tv advice when camping

[bulldogs195461]

g day all
i only camp at major parks like big 4s at ballina-gold coast etc in a tent.its by convenience as i spend time with my boys on access and its half-way,we go fishing,swimming etc.ive pretty well got all the gear now and was wondering what would be a simple set-up for tv ,and is reception are problem etc.seen a digital tv cheap at super cheap had a look it was $88 but was tiny.im not interested in the arguement about your camping so dont need a tv.would just like some feedback.
regards john

[charlie09]

Hey Bulldogs you say that you stay at the Big4 parks. They are mainly located in built up areas and there reception shouldn't be much of a prob if u use a fairly good aerial. The main source of poor reception would b with the aerial not the TV its self so i would buy the best aerial I could afford.

Cheers

[Bros]

Why don't you look at one of these. I have an LCD TV for a while in the van and it is great runs off 12 V no need to buy the adaptor just get a plug and connect it to your battery and when you are home it can double as a second or third or fourth etc TV. I didn't get the PVR as I for mine some time ago and LCD was the only one available.

http://www.kogan.com.au/shop/16-hd-l...n-elite-led16/

[Eug]

if you bring a laptop (as we do for work/email reasons) we have a little USB D-TV adapter that we carry around so as not to miss out on the big games, news, etc. $30-60 is the general price range, just need bunny ears (antenna) if you are in low reception area and barely takes up any space since we already have the computer with us.

[wamjam]

We used a kogan 16" (same as Bros) with an explorer c3 antenna. The c3 needs power for the booster. If comes with a through the wall connection for caravans but I'm sure you can get an inline connection for tents. We travelled for two years around aus with this set up and it worked well in most towns. We did have a waranty claim with both the tele and antenna with no problems. They both got used to the max, rough roads and red dust.

Scott

[bulldogs195461]

some great advice and as usual some choices to make,thanks all.
regards john

[wamjam]

Hey John, I didn't realize that you are in Toowoomba, I am living here aswell, If you want to borrow the antenna for a trile just let me know, the tele is doing nothing aswell.
I'm at Glenvale, should change my profile oneday.

Scott

[Greg P]

Eug

What's the reception/picture like using the card & ears?? Do you run the laptop through the tv, if so any aspect ratio/pic quality probs?

Sounds like a good option for us

Cheers

Greg

[Eug]

Eug

What's the reception/picture like using the card & ears?? Do you run the laptop through the tv, if so any aspect ratio/pic quality probs?

Sounds like a good option for us

Cheers

Greg

hi greg,
no physical tv required, just a laptop and usb dongle with a jack for the antenna. the antenna supplied is a bit average and we're able pick up ALL free-to-air channels, however will need a bigger aerial to pick up reception when in mountainous areas. the program you install gives you a signal reading so you can move the antenna around to get the best feed. reception wise it's the same as you would with any tv, i figure if you were to cart around an lcd tv you would have brought the antenna anyway so you basically have just removed the screen aspect of it by using your laptop.

the limitation is the laptop screen, the picture quality is good but when you compare to your home plasma then the differences are very obvious. no aspect/ratio problems as you can resize the screen as you see fit.

as i told john the other day we just bought one of the cheaper ones ~$30, 3-4 months so far and only time will tell how it goes. we've even ended up using it on a daily basis if the missus or i want to watch different programs or to watch the news whilst still being able to work on the computer. it can simultaneously display two channels at once and you can flick the sound back and forth. comes with a remote and will record onto the hard drive if you wish to set a record program. we've been very happy with it so far, even if it breaks in a year or two we'd buy another because it's so cheap.

the model we got is leadtek dtv usb gold. there are many others out there ranging from $30 - 100+ so check out the functions and what not and go from there. we just stole the old antenna from our old tv, or you can plug in to existing home antenna too. i've attached a picture that i found on the net, that's all it's included - just plug it in to your laptop/computer, install the programs and done!

cheers
eug

Attachment 68203

[Mr__Bean]

No problem here with needing to watch tv while you are camping......

We have just bought a satellite dish ($37 EBAY) so that we can take the FOXTEL box with us when we go.

Simple to set up and you get all that you get at home.

- Darren

[oldboot]

The single most important thing is that you need to know what channels are used in that area.
And if you are taking an aerial, where they transmit from.

If you are any sort of distance out...knowing if the aerial polerisation is vertical or horisontal will let you set your aerial up to match.

From there you can use map and compass to do a resonable job of aiming an aerial.

When I first started as an aerial contractor I could not afford a field strength meter & I worked for quite some months with a compass and the referdex.

There are all sorts of crappy antennas sold in the caravanning market.....the worst is the one that looks like a "T" made of electrical conduit......People in the aerial business just laugh when they see them...you can do better with two coat hangers and a piece of stick.

The best is one specificaly made for the purpose by Matchmaster, it covers both VHF and UHF and is pretty compact and tough.....I used to use one as a survey aerial.

cheers

as for the mast......steel telescopic masts have beed arround for decades, are easy to make if you like.
Most aerial accessory manufacturers have a caravan bracket that clamps the mast to the drawbar..which is fine in calm weather..if it gets a bit windy some rope guys are wise.

[albey]

Dont know how far your money stretches,however I camp a lot,by myself all over Qld and carry a Strong satellite system.This gives me all the domestic channels the same as you get at home anywhere in Australia.You should pick up a 12 volt system,aerial,receiver,decoder,for $300-500.
They are avail on E bay as well.I attach mine to a DVD TV so I can run movies as well.
Id rather have some one to talk to,but this way if I dont like what its saying I can turn it off.

[Kewy]

If you're just after free to air TV and have an iPhone. I found an app that is very handy in the setup. Download the Antenna Mate app. Gives a list of the nearest transmitters both digital & analogue, polarisation, bearing, distance, height and ERP. Points an arrow in the direction you need to aim your antenna and your done.