How to install a satellite receiver

Getting away from the crowds is great, but one of the pitfalls of travelling in remote areas for longer periods is a lack of TV reception.

One remedy is to fit a satellite receiver, that's designed to pick up free-to-air TV as well as paid subscription services such as Foxtel and Foxtel IQ almost anywhere you go.

To find out how easy (or hard) it is to fit one, we headed to Premium Caravan & Motorhome Services located in the Sydney suburb of Minto to witness a retro-fit instal on a customer's caravan.

The unit fitted was a SatKing receiver, which allows reception all around Australia except for the tip of Cape York. However, like all such units, TV reception isn't guaranteed; tree cover and heavy rain can interrupt the unit’s view of satellites and therefore degrade reception.

But at least with a satellite receiver you’re not going to be stuck having to wait until you get to the next main town to watch TV...

Fixed versus portable

The advantage of a fixed satellite receiver over a portable unit is that you can get TV reception less than a couple minutes after turning the unit on (the SatKing unit also comes with a GPS receiver to hasten the process of locking onto an appropriate satellite).

A fixed unit also doesn’t take up the load space of a portable unit, although it could increase the travel height of the RV.

Unlike a portable set-up, the fixed unit won’t be blown over in high winds either. However, you will pay for the privilege of watching TV in your RV at the press of a button out in the bush -- the SatKing Promax kit shown here costs around $3500 to buy, at the time of writing (not including installation costs).

Speaking of installation, you don’t need to be a licensed fitter to install a satellite receiver, but if you’re not confident about doing the work required for a successful install, getting an expert to do the job is a good idea.

The key areas you have to get right include adequately sealing the screws that secure the unit’s base plate to the roof, as well as conduit that often needs to run across the roof.

Then there are the holes that need to be cut -- in the roof and in lockers within the fit-out. The holes need to be cut in the right places -- both to ensure correct routing of wires, but also so you’re not cutting into existing wiring.

You also need to know about 12volt electrics and be able to confirm polarity and so on, or you could end up blowing delicate electric circuits.

Not the full picture

This how-to guide is only a general overview of what's involved, and relates specifically to the SatKing unit -- although other brands will involve similar work. For specifics, refer to the usually comprehensive fitting instructions that come with the satellite unit.

First up, you’ll need the RV satellite kit, which will include the satellite dish (although the ‘dish’ here is actually a square-shaped unit), wiring, the dish controller and a VAST satellite decoder to receive TV signals (or, as in this case, a Foxtel unit), and a TV in the RV.

The VAST decoder needs a card to work, and for that you have to apply to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, proving to them that you're a genuine traveller.

Before starting the install proper, you'll need to check some measurements so that it all fits and works properly.

To begin, the dish needs enough space around it on the roof of the RV so it doesn’t come into contact with hatches or an air-conditioning unit when it rises and swivels from its resting position to lock onto a satellite.

It also has to be mounted in specific orientation  -- with one side facing the front of the RV, as marked on the unit or base plate.

Once you’ve measured out a space on the roof where the unit can be mounted, you'll need to work out the best routing for the cables leading from the dish to the receiver inside. In this case, the cables were routed across the roof panel to a hole cut on the nearside of the roof.

More measurements

You’ll also need to take measurements and check for obstructions, where you plan to feed the wiring through from the roof into the fit-out. While the satellite cables supplied usually are longer than necessary, it pays to check you have enough.

Also confirm your 12volt power source and that you can safely route the power wire to it. In this case we were able to tap into a 12volt feed in an upper locker adjacent to the hole where the cables were fed through from the roof.

Once you’ve sorted out these preliminaries, it’s time to clean both the roof area and the sat unit base with wax and grease remover so that the sealant will adhere properly.

Next, mark out on the roof with a pencil exactly where you plan to fit the sat unit base -- if you get the position wrong, once you’ve put the base on the sealant it will be hard to re-position.

Apply either a neutral-cure silicone or polyurethane sealant to the roof in the marked-out area and to the underside of the sat unit base around the holes (so that the screws you fit in the next step won’t create water leaks).

Then fit the base to the position you’ve marked out on the roof and use screws to fix the base to the roof. Then apply sealant on and around the screws as an added barrier to prevent water leaks.

In this case the cables were attached to the sat unit before fitting to the base plate, as they’re located very close to the base. It’s easier to fit them prior to mounting the unit to the base plate.

The sat unit can now be attached to the base plate already fitted on the roof; in this case using the bolts attached to the base plate to locate it, then securing with washers and nuts. Make sure you have the correct orientation  -- in this case, the Satking has an air dam that fits to the front of the unit, so that should be facing the front of the RV.

The GPS unit is then plugged into the sat unit, then mounted adjacent on the roof. Clean the roof area first, then using the supplied double-sided tape secure the GPS unit to the roof.

Bundle any excess wiring and secure it with a wiring strap. To secure the wiring strap, use the same method as with the fasteners (screws) that secured the sat unit base plate -- that is, place a dab of sealant on the roof in the location required, install the screw to hold down the strap and then apply sealant on and around the screw.

Using a hole saw, the next job is to drill a 35mm hole in the roof at the point you’ve already chosen to route the cables into the RV. Push the cables though the hole and then fit conduit over the cables between the sat unit and the point at which the wires enter the RV.

Trim the excess conduit and then secure the conduit to the roof with a wiring strap about every 30cm. As with other fasteners on the roof, apply sealant under the strap and then over the fastener to ensure there are no leaks.

Next up is to seal the hole with sealant and secure a cover plate supplied with the kit with more sealant and screws.

Inside work

Now it's time to move inside to the RV's interior; where the power wire is connected to a 12 volt power source via a 5A (max) inline fuse, the earth wire to a suitable earth point, the controller wire to the controller mounting point and the coax cables to the VAST decoder box and/or Foxtel box.

The excess wires and cables that drop in from the roof can now be looped up and secured with wire straps -- out of the way in the top lockers.

OK -- it’s time to see that the unit works. In this case, we could power up the satellite control unit and Foxtel box (with an already active subscriber) straight away, but with VAST you need to register it with the AMCA first.

It takes up to 48 hours for an online application, and once you’ve got the registration you're good to go. All that’s left to do is sit back, relax and watch your favourite TV shows...