MiniMax Portable Caravan Satellite Dish Foxtel Caravan Kit Infomation
MINIMAX PAY TV KIT
The MiniMax dish features an 80cm dish reflector that will easily provide Australia wide reception. The dish is constructed from mild steel and then zinc coated and painted. We could have chosen aluminium however, steel offers greater strength and is much more durable than aluminium - at least for the reflector that is. The rest of the dish framework is constructed from aluminium and is then powdercoated. Being aluminium, you'll have no issues with corrosion and this is super important especially when used around the coast. Also overall weight is reduced to only 4.75KG (6 KG including carry bag). When folded the dish measures 88cm x 80cm and sits 20cm high. The finished dish looks great and all fixings are stainless steel.
The LNB arm is simply folded out from the dish and hits a stop. This sets the focal distance and never needs to be adjusted. This arm is the strongest we've ever designed and won't easily bend should it be subject to blowing over in the wind or poorly packed in the back of the car.
On the back, we've added a cam lock lever to the elevation tube so when you locate the satellite, it's a simple one handed action to lock the lever in place. A waterproof vinyl sticker clearly shows the elevation angle and is accurate to 1 degree so setting the dish angle is easy (we include elevation charts in our concise instruction manual). Also, due to the design of the dish, it is easy to accurately set the angle correctly every time as there is quite a distance between 5 degree increments. Whereas a typical dish with a pivoting bracket right at the back of the dish can be very difficult to accurately set due to the small arc of the bracket.
Pegging down the dish is easy as we include peg tabs that affix to the frame.
A high performance single LNB is fitted to the dish and this can be changed to a twin output should you require this (only for Foxtel users NOT VAST). We also fit a 2m coaxial cable to the LNB and route this to the back of the dish for easy connection to the satellite meter.
The big advantage of this dish type over tripod style systems is reduced set up time, reduced weight as there is no need for a heavy steel tripod and only one package instead of two. Best of all our MiniMax dish is Australian made so you're not only getting the best quality dish in Australia, you're supporting Australian workers and we all know how important it is to shop for Australian made at this time. So go ahead and purchase a system that will provide years of trouble free operation and look just as good in 5 years time as it did when you opened it out of the box!
INCLUSIONS
SATPLUS 3240B DIGITAL SATELLITE METER
Unlike the basic satellite finders offered in cheaper systems, our professional digital satellite meter makes aligning the dish a breeze. The satellite meters main purpose is to indicate not only when the satellite has been found but also to display how much signal quality is being received. Signal quality is the most crucial measurement of all and the rule is quite simple: If the meter is showing adequate signal quality (ie 80%) then you can be confident that when you disconnect the meter and connect the dish directly to the satellite decoder box inside then van, you KNOW that everything is going to work without question. We believe the satellite meter to be perhaps the most important part of the system and a digital meter is essential for quick alignment. The 3240b meter is pre-programmed for the Optus C1/D3 satellite and will only respond to this satellite so you hit the right one every time and ignore all of the other satellites. Our 3240b handheld digital satellite meter is rechargeable and super sensitive too. As you pan the dish from one side across North at the correct elevation, the meter will beep and will display SIGNAL QUALITY as a percentage measurement and will also beep to alert you. Super easy to operate too, simply switch on and press OK on the SIGNAL SCAN screen. Then, when fine tuned for maximum signal, simply switch it back off. With a full charge, you can expect around 4 hours of power. Comes complete with a power pack recharger, basic compass and instructions.
CABLES & JOINERS
Supplied as standard, RG6 quad shield cable @ 10 metre length. This is to connect from your satellite dish to the caravan wallplate. Our cable is professional grade as used by pay TV installers. Each end is fitted with weatherproof compression fittings by us. As we also fit our dishes with a short coaxial cable used to connect the meter, we include cable joiners for when the meter has been removed. If you've chosen the MyStar or IQ option above then 2 x coaxial cable will be supplied. These are 10 metres in length.
WEATHERPROOF WALLPLATE
You'll need a way to connect that external coaxial cable in through your van wall. The EziPlate can adjust to wall thickness up to 35mm and is a direct, no loss connection from outside to in. You may already have something similar but unless it is a direct connection from outside to in with no joins or splitter in between then it will not work. This is now a standard inclusion and comes complete with internal 1.0m coaxial cable.
If you've chosen the Foxtel IQ or MyStar decoder option from below, we'll include the EziPlate TWIN. You'll also get 2 x 1.0m internal cables too.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Everything makes sense when concise instructions are included. Our manual will assist you with directions, elevation angles as well as decoder screenshots and more.
DECODER
It's important to know which decoder you have so that we can supply the right package. A standard pay TV decoder which cannot record will work fine with the standard inclusions in this system so no need to make any changes at all - choose the option "I have the standard pay TV decoder".
If you have the Foxtel IQ or MyStar decoder (ability to record programs), you will require the LNB (on the end of the dish) to be upgraded to a twin output version as these decoders required two cable inputs. As part of this upgrade, we'll include two 10m external coaxial cables, a twin Eziplate weatherproof entry plate and twin internal 1m coaxial cables. Choose the option "I have the MyStar or Foxtel IQ decoder" from the options below.
