hotrod91

Hi, im a motorhome newbie having just accquired a Swift Suntor 630l last week.
There is no ariel or dish of any sort on the roof and my local dealers tell me that there was probably some kind of satellite dish on the roof before and has been removed and there is a small plastic bent tube on the roof with teleco on it which comes into the wardrobe so maybe that was part of the sat system i dont really know.
Thing is...this is what i really want.....im not happy with 4 or 5 channels its just not enough nowadays but AM happy with freeview channels although there are certain ones on sky that freeview do not have but for the small time i will be using it i just need a variety so im looking for a tv that has freeview installed (unless someone swears i MUST have sky) and a dvd player for the kids and also be able to plug in a wii or ps2/3 into it again for the kids!! Other thing is it MUST be 12v as due to the nature of my recreation im likely to be sleeping in the middle of fields and car parks with it. So any ideas with the tv would certainly help but back to the ariel.....
Again what ariel shall i use? Like everyone else i want the best i can get for the lowest money but i cannot be doing with fiddling with an ariel for an hour everytime i move and reprogramming channels or whatever, i also cant be doing with snowy or crackly pictures either. Wonder if some of you clever people would know whats for the best. Also my dealers tell me they want 4 hours @ £50 per hour to fit the tv and booster!!! It becomes one expensive joblot doesnt it.
Im so looking forward to your suggestions but im not massively electronically minded so really dont wanna be fiddling with things too much.

hotrod91

Oh one other thing, looking round Currys loads of "home" tvs run off 12v nowadays obviously those that plg into the mains but have and transformer along the way i am referring to. Lady said that some people get an adapter from Maplins or the like and change the 240v plug to a 12v type and plug it straight into the cigarette lighter. Brilliant i thought........
Except.....so the lad at Maplins tells me if i do that i may well be inputting as much as 13.8ish volts through it if the engine is running or like. He has a very good point indeed as this will blow the tv. Is he correct? He sounds it to me. Im sure im safe till i accidentally turn on the engine and the voltage boosts then im in trouble!

johnsandywhite

That is quite true. However. You would be better running an Inverter from the 12 volt supply to run your appliances.

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paulharrison

Hi hotrod
the cheapest way is to get a sky or freesat box and a dish on a tripod or if you have sky at home use that box when you get on site just look around and point the dish the same as any dishes on site or south east,
Paul

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Bulletguy

Answer to this is simple but somehow i don't think you will like it.

Aluminium pole and TV aerial which can be bought new for as little as £10 from any TV aerial installer. The pole costs about the same dependant on length. 10-18 element TV aerials are directional

Might not look as trendy or fancy as the flying saucer woks or motorised sat dishes stuck on the roof, but if you want "the best for the lowest money".....this is the route to go. Look at what the gypo's use and you won't find any motorised dishes or flying saucers stuck on the roofs of their vans simply because they know what works best from experience.

Freeview boxes are plentiful though you might have to search a bit for a dual voltage one.

If you have to have all the satellite channels then you will need to get a sat setup. Many are now using the suitcase type, but you can forget about spending a few quid as a decent sat setup doesn't come cheap.

hotrod91

You got me sussed, no i dont want a pole n ariel although i dont doubt your integrity for one second....but thanks very much anyway.....and hows this for a tv??

Vason 19.0" HD Ready Freeview TV + DVD Player - We Do Digital

vicdicdoc

I got an ordinary TV aerial on a pole fitted inside the wardrobe & raise it up / turn it round to find the best signal[s] . . . works a treat on all freeview channels

terry

Hi H/R if you do not want a normal house type ariel then you want to look at Status 530/535 directional areils at about 120ish, a freeview box from asda - Duraband 13 quid which is also 12v !!The tv you need to look at on the back to see if that is transformered to 12v ,mine is a grundig dvd tv that is defo 12v all wired to the status ariel tv socket.see attachment
terry

Attached Files

SIMPLE GUIDE TO 12 VOLT LCD TV FOR MOTORHOMES.doc (28.0 KB, 18 views)

hotrod91

Hi Terry, i think its great when people are capable of fiddling with things and saving money etc but this is not my forte. People spend thousands on getting their cars serviced etc but it costs me very little. Horses for courses i suppose.
All i want is everything compacted the best i can ie having freeview and dvd in the tv and an input for a wii or playstation for the err err ahem kiddies.
I have read your write up and kind of get it and totally agree that the only way to spike the tv is to turn the ignition on and lets be fair the chance of me driving with the tv perched on the side is low......but you can bet a dope like me will do so and i have buggered up hundreds of quids worth of equipment, that tv doesnt sound dear at the price it is (the one i sent the link for) and i would be happy with that to be fair. Do you have any remarks on that tv? You seem a very knowledgable guy

adventure

Hi Hotrod

That tv looks good value for money, being advertised as 12v it should have built in protection against over voltage, amperor do a stable 12v supply so would give you extra protection.

To get freeview through the tv you would need a directional aerial so as suggested the status 530/5 is the best and easiest option, the only way you would any easier is an automatic satellite system but they are big bucks

To use a wii or ps2 you would probably need 240v so a small invertor as also suggested would negate the need for the amperor device and would run other items as well

nick