In this era, television is on another level and there is so much great programming out there. However, when you want to keep up with your favourite shows on the road, it’s frustrating how difficult it can be to get a good TV signal in your camper. Getting the best caravan satellite system you can afford is a great way to significantly improve your caravan TV signal and improve your overall camping experience.
A satellite TV for camper has its advantages over other caravan TV choices like aerial and internet because you can find yourself in a place with a very poor internet connection or no aerial signal but satellite covers a wider range of places and you can even cross the UK border and still not worry about bad signal reception.
With a caravan satellite system, your TV goes anywhere with you provided you have a clear view of the southern sky.
Types of Satellite Dishes
Having a satellite system installed in your caravan is an excellent way to watch TV when you’re out camping in your motorhome. A satellite dish is a perfect form of watching television for the camper who loves to travel very far into the wild.
Portable satellite dish kits enable you to enjoy some of the conveniences of modern living in very remote places and keeps you connected to the real world. There are different types of satellite dishes and each one is briefly discussed below;
Roof-mounted Satellite Dish
the roof-mounted satellite dish is usually mounted on the roof of your caravan and it can be very convenient because it comes with a remote so that you won’t have to climb to your roof whenever you want to adjust its position.
With the remote control, you can stay in your caravan and operate the dish and it will automatically rotate in search of a strong signal. One advantage of this satellite dish over the tripod-mounted dish is that you won’t have to haul it around just to use it because it has a permanent position.
Tripod-Mounted Satellite Dish
This type of satellite dish is usually a freestanding dish mounted on a tripod stand which can be folded and loaded into the caravan when you’re on the move.
In some cases, a freestanding satellite dish comes with its own fold-up frame with which it sits on the ground, while some others have to be attached to a tripod stand.
This type of satellite dish is ideal for travellers and campers who have no roof space or attached a solar panel on their roof. The tripod-mounted satellite can be convenient and easy to use, once you set it up on the tripod stand you can place it outside your caravan where the sky is in full view.
Auto Signal Searching Satellite Dish
This is a type of satellite dish which searches for signals on its own. It’s fully automatic and does not require you to adjust its position in search of a strong signal.
An automatic satellite dish for a motorhome is the most convenient dish there is because once you turn on your TV and click search, it will automatically find and lock on to a strong signal so you can start watching TV right away.
Best Caravan Satellite System
- SSL Satellites Zone 1 Portable Satellite Dish
- Maxview VUQube 2
- Maxview 65 cm Crank Up Roof Mounted Satellite Dish System
- Maxview MXL026 Remora 40 Suction Mounted Portable Solid Satellite TV Dish
- Maxview MXL012/55 Precision Single Satellite Kit
- SelfSat Snipe V2 Automatic Satellite Dish
We’ve reviewed the best satellite dishes for caravans below to help you in choosing the best portable satellite dish for your motorhome.
1. SSL Satellites Zone 1 Portable Satellite Dish
Best Budget Option
If you’re looking for a good caravan satellite dish that won’t have to drill holes in your pocket, you just found it. The SSL Satellite Zone 1 Portable Satellite Dish is one of the most budget-friendly and yet good performing caravan satellite dishes you can find.
It’s a tripod-mounted satellite dish and its dish is 59 centimetres wide for very good reception. This satellite dish is made from very good quality materials which makes it sturdy and it is coated with an anti-corrosion agent to prevent corrosion. The SSL Zone 1 portable satellite dish is very easy to set up and you can do it yourself, it has pre-built brackets which means you don’t have to bolt or tighten anything, just fold it out and it will open and snap into place.
It can also connect to foreign satellites like Hotbird, Sky Plus, Sky HD, etc. and it produces very clear HD images and clear audio, the reception is just what you would expect and it’s not disappointing. To use this satellite dish, simply set it up, align it to your satellite of choice then add your cables and connect to your receiver.
- It’s very easy to set up
- It’s budget-friendly
- Depending on your location it may not produce very clear reception
- Complete kit for installing Sky, Sky Plus, HD or any Freesat TV Receiver: Zone 2 Satellite Dish + Quad LNB + Twin Coax Cable Kit + Satellite Cable clips + (SATFINDER). Tripod is NOT included!
