TV reception?

[HikeSticks]

I noticed a thread regarding a roof mount TV antenna and I'm curious... how well do they work? I've had satellite dishes and cable at home and I assumed very few channels are broadcast across the 'airwaves' that can be picked up by an antenna. I tend to boondock in remote areas and never considered taking a small TV along. I'm not sure that will change but as a matter of interest I'm curious.
Thanks,
Barrie

[Alf S.]

Hi: Barrie Bochoff...All chanels whether analogue or digital can be received on a roof mount antenna. The usual line of sight range is maxed at about 60km from the broadcast source. We can pull in around 5 clear chanels in a U.S. urban area with the power amp turned on. If we're camping in a Can. Prov. Pk. in the boonies...sometimes none!!! Digital signals are less forgiving than analogue so their range is less and you either get'em or ya don't.
Our Toshiba 19" flat screen has a built in CD player to watch a movie...Like The Kings Speech (Next trip), if we have shore power, otherwise it's cards or something.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[HikeSticks]

Thanks Alf. I live in New Brunswick and I spend a lot of time around the coast and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In most cases I would be nowhere close to 60km from a broadcast source although there may be repeater stations that could be that close. I have a huge collection of movies on a portable hard drive I can watch on my laptop and as long as I have battery power I guess that's what I'll take.
Thanks again.
Barrie

[Chris Z]

I'm wondering if more and more people are not familiar with antennas. We've never had cable or dish but we pull in 22 stations in the house with an outside antenna and a couple more in the trailer outside with the amplifier turned on. Betwen that and dvd's, redbox and free movies on the internet, we spend our money elsewhere.

[HikeSticks]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I spend a small fortune each month on cable and can never find much worth watching anyway.
Worth a thought.
Barrie

[honda03842]

Barrie,

We take a 15" TV along with a satellite Dish. I'm sure in a relatively few years this will be obseleted by wireless Internet, particularly 4G. With that I believe most TV will appear on the Internet. That along with Netflix should make Sat TV redundant with wireless Internet.

At this point we have both 3G wireless Internet and Sta TV along with two laptops. One of our laptops is a net book and the other has a screen at least the size of the TV. I suppose that in a couple of years the TV and the Dish will go together.

Since we're gone so long, wireless Internet is almost mandatory. We use it for keeping and touch, as a newspaper, banking and shopping.

We use Verizon and understand they will have 4G national coverage in 2012.

Norm

[Chris Z]

Crackle - Watch Free Movies Online
Crackle is good too and it's free. Has an app if you want also. Has a whole bunch of full length movies.

[Greg H]

Originally Posted by Chris Z

I'm wondering if more and more people are not familiar with antennas. We've never had cable or dish but we pull in 22 stations in the house with an outside antenna and a couple more in the trailer outside with the amplifier turned on. Betwen that and dvd's, redbox and free movies on the internet, we spend our money elsewhere.

Oh come on, I grew up in southern In. and you can't even get channel 3 in Salem, In.

[Chris Z]

Greg....
3.1,3.2 3.3, 9.1, 11.1 , 11.2, 11.3 , 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 21.1,21.2, 21.3, 21.4, 21.5, 21.6, 24.2, 32.1, 34.2, 41.1, 41.2 ,50.1 58.1
I count 25. Most are in the Knobs but a few are in Shepardsville and down that way. Punch in 40218 in Antenna web. I have Sony Bravia with outdoor antenna.

[honda03842]

Thanks for the Crackle tip.

Norm

[Radar1]

I have an old set-top antenna that used to plug into the back of an old T/V (two adjustable rods that can be pulled out and raised/lowered). I set it up on a PVC pole and do get pretty good reception as long as I aim it the right direction and the stations are "receivable" per this website;
The Digital TV Transition: Reception Maps
I usually go to that website before each camping trip to see what direction the stations are so I know which way to point it since it''s directional. It doesn't even have a booster!

