Camos Dome problems.

[Leseduts]

We have a Camos Dome CSA-240M, mounted on top of our motorhome. We bought it in December 2004 and although it has not had a lot of use it has always been ok.
We are in France, and I have just tried to set up the tv. I cannot pick up a satellite of any description. The motorhome is parked in our garden and we have never had a problem before. I have been told that the satellite beams have been changed ( I do not know much about satellites), and that I could have a problem with my setup.
If this is correct is there anything that I can do to upgrade my control box or my dome. Or will I need a new setup?

Thank you for any help.
Sue

 

[Lazarus]

What Receiver do you have, Sue?

As far as recent Beam changes go, the old Astra 2D (carrying BBC and most other "Terrestrial" Channels) was replaced by 1N.

This should have been seamless and invisible at your location - some far flung fringe areas got worse (or, in some cases, better!) reception, but Charente is well within the "no change" zone.

 

[Leseduts]

I have a Pace D/3 sky 12v minibox. I no longer have a Sky subscription just use it as a receiver. My Camos control box gives me an option of 5 Satellites. Astra2N/Astra2S/Astra1/Hotbird/Sirius. If it cannot find the one that I click on, it supposedly hunts for another. All it is doing now is going round and round, with an occasional hesitation.

 

[sonnetpete]

Sue, just to let you know I've just answered your post on the motorhome forum. I suspect the Camos uses a default transponder to lock on to a certain sat. It's possible that it's 'default' transponder for Astra2 has shut down and it will need programming with a new default TP. Not having a motorhome, let alone a Camos system I'm a bit in the dark as to how to do this.

 

[sonnetpete]

Just found the following instructions for the Camos system :

_http://www.phantom.uk.net/downloads/Manual%20for%20in-motion%20sat-domes.pdf

It's not a lot of help to be honest. A proper manual would be better.

I assume you've checked the your line of sight to the satellite is clear (no trees, overhanging branches or vegetation in the way) and that the dome is clean. Sorry if that seems obvious but you are dealing with quite a small dish and every little helps.

 

[Lazarus]

Camos info here _http://www.outdoorbits.com/camos-40cm-motion-satellite-dome-system-csa-240m-p-251.html

Camos Manuals here:

(Apologies if they aren't the exact ones, but they might point you in the right direction (!!!)

 

[sonnetpete]

Shame but both those pdf files (despite one of them saying manual) are just versions of the same instructions I pointed to in post #5. Either it's a line of sight issue, dome in need of cleaning (which I've seen suggested on the motorhome forum) or a problem with the control unit. The Camos site itself is here :

_http://www.camos-multimedia.com/index.php?content=startseite&lang=EN

I have a feeling that unless the control unit somehow uses a default TP from the Sky box there must be a hidden menu to set up the control unit with a valid working TP to search for.

 

[woborny]

Sue, just to let you know I've just answered your post on the motorhome forum. I suspect the Camos uses a default transponder to lock on to a certain sat. It's possible that it's 'default' transponder for Astra2 has shut down and it will need programming with a new default TP. Not having a motorhome, let alone a Camos system I'm a bit in the dark as to how to do this.

Pete, you are quite correct. Most of the domew systems use on frequency to seek and lock onto. Many of them used the old BBC 12441 frequency, which caused many problems withmany dome users as their domes could no longer lock onto a UK TV satellite as the frequqen simply was not sending out anything.

Somehow you have to go into the dome systems and change their "lock" frequency...but i cannot remember how or find the posts about it!!

 

[Leseduts]

Thank you very much all of you for your advice. We are going to move the Motorhome later today to see if it makes a difference.

It is a bit pointless trying to reset anything myself, but I will leave it turned on for a few hours to see if anything happens.

We are returning to Yorkshire for a month so we will just have to talk to each other, instead of watching tv on the way home next week. Then it is either a trip to Road Pro or I will try to find someone nearer to home who can have a look at it.
Once again many thanks.
Sue

 

[sonnetpete]

Sue, I've looked through the Road Pro website and although there's lots of info on there I can find nothing specific to altering the control box. It mght be that they intend users to contact them for reprogramming, I don't know. The only other thing you could try would be to initialise a search for Astra2 North rather than South. My reasoning is that they may use a different transponder for that 'beam'. Other than that I guess you'll have to get in touch with Road Pro who surely must have had other users with the same problem. One thing your problem has done, it's convinced me to buy a crank up system for my MH when (and if) I get one. Either that or a larger dish on a tripod outside.

Edit: I've just found the following suggestion from a similarly frustrated Camos owner. If all else fails you could try this :


"I've been places where there were no buildings or trees to obscure the view, but still couldn't get the Camos to lock onto anything. All I could hear was the interminable whirring on the roof.

However, worse than that is when there's no whirring at all, when the electronics just don't kick in and seek the chosen satellite. I've many times checked wiring and connections, then gone to bed, only to find that the next morning, the Camos behaved as it should.

With mine, the fault seems to lie with the controller, because that's the only variable in the system, everything else being fixed. I have no magic technique other than to switch the controller off, then straight back on again, and hold down the on/off button, until I hear the satellite search begin. I may have to do this many times before anything happens."

 

[Trust]

@ leseduts , bought in 2004 , hopefuly its digital ?

there are a lot of automatic dishes that searching for a analog transponder , but they are all gone at the first of june .

 

[sonnetpete]

Some interesting developments on this problem. I've followed this up on a motorhoming forum and the OP subsequently had an email suggesting she call in to Daventry with the control box to have it re programmed.(She's in France ATM) Then yesterday another email saying there was little they could do with it and suggesting she replaced it. (A new automatic domed system retails for £1100 +).

It's distinctly possible that Trust1 is correct. The Camos might initially search for an analogue TP on Astra 1 then when locked on, adjusts the dish for Astra 2. However, Camos was taken over by Road Pro a while ago. I guess they may not have a database of old customers and couldn't inform them of a possible problem with control boxes which haven't been (or can't be) updated. There may well be no way of updating a control box which uses an analogue TP as a lock to digital. The question remains however, that if the problem was known about (Surely their tech people knew about the analogue switch off on Astra 1) why was there no info posted on their website?