Caravan Satellite

Setting up a caravan satellite system is very much like setting up satellite TV in your home. For years people who enjoyed caravans assumed that it would be very complicated or very expensive or that you would not get the correct channels or no channels at all. This page will answer the most common questions about setting up a caravan system for travel within the UK and across Europe.

This caravan satellite hubpage is aimed at the beginner who wants some basic information like what equipment do I need, how does it all go together, is it expensive to set up? If you are after some more technical questions like will the EPG of my Freesat box pick up Astra or Eurobird satellite? I'm afraid then you've come to the wrong place, this is basic caravan satellite systems 101 and will cover the basic questions only.

Assuming you’re not buying a complete portable satellite system in a suitcase from eBay or Maplins, there are very little components to actually building a caravan satellite system.

Your first and easiest purchase will be the TV. Modern day small televisions are perfect for caravans as they are often very thin (if you choose one without a DVD player), lightweight and easy to store when in transit.

The next thing you’ll want is a satellite dish to gather up all those transmissions, the best satellite dish for a caravan is discussed further down this page.

The final thing, except for cables and clips, will be the satellite receiver to decode all the information your satellite dish is receiving. There are 3 options when it comes to satellite receivers, Freesat, Sky or Free-to-Air but basically they all do the same thing and cost is about the same as well. You’ll find a comparison of these three satellite operators below.

This module will be less about the technical aspect of the satellite receivers and more about the practicalities of choosing between the different satellite receiver boxes. Now the first thing you should always take into consideration is the power supply required for your electrical goods. You will find a variety of Freesat receivers come from different manufacturers that are duel volt and can run on 240V or 12V, in contrast Sky receivers are only available in 240V and will require a converter. Freesat receivers also have the added advantage of being much smaller and lighter than there Sky receiver counterpart. A negative point for the Freesat is you may have some difficulty receiving all channels the further into Europe you go. This can be over come with a larger satellite dish but or a signal booster.

The biggest problem with Sky over Freesat is that Sky no longer offers a non-subscription service which means you have to pay a 12 month contract to get the service. It is possible to get hold of a Sky box and card that will show a large number of channels but you should remember that Sky replace their view cards periodically to stop this type of high jacking.

Free-to-Air receivers are those that don’t fall under the rules of the previous two. The biggest advantage of these receivers is they will be able to receive all channels that are transmitted. This means you will be able to pick up some foreign channels as well while on your travels.

If you use your caravan satellite system only when parked up at official caravan sites and connected to a mains power supply, then you can use a TV with a 240V. However, if you use your TV when not hooked up to the mains then you need a 12v television.

After the power supply you should work out the size you want. If you have opted for a 12V TV then you will be looking for one between 8”-16” with 12” being the most common. Look for one that will fit into a nice space in your caravan and not hang over too much. It is very tempting to get the largest TV you can but if it overhangs into the walk way you will eventually knock it over.