Warwick Duo tv

Hi 
2nd outing in our fantastic Warwick Duo, this van is brill, but the tv reception is very poor, pixelated on many channels, I have turned the booster up to max and still no joy! does the aerial on the roof need changing? does the booster need upgrading? any advice would be appreciated. thanks Dave

The roof antenna fitted to the Warwick Duo was ok in the days of analogue tv but the transmitted digital signal is far less powerful and, unless you're close to a transmitter, you'll have problems getting an adequate signal.

If I was you I'd bite the bullet and install an automatic satellite dish on the roof and connect it to a Pace Javelin receiver that you can get on eBay for less than £100. You'll then get over 100 channels with a proper programme guide, not only in the UK but a good way into France.

We did this six years ago and have never regretted it.

David, what sort of television are you using? Omni-directional roof mount aerials are a very poor compromise. The directional type like these are much more superior; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

As for television sets, i use an Avtex which is a multi-standard so will receive signals in any European countries which even if not speaking the language, is useful for weather forecasts. It also works anywhere using the Avtex aerial [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] A very simple looking piece of kit which can be mounted outside your van, but i've never had to bother as it picks up signals from inside the van just fine!

Avtex sets aren't cheap, but they are damn good. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I always thought the self seeking Oyster Digital Sat dish on my old van was the only way to go, but they can also suffer from poor reception especially if parked near or under trees. My latest van , a Warwick Duo, has a Status 570 aerial and a Vision plus booster with built in signal finder  fitted and I am pleasantly surprised with the ease of set up and the excellent quality of the picture. We also use an Avtex TV/DVD which I think was a standard fit on this van.

Thanks for your quick response guys, tv ok as i have plugged it in to the aerial in the house and all ok.
is the aerial easy to change? always a bit worried when doing stuff on the roof...leaks!
Cheers Dave

David Scott wrote:Thanks for your quick response guys, tv ok as i have plugged it in to the aerial in the house and all ok.
is the aerial easy to change? always a bit worried when doing stuff on the roof...leaks!
Cheers Dave

If as poster KimF says your aerial is a Status 570, that is a directional aerial and should be performing better [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You shouldn't need to be looking at changing your aerial so it's worth checking all connections are sound. If still no success then it's quite unnecessary to spend lots of money on an aerial. I can guarantee you 100% the results from the Avtex aerial which look basic and simple......but work brilliantly.....basic and simple design always does, even indoors. They are just £35 new or there is a good used one on ebay now [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If you want to take it a stage further, contact this place here;  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  these guys really know their "stuff" about aerials for anything.

Hi Bulletguy,

No it doesn't look like the picture link you have attached or as Kimf suggests, I will take a picture of my set up at weekend when its light, as i go to work and come back from work in the dark at the moment :(   it is more circular looking then pointy, which suggests its the omni-directional mount you referenced in a earlier thread, thanks for the links, it gives me plenty of options to think about and explore

David Scott wrote:Hi Bulletguy,

No it doesn't look like the picture link you have attached or as Kimf suggests, I will take a picture of my set up at weekend when its light, as i go to work and come back from work in the dark at the moment :(   it is more circular looking then pointy, which suggests its the omni-directional mount you referenced in a earlier thread, thanks for the links, it gives me plenty of options to think about and explore

Seems almost certain that's what you have then. Like a flying saucer with a big nipple on top! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It's the same as i've got on my van and i never use it. They were standard fitment at the time. They work ok if within a couple of miles of a transmitter but beyond that, useless!

Been reading all the posts about tv aerials and must agree that the standard aerial on the Warwick Duo is pretty poor unless you are near the transmitter. Been looking at the Avtex STH3000 as an alternative. Does anyone know if this can be permanently mounted in place of the standard aerial and will it work in a flat horizontal position? My van will only just go in my garage, not much clearance above the aerial!

Latest update.........I thought I would exploit the outside TV aerial socket, so bought a sky dish c/w LNB and tripod with a Edision Proton sat receiver all from Ebay, hay presto all channels .....(once i'd found the right satellite to point the dish at!) its a bit faffy to set up the first couple of times but we soon got into a routine with the compass and having a crafty look at were other campers had pointed there sat dishes.

That's the best way to go. At least you won't have to retune everytime you change location.

We started out with a portable dish and changed to a roof mounted Camos after a year or so. It's so easy to switch it on and within a minute or so receive a signal, without having to faff around with the dish. I was also concerned that someone would nick the rather expensive Multimo dish overnight.

from mthe

Bulletguy wrote:David, what sort of television are you using? Omni-directional roof mount aerials are a very poor compromise. The directional type like these are much more superior; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

As for television sets, i use an Avtex which is a multi-standard so will receive signals in any European countries which even if not speaking the language, is useful for weather forecasts. It also works anywhere using the Avtex aerial [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] A very simple looking piece of kit which can be mounted outside your van, but i've never had to bother as it picks up signals from inside the van just fine!

Avtex sets aren't cheap, but they are damn good. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hi Bulletguy,
                   I too have discovered that the Wing omnidirectional fitted to my 2016 model Warwick duo - picked up 3 days ago - is useless. A coaxial from the house to the socket on the outside of the van worked fine, despite several joins to create the length I needed. If I use an  Avtex boosted suction aerial the only practical option would be to attach it to the side of the van. Is it intended for use in a vertical or horizontal position? would it be necessary to position the van to avoid obstruction of the signal from the transmitter?

The Avtex aerial comes with a bracket for pole mounting as well. If you have a bike rack you could strap a pole to that and take it high enough to avoid obstructions. If no bike rack I'm sure you could simply secure a pole with three guy ropes.

Thanks; however I was hoping to avoid carrying a pole. Satellite dome on top beginning to look more likely! I have seen one comment that a larger dish is needed for Ireland and Scotland.

On our previous Broadway EK, the simple round plastic Arial sat below the raised sides along the roof that realised poor or no signal. On first outing pitched up at Slinfold CC (former railway cutting hence sort of embankment and many trees. However got a good signal by moving the van just two feet to the right. The warden gave us a polite reminder that we were not parked as per the white post but we never moved it back. No reproach during our stay and continued to get good reception.

ps The white posts can be moved.

I have recently started using an AVTEX STH2000 aerial, plugged into the external co-ax socket.  Like others on here, I had to resolve the incorrect connectivity of the van co-ax cables that A/S had managed to bodge.  It's a straightforward job to continuity-check the set-up and baffling as to why A/S get it wrong on so many vans.

It's early days in our experience with the AVTEX, but so far it is superior to the Telco omni dish that came with the van.  It sticks well to the athermic glass panels, either a rear or side panel depending on transmitter location.  Since the roll-out of digital TV across the country the Telco became unusable in most locations.  Admittedly the need for a new aerial was forced upon us after knocking off the Telco on a low overhanging structure - thankfully it was the only casualty!

A previous post above asks if the AVTEX aerial will work if fitted horizontally on the van roof.  I doubt it will for all transmitters, particularly those with vertically polarised transmissions.