Snipe 3 - Satellite receiver

[bigalw35]

We have the Status 315 aerial installed, works perfectly outside the house, but generally not that well on most sites ??, so after severe amounts of TONGUE pie instructions were received from SWMBO GET A GOOD SATELLITE RECEIVER, we already had an ALDI satellite which is fine, apart from the setting it up at each different site (Grrr).

So I looked around and settled on the Snipe 3, fully automatic satellite;



Since fitting the Snipe 3, no more tongue pie, just about 750 channels (about 350 no pay), it takes a few minutes to find the respective satellite (it's controller comes with 9 programmed satellites and 3 spare user channels). You install the mounting plate to the roof, then the satellite just mounts straight onto the plate, followed by the wiring, the kit comes with a roof seal box to enter the van. Also incorporated in the system is a white wire that you connect to the ignition (i connected ours to the 12v fridge connection) so if you forget to lower it (back home) as soon as you start the engine it returns to its home position and locks in position.

Fitting, fairly easy, I fitted the mounting plate one day, allowed the silicone seal to set and finished the installation the following day,

SUPERB, works a treat, highly recommended. Price, I seem to remember was about £650.00, delivered from Amazon.

the first 2 pictures is the Snipe installed, pictures 3 & 4 are when it's up and working.

BY THE WAY THE SNIPE 3 DOES NOT COME WITH A RECEIVER, JUST THE SATELLITE SET UP CONTROL BOX, another review to follow for the receiver.

 

[Headrush]

Hi,
I've got a snipe v2 at the moment, but the gearbox has broken after a particular vicious pothole. I've been looking at getting the v3 as supposedly the mounting plate is the same. However, it appears that the cable for the controller is different.
Can you tell me, does the v3 have a standard coax cable for the tuner output and a different type of cable for the controller? From the pictures I've seen there is a multi-pin plug on the controller box. This would mean I have to redo the cabling for the v3.

Thanks for your help
Alan

 

[Gellyneck]

I think the original Snipe 3 used the same controller as the Snipe 2 (Controller type "C") but subsequently this was changed to a different controller (looks more like a home satellite receiver box) and whilst it still has the "F" plug terminated cable for the TV signal it has a different 20 pin cable plug \ socket (a bit like a mini scart type socket).
So it looks like a re-cabling required. A bit of a bummer as we also have a Snipe 2 and was hoping to get away with re-using the existing cabling if we needed to replace particularly as the new cable plug won't fit through our exiting hole in the roof!

 

[Headrush]

I think the original Snipe 3 used the same controller as the Snipe 2 (Controller type "C") but subsequently this was changed to a different controller (looks more like a home satellite receiver box) and whilst it still has the "F" plug terminated cable for the TV signal it has a different 20 pin cable plug \ socket (a bit like a mini scart type socket).
So it looks like a re-cabling required. A bit of a bummer as we also have a Snipe 2 and was hoping to get away with re-using the existing cabling if we needed to replace particularly as the new cable plug won't fit through our exiting hole in the roof!

Yes, thanks. That is what I thought. It doesn't look like a square plug at the antenna end though, so maybe it could be jiggled through the existing hole. Or if I can find one, the v4 only uses one cable with f connectors both ends. It might have to come from Germany though.

 

[Gellyneck]

Yes, thanks. That is what I thought. It doesn't look like a square plug at the antenna end though, so maybe it could be jiggled through the existing hole. Or if I can find one, the v4 only uses one cable with f connectors both ends. It might have to come from Germany though.

The manual for it is a bit confusing as it mentions signal ("F"), controller (20 pin) and stb ("F") cables but only shows the first two in the installation guide. The stb cable being optional, mmmmmmh? Think this might be a second signal cable for the twin output version?
Another bummer is that the controller cable appears to be a flying lead with a 20 pin plug \ socket on it and is very short that you then connect to a longer cable inside the van and requires a 25mm dia hole, ours is 20mm! It also means your cable entry point has to be less than 450mm away, Ours is about 2.5m!

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[Headrush]

I think the v3 is a bit of a mixture. They've obviously tried out some new things, but weren't happy with them as the v4 only has 1 f connection to the antenna. The controller is a small box with Bluetooth to a remote control style unit.

 

[bigalw35]

I can’t quite remember now, and I enclosed our installation in trunking, but I seem to remember that there are 2 cables (both about 2.5 mtrs) one has (?) about a 20 pin plug and the other is a 12v power cable, I seem to remember the hole in the roof had to be about 32mm, hope this helps

 

[Fallon]

We have the Status 315 aerial installed, works perfectly outside the house, but generally not that well on most sites ??, so after severe amounts of TONGUE pie instructions were received from SWMBO GET A GOOD SATELLITE RECEIVER, we already had an ALDI satellite which is fine, apart from the setting it up at each different site (Grrr).

So I looked around and settled on the Snipe 3, fully automatic satellite;



Since fitting the Snipe 3, no more tongue pie, just about 750 channels (about 350 no pay), it takes a few minutes to find the respective satellite (it's controller comes with 9 programmed satellites and 3 spare user channels). You install the mounting plate to the roof, then the satellite just mounts straight onto the plate, followed by the wiring, the kit comes with a roof seal box to enter the van. Also incorporated in the system is a white wire that you connect to the ignition (i connected ours to the 12v fridge connection) so if you forget to lower it (back home) as soon as you start the engine it returns to its home position and locks in position.

