Cambridge Satellite Dish

C.1989

This flat, square satellite dish was the second major product of Cambridge Computer, a spin-off from Clive Sinclair’s earlier Sinclair Research. Unlike conventional bowl-shaped dishes, it was enclosed in a shallow plastic case that prevented snow or birds from blocking reception, and was promoted as a “technological breakthrough” after three years of research. The unusual form drew notice, anticipating the “Squarial” dish launched the following year by British Satellite Broadcasting. According to the Sinclair family, both were designed by industrial designer Iain Sinclair, Clive Sinclair’s brother, and though technically different they reflected a late 1980s push to make satellite equipment more discreet and consumer-friendly. 

Production was reported to take place at SCI in Scotland, which also manufactured Sinclair’s Z88 portable computer. It was offered in two sizes—60 cm for general use and a more compact 45 cm version for southern parts of the UK—depending on the satellite signal’s coverage. They formed the basis of a range of three receiver systems, two of which were referred to as the “System 60 Gold” and “System 60 II”, marketed as cheaper than Amstrad’s rival products and offered with options such as remote control and stereo sound. 

The dish was developed for Rupert Murdoch’s new Sky Television service, launched in 1989, which broadcast from Astra 1A, a satellite that had been placed in orbit just the previous year. Installed on the outside of the home and linked to a decoder box, it connected to an ordinary television and reportedly gave access to 16 channels at launch, with the promise of up to 48 in future. Although quickly eclipsed by Amstrad and a growing number of competing systems, the Cambridge dish reflects the technological optimism of the ‘satellite wars,’ when affordable equipment promised to bring multi-channel satellite television within reach of ordinary households for the first time.