Chasing the Clarke Belt: motorised satellite dishes, then and now
After CB, my next obsession was satellite TV, and not just any satellite TV. I wanted a dish that moved.
One metre on an H-H mount
My setup was a 1-metre dish on a horizon-to-horizon mount, driven by an MS1000 satellite receiver. An H-H mount lets the dish swing along the whole arc of satellites, from one horizon to the other. With the positioner doing the work, you could sit back with the remote and drive the dish across the sky to see what was up there.
Upgraded in the car park
The MS1000 had a positioner upgrade, and I had it done by the company that made it, in Derby as I remember. I drove down, a chap took it in, and I sat in the car park over my dinner while he did it. No online orders and no couriers. You turned up, waited, and drove home with a better receiver.
That's how gadgets worked then: you found the people who made them and went to see them.
Why people loved it
A motorised dish turned the sky into something to explore. Every satellite along the arc carried something different, and part of the fun was simply finding it: lining the dish up, tweaking the polarisation, and watching a weak signal turn into a picture. Big dishes and positioners were a hobby for people who loved the technology as much as the telly.
Satellite as a hobby today
The hobby never went away. Thousands of free-to-air channels are still broadcast across Europe for anyone with the right dish to watch. Today's motors understand a standard called DiSEqC, and many work out each satellite's position automatically from where you live (a system called USALS), so setting up is far easier than it was.
For everyday UK channels, a Freesat box on a fixed dish pointed at 28.2°E does the job with no subscription. Add a motor and a bigger dish and you can go hunting again.
The kit you need
| Item | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| Motorised dish motor (DiSEqC, H-H) | Today's version of the positioner. It turns the dish across the whole arc of satellites from the receiver's remote. | Check price |
| Satellite finder meter | Makes lining up a dish much easier than shouting through the window to someone watching the telly. | Check price |
| Universal LNB | The bit on the arm that picks up the signal. A good one makes weak satellites easier to pull in. | Check price |
| Freesat recorder box | Free UK channels from the Astra satellites at 28.2°E, with a programme guide and recording. | Check price |
| Satellite dish 80cm to 1m | A bigger dish pulls in weaker satellites. Mine was 1 metre. | Check price |
Collectors still look for old analogue receivers and positioners. Search eBay for an MS1000
Stay safe up there. Fixing a dish to a roof or chimney is work at height and best left to a professional installer. Large dishes may need planning permission. Product and brand names belong to their owners, who don't endorse this page.
Common questions
What does free-to-air mean?
Channels broadcast openly for anyone with the right dish and receiver to watch, with no subscription. Thousands are up there across Europe.
What is an H-H mount?
A horizon-to-horizon mount. It lets a dish swing along the whole arc of satellites, from one horizon to the other, so you can visit many satellites with one dish.
Do I need a TV licence?
Yes, if you watch or record programmes as they are broadcast, on any channel, or use BBC iPlayer. That applies to satellite just as it does to an aerial.
Do I need planning permission for a dish?
Smaller dishes usually don't, but larger dishes, listed buildings and conservation areas can. Check with your council before putting up a big one.
Can I put a dish up myself?
On a wall bracket at ground level, plenty of people do. Anything on a roof or chimney is work at height; use a professional installer.
More nostalgia: my CB days as Slazenger and the Nokias that are back with 4G.