Which Satgear Portable Satellite Dish Kit Should I buy?

Firstly, let’s give you some background information that will help understand how UK Satellite TV works.

We are assuming here that you want to watch UK TV (Sky/Freesat/Free TV), although our kits will work with other European satellites.

UK TV is beamed from 5 satellites which are so close together that they appear to be one satellite, collectively known as Astra 2. These satellites carry channels for SKY, BBC, ITV and other broadcasters.
To get SKY channels you need to have a SKY box (known as a “satellite receiver”) and a SKY subscription card (which only works with that box). The other channels are free of any subscription requirements (called Free To Air), so they can be received using a Freesat box or one of our Free To Air receivers (also called FTA). The box (receiver) plugs into your TV using a Scart or HDMI cable.

Note: You can’t use a Freeview box, or Freeview TV to receive satellite signals. Freeview needs an aerial and is sometimes difficult to get as it depends on the strength of the nearest transmitter. It also won’t work at all in Europe.

The satellite that carries the mainstream channels for ITV and BBC is called Astra 2D and this satellite is focussed mainly on the UK, so this is the most challenging satellite to get a signal from if you are travelling through Europe with a smaller dish. There are other satellites in the Astra 2 group that carry many other channels for SKY and Freesat, which are much easier to get on a small dish throughout Europe.

The Satgear kits all use high gain satellite dishes which are designed to get the best signal possible for the size of dish.

This means that if you are on holiday in the UK you can get ALL of the UK channels with our 54cm kit. If you have a 40cm kit you may struggle with reception in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland (BUT it may be OK, sorry to be vague on this, it depends on your exact location and the weather!). If you are travelling in Europe, then you need our 54cm kit as a minimum, which will work part way through France and in the Benelux countries. Our 65cm kit will cover the whole of France and into the Alps, Switzerland, even parts of Germany. Our 65cm kit will also work in the Algarve in Portugal. If you are going further still then our top of the range 78cm kit will extend to Northwest Italy and down through Spain as far as Barcelona. Don’t worry if you are going beyond this, you will still be able to get lots of channels other than BBC and ITV and Radio 4 is always going to be available! Be very wary of claims which exceed these guidelines.

So, with this in mind, let’s consider the questions you need to ask when choosing the right Satgear kit for you. All of the Satgear kits are great quality, you just need to make sure you get the right one to suit your requirements.

This is what you need to think about:

1. Where are you going on holiday?
   
   You need to choose the right dish kit size for your furthest destination. The explanation above should make this clear.


2. Do you already have a Sky or Freesat box?
   
   If you have your own satellite receiver (Sky or Freesat box) then you need a kit that doesn’t include a receiver already. If you have a Sky+ or Freesat+ box, then you will need a Twin Tuner version of the kit so you can still watch one channel while recording another.
   
   
3. Do you want a Standard DIY kit or a pre-built Premium system?
   
   Our Standard kits require assembly and therefore will take longer to setup, but they are still great quality and represent excellent value for money if you are on a tight budget. The Satgear Premium kits are pre-built and pre-tuned, so you will be up and running with a minimum of fuss and you will have the best components. Only the Premium kits use the “Easyfind” technology receivers.
   
   
4. Do I want a light or dark coloured dish?
   
   We like to offer a wide choice of kit features, even down to the colour! This means your kit should even match your decor! You can choose between our off-white or dark-grey dishes.

Based on your answers to those questions, the table below should help you to choose the correct kit.