Is there still a need for satellite dish on a motorhome (1 Viewer)

[Corrinne]

Hi
I was wondering what you’re opinions are and experience is of the satellite system on a motorhome. Ours is old, rarely works as it has a bit of a wobble going on. However, we did have the software updated and the wobbly bolt can be replaced. When in Europe we were rarely able to access much through the satellite though. With smart tvs etc, do we really need one? I was thinking of getting it removed and replacing with a second solar panel. Would be interested to know your views. Many thanks in advance, Corrinne.

 

[Pablo19]

A firestick with a mifi router is the common solution these days. It works well as long as there is a decent internet service so it pays to have more than one option, hotspot with your phone on a different network.

 

[Carpmart]

I share your thoughts that increasingly it will become more and more obsolete. Wide availability of 5G, assuming it can be tariffed correctly when one is travelling, will be the final nail in the coffin for satellite usage.

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[Corrinne]

Thanks Pablo, we have a fire stick and a mifi router so I was thinking that really the satellite system on the roof is probably redundant technology now. I don’t think Sky even use them any more.

 

[Pablo19]

Thanks Pablo, we have a fire stick and a mifi router so I was thinking that really the satellite system on the roof is probably redundant technology now. I don’t think Sky even use them any more.

I think you're right, the latest Sky glass is streaming only now I believe.

 

[Jo662]

We have an oyster sat dish and a fire stick. We rarely use the sat dish now as the fire stick is way more versatile with what you can access as we have Netflix and Prime.
If I change the Motorhome I doubt I would fit another sat dish.

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[AndyPK]

We ditched our satellite dish when we bought our new van in 2019, and haven’t missed having it - also freed-up some payload too!

edit: forgot to say, we now have dumb tv, Firestick and mifi/router……

 

[Kannon Fodda]

What you have must surely come down to how dependent you are on TV when you are out and about.

For me I manage with the terrestrial aerial and usually have a few things pre-downloaded. But I'm on shorter trips. Away for a couple of weeks or more and I could need additional connectivity.

Satelite has become older tech. I suspect few would bother with a new installation. But even in the UK, if you want more channels than are offered on terrestrial freeview, then satellite may be a better option in more remote areas where there is poor and negligible mobile data coverage so streaming would be unreliable. I regularly visit the New Forest and struggle to get a decent phone signal. For heavy use Satelitte is watch as much as you want from your fixed priced subscription so the heavy user may find better value than data use of streaming that still needs subscription to the streaming provider and a data allowance. Even Sky has started to move away from it's satelite model.

Most will now be looking at a MiFi type solution rather than satelite. If you can get a decent cell data connection and package, combined with your streaming service, it's probably the simplest modern option. A good 4G connection will be ample for most SD and HD streaming, just watch that data allowance.

My next challenge is to pluck up the courage to fit a MiFi on my van, working out how and where to run the cables without destroying the interior.

 

[Fdhadi]

On our Burstner Motorhome we had a Maxview Crankup which I fitted in 2006 and was in perfect working order when we sold the van early December just.
I had this set up for SkyQ and never had a problem getting a signal all over Europe although we did lose the BBC channels past Turin.

I will definitely be getting another crankup (takes me no more than 15 seconds to get a signal) for the Rapido because we are football mad and missing SkyQ already.

We pay a ridiculous amount for a Sky Subscription so I will be using it, also get a perfect picture every time. I also have a portable Maxview Satellite but haven’t needed it for ages so not changed the Lnb to SkyQ. This is ok if you maybe stay on campsites but we very rarely do that.

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[Brains]

My 2018 van model comes with a large oyster satellite dish as standard.
I would not have bothered to fit one (in fact I doubt we would have even bothered to fit a TV)

However, the large dish does have the advantage that twice we have been presumed to be a TV news crew.
We were also assumed to part of the film crew for Midsommer Murders, they wanted to know whodunnit!

 

[poacher]

Currently struggling to find a satellite internet data plan provider (broadbandeverywhere, who I was with, have withdrawn from the market in favour of fixed installations on the Ka band)

Present thinking amongst the industry is that the old Ku band mobile satellite connection (on Astra 3) is now "getting past its sell by date" - leaning is now towards single / dual sim mobile data connectivity

Ka band connectivity does not really lend itself to truly mobile connectivity, unless you pay a fortune - and is not compatible with the Oyster set-up

It is thought there are still some internet satellite data plan providers in Europe but yet to track one down

Connectivity desired as a back up for mobile data for work - I like remote places - what / which satellite data plans are others presently using ?? - Jim ??

 

[funflair]

We had to ask ourselves this same question when we specced our new van a couple of years ago, even then the general opinion seemed to be that Satellite had had it's day so we saved some cash and I fitted a TV aerial inside the van and had a MiFi fitted with an aerial on the roof, we have Vodafone 100gb sim in the MiFi.

we have just had 6 nights in the 5 nights in the lakes with no TV reception so streamed from iPlayer on the Smart TV, we watched a few hours a night and used 25gb of data so happy with that, if there had been no mobile service at all I suppose I could have read a book.

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[Corrinne]

Currently struggling to find a satellite internet data plan provider (broadbandeverywhere, who I was with, have withdrawn from the market in favour of fixed installations on the Ka band)

Present thinking amongst the industry is that the old Ku band mobile satellite connection (on Astra 3) is now "getting past its sell by date" - leaning is now towards single / dual sim mobile data connectivity

Ka band connectivity does not really lend itself to truly mobile connectivity, unless you pay a fortune - and is not compatible with the Oyster set-up

It is thought there are still some internet satellite data plan providers in Europe but yet to track one down

Connectivity desired as a back up for mobile data for work - I like remote places - what / which satellite data plans are others presently using ?? - Jim ??

