Television reception

[Steve L.]

I'm seeing an in-motion tracking dish, a 12v winch on the back bumper for line recovery... Oh lordy, the birkenstock-wearing camping purists are rolling over in their down sleeping bags.. I'll surely go to heck for hijacking Myron's thread.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Myron Leski

Jim, I heard that.

...............Anyone have knowledge about this?

DirecTV Satellite Dish Tripod Kit for RV Tailgating | eBay

We've been using Sat Tv for about 11 years. We dropped our home cable and had two sat receivers installed at home and take one on the road with us.

Our setup is similar to your link, basically a sat dish and tripod. it is not inexpensive however since we have TV at home and on the road it's not too bad of a deal. Relatives who use our home when we're away get TV and we get it at the same time.

It usually taks just a few minutes to set it up.

For Perspectiv e, when we were n the road for 315 days there were probably no more than 5-10 day when we could not get reception - weather and big trees can be the killer.

[carlkeigley]

Originally Posted by honda03842

We've been using Sat Tv for about 11 years. We dropped our home cable and had two sat receivers installed at home and take one on the road with us.

Our setup is similar to your link, basically a sat dish and tripod. it is not inexpensive however since we have TV at home and on the road it's not too bad of a deal. Relatives who use our home when we're away get TV and we get it at the same time.

It usually taks just a few minutes to set it up.

For Perspectiv e, when we were n the road for 315 days there were probably no more than 5-10 day when we could not get reception - weather and big trees can be the killer.

My b-i-l has done the same thing.
He has one box in his home, and uses the extra box
at his lake house. Two for one.

[honda03842]

Myron,

I should have mentioned that with Dish to get the major networks, you have to pay about an extra $100 a year. You get a choice of 2 of 4. We choose NYC and San Francisco. The other two choices are Chicago and Atlanta. The nice thing about our choices is that when on the west coast everything comes on earlier.

People at our home have a choice of NYC and San Fran as well as our normal network channels from Boston and NH.

Direct also has national network channels as well. You have to prove you're an RVer to get national network stations. A photocopy of your title or registration is enough, due to federal regulations.

[MyronL]

I'm begining to think my entire premise, established in opening this thread, is faulty. Why pay large bucks or any bucks, for unreliable, probably shallow television transmission while on the dusty trail if all I want is the latest news and maybe an hour's entertainment?

As one who grew up with television's birth as a prime element of culture I obviously have fallen into a trap: it's always been there, therefore how could I do without it? Jim you have something. Save money, get a good radio. Music replaces mindless "Faux News" readers. Will miss my Morning Joe, though.

[steve dunham]

We have the factory TV antenna with amp in our Casita , reception is really hit or miss. I do not have the space, desire, nor the ambition to haul and set up an antenna and I am too frugal (CHEAP) to pay for Sat TV. We installed a AM/FM stereo/ CD player with an antenna that is hidden in an upper cabinet so getting the local weather or news is not an issue . We also have a TV with a built in DVD player so at night or if it's raining or the bugs are really bad ,I just pop in a DVD . When we are camping there are far more interesting things to do than watch Summer reruns on the TV and if I am just going to watch TV most of the day I might as well stay home.

[honda03842]

Radios.
We actually carry 3 levels of radio. Our sat tv includes Sirus radio for all kinds of commercial free music. Our smartphones include Tunein Radio that virtually gives you every radio station in the country where ever you are. In addition we've been carrying Amazon's top rated radio.

Also if you have a home and cable TV and travel a lot getting sat TV is a reasonable solution.

We're not big news watchers but like to be entertained sometimes.

[Byron Kinnaman]

What's television?

[cpaharley2008]

another alternative is short wave radio, listening to radio from around the world used to be entertainment in the 40' and 50's. You can also get satellite radio for a nominal monthly fee, like $25 for 6 months.

[Steve L.]

Despite all the effort for TV, I aways carry a radio, short wave capable and have wiled away many a TV-less evening scanning SW. My principal radio is a Eton/Grundig E1 XM (no longer offered) but my more reasonable cost option is a Grundig Yachtboy 400 (which is now the E3).

[Radar1]

We have researched but also never found an overwhelming consensus on what was "best". In the meantime, we had an old set top rabbit ears that plugged into an old TV we had many eons go, and just threw a contraption together while we awaited a decision on our never-ending search for the perfect RV TV antenna.
The rabbit ears actually work out pretty well, depending on how far from the broadcast station we are (our camping tends to be in the boonies and surrounded by signal robbing trees and mountains).
Our setup has provided "zero" stations on some trips, and over 50 on others. Most trips we seem to get at least 2 or 3 stations at least. If we don't get any stations, we fall back on radio and books. The best we ever did was in the NE GA mountains where we were high up and obviously must have had a good enough line of sight to pick up over 50 individual channels from Atlanta, even though it was over 50 miles away! We usually remember to check the FCC website to see where we have to point the antenna to "get it in the ballpark" and then fine tune if we get a weak signal.
The biggest benefit of this antenna is frugality. We stick the antenna on top of an extendable painters pole, which we insert through a PVC "T" which is attached to our rear bumper with plastic ties. The pole goes through the "T" and rests snugly in one of the leveling blocks that I place under the rear stabilizers. I added a cable input to the rear of the Scamp so I can attach a cable to pass the signal through the wall.
Interesting thing about antennas; at home I gave up satellite once I discovered that I could pick up all the major stations using a very directional antenna in my attic. I later made one of those homemade antennas that are made out of coat hangars and 2x4s for the camper but decided to try it out in the attic first. It actually picks up more stations than the directional antenna! (I leave it in the attic now) Guess this is because some stations are several degrees left or right of the majority of stations, and the directional antenna gains a better signal from the ones straight-ahead, but no signal from those off to the sides, but the homemade antenna has more slop and picks up the "side" stations better, and still picks up the "straight ahead" stations good enough.

