RoadPro

It can’t stay like this for ever and, at RoadPro, we are eagerly looking forward to the Summer which is bound to be blisteringly hot and sunny for months on end.

The Shepton Mallet Show may have been cancelled or postponed but, if you click here, you can see that we’ll be taking our roadshow to other places as well, starting with the NEC Boat & Caravan Show in February. See you there?!

A few weeks ago, we had a visit from David and Mary Vinall who use their Burstner motorhome as a base to help the charity Link Romania which aims to help poor and needy people in Romania and other East European countries. (Having recently driven in our motorhome through some of these countries, we know that there are a lot of people who are in real need of assistance).

David and Mary’s motorhome is equipped with a Kathrein CAP200 satellite system which was originally supplied by RoadPro in 2003. We’ve updated its software and tweaked it a bit and Dave and Mary still use it on their travels through England, France, Spain and Portugal as well as when they’re parked up in Worthing and helping to get parcels of clothes and other goods to Romania.

You can contact Link Romania via their website: www.linkromania.co.uk.

Today we’re installing a Kathrein CAP900 Satellite Dish on a Fifth Wheel trailer built by the Fifth Wheel Company in Denbighshire.

Fifth wheels are common in north America but in the U.K. and Europe they are still a bit of a rarity. One look inside though, especially when the slide-out living area is extended, gives a good idea of the advantages of this kind of set-up. The amount of space really is very impressive and the completely separate bedroom and bathroom reminded me of an American RV. However, there are several advantages over a conventional R.V. For a start, they tend to cost a lot less. Then, there’s the ability to easily unhitch the trailer from the towing vehicle, ease of towing, lower running costs and easier maintenance. Definitely worth looking at!

Camos 40cm sat-dome

It seems as though every portable satellite TV system manufacturer is bringing out new satellite domes. After five years of distributing the Camos range of sat-domes this is very gratifying to me personally. When we first started selling sat-domes we had to put up with accusations which ranged from the “fact” that they wouldn’t work at all to suggestions that, although they might work in Great Britain, they were certainly no good for use in Spain for example.

Now, five years later, Camos sat-domes are one of the best-selling types of portable satellite system in the U.K. and most owners wouldn’t even think of changing back to a conventional folding model.

During those five years, Camos have improved and refined both the hardware and software of their domes, making them more efficient and more reliable than ever. The result is that, when compared side by side with the latest crop of competitors’ domes, the Camos models are still superior in almost every respect.

Here are some checks to make when comparing sat-domes:

• Weight: Camos sat-domes are lighter by several kilos when measured against competitor’s models.
• Height: Camos sat-domes are available in versions which are 40cms and 30cms high
• Efficiency: Camos sat-domes locate and lock on to the desired satellite usually in less than 30 seconds

It was with a little trepidation that we set out our stall at the recent show. We’d been moved from last year’s spot and we didn’t know whether people would be able to find us. So, we put up our biggest flags and put out a little pile of  Multimo satellite dishes.
We needn’t have worried: almost as soon as the doors opened, we were inundated with customers old and new and things remained pretty much like that for the whole six days. According to the organisers, this was the busiest show yet and, judging by the crowds of people that we saw, we have to agree.

Several people were kind enough to bring packets of sweets as requested in last month’s newsletter – Thank you! – and we gave out several thousand catlaogues. We now have so few left that it will shortly become a collectors’ item (which reminds me, I’d better get started on our 2010 model!)