TV when on the road

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Sometimes we are way off the beaten path. Sometimes we are in town and tired. Sometimes we are distracted by natural beauty. And sometimes we watch TV. It might be an update on the tumultuous news, a weather prediction, or a distraction to put me to sleep. Whatever the situation, I am impressed that I can travel around and have a window on the world right here in my little mobile cabin. Sometimes I want nothing more than to be left alone in the vast west, and sometimes I want to check in and see what's up.
The TV is part of the gear and I'm glad it's here.

Exlnt post John. Hope the OP realizes that everyone "camps/travels" differently and nobody's opinion, for or against a TV and other items, is the ONLY way to go. MMMM, maybe I've been doing it wrong all these years, I use my generator every day for a whole 10-15 minutes .

[Ed Harris]

I just want to know where Floyd has seen TVs in Motel Rooms?

Must be classier than the places I stay.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Leave it at home!

So... You've got a Smartphone?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

I just want to know where Floyd has seen TVs in Motel Rooms?

Must be classier than the places I stay.

This one has two tvs and a pool too! Pretty classy!

You must have been staying at "The Last Resort"...

Might be why we both have travel trailers!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tv can be a good thing when camping too, and even more exciting under a shelter with friends watching the last five seconds of the Superbowl!

[floyd]

Hey! I found the one with no tv!!..., but they must have room service...check out the Gatorade bottle!!

[Ed Harris]

Ouch!



I wonder why I forgot about that game?



I think you mean watching the last 5 seconds together a few minutes after it happened!



But good point,doesn't everyone prefer to watch with friends really?

Originally Posted by floyd

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tv can be a good thing when camping too, and even more exciting under a shelter with friends watching the last five seconds of the Superbowl!

[hp in va]

Many thanks for all your answers and mounting ideas. I was inquiring if leaving the TV attached in a holder while moving led to any TV service life problems later. The answer seems to be that it makes no difference.
I have a portable DVD/CD player (because someone decided to leave the CD player out of newer vehicles) to listen to audio books going down the road. My wife sometimes likes a DVD movie in the camper, but the portable player's screen is small and the sound weak. That led to getting a TV with a bigger screen and better sound. Using it as a TV is an option since the previous owner did have the factory install a coaxial cable system. The wife likes to watch the news if available, but can live without it. We do use our Parkliner mainly to travel, we are beyond the days of romantic walks in the woods or on the beach. We started with tent camping and spent our share of dreary rainy days. The day we were putting up our tent in the rain and the people next to our site were sitting in their trailer drinking coffee was the end of our tent and communing closely with nature days. To date, we have stayed at only one campground with a cable system and did not use it.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by hp in va

Many thanks for all your answers and mounting ideas. I was inquiring if leaving the TV attached in a holder while moving led to any TV service life problems later. The answer seems to be that it makes no difference.

The methods of manufacturing electronic devices changed in the late 80s to utilize SMT (Surface Mount Technology) resulting in circuit boards far more resistant to vibration, shock, and heat. I was part of a development team to produce the first HP hand-held calculators; part of the specification was no damage when dropped from a 36 inch high desktop onto a concrete floor. Could not have done that with previous manufacturing designs. Flat panel TVs are incredibly rugged by comparison to older tube versions. Good info here:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfac...ogy#Advantages

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by hp in va

.... I was inquiring if leaving the TV attached in a holder while moving led to any TV service life problems later. .. ...

Yes, when the mount fails and the TV hits the floor

But in truth, you are much more likely to run into a problem because of power problems if using it on 12 volts. Poorly filtered DC current with voltage variation that could be beyond the specs for the TV will, on somewhat rare occasions, cause a problem. Many people buy TVs that have power "bricks" that supply about 12 volts DC from house / shore power and use the TV without the "brick" power supply, instead wiring the TV to the 12 volt RV system. Usually this works OK but but if you want the least chance of a problem then get a TV that is meant to run in a car, RV, etc. It will more reliably handle the voltage when (if) your converter or charger goes into desulfation mode and sends the voltage above 14 VDC.

[steve dunham]

We use to ride with our TV in place but after the mount broke from vibration and we found the TV on the floor , we now take it down when we travel .
We store our TV in a heavy weight sack on our bed when traveling
We don’t watch TV much when camping but what we do isn’t necessities right or wrong
Sometimes on this forum it appears that the minimalist believe they are on the true path to nirvana .
Anyone who camps with young children / grandchildren can appreciate a TV / VCR on-a cold rainy day and sometimes even Grandpa likes to watch .