I have a Huawei Mifi internet box on a USB rechargeable connection and a Giffgaff sim pay as you go. Definitely is sufficient in the UK.

 

[Lenny HB]

Last year I would have said don't bother with a satellite but now with roaming charges coming back in I'm sitting on the fence.

 

[BrittanyLyn]

If i want to watch uk programmes but am in france, do I have to buy a firestick on Amazon UK? Its all a bit confusing!!

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[jumar]

Wouldn't have one on a new van, but our Oyster came in useful last summer both in France and Spain...so it's staying in situ for now....after all where could I put it or who on earth would buy it.....

 

[Kups]

If i want to watch uk programmes but am in france, do I have to buy a firestick on Amazon UK? Its all a bit confusing!!

Hi. You will need a UK purchased firestick and a UK address Amazon account to watch UK tv programmes. Our friends who recently moved back to the UK after 20 years living in France bought a UK firestick on their French Amazon account and it didn't work. Amazon customer services changed their account to their new UK home address and bingo it works perfectly. Once set up like this you can use the firestick anywhere that your sim card will allow.

 

[jumar]

I've got Amazon.es account and Firestick bought here....I watch what I want...when I want and with whom I want...of course you might need a VPN or a router with DNS settings adapted....or know a man who can..

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[BrittanyLyn]

Thanks Kups that's really helpful. I've got uk and fr amazon and helpful friends in UK when needed. Hopefully get a trip over to uk in the spring.

 

[Ian Bosman]

On our Burstner Motorhome we had a Maxview Crankup which I fitted in 2006 and was in perfect working order when we sold the van early December just.
I had this set up for SkyQ and never had a problem getting a signal all over Europe although we did lose the BBC channels past Turin.

I will definitely be getting another crankup (takes me no more than 15 seconds to get a signal) for the Rapido because we are football mad and missing SkyQ already.

We pay a ridiculous amount for a Sky Subscription so I will be using it, also get a perfect picture every time. I also have a portable Maxview Satellite but haven’t needed it for ages so not changed the Lnb to SkyQ. This is ok if you maybe stay on campsites but we very rarely do that.

I have a non sky decoder allowing me access to the free channels working off 12volts, unlike Sky boxes, and the tv is also 12 volt. OK, when you get outside th footprint of the satellite you have to change to another which may or may not have what you want. We only watch BBC/ITV, rarely non BBC, ITV, channels anyway.

 

[Richard n Ann]

We just use terrestrial, with a good aerial and amplifier Ann always found a film to watch in Benidorm a good few of the channels are in English
I also put her some programmes on a memory stick in case there's no reception but on the last trip never needed them in 10 weeks.

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[busbuddy]

I was surprised to see how many dishes were up at york cmc site earlier this week given the talk of everyone streaming everything now .....we had a decent terrestrial reception

 

[Speve]

On our Burstner Motorhome we had a Maxview Crankup which I fitted in 2006 and was in perfect working order when we sold the van early December just.
I had this set up for SkyQ and never had a problem getting a signal all over Europe although we did lose the BBC channels past Turin.

I will definitely be getting another crankup (takes me no more than 15 seconds to get a signal) for the Rapido because we are football mad and missing SkyQ already.

We pay a ridiculous amount for a Sky Subscription so I will be using it, also get a perfect picture every time. I also have a portable Maxview Satellite but haven’t needed it for ages so not changed the Lnb to SkyQ. This is ok if you maybe stay on campsites but we very rarely do that.

Didn’t think you could get away with Sky Q as it’s linked to your home broadband how did you manage to take Q box with you without sky knowing where it was?
we used to take our sky + box and got away with it but now updated to Q

 

[Tombola]

Thanks Pablo, we have a fire stick and a mifi router so I was thinking that really the satellite system on the roof is probably redundant technology now. I don’t think Sky even use them any more.

get rid of it, save some top heavy weight, streaming is only going to get better

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[Reallyretired]

You could keep the satellite dish base and mount a solar panel on it so you could point it at the sun. Even a little one will produce more than a big one flat on the roof

 

[JockandRita]

Wouldn't have one on a new van, but our Oyster came in useful last summer both in France and Spain...so it's staying in situ for now....after all where could I put it or who on earth would buy it.....

That is our opinion too regarding having one or not Martin.
Whilst this one we inherited with the MH is in fine working condition, it's staying.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Andacami]

Having fussed about and stressed over a broken Maxview system last year (and fixed it myself), I've actually only used it twice and there was nothing I wanted to look at that I could not get by other means. Since we had the MiFi fitted, I've always used the TV and/or the Firestick.

So, IMHO, there is as has been said, a dying need for Satellite dish systems, and when I get the chance, I'll be removing mine - the whole system must weigh the same as two bottles of wine after all! Which I might negate by also adding a second solar panel in its place...

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[63720]

I think it depends where you go and for how long. I'm all data with a BT mobile that I've used abroad and so far no roaming charges. With a mifi you could carry an assortment of UK registered data cards to avoid excess charges above their limit and it's still cheaper than a proper dish as you already have a Firestick. Imo satellite has it's limitations in southern Europe unless you have a sky box to take with you.

 

[Gellyneck]

Four sims, one for each of the main suppliers, in our two mobiles and we still have a sat dish as we don't get mobile service in a number of places in Scotland!

 

[MisterB]

you can buy a lot of data for the price of a sat system BUT that hasnt stopped me buying a 'pre loved' sat system which i intend fitting sometime soon .....!! we watch virtually all our TV programmes at home via the internet but if we paid for TV/internet via sim cards across Europe it could be quite expensive, so thats where the sat dish comes into its own for our needs.

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