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tracvison help

8K views 58 replies 13 participants last post by  peedee 
#1 ·
Hi all i've got a tracvison sat dish that was ok last week but wont lock on now, has there been any recent changes to any of the satellites lately that might have caused this problem? its making all the right nosies but just keeps going, i'm using an avtex tv with built in sat receiver, any help would be great thanks.Dennis
 
#2 ·
Phone Conrad Anderson (tracvision suppliers)


0800 279 0085


Very helpful company :smile2:


tony
 
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#3 ·
Yes, there have been frequency changes Dennis, mine has lost its "home frequency". You'll need to reset the dish parameters.
In the meantime try setting it to find Astra 19.2, then changing to Astra 28.2, that often works.
I won't bother resetting ours until we start using the van again, they may change again before the summer.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
"Is it worth the hassle?" I hear myself cry!! :crying:

We haven't bothered with a satellite dish on the new van. I've just installed a Maxview digital signal finder so it's easier to find the strongest signal in the UK, but apart from that we have the bog standard aerial as fitted by AutoSleepers. (Probably the cheapest they could source!!) We have no worries about the lack of telly abroad since we very rarely tried to tune in when we had a dish.

Now I can park under trees or next to a high hedge, and I don't have to fiddle with the compass when choosing a pitch to ensure there's nothing tall in the way of the satellite.

Idleness can become an art form - with very little effort! :wink2:

Dave
 
#13 ·
Yes, there are mobile fitters that do it. I see grandadbaza got charged £55, Conrad Anderson only charged £30, so it worth shopping around, you could have it done somewhere and incorporate it into a trip away,Vanbitz do them for example.
DIY is an option but I couldn't do it because we have Apple laptop and that didn't seem compatible with the flash wizard.
 
#15 ·
Ken ain't got windows only use apple stuff, but I might try and find someone here with Windows stuff, if you come visit I got a nice lathe for sale, oh bring that Windows **** with you,

Dave I noticed you always look on the bright side, when I read your post I feel like killing myself🔫🔫🔫💣💣💣☠☠☠
 
#14 ·
The more I read the happier I am to see the back of the dish.

It's nice work for someone every time there's a frequency change, and a lot of additional hassle and ongoing expense for the punter . . . on top of forking out a bundle of cash in the first place!!!

At least with the Alden dish we had it was possible to download the upgrades via the satellite. It even worked quite well, though not always at the first attempt.

Far too complicated for me to understand, but I would have thought a simple system of automatic upgrading should be possible. The user should hardly be aware that it had happened, other than a "Wait a minute" notice on screen while it was going on??

Dave
 
#16 ·
hello brillopad

I am the previous owner of your vehicle and when I updated the Satellite I contacted the UK suppliers (can't think of there name at the moment) and they sent me a box with the updated software on it which I then plugged into where you turn it on and it updated itself I then returned the box

hope this helps


Dixi


PS .just remembered the suppliers C A Clase
 
#17 ·
hello brillopad

I am the previous owner of your vehicle and when I updated the Satellite I contacted the UK suppliers (can't think of there name at the moment) and they sent me a box with the updated software on it which I then plugged into where you turn it on and it updated itself I then returned the box

hope this helps

Dixi

PS .just remembered the suppliers C A Clase
Hi Dixi, Thanks for the info will give them a call, even if I have to pop down to them they're not to far away, looks like you bought a nice van ,camper uk, nice people to do business with
 
#21 ·
What were the frequency, changes? As I understood it, they finished these ages ago and the Astra satellites would be stable for at least the next 10 years. FYI the main agents for Tracvision are CA Clase and they usually email me when changes are necessary. I have not had anything from them at all. It may depend what model you have, mine is an R4 and the last changes effecting this model where made in 2014!
peedee
 
#26 ·
If it's just oscillating on the rotation motor, I had that problem and asked a KVH dealer and he told me to check cable connections, as its waiting for a signal from receiver, mine turned out to be the cable I had made had one of the fittings slightly loose, sorted that and it was fine until it needed the software update.
 
#30 ·
KVH Dish motor



We had a Maxview Dome which went kaput after 3.5 years, Maxview were no help and said that there were no spare parts. We contacted a local Electronic repair shop and they fixed it, it wasn't cheap as it was something to do with the electronics board, but the original cost was £1600 so paying £250 for the repair was a no brainer. So don't give up if C Clase can't supply a new motor, have a look for a local Electronics repair company you may be surprised.
 
#32 ·
Why are you assuming it's the motor Dennis?

I would think it's just as likely to be the controller or a wiring/connector issue.
Having said that, finding it might not be entirely straightforward, especially in the weather we've got ATM.