[Ed Harris]

If I take mine down for fear of damage I usually stick it under the mattress near the edge.
The bed will keep it in place usually and it is also protected that way from damage by the mattress!

The fact that TVs weigh almost nothing these days can also help a lot in saving them from damage.

I used to need help hanging any Flat Panel over 40" but now the only limitation I have in hanging them alone is my considerable Wingspan!

Also I really do not care what anyone thinks of my camping preferences as long as I am having fun and not actually hurting anyone else why would I?

Come to think of it though if someone else doesn't like my choices it does make me a little happier sometimes.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We use to ride with our TV in place but after the mount broke from vibration and we found the TV on the floor , we now take it down when we travel .
We store our TV in a heavy weight sack on our bed when traveling
We don’t watch TV much when camping but what we do isn’t necessities right or wrong
Sometimes on this forum it appears that the minimalist believe they are on the true path to nirvana .
Anyone who camps with young children / grandchildren can appreciate a TV / VCR on-a cold rainy day and sometimes even Grandpa likes to watch .

The path to Nirvana can be a bit "Rocky" anyway...

Question...
What is red and white and has more brains than Kurt Cobain?
Answer...
His bathroom wall!!

[MyronL]

I’ve given up on Parcheesi and don’t play cards or read much. Though it’s sometimes nice to have a distraction from an awesome campground or the jaw-dropping beauty of nature out here, right outside our door, when camping we really don’t watch much TV. It is usually stored in a drawer under the bed.

But, I can enjoy watching a favorite show, DVD, or the news when camping as much as the next nature lover. When on the road the first, and obvious concern is TV wobble and vibrations.

I am way too cheap to buy a custom swinger-mount for a TV. Some scrap wood and a proper shelf does me fine. If it ain’t in the drawer we disconnect and lay that flat screen on the bed, in a corner, nested in pillows.

Let’s ride, Chester!

[John in Santa Cruz]

I'd be hesitant to put the TV /under/ the mattress, for fear I'd end up sitting on it

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I'd be hesitant to put the TV /under/ the mattress, for fear I'd end up sitting on it

Not a problem at all,the mattress seems to distribute the weight and I have been there many times with no ill effect.

[nefldiver]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

I have a Casita SD. I just leave it on the mount and secure it with a bungie cord to keep it from wobbling. Works well.

But...we have a very hard time finding anyplace where the signal can be rec'd because we like to set up in the outback: Wife likes to get the news channels. We sometimes watch DVD's and such.

We have a 32" mounted on a swivel. We retract it and bungee it securely to the wall. H ave had no problems, but pour trailer is fairly heavy and has trosion axles, so it does not bounce much. Bigfoot 21 fb

[nefldiver]

to tv or not to tv. i see both sides but on a really cold night... a movie or two??? or here in florida when its 8 pm and its still 85 and muggy with intemitent hordes of mosquitos attacking... just saying.




But to camp with kids??? terrible thought.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by nefldiver

to tv or not to tv. ...

Alas, poor Yorick! That is not the question..

Originally Posted by hp in va

... what do most of you do with the TV? Leave it mounted to a wall, or take it down and stow it?
...

[mgfreeman]

My wife and I both work (two different jobs) out of our 19 ft Escape trailer. We have Comcast and AT&T internet subscriptions.

Once we're on the internet (using any access, anywhere, e.g., a wifi connection at a McDonalds, or a hard-wired connection at an RV park, regardless of the internet provider), we can log in to one of our main accounts (Comcast or AT&T) to access all the TV programming available from either one of these services. Both services give us internet access to all the TV channels they provide (so except for business reasons, we really would not need subscriptions to both).

Once on the internet, there are many additional internet-only services we can access such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. To reach them we paid $40 (one time) to purchase an Amazon Fire TV Stick that we plug in to one of our computers. There are many free channels available on the Fire Stick and we pay a small monthly fee for a couple of the individual service subscriptions I mentioned above.

If you can handle watching TV on a laptop size screen (or your smartphone anywhere you go), we've found this is the way to do it.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by mgfreeman

...If you can handle watching TV on a laptop size screen (or your smartphone anywhere you go), we've found this is the way to do it.

most all newer laptops have HDMI output, or you can get an HDMI output adapter that plugs into USB c or something, and plug that into a HD TV and wallah video and sound come out on the big screen.