[MyronL]

Ahh--- Radar, right on. Your name is well chosen. Thanks for that perceptive post.
"The biggest benefit.... is frugality." I got a painters pole.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Myron Leski

Ahh--- Radar, right on. Your name is well chosen. Thanks for that perceptive post.
"The biggest benefit.... is frugality." I got a painters pole.

Myron

I don't really understand this comment?

Do you realize that each program that you specify by name is only going to be available if you pay for it?

Free is cheap but it is not premium programming which is what you asked about too?
So Sat. does seem pricey to me for sure but if I need what they offer I will never get Sat. for free.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by SilverGhost

I'll ask since we have very knowledgable people in this thread. Do you know of anyone who sells a control box to operate multiple antennas? I was thinking of a couple of those thin antennas on different sides of the camper(possibly in between the fiberglass and reflectix).

Now I know if you hook them both to a tv at the same time with a splitter you can have different reception issues. If both antennas pick up the same issue but a few milliseconds apart the tv receives the same thing out of phase. You need a control box between the antennas and the tv to filter out the strongest signal and decide which antenna to use.

BTW that's how the radio antenna on the new VWs work and how I know about it.

Ed, can it be done? Do you know of such a box?

Jason.

Jason

The use of multiple antenna or Diversity Tuning as it is called is mainly to combat the effects of multi-path distortion in a moving vehicle.
The path that a signal takes to reach the antenna is both direct and reflected and the signals arrive at the antenna in different time making the tuner confused as it sees multiple signals that are similar but not identical.

So by using multiple Antenna and computer power they aim to keep a tuner latched on to the stronger signal at all times assuming that the stronger is the primary signal.

This works sometimes and often not but again is mainly needed as the vehicle is always in motion.

In a stationary RV the signal also reaches an antenna from multiple paths and in the old analog days these multiple signals were the Ghost images you probably remember where as you turned an antenna the picture could multiply as the different analog signals reached the antenna at varying times.

With Digital broadcast there is no visible multi-path distortion really but the signal does still propagate the same way.

Digital tuners only decode the signal they see as the strongest though so this is one problem we no longer see.

Of course since we watch TV while the RV is sitting still the only moving signal device is the antenna as it is rotated and this is just not a real issue for us.

This all assumes standard passive antenna systems where they just receive what they see with no additional processing.

There are advanced active antenna systems using multiple antenna to determine optimum direction and signal strength but mainly they are used in the military to provide tracking for missile defense applications.

Are you thinking of creating the first Aegis Class Egg?

If so I am in!

Ed

[SilverGhost]

Well, I was thinking of putting, maybe three, of those flat stick on antennas on my egg. The project, ideally, would be to apply these antennas high in the walls, and positioning would probably be best at two corners (say both front corners) on one end and in the middle of the wall at the other end (over the rear window if I had one). That way you should be able to "see" at least part of two antennas from most positions. The tricky part would be getting the antennas slid up inside the wall on the outside of the reflectix.

My understanding of diversity antennas was that even stopped you could be receiving the original signal and the reflection (say off a tall building). But it sounds like the basic functionality to combat this is already built into the digital tuner.

I'm all about cool projects. A stealth radio antenna array has a nice ring to it

Jason

[Radar1]

I ran across a tiny TV antenna on Amazon.com that was super cheap. It had good reviews, so I figured for a total cost of $6.25 (I have free shipping via Prime) why not give it a try.
I can open the escape hatch on my Scamp, and then stick the suction cup mounted antenna on top of my Maxxair vent cover. I can then rotate it easily from inside the camper while sticking my hand out the escape hatch. I had installed a cable/antenna input on the rear corner of my Scamp and just plug the cable in there.
I was really surprised that it got decent coverage on the signals that showed "green" on the FCC website for digital coverage, both in my driveway 30 miles SW of Atlanta, and also at Paris Mountain state park in Greenville, SC.
This antenna is TINY and light. This would be an ideal antenna for picking up stations where the signal strength is fairly strong, especially in Scamps where the foil insulation in the walls tends to block signals from reaching internal antennas.
The price is right, too!

[D Davis]

All this seems too complex for my tiny mind...Had thought a TV would be nice on rainy days, maybe one with a DVD player to watch movie. I get weather on a small 5 mile two way radio I have for communicating with friends while biking. The only good reception I have ever seen on an RV was one that had a gigantic dish on a tripod.
Ed you seem to be very knowledgeable, I found your posts on the subject educational. Truly a lot to consider here. HUMMMM...still thinking...this subject is interesting.
In the meantime a good CJ Box "Joe Pickett" Mystery will do just fine.

[carlkeigley]

That's what we have done Diane.
We have a flat screen that has a dvd player built-in.
Three movies that seem to be a must have is
1) The Long Long Trailer w/ Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez
2) RV w/ Robin Williams
3) Rocket Man w/ (can't remember the guys name) lol.

But I still sneak in a western or war movie in here and there.
We've only got 300+ titles at home.

[D Davis]

Ha, thanks for the titles Carl!