2. Maxview MXL023 VUQube 2
Best Fully Automatic Satellite System With Single Finder
If you want a fully automatic portable satellite dish for your caravan then you should give the Maxview VUQube 2 more than a casual thought. This satellite is designed to be mounted on the roof of a motorhome and it’s very convenient. And you can receive satellite TV and radio signals from every part of the UK and most parts of Europe.
See more in-depth information on our Maxview VUQube 2 review
This satellite dish is compact and lightweight and for a device of its size (about 35 cm), it provides very impressive signal reception and with only the click of a button. The VUQube comes pre-programmed with Astra 1, Astra 2, Astra 3 and Hotbird plus it comes with an anti-theft alarm that goes off if the coaxial cable is disconnected when it’s in use. The VUQube also has a wired controller box that is placed inside the caravan and you can control the dish from the controller box. This dish is fully automatic, portable and easy to use. It’s an excellent satellite dish.
- It’s a portable and fully automatic satellite dish
- It’s very convenient and easy to use
- It’s a little expensive
- The VuQube 2 is a fully enclosed automatic satellite system designed to receive satellite TV and radio in the UK and Europe at the press of a button, using a wired control box
3. Maxview 65 cm Crank Up Roof Mounted Satellite Dish System
Best Roof-mounted with a manual crank
Another great satellite dish that will completely improve your camping TV experience is the Maxview Crank Up satellite dish system. This satellite dish is a manually operated dish that is designed to be mounted on the roof of a caravan and it can receive both TV and radio signals from around the UK and most of Europe.
The Crank Up Roof-mounted satellite dish from Maxview is a 65 cm antenna unit that is very easy to set up and can be controlled from inside the caravan. It’s also compatible with the UK and European satellites and SD/HD free-to-air satellite receivers including most sky receivers. And it’s power is passive as it is LNB powered through coaxial cables from a satellite receiver. This satellite dish gives you virtually everything you could ever want in a portable manual roof-mounted satellite dish.
- It’s very easy to operate and transmits very clear images
- It’s roof-mounted and can be controlled from inside the caravan
- It’s not very budget-friendly
- Signal coverage greater than Dome Satellite Systems, Twin LNB as Standard. For use with PVR’s, SKY+ or 2 receivers in different locations, Enhanced gearbox design for increased positional accuracy...
4. Maxview MXL026 Remora 40 Suction Mounted Portable Solid Satellite TV Dish
This is another manually operated satellite dish from Maxview that will make your camping experience a lot more interesting and it’s also very affordable.
This Remora 40 Suction satellite dish a manually operated portable 40 cm satellite dish and it is designed to be mounted on the roof of a caravan, it can also receive both TV and radio signals from around the UK and most of Europe. Despite that, it’s manually operated it has very intuitive controls which makes it very easy to use. It is powered by LNB through coaxial cables from a satellite receiver and requires no separate power supply. This dish is made from high-quality materials which makes it robust and very durable.
The Remora 40 is compatible with SD/HD free-to-air satellite receivers, it can also receive transmissions from satellites worldwide and it comes with a satellite compass. With all these exciting features it still doesn’t cost an arm and a leg which makes it a great buy.
- It has very intuitive controls
- It can receive transmissions from satellites worldwide
- The suction mounted design places the dish very close to the wall which limits the ability to direct it horizontally
- high performance suction cups.
5. Maxview MXL012/55 Precision Single Satellite Kit
If you’d prefer a tripod-mounted satellite dish for your caravan then you should consider getting the Maxview Precision Single Satellite Kit. This satellite dish comes with pre-assembled parts which make setting it up quick and easy. It comes with many great features like an easy to read elevation indicator, integrated sat finder, level indicator, magnetic LNB lock, compass, ground pegs, etc.
The Maxview Precision satellite dish is very portable and its dish size is 55 cm which is ideal for receiving very clear signals and it produces high-quality images. Even in windy conditions, you can set it up because the design of this satellite dish makes it possible for the dish to stand the wind. If you’re looking for a good portable satellite dish for your camper, the Precision Single Satellite Dish from Maxview is a great buy as it checks almost all the boxes for an ideal caravan satellite dish.
- It’s easy to set up
- It comes with a complete satellite kit
- You have to set it up every time you want to use it and dismantle it after use
- high performance suction cups.
