type fitting ?
When using off ehu i would prob use my 300w inverter so will check its wattage + tv.
Should it be ok to use double plug to plug into one inverter iff items used both come under the 300w max ?

if it comes as 12v and 230v then just use the 12v option...even on hookup.

inverters use more power than they give out due to inefficiency losses.
around 10% of what the inverter draws from the battery is lost as heat while its being inverted to 230v.

 

[autoswan]

you can put Joderell bank behind it and it wont make any difference.

the LNB is set at the correct distance from the dish so it 'see's' the whole of the dish and nothing more.

and radio waves are not reflected by shiny things any better than dull solid things..... hence sat dish's are generally matt black or white/off white

HAHA i new it was a silly Q. As i pressed submit reply doh ! :Blush:
Its just that i use a foil backing behind my wireless router which defenitly boosts the signal to my laptop which is away from it by quite some distance. Which is obviously sending not recieving a signal .

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[Spacerunner]

Do you really need satellite TV now that Freeview has been turned up to full power?

 

[autoswan]

Do you really need satellite TV now that Freeview has been turned up to full power?

The last couple of times away west there was no signal from either the roof mounted mini flying saucer arial or my indoor digital arial with built in booster absolute zilch ! but i notice more and more people around me all have big nasa type set ups !
When was it turned up ?

 

[pappajohn]

Do you really need satellite TV now that Freeview has been turned up to full power?

with a 'flying saucer' aerial on the roof its a definite yes.

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[GJH]

Good point. Does the 12v come with a cig lighter plug in type fitting ?
When using off ehu i would prob use my 300w inverter so will check its wattage + tv.
Should it be ok to use double plug to plug into one inverter iff items used both come under the 300w max ?

It does have the cig lighter plug. We use that all the time.

 

[GJH]

Do you really need satellite TV now that Freeview has been turned up to full power?

Not in all areas yet. I think we (Tyne Tees) are last in September.

 

[keith]

I have just set one of these up & got over 300 channels, but not channel 5s. The software seems to be an old version and needs to be searched a lot more than the factory setting.

You need to search for new transponders to get all the channels, which I did and got all the 5s channels. Do make sure there are no obstructions shielding the satellite, and remember the satellite is lower in the sky the further North you are.

The dish is now a mesh one (which makes it lighter) which I have never seen from Ross before and is no problem to receive all over the UK.

The best advice I have seen on this thread is from Geo. Get help and PRACTICE, but before you go anywhere, there's nothing worse than trying in the middle of a camp site with all the so called "experts" watching you. :Blush:

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[Jaws]

Or do a JJ and wait for muggins ( me ! ) to turn up to set it up for you !! LOL !!

 

[autoswan]

After all the intresting info from you guys i am going to look into it a bit deeper before commiting to one even though the Aldi`s one is at a cheap price .
Will look on Amazon, Maplins, Fleabay,Argos, B&Q and anywhere you guys recommend i dont mind spending up to around the £100 mark for a decent starter kit for now. Do you use a satellte direction finder or are they built in ?

 

[Jaws]

Ummm ...........

Take a good look at the ones around the £100 mark..
Most of em use the same kit with different badges on ( having to repair lord knows how many over the past 5 years I know em very well )

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[autoswan]

What would you recommend then Jaws please ? serious answer if you like

 

[callumwa]

Do you really need satellite TV now that Freeview has been turned up to full power?

In a word YES......

As previously stated you are assuming that you can always get a Freeview signal.
I have been in many parts of the UK where I could not get a decent Freeview signal. I have a Status 530 directional antenna with booster, and in more than half the places we have parked up we get either just a couple of Freeview channels or none at all.

Particularly in secluded valleys, hilly areas, remote locations and around the coast the signal is pants. Freeview is not all it is made out to be, hence people having to upgrade antennas and using bigger boosters to get a Freeview signal even in quite large towns and built up areas.

The sat in the sky is always there, and has so many more channels to offer, even just on FTA. On Freeview there are currently 4 HD Channels, on satellite about 60.

