Avtex Automatic satellite dish - useless or is it just us?

[jules1967]

Morning all

Spent the whole weekend trying to set up our new Avtex TV - latest one with in built satellite decoder with our new Avtex automatic self seeking portable dish.

TV works great with old Multimo dish and managed to find Astra within 5 mins and tuned in 96 Freesat channels.

However when we tried it with the new Avtex - self seeking '5 minute Quickfind' dish !!! - 5 hours later it had still not found Astra.Not even locked onto the wrong satellite.

Anyone got one of the these or anyone got any ideas? By the way the TV which we bought from Johns Cross incidentally is superb!:thumb:

Jules

 

[Gooney]

Morning all

Spent the whole weekend trying to set up our new Avtex TV - latest one with in built satellite decoder with our new Avtex automatic self seeking portable dish.

TV works great with old Multimo dish and managed to find Astra within 5 mins and tuned in 96 Freesat channels.

However when we tried it with the new Avtex - self seeking '5 minute Quickfind' dish !!! - 5 hours later it had still not found Astra.Not even locked onto the wrong satellite.

Anyone got one of the these or anyone got any ideas? By the way the TV which we bought from Johns Cross incidentally is superb!:thumb:

Jules

Get in touch with their helpline, their after sales and customer support is superb.:thumb:

 

[jules1967]

Sadly - Johns Cross did not supply the dish - only the telly. They don't sell the dish - I wonder if they know something we don't? ie It's not very good!

 

[Gooney]

Sadly - Johns Cross did not supply the dish - only the telly. They don't sell the dish - I wonder if they know something we don't? ie It's not very good!

Sorry Jules I think you misunderstood, I meant get in touch with Avtex's helpline they really are helpful.

 

[jules1967]

Avtex - very helpful

My husband has spoken with Avtex and they were incredibly helpful - offering to collect the dish and test it and return it to us f.o.c.

It sounds as if the dish is very good and will locate Astra within a minute or less if facing roughly south.

Problem may be is if you have even a low hedge or fence within 10 feet or so of dish - it 'bounces back apparently'. Even if you have yards of clear blue sky above.

We are wondering if therefore its not so good for usual camping pitches as there is generally a hedge or indeed another van close by. OK for wild camping on your own on Beachy Head I suppose!

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[northkenttraveller]

It's neither; it's more like lack of clear instructions. What they should say is: Dont connect the TV/settop box to satellite dish control switch. Wait until dish has locked on. So this what we do now: Connect the control switch to the satellite dish and 12v supply. Switch on and allow satellite dish to find satellite. When its locked on tone will change. Switch off 12v supply. Then disconnect lead from dish to control switch and connect to TVsettop box. Then switch on TV settop box and follow instructions for channel search stuff. We bought an Avtex in 2012 and it worked intermittently, even in Scotland! Then it stopped altogether. We contacted Avtex and eventually someone explained that if the TVsettopbox is connected to control switch and TV is powered up then that additional voltage can interfere with ability of dish to lock on. Hope that helps.

 

[pappajohn]

and folks wonder why manual dish's are more popular oh:

i have a sky mini dish mounted on a camera tripod....generally takes me less than 3 or 4 minutes from setting up to watching TV.

 

[MHVirgins]

We bought an Avtex tv (LDRS185) and the Avtex AQF431 portable satellite less than two years ago and we had a couple of "teething" problems with the satellite when we bought it at first. We had a faulty lead, but Avtex sorted this out promptly by sending a replacement to the CC site that we were staying at in Yorkshire.

After this we had a problem locking on, we contacted Avtex and they informed us that the problem could be down to the fact that the BBC had altered codes in the run up to the Olympics. They sent a courier to collect the satellite and it was returned to us within two days having been re-tuned by them.
Had no problems with it since, we can have it locked on to the satellite in a minute or so.
Just wondered, do you have it on your mh roof, or do you sit it on a small table outside? We always mount it on the roof of the van with a clear view of south avoiding any large trees.
We went for this after being warned off other manual ones and the type that blow over easily in the wind.

I can't praise Avtex after sales highly enough:thumb:

Bill

 

[buckby]

Had the same problem but not avtec our automatic dish has to have a power supply direct to liesure batteries not through sargent unit or transformer otherwise it can not lock on ours is an alden find satellite in about 30 seconds