6. SelfSat Snipe V2 Automatic Satellite Dish
The SelfSat Snife Version 2 Satellite Dish is a fully automatic satellite dish that is designed to be mounted on the roof of your caravan. It’s quite a small, compact and flat satellite dish but performs very powerfully. It has very interesting features like a GPS tracker which means it can automatically determine its position, and it has an electronically controlled device that automatically finds and locks on to a strong signal so you can start watching TV right away, and this happens only with the click of a button.
Please note, there is an updated version of this product available, the V3. We have more information on it in our post where we compare the Selfsat Snipe Dome vs Selfsat Snipe V3. You can read more, just click here.
SelfSat Snipe V2 may look small but it provides very good reception because it has a three-layer structure with waveguide horn array functions. This satellite dish can receive signals from around the UK and across Europe, it’s also compatible with satellites like Astra, Eutelsat, Hotbird and other satellite around the world.
Pros ?
- It’s fully automatic and can be controlled by the click of a button
- It can receive signals from around the UK and across Europe
- It provides very good reception
Cons ?
- It’s not very budget-friendly
- Box contents: fully automatic selfsat satellite antenna Snipe V2, remote control, 7 m antenna cable, cigarette lighter adaptor, instruction manual (may not be in English), transport case, mounting...
What makes a good TV for a caravan?
Watching TV in your caravan is not something to compromise on and you need the TV option that will compliment your camping style.
Despite the popularity of aerial, it can be very limited and it is not built for the traveller who loves to wander very far from modern civilization. This is where satellite TV comes in, the best portable satellite systems for caravan can provide you with very clear signal even if you cross the UK border.
And it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds to a minute to set up and this should be very easy otherwise it might just turn to another chore. But that’s not all that matters in a motorhome satellite dish, other very important features to look for are discussed below.
Key things to consider before making a purchase
Before buying a satellite dish for your caravan, it’s important that you make sure the dish has all the features that will make it an excellent buy. A satellite dish that will completely improve your caravan TV experience should check the following boxes;
It should have automatic satellite tracking
Some satellite dishes come with a GPS which enables them to know exactly where they are and which way the strongest signal is and they automatically adjust their position to align and lock on to the strongest signal. This is all done automatically without any manipulation from its owner. A satellite dish like this is the most convenient because it requires no manual signal searching.
It should support more than one TV
Some satellite dishes have the feature of connecting to more than one television and it’s a great feature. This feature is important if you have more than one television in your caravan and intend to watch television from them at once. Maybe one telly in the living room area of your motorhome and another in the bedroom area, a satellite that can connect to both of them is great.
It should have in-motion viewing
In a satellite, the in-motion viewing feature means that you can watch television when your caravan is in motion, that is when you’re driving. This is good features because someone is driving, the other members of the family [or friends] will be entertained.
It should be easy to set up
Ease of set up is one feature that is very desirable in a satellite dish, especially if it’s a dish that will be mounted on a tripod stand and would require that you always dismantle or fold it stands and load it up in your caravan when not in use. This type of satellite dish should ideally take less than one minute to set up so that it doesn’t become a chore and make watching TV in our caravan an unpleasant task.
Take note of the dish size
Another very important thing to consider when buying a satellite dish is the size of the dish. You should know that the bigger the dish size the better the signal reception. Therefore an 85 cm satellite dish will have much better reception than a 40 cm satellite dish.
Finally, buying a satellite dish almost always means you also need to buy a receiver box to go with it but if you have a television with a built-in satellite receiver this will save you from filling your caravan with all the cables that’ll connect the receiver box/decoder to the TV, not to mention the saving the extra power that’ll will be used by the receiver box.
Final Thoughts on finding the best caravan satellite system
With the many caravan satellite systems available in the market, selecting the best one for you can be very challenging but this shouldn’t be the case — thanks to this guide. The best caravan satellite system for you will most definitely depend on your camping style and personal preference.
If you always camp in places with lots of trees and shade and always park your caravan under one of those trees (or your roof has solar panels), then you should consider getting a freestanding or tripod-mounted satellite dish which is very easy to set up and dismantle after use — this is very important.
But if you’re always on the road and make only a few stops or you don’t like the idea of always setting up and tuning your dish then get yourself a fully automatic and roof-mounted satellite dish. There are lots of great products for any satellite type you decide to get but before you make any purchase make sure the satellite system checks all the boxes above.
Happy Camping!