20' Series Satellite Dish storage and set up

Derm

Member
Oct 18, 2015
33
25
18
Mornington Peninsula
Interested if anyone has ideas of the best place to store a sattlite dish while travelling and how you bring the HD twin coaxial cables into the van. Been thinking of strapping the dish on the spare while travelling which is located in front of the gas bottles. Thinking I will be storing the F box in the storage area under the bunk next to the outdoor tv. Does the IQ3, work ok without internet as IQ2 does, and can you connect to the 12 volt.
Thanks
 

Bluey

Well-Known Member
Mar 31, 2014
2,651
3,817
113
Australia
I pass my cable through bed end side easy theres a bit it goes through thats velcroed to van .... no iQ so i wouldnt know there
Sat dish behind my BBQ on the draw bar moved spare wheel to back bar
 

Bushman

Forum Moderator
Staff member
Nov 9, 2010
3,060
2,345
113
Wollondilly Shire NSW
Having a full van (non Expanda) I had a single through wall connect put in next the tv bracket, as for the dish I have under bed storage, fits in there nicely.
Don't use Foxtel in van so don't know, though a mate does, pretty sure it doesn't need a Internet connection though you may not get some services.
 

Derm

Member
Oct 18, 2015
33
25
18
Mornington Peninsula
Thank you Bluey and Bushman, thinking of doing the through wall but through the floor of the under bed storage, tryiying to see if there is a Bluetooth/IR option for the remote.
 

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,723
19,450
113
QLD
While Big Mal is a full size rig, sat dish lives on a post at the rear, I fitted a bracket just under van side with 2 connectors the cables run into a cupboard thru the floor, connect to a multi switch so IQ3 and Vast STB run together with a HDMI splitter to the TV. You will find the iQ3 will run off 12v but you will need a regulated 12v 5a supply, a straight connection will just blow fuses...Jaycar is a good source for the power supply and the socket needed. The iQ3 unlike the early versions will not play recorded shows unless hooked up to dish and locked onto the Satellite, it needs the dual cable also.......the earlier boxes are more suited to van use, the iQ3 is a totally different unit but doesn't need an internet cnx to operate, we don't have landline internet at home so Foxtel TV just runs on sat dish.

The iQ3 remote is Bluetooth so works thru cupboards quite well.
 
Last edited:

Crusty181

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2010
6,854
13,971
113
Mentone, VIC
Modified boat trailer spare wheel mount

20180420_105948.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bushman and Drover

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,723
19,450
113
QLD
Back on topic........o_O ..............here's how my Sat dish travels like @Crusty181's mounted on a post, I have a clamp set up on the rear bar as well as draw bar to which I fit a Z shaped pipe which the dish mounts to when I want to use it, if it travelled on the bent pipe the vibration would wreck it all, the vertical mount on the back holds it all firm with rubber pads on the rear van wall for when I don't tighten the wing nuts properly.

satdish01-jpg.40028
 
  • Like
Reactions: mfexpanda

Derm

Member
Oct 18, 2015
33
25
18
Mornington Peninsula
Thank you everyone, those brackets looks good on the bumper for the dish, to get clearance above number plate and clear the tail lights, I would have to disconnect it each time to open the lid on the expands if doing an overnight stop. Still might strap the dish to the spare on the drawbar as it’s nearly the same size. Maybe a drop down bike bracket might do if I attach it to the rear bumper. Does anyone know where you can purchase the through wall connectors for the co ax cables as that seems like a great idea. Like the idea of the Bluetooth on the IQ3 so I can keep everything tidy.
Thanks Again
Derm
 

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,723
19,450
113
QLD
I originally had my Vast Box sitting on a bench top with cable thru the wall but it just looked horrible with cables ending up everywhere for the STB and TV, so was able to put it in a cupboard and once I added the Fox Box brought cables thru the floor so the big mess of cabling is hidden away with just one HDMI cable running to TV also fitted a 12v supply in the cupboard and fitted a 4 point light switch outside the cupboard so I could turn on the boxes and TV power easily and for once it looks tidy.
You can get all the plugs and sockets etc from Bunnings or Jaycar, just normal TV gear buy from a van shop and pay thru the nose for the same stuff, if you go the thru wall plugs just make sure nothing is in the gap when you dirll thru and if a fibreglass wall tape over the wall before you drill and don't drill all the way thru both walls at once even on tin outer walls, use a small bit as a guide drill thru both walls then use the bigger bit and drill from both sides so you don't tear the panels, the inside timber can just split away.
Covers for the outside connectors can be made from a short cut off of water line (15mm) with a plug of silastic in one end, when the silastic is dry warm the pipe in the sun and it will screw on over the fitting then it is easy to remove and replace as you need and keeps the crap out of the connector.

I have seen dish's set up on post's on the front but if you have bunks both ends thats no good, when I had my Panda I did see someone with a double bed end job that had a slip in rack made of alloy channel which held the dish on the hard lid, must have had some backing on the inside but it looked like it had been there for awhile so must have been a success.......drop down set ups for tyres and things look great but on a long trip around the place you quickly tire of dirty, muddy things to drop down every few days.

Also just discovered my iQ3 box can connect to the internet with WiFi I always thought it needed an ethernet cable, so now that I have 30gb a month I might be able to stream the odd show as well, 1.5gb per movie is a good rule of thumb.
 

Crusty181

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2010
6,854
13,971
113
Mentone, VIC
Thank you everyone, those brackets looks good on the bumper for the dish, to get clearance above number plate and clear the tail lights, I would have to disconnect it each time to open the lid on the expands if doing an overnight stop. Still might strap the dish to the spare on the drawbar as it’s nearly the same size. Maybe a drop down bike bracket might do if I attach it to the rear bumper. Does anyone know where you can purchase the through wall connectors for the co ax cables as that seems like a great idea. Like the idea of the Bluetooth on the IQ3 so I can keep everything tidy.
Thanks Again
Derm
If it helps, I originally had this dish on my 16ft Expanda so had to remove it to set up the rear bed. My dish is permanently mounted to its post, and the post is only held in the bumper mount with a lynch pin ... literally 3secs and the dish is on the ground under the van. (if Im not going to use it, that is)

https://www.explorer-rv.com.au/ for the thru wall connectors, and a bunch of other stuff

P1000937.JPG
 
Last edited: