Unfortunately it's not the case - the supply from a battery isn't regulated and could damage the TV's electronic circuitry. Therefore you'll almost certainly find your warranty will be void if you go ahead and try. One option is to get a 12v stabiliser. These smooth out the voltage to a controlled 12v suitable for most LCD televisions on the market. A company called Amperor manufactures and markets them through its website at www.amperorassociates.co.uk . Or you could try Maplins or use Google to search for other suppliers. Alternatively, there are a few dual-voltage TVs around that will run direct from the caravan battery. Avtex for example, www.avtex.co.uk, advertises regularly in the various caravan magazines. Its products are not cheap but at least they will do the job.

Apart from Sky, there is also a range of freesat receivers on the market. freesat is an alternative platform to Sky and is run by a BBC/ITV joint venture company. The receivers range from a simple set-top box at about £30 to HD twin-tuner recorders at around £200. They are all widely available online and from well-known high street names such as John Lewis, Comet, Currys PC World, Argos, etc. freesat has no on-going costs; you simply buy the kit and that's it. If you already have a Sky dish it will work for freesat without modification. If not, or you're buying it for touring use, your dealer can advise you on suitable dishes.

There are also other types of digital receiver available but with the exception of freesat I have no experience of them and can therefore offer only minimal help and support. They're widely available from the likes of Maplins and most caravan accessory outlets, and even B&Q stocks them. Some are available that will run from a 12V supply but if you choose one of these, do note that the above comments about LCD TVs apply equally to satellite receivers. Unless the product details specifically say that a 12V battery can be used to power it, don't do it. Even if the manufacturer says it's OK to use a battery when it's not being charged, putting it on charge will raise the voltage to 13.6V (over 14V if it's being charged from the vehicle's alternator) and the receiver will almost certainly be damaged. This is most likely to happen with a motorhome because in a trailer caravan, satellite equipment will probably be unplugged and stowed away before departure.

There are even free-to-air receivers that will connect to your laptop's USB port and thus save you the trouble of carrying a television around with you. They are roughly the size of an A5 sheet of paper (a bit thicker though!). Pinnacle and Hauppauge are the best known names. Make sure you buy one that receives satellite signals, some are designed for terrestrial only.

Non-Sky receivers (except for freesat) are really outside the scope of this website (though there is now a page on the subject) but you'll find more information in the various satellite TV magazines on the newsstands, or on the various manufacturers' websites (which you'll get by using Google). However, in the light of a number of recent emails, I should add a clear word of warning for people contemplating buying a German motorhome with pre-installed satellite equipment. That equipment will certainly not be Sky-compatible and in some cases it won't even be digital. It is a decade now since any UK analogue satellite signals were transmitted, but European analogue transmissions continued till much later (indeed there are still some operating today). Therefore, do not buy a European motorhome purely on the strength of it having satellite equipment. Check with the vendor that the equipment will work for English-language transmissions.

You can buy dishes which are designed specifically for touring, and which fold neatly for storing during the journey, but these are much more expensive, typically around £100-130. Slightly more expensive than that is something called the Sqish. It's square, or at least rectangular, and will I'm told fit in small places for travelling. More details at www.sqish.co.uk. It would certainly be a talking point on site.

The next ones up are the semi- and fully automatic types which are usually roof-mounted. Semi-automatic dishes raise themselves to the correct elevation leaving you to swing them laterally to find the satellite. They typically cost around £350 plus fitting. Fully-automatic dishes seek out the satellite system for you and, on a motorhome at least, even fold themselves down again if you forget to do so before starting the engine. Expect to pay at least £1200 plus fitting. However, remember they have to be fitted to the roof of the vehicle and therefore they aren't as flexible as a free-standing tripod if you need to work around nearby trees. Also please note I can't offer any kind of advice on the use of self-seeking dishes. I've never used one and wouldn't know where to start. I get regular emails from people who have purchased Kathrein or Oyster dishes and can't get them to work properly. My only advice is you approach your supplier or the manufacturer's website (www.kathrein.de for Kathrein, www.ten-haaft.de for Oyster).

Whichever type of dish you opt for, other than a Sky oval, you might find that you can buy it cheaper on the continent. All the French hypermarkets for example sell manual dishes at very low prices, and you'll probably be able to get self-seeking Oyster dishes cheaper in Germany than in the UK.

Some dishes are supplied without LNBs which means you get to choose a better quality one if you wish. I've had good reports of the Invacom 0.3db LNB for use in marginal signal areas, and also of the Manhattan MTI 0.6dB LNB.

Now to what size of dish to go for. If you want to stick with a domestic oval, I recommend that you go for a Zone 2 dish. Not only will it give you good reception throughout the British Isles, it will also work in many parts of Europe as well. The BBC and ITV signals deteriorate rapidly as you travel away from the UK but a Zone 2 dish will work in virtually the whole of France and the Low Countries, and in areas of Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany which immediately border them.

If you choose to go for a different dish type, you are only limited in size by the capability of your vehicle to carry it. Some caravan dishes are as small as 30cm diameter and are really only suitable for England and Wales. I think they're a waste of money and you'd be better off going for at least a 50cm circular dish. Even then, you'll be limited on the continent to the Low Countries and only some of France (say as far south as the Dordogne). For most people, the maximum size one can carry would be around 85-90cms which still won't pull in the BBC and ITV south of say Barcelona.

An inclinometer is an inexpensive but useful addition to your armoury. Once calibrated (and there's no easy way to do that - just grit your teeth and get on with it!), it makes future dish alignments very much easier. Details here.

The main drawback to its use is the need to keep your modem/router connected while you're away. Similarly the Sky+ box of course, but most people will choose to keep that live anyway in order to record series-linked programmes.

Theoretically it's possible to use the link in a caravan using a mobile phone broadband link, but it would be prohibitively expensive, especially outside the UK. Most operators have a download limit on their broadband contracts, with swingeing penalty payments for exceeding them, and a Slingbox connection would blow that limit out of the water.