Fitting, fairly easy, I fitted the mounting plate one day, allowed the silicone seal to set and finished the installation the following day,

SUPERB, works a treat, highly recommended. Price, I seem to remember was about £650.00, delivered from Amazon.

the first 2 pictures is the Snipe installed, pictures 3 & 4 are when it's up and working.

BY THE WAY THE SNIPE 3 DOES NOT COME WITH A RECEIVER, JUST THE SATELLITE SET UP CONTROL BOX, another review to follow for the receiver.

View attachment 347359View attachment 347360View attachment 347362View attachment 347364View attachment 347367

Hi I have just installed my snipe dish to the roof of my auto Trail motorhome and I am now considering the wiring configuration, I noticed you had mentioned that you had wired the dish into the power source from your fridge that comes on when the engine is started and enables the dish to retract,
I was initially going to connect up to the habitation 12 V power supply and hope I could remember to bring the dish down before travelling then I noticed your post so tried a little experiment by unplugging the power source to the Snipe
Controller (while plugged in to the habitation 12 V )and plugging back in again to see what would happen and sure enough the dish went in to the home retraction mode and came back into the lock down position so this seemed like a good solution to add a second source of power to the dish that will alternate in case I forget to bring it down before taking off ,the only concern being I am not sure if there will be a problems with a backfeed from Vehicle battery back to the habitation electrics when driving
and A backfeed from the habitation electrics back to the fridge source when parked up and switched on, can you tell me if you’ve had any issues in this regard,
Thanks in anticipation

 

[bigalw35]

Hi Fallon, the short answer, NO, I’m a retired electrician so I’ve added some extra sockets 240v & 12v, as you can see our van is quite big, where we have the tv is next to the wardrobe, (over the fridge vents) under the wardrobe is the truma heater, I had already installed a 12v socket in that area for the boot/garage, so the main 12v feed comes from the rear of the 12v socket in the garage (a permanent 12v, which is actually in the heater/boiler section under the wardrobe), the white wire I took up an into the cupboard above the fridge and onto the fridge connector block. The fridge we generally use on 240, but as soon as I start the engine the white wire gets 12v from the fridge block, and the sat returns home, whether the fridge is on 12v or not, hope this helps

 

[Fallon]

Yes your set up sounds pretty similar to ours, I have the TV against the wardrobe wall and inside the bottom of wardrobe is a hatch into an anti-space,
housing the water heater/water pump ect,
I have a 12 V supply in the wardrobe that already supplies the TV and this is from the habitation (leisure batteries) when the engine ignition is switched on this automatically switches off which is fine as I wouldn’t want to use anything while I’m driving, the fridge is opposite the wardrobe and I’ve just had a look inside the external fridge vents from outside and have found the engine 12v source coming in so I will take a single live from here and feed it back up into the wardrobe cupboard,
The two sources of power will both come together at the back of the cigarette lighter socket I am installing to plug the satellite dish power cable into
I’ve had a think about it and I don’t think it can cause much of a problem when the van is stationary and I switch on the habitation power that will backfeed to the fridge (we only use it on 12v when travelling , and alternatively if the habitation electrics are powered up from the engine source when travelling I don’t think this can cause much of an issue either
Thanks

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[bigalw35]

Good luck, it’s easy when you sit down and think about it, have a beer , chill

 

[deanemark]

Hi
I have just had a caravan turn up in New Zealand from the UK with a Snipe 3 Sat dish does anyone know if it will work in New Zealand.

 

[Lenny HB]

One thing I will say about wiring the sat down feed to the fridge it may be OK on your van but on a lot of vans the fridge can run off the hab battery when the engine is off (every van we have had does that) so it needs to be connected to the D+ feed to the fridge.

 

[bigalw35]

I would imagine the best thing to do is check the satellite coverage on the internet from your position mine works perfectly in the UK

 

[TheBig1]

Hi
I have just had a caravan turn up in New Zealand from the UK with a Snipe 3 Sat dish does anyone know if it will work in New Zealand.

It can be programmed to pick up any satellite broadcasting tv in the "footprint" as in line of sight. By default it will be set to pick up satellites in the northern hemisphere. Particularly the Astra block of satellites. Without checking, I have no idea which one you should track on to and store

If anyone needs to increase the size of a 20mm hole in the roof, use a small piece of scrap plywood to make a template/guide. Drill your 35mm? hole in the ply using a hole saw in a drill before taking up on the roof. Tape that in place over the existing hole and use the drill sat into the hole in the ply. Hole saws generally have a pilot drill in the centre to keep them centred as you drill. Redrilling an existing hole, the pilot drill is in open space and the drill can move sideways, damaging the roof

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[TheBig1]

just checked

All New Zealand operated direct-broadcast satellite channels are from Optus D1 at 160.0°E, and can be received via a standard 60 cm parabolic antenna.

 

[Clive Bishop]

Hi
I have just had a caravan turn up in New Zealand from the UK with a Snipe 3 Sat dish does anyone know if it will work in New Zealand.

Depends on what satellite you receive you tv from,you have several in the installation to chose from.