Also if you pop over to the continent you can take UK TV with you. Useful if the weather is not so good or you want to keep abreast of the news, watch your favourite programmes or sport etc.:thumb::thumb:

 

[FULL TIMER]

stick with the cheaper one as has been said they are mostly the same as dearer versions with a badge ,I found that out myself with a maxview setup, the receiver went wrong so I called into maplins and found one in there exactly the same as the maxview at a fraction of the price, I would say that I did eventually bin the small dish after it was blown of the roof of the caravan and broke and went back to using the maxview dish on a tripod. also no need for a sat finder most of the receivers have one built in showing a strength meter on screen with an audible signal that getsl higher pitched as you tune in. to start with get the dish more or less upright, point it south and slowly turn to the left,forget the first signal, carry on turning and the next signal is the one you want, you may also have to adust the dish angles vertically or horozontally further to get the best signal I can normally set up with 2 - 3 minutes

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[autoswan]

So to recap.

The bigger the dish the better.
And i need a tripod for it .
Reciever to be for HD and what else makes a better one ?
The satallite finder signal is audible and comes from the tv speakers, is it loud enough to hear from outside needing only one person to do it all ?
Remote control.
Free to use.
Min 10m cable.

Is this correct - set up dish on tripod 1 leed from dish to receiver another lead from reciever to tv all tuning done with reciever and tv screen shows progress and audio tracking satellite position locked in.

Do kits come with all leads and other bits required ?
Is there anywhere you run lead into cab where all windows and doors can be locked tight ? for egsample through the ext vents behind fridge ?:thumb:

 

[pappajohn]

correct.....except the lead between receiver and TV should be a scart lead.

you may need to set the tv's source menu to EXT or SCART.
some do it automatically if they sense a scart connected device which is turned on, others dont.

tidiest option to get the coax indoors is a purpose made connection plate on the outside wall of the van.

...or through an external locker

 

[FULL TIMER]

So to recap.

The bigger the dish the better.
And i need a tripod for it .
Reciever to be for HD and what else makes a better one ?
The satallite finder signal is audible and comes from the tv speakers, is it loud enough to hear from outside needing only one person to do it all ?
Remote control.
Free to use.
Min 10m cable.

Is this correct - set up dish on tripod 1 leed from dish to receiver another lead from reciever to tv all tuning done with reciever and tv screen shows progress and audio tracking satellite position locked in.

Do kits come with all leads and other bits required ?
Is there anywhere you run lead into cab where all windows and doors can be locked tight ? for egsample through the ext vents behind fridge ?:thumb:

I think when you buy the kits you get everything you need, you could always use a bigger dish later on if you feel you need to HD is not needed unless you have an HD tv ,as far as I know you can do all the tuning and setting up via the tv

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[pappajohn]

HD receiver is pointless unless you have an HD TV

yes, all tuning is done using the receivers menu's and remote control and the TV screen to see progress

 

[lorger]

I bought the kit just to get the box as it was cheaper than buying a box from elsewhere so i have a dish sitting unused if anyone needs one.

 

[callumwa]

So to recap.

The bigger the dish the better.
And i need a tripod for it .
Reciever to be for HD and what else makes a better one ?
The satallite finder signal is audible and comes from the tv speakers, is it loud enough to hear from outside needing only one person to do it all ?
Remote control.
Free to use.
Min 10m cable.

Is this correct - set up dish on tripod 1 leed from dish to receiver another lead from reciever to tv all tuning done with reciever and tv screen shows progress and audio tracking satellite position locked in.

Do kits come with all leads and other bits required ?
[HI]Is there anywhere you run lead into cab where all windows and doors can be locked tight ? for egsample through the ext vents behind fridge[/HI] ?:thumb:

I knew approximately where to position the dish. If not sure look at other vans or houses in the area to get an idea where to point. I then looked through the window at the signal meter on the Sky Box on the TV screen.

Average set up time 2 to 3 minutes to get a good signal.

When I was using my sky dish on a tripod I used one of these flat fly lead (ribbon with F connectors) to get the cable inside. You can pass it through a skylight, window or door and then close them normally. It's something like this.

Link Removed

Sorted....:thumb::thumb:

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