The Crystop Autosat 2S is the most expensive accessory we have on board the Kon-tiki. This self-seeking satellite system is the largest self-seeking dish available. The dish measures one hundred centimetres across – “beating” most others by fifteen centimetres. Now, pardon the pun, but six inches may not sound a lot, but on the fringes of reception, it is life or death for the channels broadcast on the Astra2 “UK spot beam”.

The image above shows the expected “footprint” for the UK spot beam and the likely size of dish required to receive a signal. Note that the Lake Garda area, where we are at present, is right on the edge, or even out of range for a 120 cm dish. Remember that the UK spot beam carries signals for channels such as BBC, ITV, C4 and C5. This also includes the BBC radio channels.

As you can see, we are flitting between channels and have an array of Astra2 UK spot beam channels at our disposal! Note, our dish is 100 centimetres.

There are a couple of things that you can do to improve your chances of getting a signal overseas when considering a self-seeking satellite system. The first is dish size. At one hundred centimeters diameter, the Crystop Autosat 2S is the largest self-seeking system on the market. The second option to increase your success rate at watching ITV on the reception fringes, is to choose a system with auto skew. The skew is vital when on the reception fringes. The skew is the rotation angle of the LNB. The Crystop Autosat 2S has auto-skew fitted. Once the satellite dish has locked on to the signal, the skew automatically adjusts to get the best reception possible.

Supply and installation of the Crystop Autosat 2S

From our experience of self seeking systems, and having seen reception reports – or lack of them – from friends with smaller dishes, you get what you pay for. Our system was supplied and installed by Roadpro. Click here for more details of the Crystop Autosat 2S. The system is more expensive than the 85 centimeter dishes. However, if spending money on a self-seeker, then it’s worth the extra.

It’s also worth reading our Low Threshold Receiver article, click here.