Fitting a Camos Dome

Fitting a Camos dome.

Well after years of wanting one I finally pushed the boat out and got one. A camos dome. Only the small one, and not the in motion, but nether the less a chance to watch TV as and when we wish.

I purchased the system from eBay for £750 including a sky box and card and a few other gizmos. All that was required for fitting was the feet.

I first had to remove my last sat dish (now for sale on eBay) the maxview was simple enough to remove but of course left a large hole in the roof. I therefore utilised one of the dome feet for installation over this. This would mean reduced chance of ingress and kept the job neat.

Having removed the old dish I measured up where the feet for the new dome would go. I simply put them on and then drew an outline of where they would be. Of course removing the actual plastic dome was required as this is where the feet screw in.

I used sikaflex 515 sealant and adhesive to mount the feet where they needed to go and once mounted .sealed and replaced the lid, and set about placing the cable. I ran the cable across the roof and through a nice little cable gizmo than can be bought from road pro whom indecently I found very helpful.

At this point it was time to drill in to the roof and find the correct access point. I chose just behind the TV cupboard as this seemed the most sensible and meant only one cable from the dome to the receiver.

Another neat job, even if i do say so myself and it was in. I then stripped a few wires about to plumb in the control box and then bingo. At the push of a button all was well and what’s more a signal reached at home.

Please note this is how I did mine and I am no expert, if in doubt ask the experts.

Fitting a reversing camrea

Fitting a reversing Camera.

Well I eventually managed to secure a camera from eBay for the sum of £59 including post. On arrival i was pleasantly surprised to see it as a flat screen TV unit and colour.

The first job was to find a way to route the camera. I wanted as much as possible to keep all the wires outside the van. I therefore opted to take a power source via the radio. I did away with the reverse switch wire to enable me to have the screen on all the time whilst driving to act like a rear view mirror. I placed the screen in the middle of the dash and set about getting the power right. When done all worked fine so it was then to fit the screen and make it permanent to where it would be going.

Having located where the screen ought to go I then had the unenviable job of routing 20m of cable from the dash to the back of the van. I chose to do this by following the main battery cables from under the dash and then in to the leisure battery housing I done this by utilising the door post the door step and then in to the battery compartment.

Having reached the battery compartment I then went outside of the van following other cables and ran the cable all the way under the van until it was at the garage. Up through the garage, along the base of the garage and at this point the cable came in to the van for approx 10 inches. This was the only bit that would and could be seen.

From the garage i drilled in to the bathroom wall behind the cupboards and out of the cupboard to the outside. Still unseen I then fed the cable out of the van to the outside, where by the actual camera was mounted. With a lot of sealant to ensure the van remains dry the job was complete.

All that remained was to connect it all up and turn it on, done in a flash and away I went.

My first impression of use was a positive one. I am pleased I installed it as it really does help with those emergency moments. A luxury? Yes because Nikki could always get out or the kids could look out the bathroom window, but a luxury I’m pleased to have.

OCTOBER HALF TERM IN CORNWALL

Friday

Ok so its October and October half term. This can only mean one thing another few days away in the van. So where would we go? Well in a moment of drunken kamikaze eBay I ended up buying a camos dome kit!! It was based in Devon, so therefore that was decided we would get off to Cornwall and pick it up on the way.

Oafter numerous attempts at leaving home and returning 3 times as we had forgotten things we eventually got on our way. First stop was Upton on Seven, a lorry park there that did not seem to mind having the odd motor home parked up over night. For a small fee £3-00 we paid and met up with some friends (rex and Marie) whom were heading off to Spain for the winter, how nice!!

Upton on seven is lovely, a really nice old town with what seems a very decent understanding council. We ate a bag of fish and chips and gave Tara a quick walk. The evening was a little disturbed thanks to a grumpy teenager whom didn’t fancy going motor homing.

Saturday

The night was also disturbed by the odd boy racer whizzing around. After a brief walk around in the morning to look at just how nice the town was we headed off again to the coast of cornwall. Of course a short hop in to devon to pick up the camos dome and whats more as I write this,,, Nikki is driving.

Well it didn’t take long to swop with Nikki, maily due to my nerves and Nikki thinking that the white lines on the side of the road were perfectly acceptable to drive on.

So we headed to Totnes to pick up our Camos dome. On arrival we were met by a nice man whom showed us the dome. It was in first class condition and came with all the bits required for installation- the feet. We said our goodbyes and I reversed out and we continued on our journey. We passed over the impressive tamar bridge and on through Cornwall.

We eventually arrived at Perran sands holliday park. Not our normal choice of park but it has lots to do for the kids, a really impressive beach and dirt cheap at this time of year.

The kids headed off for the arcade and the numerous park not before a quick dip in the pool. With George still in one of his strops Nikki and I headed for the beach with Tara.

I then tested my new dome inside of the van to just check it powered up and by some strange miracle it actually worked!!! We therefore had time to watch the x factor before retiring to bed.

Sunday

Well day 2 arrived and we all awoke feeling a little more refreshed. Probably because the clocks went back last night meaning an extra hour in bed. Roll on Winter, ,,,,,

The day started off with me convincing the family to go down to the beach to get some surf. The walk down was steep and worth it. A fine walk down led to the great sandy beach and that was it. In went Harley, George and the newbie bear all fully clothed. We had one of those mornings that made us realise exactly why we have a motor home and why we have a dog. It was a truly a great family day. Following on from our bit of swim in the surf we ereturned backto the base. There we were,sun shinning, wind howling and a really decent temperture. We had some nice bacon sandwiches and off I went again with Tara. Across the sand dunes whilst Nikki done her hair. It was a lovely walk on a lovely place. After a difficult start to holliday it was starting to take shape, great views, great walks and a happy family. Having a child with aspergers can be challenging, it can make you really find it difficult to hold your self, it can also make you have to adapt so hard to make your child understand you. However here we were on day 3 really connecting. Following lunch and a further walk across the dunes with Tara, off I went for a swim with George. A nice swim and back to the motor home for a bite of tea before we went on our night time adventure. For tonight we will try the entertainment, not our normal thing and I am already on the vodka, I think its family fortunes prior to the disco, o lordy give me strength.

Monday

Well the night time entertainment was a bit like Butlins, not our cup of tea at all. We awoke with the sound of rain dropping on the roof of the van and this could only mean 1 thing. Yep it was a horrendous day. We opted to spend most of the day in the van playing dictionary and watching DVDs on the avtex tv. However, we have a dog and dogs need walking. Nikki and I left the boys in the van and headed on foot to perranporth with the Newfie across the cliffs. After a brief shop in the picturesque little town we headed off along the beach back to the site. Tara loved running in to the sea and could of played all day with the surfers. On return to the van it was a quiet cosy family night with more games, films and sleep.

Tuesday

We awoke to find lovely sunshine, and a light winds. Sadly though this was the day we were to ride home. Firstly though I took Tara out for a couple of hours down the beach to get some much needed exercise. We played on that beach and in the surf for going on two hours, I swear that if I would of allowed her too she would of stayed there playing all day. Eventually though I arrived back at the van and within 10 mins we were ready for the off. A nice slow drive home stopping at trigano mill for a bit of shopping and then we decided to go through Dartmoor for a bit of a scenic change. Dartmoor was really nice and we could not resist stopping and climbing up to the top of pork hill for some more excersice. Tara and Harley this time as George stayed and minded the van.. Eventually we were back on the road and a nice steady drive saw us arrive back in to Crewe at 2100. A fine five days away with lots of fun and some trying times, nether the less well worth it.