PM me when you're around next week during the day and we'll pop across for a slice of Brenda's carrot cake. :smile2:
 
#33 ·
I vowed never to have another satellite system after the fiasco we had with the Oyster on our last MH. The first one siezed up and burnt out the controller with the dish down and going round, this damaged the solar panel and wrecked the dish. this was replaced by the dealer with no charge, but continued to be a pain in the ar5e, often not finding satellite in the middle of a field, well nothing in the way, you get my drift. in the end i had to search manually using the up/down and left/right buttons, more of a faff than searching for a signal for freeview. anyway I've got over that and bought the Snipe, at least if this gives up then it's only £500 :frown2::frown2::frown2:

curlyboy
 
#35 ·
I vowed never to have another satellite system after the fiasco we had with the Oyster on our last MH.
I'm with you George.

Got an Oyster ATM and as they go I'd say it's at the top end of the automatic systems but.......................

This is the first auto system we've had and I'll never buy another one. I've had several manual systems previously and never had much of trouble with any of them (except for a Camos with a duff panel). I can almost guarantee to have a good picture on the TV within a couple of minutes using a manual setup. None of this "updating" every few weeks rubbish, no waiting for ages while the "dumb robot" searches in entirely the wrong place for the satellite, no flattening the leisure battery whilst lots of little motors whiz and whir round in utter confusion.

Give me a manual system every time.
 
#34 ·
Been there Curly - probably the same 14 acre field!! :frown2:

Since we rarely watched telly when abroad (even if the bloody dish was working!!) and now the footprint is much reduced anyway, we are happy enough with an ordinary terrestrial (directional) aerial with an Avtex TV.

Press one button on the Avtex remote, and it does everything for you!! :grin2:

If I was ever to go back to satellite I would get one of these.



Idiot proof . . . and I'm not being rude about Andy Harris! :wink2: >:)

Dave
 
#37 ·
Ok folks this is what I did, took off the dome,open skylight so could talk to wife inside,she turned on sat, it went up and down and stopped,then it was making a noise like a buzzing sound from the azimuth motor( lovely word must use it more often) like it a was trying to go, so got the wife to turn it off and I could turn the motor and dish by hand but I couldn't do that when it was switched on, I will try all the connections when the wind stops and it warm up a bit, and of course it stops raining
 
#41 ·
Lesson:


Always keep your nuts tight !


tony :wink2:
 
#43 ·
Good morning,

Thought I'd just weigh in here as a few people have mentioned Oyster systems in this thread.

As Sat and PC Guy states, the frequencies being transmitted down from the Satellite can change at any time. We, along with the majority of other Automatic Satellite system manufacturers, are given no warning of these changes so have to react when alterations are made. We check the Satellite frequencies daily to make sure we're able to offer support and advice should any changes affect our systems but obviously we are not able prevent these changes from causing problems with our systems. If we could, we would!

The Oyster systems are programmed with four transponder frequencies per Satellite so should one of them fail it will switch to the next frequency in the list once it has completed a full elevation scan to determine that the first frequency is not available. This elevation scan will take around fifteen minutes and we are aware that this is a long time to wait which is why all Oyster systems have an override so that the frequency can be manually changed. This process is different for our three variations of system but I am more than happy to explain the process to anyone who wishes to contact me with their system details.

The majority of Oyster systems also have a hidden menu which will allow the frequencies to be changed should you be in a position where all of the frequencies in the system are unresponsive. Certain Oyster systems can be updated via Satellite to cure the problem, others via USB and some via SD card. The only ones that we cannot sort out without obtaining the brain unit are systems with software over 7 years old.

If you are experiencing problems with your Oyster or you feel it is not locking on within the time frame that you expect then please PM me on here, email me at anthony@oystersat-tech.co.uk or contact our office on 01858575928 where I will be happy to go through the settings of the system to update it to the latest frequencies and offer advice on what else to do to bring the system's functionality back up to the standards expected.

Kind regards,
Anthony Read
Senior Technical advisor
Oyster Sat-Tech
 
#44 ·
Hi Anthony

Thanks for that information, very useful.

My chief objection to the way the system works is that I fail to understand why the system has to go through a "full elevation" scan before trying a different frequency. It would be far more logical if the system had GPS and level sensor built in - standard cheap technology these days. By the time it's finished and gone through a couple of frequency searches the leisure battery will have taken a right old bashing with those motors whizzing away for ever - oh and the boss will have missed half of her program too. Personally I just cancel the search and position it manually to save time and battery. I have to say that, having taken one apart, the Oyster is about the best quality and robust system I've encountered but it does seem a bit "low tech".
If there is a simple way of skipping the first stored frequency or just changing the default frequency via a hidden menu that would be very useful information.
Mine is the 85cm model, around 5 years old, the one with the combined receiver.
 
#45 ·
Personally I just cancel the search and position it manually to save time and battery.
Seems the logical answer Ken, and why I would never go back to an auto searching system. Something like the Camos Crankup is much cheaper, more reliable, not affected by the ever changing satellite frequencies, and easy to use with a bit of experience.

I should add that I am speaking as one (two :wink2:) who are not much bothered whether we have TV or not. If it has been hissing down solidly for two days it's quite nice to have a bit of telly, and during the long dark evenings, but no great hardship (to us) to do without.

Dave
 
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