Avtex snipe

[Sand55]

We love our TV whilst on a site. Some have the plug in TV sockets that work great, some don't.

We bought a satellite dish etc from avtex, and their TV, but at home never able to find a programme on it. We assume it is because we are too close to buildings.

Whilst on a site that did not have a TV socket, we had to use our own TV aerial. To wire it , we had a wire running along the side seating to the TV.

It was ok for part of the time, as long as I didn't move my right arm, and hubby didn't go to our loo !

So, I have looked at the avtex snipe satellite . A small thing to use. It works automatically. It can be fitted on the roof. Sounds idyllic .

My questions, and queries, are :

Will the roof mounting cause damp to come into the roof ? Expensive to sort out if so.

If it is fitted on the roof, will there be cables straddled around the hab area ?

Any comments will be welcomed.

Also, does anyone know of aproved installers of such nr. Blackpool please ?

 

[Deleted member 5816]

Avtex

You will also need a receiver to decode the signal there is a Avtex Snipe Installer in Backpool see the Avtex Dealer page

Alf

 

[Tezza33]

We bought a satellite dish etc from avtex, and their TV, but at home never able to find a programme on it. We assume it is because we are too close to buildings.

Did you align the dish using a meter and are you sure you pointed the dish accurately onto the correct satellite?, it has to be pin point perfect unlike like a terrestrial aerial where you can point roughly towards the signal

Will the roof mounting cause damp to come into the roof ? Expensive to sort out if so.

If it is fitted on the roof, will there be cables straddled around the hab area ?

If it is fitted by an Avtex installer they give a warranty against damp
There should be no cables straddled around inside but you could discuss this with the installers and they should route the cable to where you put your receiver or TV
I have never heard any negative comments about the snipe and it is a good price for a fully automatic satellite dish, although it will not work too far South in Europe

 

[Sand55]

Thanks for the replies. .

The satellite dish we have ( but not managed to work correctly ) says it didn't need a decoder or box as it works straight to the avtex TV. Is that where we are going wrong ?

Also, I thought the snipe would go straight into the avtex TV. Do we NEED a decoder box etc. ?

The avtex TV is freesat I think.

 

[philstoke]

we have an Avtex Snipe and it is excellent, just switch it on and it finds the satellite automatically, you do need a decoder though if your tv doesn't have one built in.
I havn't fixed ours on the roof, depending where we are I either just stand it on the ground or if in an area with other people around I just open the skylight and put it on the roof through that

 

[Tezza33]

Also, I thought the snipe would go straight into the avtex TV. Do we NEED a decoder box etc. ?

The avtex TV is freesat I think.

If your T V has freesat you don't need a decoder but make sure you have tuned the satellite tuner in and the TV input is set to satellite, if you use Sky at home then you can take the Sky box with you if you pay for premium channels because that will work anywhere you can get a signal

If you post your TV model number it will be easier to advise whether you need anything else

 

[Sand55]

Will sky allow you to use it elsewhere ?

I thought they checked the signal, and if not at home they stop it.

 

[Tezza33]

Will sky allow you to use it elsewhere ?

I thought they checked the signal, and if not at home they stop it.

Sky have no idea where you are using it, they can check the phone line to see if it is connected but they only do that in the first 12 mths, you can disconnect the phoneline from the back of the box after that without any problems so free to use it anywhere

 

[Sand55]

Thank you Tezza 33 I like that idea.

Need to decide if we have it fitted or pop it through the roof light.

 

[Sand55]

I will find the TV model number when I can.

 

[Siimplyloco]

Thank you Tezza 33 I like that idea.

Need to decide if we have it fitted or pop it through the roof light.

