TV viewing
Hi, we are due to collect our first caravan next month and are looking into what TV to get. I am now so confused 😕. The caravan comes with an ariel on top, is this sufficient? Can I just get an ordinary free view TV or does it have to be a special caravan one? Any advice would be really helpful!
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You can use any tv in a caravan as long as you have 240v connected. if your just running on 12v you can get tvs that run on 12v or 240v. (you can also get an invertor to run a 240v tv from the 12v if necessary).
As for the aerial, reception will always depend on your location. In the UK you should be able to pick up some channels most of the time.
Some people take mobile satellite dishes but again, reception will depend on location.
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Thanks for that! If I buy a freeview TV will I just get the basic channels and then to get Netflix etc I would need to use the WiFi?
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We use an ordinary freeview t.v. which when we are not away we use in the house, we have found the aerial on our caravan has always given us a good picture but on saying that we only use EHU so I can't comment on aerial reception on 12 volt televisions.
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Think we will only use EHU so will probably just go for an ordinary freeview then. 😊
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As long as you will be on sites and are on EHU then most tvs will be suitable
If you want to use it without EHU then you will need a dual voltage tv or a 12v to 240v inverter
On most club sites your c/van TV aireal should be fine ,just remember to note the direction other have theirs facing and you may need to retune the TV to pick up the local stations
Some sites the tv signal is poor (it will advise in the site info on the booking page ,in those cases many club sites have thier own booster system that is normally on the ehu bollard ,and you will need an extension airial lead 25mtr is normally long enough you will again need to tune tv into site booster system (the same lenght as your EHU lead should be)
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Some TVs have inbuilt DVD players that help (as long as you take a selection of DVDs) when normal TV reception is poor.
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The main question is whether you intend always using your van on 240v hook up or not.
If you do, then any old telly you fancy will do the job.
If not, and you intend to run on 12v, then you will need a TV capable of also running on 12v. This includes expensive caravan tellies but you may find some ordinary sets that have 12v transformers.
As for aerials, some are good, some are not. The uni-directional ones tend to work best. You might need a signal booster, which may or may not already be fitted in your van, and a length of coax cable to connect to bollards on some sites which have their own boosters might be useful. All you can do is suck it and see and remember you will need to retune the set each time you change your location.
Edit: Whoops! I got distracted mid post by a phone call and look what happened. 😄
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Aww, thanks everyone, lots of helpful advice! So much to learn!!🤣
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Just one minor point - using the TV on 12V is usually a much neater solution. Our Avtex can run on either 12v or 240v but I always use the 12v option, regardless of whether we are on EHU or not, because it avoids having to use that additional bulky transformer and the lead that goes with it. Using a set on 12v doesn't make any difference to signal reception because, however it is powered, it's using 12v internally, anyway.
Thinking ahead, you may wish to consider one with an in-built satellite decoder rather than having the additional clutter of a separate box needing its own power supply.
We use an EE Mini Wifi together with an Amazon Firestick get catch up TV and all the streaming channels but I believe the new Avtex models are already 'smart'.
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Just one additional point to consider which I don't think has been mentioned yet - if buying a bog standard cheap free view TV, check details of angle of vision. The last TV we bought was dreadful, if sitting on opposite sides of the van one person got a perfect view the other might as well have taken the dogs for a walk!
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Totally agree Moulesy - I was a bit reluctant to say "you get what you pay for" but it's true. I bought a cheap(ish) one from a certain German-owned supermarket when they had a 'Special Buy' promotion. It was rubbish - partly for the reason you identify, but also it kept dropping the signal in an area where we had previously always had excellent reception. It went back and I bought an Avtex. Not cheap, by any means, but it has performed well - consistently - and I know they are built to withstand the rigours of being shaken about in a caravan.
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I would agree re the Avtex, although rather expensive, even at quite acute angles of view and when sitting below you get a decent quality of picture. Our first came as part of the deal with a caravan. We probably wouldn’t have bought one as we already had a cheap version. However, we were so impressed with the quality, when we switched to a MH we bought the small 16 inch version ( as we were sat closer to the screen). It has a free view tuner, satellite tuner, as well as a DVD and weighs about 1.5 kg. As mentioned above although it also works on 240 volts, we always use it on 12 volts wether on EHU or not. Another benefit is that if your aerial requires a power source, as ours does, the Avtex TV is capable of providing it via the aerial coaxial.
