Just Sharing This A new meter and plans for next year...

Voila - a 10 min job at max, and the case flap can still be closed with the shield folded down.
 

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Sonnetpete, hats off to your blog, it is superbly written.
 
WHATAGOAL1 said:
Sonnetpete, hats off to your blog, it is superbly written.
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Thanks very much, I'm ashamed that I haven't written one lately, though truthfully, little happens at home...
 
Rather than plonk this in another thread, this is the new Astra 2 dish for SWMBO I've installed this morning. Bought on Amazon, it's an Opticum 80cm with an aluminum dish face. Easy enough to assemble and I like the design whereby the LNB arm is bolted to the mounting bracket, rather than in a flimsy plastic holder at the bottom of the dish...
 

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sonnetpete said:
Thanks very much, I'm ashamed that I haven't written one lately, though truthfully, little happens at home...
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Well you could do a blog about your Sunday roast with side dishes, swallowed down with several bottles of Plonk De Sommepete. For afters maybe a lovely Belgian chocolate desert and that French cheese with holes in it.
 
I did cover 'Sunday lunch' in one of the blogs, as we go out to one of our regular haunts for it. I don't normally drink anything alcoholic when we're out, spot breath checks by the Gendarmes can happen. I always thought that cheese with holes in is either Swiss or Dutch in origin and certainly the local cheeses (Brie, Camembert, Pont L'Eveque) are all soft creamy ones. Ahem...we do buy Cheddar in the local supermarche too....
 
I now have a v8 finder V-71HD all the way from PRC which came with a European adapter, my question is how do I safely charge the v8 finder?

I have a travel converter plug type thing but this is not a transformer and also a "uniross" multi adapter (UK plug) with a 0 to 12v switch , with 300mA 3.6VA(Max) output, would either of these be suitable?
 
European & UK voltage is pretty much the same (230/240 volts) so just replace the European adapter with a suitable UK one - and then plug in a 230/240V UK adaptor that has a 12V o/p that is at least 1.5A (the Uniross one does not have a high enough current output!). ALSO, check that the 12V o/p is the correct polarity - almost certainly "+Ve" to the centre pin and "-Ve" to the outer contact, and the marking on the adapter should indicate that, so look at the label on the unit!
 
jeallen01 said:
European & UK voltage is pretty much the same (230/240 volts) so just replace the European adapter with a suitable UK one - and then plug in a 230/240V UK adaptor that has a 12V o/p that is at least 1.5A (the Uniross one does not have a high enough current output!). ALSO, check that the 12V o/p is the correct polarity - almost certainly "+Ve" to the centre pin and "-Ve" to the outer contact, and the marking on the adapter should indicate that, so look at the label on the unit!
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I have to say I am already in the UK, therefore I am confused. I now understand I need a more powerful output of 1.5A and the polarity. I'm just confused at "just replace the European adapter with a suitable UK one".

Using the "uniross" would the battery charge safely just at a slower speed?
 
statalite said:
I have to say I am already in the UK, therefore I am confused. I now understand I need a more powerful output of 1.5A and the polarity. I'm just confused at "just replace the European adapter with a suitable UK one".

Using the "uniross" would the battery charge safely just at a slower speed?
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I am "confused" myself, and maybe I was wrong to even mention the use of a "UK adaptor" - so just ignore that (Sorry!).

Just get a UK-Version (= "13A plug"!) adaptor/PSU with a 12Vdc o/p of at least 1.5A capacity and with the correct polarity (as above)
 
statalite said:
I now have a v8 finder V-71HD all the way from PRC which came with a European adapter, my question is how do I safely charge the v8 finder?

I have a travel converter plug type thing but this is not a transformer and also a "uniross" multi adapter (UK plug) with a 0 to 12v switch , with 300mA 3.6VA(Max) output, would either of these be suitable?
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As mentioned by jeallen01 above, the voltage rating and frequency (220-240V 50Hz) won't be a problem. A UK shaving plug adaptor should do the trick. Probably best to fit a low current rating fuse on it, maybe 1A or even 500mA? Someone with more experience here will likely know better than me.
 
Whenever I visit the UK, I just use a travel adaptor for anything French (EU) that needs charging and have never had any bother.
 
Fisty McB said:
As mentioned by jeallen01 above, the voltage rating and frequency (220-240V 50Hz) won't be a problem. A UK shaving plug adaptor should do the trick. Probably best to fit a low current rating fuse on it, maybe 1A or even 500mA? Someone with more experience here will likely know better than me.
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Most UK-specific direct-plugin 220/240V-to-12V mains adaptor/PSUs (should!) have built-in overcurrent protection and don't need a separate fuse (I have several like that). OTOH, those with separate mains cables use a normal 13A plug and need a fuse in that plug. A 3A fuse would be the normal one to fit - you can very occasionally find a 1A version but they are rare, and 500mA ones don't exist for this type of mains-circuit fuse.
 
When I plug my EU adapter (which came with the v8 finder) into my shaving style uk plug, there is a lot of movement, is this normal? I guess it is because the prongs on the v8 adaptor are thinner than my toothbrush adapter for example?
 
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statalite said:
When I plug my EU adapter (which came with the v8 finder) into my shaving style uk plug, there is a lot of movement, is this normal? I guess it is because the prongs on the v8 adaptor are thinner than my toothbrush adapter for example?
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You are correct about the thinner prongs on the V8 adapter and other continental 2.5A plugs - what you really need is something like one of these from CPC, and from other places (often cheaper at CPC when on special offer). NB: CPC has a £5 exc VAT min order so as to get free P&P
 
Do any of these type of meters have the facility to send USALS or diseqc commands to set up a motorised dish?
 
statalite said:
When I plug my EU adapter (which came with the v8 finder) into my shaving style uk plug, there is a lot of movement, is this normal? I guess it is because the prongs on the v8 adaptor are thinner than my toothbrush adapter for example?
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Shaver/Toothbrush plugs are different to EU plugs, they are spaced differently.
You need an EU adapter.
 
RustySpoons said:
Do any of these type of meters have the facility to send USALS or diseqc commands to set up a motorised dish?
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They have diseqc commands for sure and I think will send USALS, however be aware that it's trying to move the motor via it's internal battery, so it may not be very reliable..
 
sonnetpete said:
They have diseqc commands for sure and I think will send USALS, however be aware that it's trying to move the motor via it's internal battery, so it may not be very reliable..
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Tempted to order one and try it with an external PSU, looks an interesting bit of kit.
 
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