We saw plenty of Brits in Spain and France driving around trying to find an unshaded spot in order to use their roof mounted dishes! I'd keep it portable and then you can place it where you like and put your 'van in the shade......
John

 

[Tezza33]

We saw plenty of Brits in Spain and France driving around trying to find an unshaded spot in order to use their roof mounted dishes! I'd keep it portable and then you can place it where you like and put your 'van in the shade......
John

Good point, I used to carry a spare dish, tripod and long cables so that I could find a clear line of sight to the satellite, I wasn't worried about somebody stealing a £30 dish though

 

[maxi77]

Sky have no idea where you are using it, they can check the phone line to see if it is connected but they only do that in the first 12 mths, you can disconnect the phoneline from the back of the box after that without any problems so free to use it anywhere

Indeed, we used our Sky plus box for 2 years in Portugal with no problems at all, even the recording worked when we had a dual LNB fitted, Of course the problem now is the loss of all BBC, ITV Ch 4 and Ch 5 in much of southern Europe. Last time we checked you could get much of the rest of the sky stuff as long as you had a valid subscription. You also got some channels on Freesat

 

[yorkslass]

Will sky allow you to use it elsewhere ?

I thought they checked the signal, and if not at home they stop it.

we have never had sky, but we bought a secondhand sky box, bought a sky card when we went to the motorhome show at the nec, and have never had any problems using it.

 

[witzend]

We used our sky box in France for a few weeks then got a message on screen saying card out of area contact customer support.

Never bothered imagine a mobile phone call to sky customer support took 2 hrs from home once so just cancelled sky subscription

 

[Tezza33]

We used our sky box in France for a few weeks then got a message on screen saying card out of area contact customer support.

Never bothered imagine a mobile phone call to sky customer support took 2 hrs from home once so just cancelled sky subscription

If they did this you either were in the first 12mths of your contract or you have multiroom, (they use the phone line to ensure multiroom is in the same house and not two people sharing) they cannot tell your card is out of area over a satellite connection only by the telephone line, I have been watching Sky TV since 1992 in Europe and as I said earlier they only check your phone line in the first 12mths, it is in the small print you have to keep the phone line connected for 12mths because the box is subsidised, Sky Go will not work outside the UK but you can get around that by using a proxy

 

[Sand55]

Our sky is multi room. Will they block it then if we take one with us ?

 

[Tezza33]

Our sky is multi room. Will they block it then if we take one with us ?

With multiroom both boxes have to be connected so they will contact you

When a customer has multiroom active with us, the box will perform a monthly callback to us (on a freephone number). On this callback the system lets us know lots of information.

If we detect that the box is not meeting the criteria for multiroom (this could be that the box is unable perform the callback, calling back on the wrong number or even if we are not able to link it to the account - the telephone number is exdirectory), we will then issue a letter to the customer to inform that there is a problem. We send 3 letters to the customer in a set period, only then if the fault is not fixed - we would then apply the additional charges as per the terms and conditions of the contract.

If you want to use it in the van call customer services and explain to them, Sky advise you to leave their boxes on standby if you are away but I unplug everything and if the box is unplugged I am not sure whether it can call back anyway, when Sky+ first came out we had to have a new contract so it had to be connected, I told them I was touring the UK and they noted it on the system so I did not receive any letters.(I was in France but thought it wise not to tell them )

 

[Wooie1958]

If you are still thinking of the Avtex Snipe look here Automatic Satellite TV Dishes for motorhomes, caravans, horseboxes and narrowboats nationwide mobile fitting.

Second system down, the fitter lives in Chorley and will travel to where you are.

The fully fitted price doesn`t seem to bad, unless you can fit it yourself of course.

They`ll make sure it up and running correctly before they leave and obviously the system and fitting will be guaranteed.

 

[Tezza33]

With multiroom both boxes have to be connected so they will contact you


If you want to use it in the van call customer services and explain to them, Sky advise you to leave their boxes on standby if you are away but I unplug everything and if the box is unplugged I am not sure whether it can call back anyway, when Sky+ first came out we had to have a new contract so it had to be connected, I told them I was touring the UK and they noted it on the system so I did not receive any letters.(I was in France but thought it wise not to tell them )

If you had multiroom fitted after 17th Dec 2013 things changed
Sky Help: Watch Sky in different rooms

What do I need for Sky Multiscreen?

To enjoy Sky Multiscreen, each TV in your house needs its own Sky box and they must all be connected to the same phone line, unless you activated your viewing card after 17 December 2013 in which case no phone line connection is needed. However you need to make sure your boxes are connected to your home broadband network where possible.