TravelSat-V2 Mobile VAST Satellite TV Kit (LITE)

This kit contains all the essential items required to receive free-to-air TV whilst on the road. We call it our LITE kit because we have only included the bare essentials when putting this kit together. If you are considering buying a portable satellite kit for VAST you should also consider our TravelSat-V2 VAST Satellite TV DELUXE Kit.

The TravelSat-V2 Mobile Satellite Dish is based on the original design introduced to Australia by SatPlus in 2009. Since then over seven thousand have been purchased. The popularity of this dish is due to its all in one design - integrated base with no need for a separate tripod.

PROS and CONS

The benefits of this style of dish are:

• Integrated mount so no separate tripod is required. This reduces weight by up to 5KG.
• Less space. As there is no tripod required, only the dish needs to be stored.
• Setup time is about 30 seconds to have the dish ready for alignment.
• Alignment is easier than a standard tripod mount dish. This is due to the placement of the elevation tube on the rear of the dish. Each 5 degree graduation is about 1.5 inches apart so it is much easier to locate the signal. On a traditional dish, 5 degree increments are about 5mm apart so greater accuracy is required.
• Lower cost. TravelSat-V2 Portable Satellite Dish comes complete with LNB and padded carry bag and is around $80 less than a tripod mounted dish with bag.

The disadvantages of this style of dish are:

• As the dish and base are one, it is more difficult to move the dish side to side on rocky terrain when compared to a tripod mounted dish.
• It cannot be pole mounted. Many travellers choose to take their dish off the tripod and mount it on a mast on the drawbar or rear bar of the van. This isn't a practical option with the TravelSat-V2 dish. 

EASY ADJUSTMENT

Setting the elevation angle of the dish is easy. You can see from the picture below that the angles are in five degree increments. Each increment is about 1.5" apart so locating the satellite is much easier with this style of dish. 

STORAGE

The LNB arm folds in on the front of the dish and the reflector then hinges down onto the frame. An engraved LNB is included showing skew marks at 5 degree increments. 

The unit then packs away into its included padded bag and stored on the mattress or rear of the 4WD. The package is 83cm tall but only 76cm wide. Weight is around 5KG in the bag. 

CONSTRUCTION

The dish reflector has been zinc coated prior to painting so will resist corrosion. The frame is painted mild steel. It is necessary (as with any metal outdoor product) to maintain the dish using silicon spray in the moving parts or wire brush and primer as time goes by. 
  

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

SINGLE OUTPUT LNB 

The included single output LNB (amplifier on the front of the dish) is compatible with VAST, Austar and Foxtel and has a single cable wired from the dish. This is suitable for all VAST and standard pay TV boxes (excluding MyStar and Foxtel IQ which require a twin output LNB).

SatKing DVBS2-980CA Twin Tuner VAST Satellite TV Receiver

The SatKing 980CA VAST Decoder is an excellent decoder for use in a caravan and motorhome. Its small size and low power consumption as well as 12V and 240V operation coupled with features like, dual tuner for PVR recording (recording direct to an external USB drive), easy to use on-screen menus, IR sensor port (so you can hide the decoder away in a cupboard and have the sensor outside the cupboard), HDMI output and more.

You'll get access to the complete range of free to air Australian TV channels almost anywhere in Australia. 

SATELLITE METER - SK99 Analogue Satellite Meter

You'll need to align your satellite dish to the satellite and to do this we include a needle and tone satellite finder as standard.

This is a basic meter as sold by most other satellite companies and does require a little patience and understanding to get the dish aligned correctly. The meter is connected inline and gets its power from the connected coaxial cable coming from the van.

A sensitivity dial is adjusted on the side of the finder and the dish is rotated until a signal is found. This is indicated by a rise of the needle on the display. If the needle goes off the scale, it can be adjusted lower and the dish fine tuned for maximum signal. If no signal is being received by the decoder inside the van, then you may be on the wrong satellite. Repeat the above until the next satellite is found. 

COAXIAL CABLE

Included:

• a short cable for the dish to connect to the meter
• a 10m cable from the dish to the caravan wall
• internal 1m cable from the inside wall to the decoder. 

SUMMARY OF INCLUSIONS:

• TravelSat-V2 Satellite Dish & carry bag.
• Single Output LNB.
• SatKing 980CA 12v/240v VAST Decoder.
• SK99 Analogue Satellite Meter.
• Cable Kit (2 x 1m, 1 x 10m).