Hi folks. Need some advice. We are in our 3rd year of caravanning and still using same tv had at start. It's an LG and bought it 3 years ago for the van. Now...up until this year, we've been able to pick at least some stations up through our Ariel on the van ( coachman pastiche 545/4 2011) but this year absolutely Zero! Not a sausage at all. 😳
Been up north and down south and still nothing anywhere.
Been trying to fathom technology out for getting digital tv and or sky in the van but it's technology minefield!
Can anyone give us any clear advice on what Ariel/ set up/ freeview / sat gear they use ?
Looked at these quicksat kits for £300 but would like as much advice as possible on this query. Much appreciated and many thanks in advance 👍
Does the TV have freeview? If not you may just need a freeview box.
Signal strength will depend on the sites location and sometimes even the pitch position.
I bought a freesat kit from LIDL for £40 but couldnt be bothered to set it up on a pitch. We dont really watch TV. Just need weather information which is easier to get on the phone these days.
No such thing as a ditial aerial, you just need one the right size for your location. Weak signal you may need a bigger antenna.
Presumably you've got the aerial antenna amplifier turned on and it is working.
Also you've pointed the aerial at the transmitter
Also you've re-tuned the TV having done the above.
It can be a faf finding which way to pint the aerial. Looking round sis I see them going in all directions.
I use an App on my mobile which lists teeh transmitters serving the site. The primary ones are in green and secondary relay stations with limited channels in yellow. This then gives me a compass bearing so a simple handheld compass lines it up.
The App is called UK Aerial Alignment and is free to download. I downloaded it at home whilst on WIFI so as not to use up all my mobile data.
Quote: I use an App on my mobile which lists teeh transmitters serving the site. The primary ones are in green and secondary relay stations with limited channels in yellow. This then gives me a compass bearing so a simple handheld compass lines it up.
The App is called UK Aerial Alignment and is free to download. I downloaded it at home whilst on WIFI so as not to use up all my mobile data.
Thanks for that. I've downloaded it as every little helps.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
Hi, looked up the Ariel app but it's only for android and we are on Apple so can't use that which is a shame as looks pretty decent 👍
Been messing around tonight and think located the fault...the cable is faulty and think there's an issue with the socket ( the one we use mainly in the van) got the exterior cable rigged up to the bedroom Ariel socket and managed 11 channels 👍. Caravan going in for service after season ends so going to get them to sort that out. Not sure if tv picks freeview up but think will def invest in a separate box for that. Think may need stronger Ariel but as asked, any views on these quick sat or other suitable Ariel greatly appreciated.
Cheers for the post. Always appreciated 👍
First thing I'd do is to try the TV out in my home using the cable used in the van. If, once re-scanned, it works then clearly the problem is in the van. If it doesn't try swapping the cable. if that all fails, skip the TV. If it works but only with the newer cable then you've found the problem. However, given it was working previously, my guess is that there's some problem with the installation/wiring of the aerial system in the van.
If the TV works in the house. Check the caravan system at home if you can, lining up the caravan aerial at home is easy, just point the van aerial in the same direction as the home one. Using a tested cable, if you get no picture then it's got to be caravan system. I've not tried, but I assume it's easy enough to check the aerial plug itself. Other than that, I'd get someone to look at the wiring.
I had problems and ended up replacing the aerial socket in my caravan. It was easy to change it for a new one and it all works well now. The old socket had worked loose so it did not always make a good connection.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Tv signal??