At home, I finally cancelled satellite since I pick up 26 channels on my directional antenna inside the attic (from 30 miles away) and also have a ROKU to pull TV and movies off the internet. Crackle is free and does have some good movies. I haven't subscribed to any of the fee services though and haven't reached the free limits on Pandora radio yet.
Don't miss the satellite at all.

John

[rvsue]

The 2011 Casita I ordered has the "entertainment pkg." This includes a TV antenna that is built into the body of the trailer. I don't know more than that. I haven't picked up my trailer yet so I don't know how well it works.

Sue
rvsueandcrew.wordpress.com

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Barrie Bochoff

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I spend a small fortune each month on cable and can never find much worth watching anyway.
Worth a thought.
Barrie

The answer is quite simple. Leave the TV at home and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. It's much more entertaining then anything on television.

[HikeSticks]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

The answer is quite simple. Leave the TV at home and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. It's much more entertaining then anything on television.

Of course Byron you're right. I don't have a TV in my egg. I don't even have a radio. I have never even used a serviced site in a camp ground; always off the grid. But... interesting to think about it.
Barrie

[Kevin K]

Radio or TV is a good idea when a storm approaches.
Could also use the one in your tow rig.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

The answer is quite simple. Leave the TV at home and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. It's much more entertaining then anything on television.

I agree, we rarely watch the TV in our Scamp, it's just a tiny 7" TV that runs off DC. But, it is nice to have when you can pick up radar images of approaching storms on the news. Moving storm images are more meaningful to me than a weather radio that mentions counties that I might not be familiar with.

Some of our GA campgrounds got hit pretty hard by this weeks round of killer storms and tornadoes.

NOTICE: Due to severe storm related damage and/or power outages Black Rock Mountain and Cloudland Canyon State Parks are closed while clean-up efforts continue.

John

[Joy A]

I decided to go with satellite TV at my home and took that opportunity to change from an antenna on the trailer to a satellite dish. The sat. dish is much better than the antenna ever was. Along our No. Cal. and some of the Ore. coast it was hard to get a signal via an antenna. With a sat. dish I get it anywhere.

The year I changed to satellite I was also headed to the Great Lakes and therefore the mid-west and concerned about the weather more so than I ever am here in the West. I was glad I had the sat. connection as I could keep up with the weather channel and impending storms. I stayed ahead and north of most all the tornadoes and bad weather.

I've always had a TV with me as another source of intertainment if I needed it. I'm a nature lover and after a week or so of silence and tweeting birds I need some other sounds just to break the monotony. Just one hour of TV with do it.

[honda03842]

The beauty of Satellite TV is that you can have it at home and on the road, no extra charge. When you're gone long term, 7 months at a clip, it's nice to have it on the road. Certainly for a week or two it would probably be easy and possibly refreshing to be without it.

Norm

[Robin G]

I am kinda with Bryon, but I do like the news in the morning as well as down time I will turn on the TV for noise. We have a flat screen tv and up until the big change from (whatever they did when they changed ) I just used a basic set of indoor rabbit ears to get a few channels. But after the big change I bought a digital antenna and am very pleased with it. Works great, we have SAT at home but not in all rooms. Have pulled the antenna out of the trailer for use in a guest room as well. Get close to 20+ channels at home (that I would consider watchable) depending where in the house I place it. We live remote and have a ton of trees. Camping, I have had 35+ channels, again some are not worth watching in my opinion. But always a few that are worth watching.

When camping in remote areas, I have had issues with getting a lot of selection but I always get at least a few stations. I spent $29 on the one I bought but can't find a link to it. But found a couple that are similar.

Clothing, Toys, Electronics, Jewelry, Jaclyn Smith - Kmart.com


Clothing, Toys, Electronics, Jewelry, Jaclyn Smith - Kmart.com

For us, this is plenty. And stores away when not in use. I have also used it out side of the trailer when weather isn't an issue. (better reception)