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Another vote for Avtex here. We sourced one second hand and run it on 12v not mains as said earlier avoids bulky transformer etc. It automatically provides power down the co-axial lead to what looks like a cheapo Avtex suction mount aerial. It has not so far failed to find good reception with the minimum of effort.
Angle of view, colour and sound are all excellent. Ours has a built in dvd and free-sat receiver. When abroad we are away for 4/6 weeks and take a Snipe dish and quickly manage to receive a signal well down into the Dordogne. The dish was a bit of an [expensive] novelty but well worth it. We started with a compact Multimo which was good, not knowing what to buy as we don't have a dish at home.
Colin
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We tried various configurations, caravan Ariel, sat dish. plug in ariel.
we now have a decent LG TV which connects to a smartphone with unlimited data plan.
Sorted, Netflix, iPlayer etc etc. We also have an Amazon Echo (Alexa) in the van just so I have someone to talk to when the wife ignores me.
We also sought out a TV with a headphone socket and put an extension lead from the socket to our aux in on the caravan audio system. We now get decent audio through the van speakers rather than the tinny sound of the tv.
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Butting into the thread - we’re gradually changing bits and pieces so they will run on 12 volt. We’re not too bothered about the television - ours is an ordinary household one, always used on EHU. But I understand we can use an “inverter” to run it on 12 volt. Looking into it I’m just confused - how do I find out what to buy? Any links to easily accessible ones greatly appreciated.
We may stick with IPlayer on an IPad. Or just music from various devices.
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Goldie
It might be worth having a look at this thread about surviving on non electric sites. I would imagine that you would need a solar panel to keep the leisure battery charged. If it's just for a TV it might be cheaper to buy a 12v one as you could then bypass the inverter.
David
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Thanks David
I've looked at the Off Grid thread, and I'm still unsure about an inverter. When I Googled "inverter" some looked so cheap I knew they were wrong. We're probably going going to do without the television unless we are on hook up. Our existing caravan TV is perfect for EHU (built in DVD player, classic IPOd dock, HDMI etc) so don't want to change (and not at great expense!).
Our first (amd maybe others) trip out is down our fields so we have to be totally self sufficient. But hopefully it will be hot and sunny and we'll be just relaxing outside, with the pile of books we've been saving up.
Suitcase Solar Panel arriving today, and OH is going to add 12v USB sockets tomorrow.
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If the solar panel is 100w or more Goldie you will manage OK without an inverter. We've got a small one but I can't remember using it. The USB converters are very useful. Our TV can run on 12v and we might watch an hour per day, news and weather etc if we're away. Most of our lights are LED which also helps the drain on power. We have some battery lights too.
The serious off EHU users are on the thread David suggested but we're casual users.
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Fitting an inverter is not a very efficient way to watch TV. Better to either buy a 12V one, no dearer than buying an inverter, or perhaps modify exisiting one to take a 12V input.
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My thoughts, If I was to replace my cureent TV, an old 12v Avtex with a sat decoder and DVD player, I would buy a 12 volt smart model with WiFi and a built in sat TV decoder because it would give a good choice of options for program reception. Given a resonable 4G signal or even 5G, streaming programs from catchup TV, Netflix or Prime should not be a problem using the hotspot function of a smart phone having a subscription offering a generous data usage. A DVD option might not be so useful any more in the UK but when on the Continent it may well be a worthwhile option.
peedee
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Goldie
I noticed in the new C&CC magazine they have a datasheet on inverters, www.myccc.co.uk/datasheets I managed to get in without logging in so hopefully it works OK for you. Just enter inverters in the search box. It might provide you with a bit more information.
David
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Thank you everyone for the advice. For our first trip out I think we will stick with solar panel, new USB sockets (12 volt), Ipad, Bluetooth speaker, and a selection of power banks.
We've always used gas for heating, cooking, kettle and toast, so there should be plenty of reserves in the battery (hopefully kept topped up by the solar panel that's just arrived).
And who needs televison anyway? Lately we've been watching a lot of Iplayer and YouTube (and online concerts on various social media). If we sit close together the Ipad screen is big enough.
Plan B - win the lottery and buy a top of the range caravan with all these fancy power gizmos built in.
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We have one from there - it’s a great tv (Bauhn) with DVD, works on 240/12v, good viewing angle and sound. Can’t fault it and was only £129 for 24”. We used to keep in in the van, but now use it in the house as well since the Logic one gave up the ghost!
Additionally we use Netflix by attaching to our phone hotspot if no site WiFi.
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