jonathantipler Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 We've recently got back into motorhoming and have a Rollerteam 746. We need to replace the TV. Has anyone got any advice on good reliable TVs that will work from mains and battery? Also, I'm not inclined to use an external satellite dish, but if anyone can persuade me of how easy they are to use, I'm willing to listen! Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 I have an 85cm Crystop auto dish but don't use it now as I fitted a Teleco TeleplusX2 which is an excellent aerial and use a Samsung 19" TV powered by a small (400watt) pure sinewave inverter. Shouldn't bother with a 12v/240v TV. a small 100watt inverter would be plenty to power a small 240v telly..... but, there's always a but :-D depends what you watch and where, ie UK Europe somewhere, North Africa....My dish has gone wrong and have emailed the agents for the dish 5 to 6 times now but they are not interested so nor am I now, thanks LCS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Have a look at Avtex although they are pricey.We have the smallest plus a Status aerial mounted on the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 It really depends where you want to use the TV system. In UK, a diectional status aerial would suffice. In Europe you could still use it but obviously you wouldn't get any English language programmes (although there are a few exceptions, I understand). If you wish to use in mainland Europe then a dish of some kind is necessary for English channels. In my last van I had a through the roof windup sat dish which was OK once you got the knack of pointing it at the correct satellite. My latest van has an automatic dish which of course is much easier to use - providing things don't go wrong. The TV is a 19inch Cello Traveller which I have found to be OK, although others have complained about the sound quality. The TV has inbuilt sat decoder and freeview decoder so you can use it with either a terrestrial aerial or sat dish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 We have a 99 quid cheapo from Morrisons, and I'm well pleased B-) ......had to source a 12v lead from Maplins but for the money its a bargain :D ....... We also have a cheapo suitcase satellite tv which works, but we rarely use as its a fag to set up, but we find in the Dordogne and Spain we can often pick up english/american speaking programs via our Status Ariel ;-) ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I didn't see any point in connecting the MH TV for both 12v and mains operation, since the MH charger will caryy the 12v load when we're on an EHU anyway, so I kept things simple by powering the TVs using 12v only. It's worked reliably, within limit, for nearly ten years so far. I bought two small domestic TVs which had a 12v tranformer (labelled as such) in their power lead so all I had to do was chop off the TV end and connect to the MH 12v system. This works except that the picture appears up to 30 seconds before the sound on these TVs; I don't know whether this is voltage related but I have lived with it. If we're watching TV off EHU and we run another 12v load (such as the water or toilet pump) the sound sometimes disappears for a few seconds. An electrician/motorhomer once told me that domestic TVs will not relly suit MHs even if they are supposed to run on a nominal 12v. Perhaps he's right. So I saved money by buying domestic TVs but I suspect that I would pay the extra for proper purpose-built 12v TVs next time. Over a period of years and in the context of the overall costs of motorhoming, saving a few quid on a cheaper TV was at least as much trouble as it was worth. On the other hand buying a roof-mounted automated satellite aerial system was a good buy. We had a tripod aerial at first but although usable it was a faff. They've come down in price quite a lot too so buying one now is a no brainer unless you are on a shoestring. Broadcast TV is OK in UK but if you go abroad there is no substitute for satellite TV to receive English channels, even if you cannot now receive as much when you get further away from UK. Our satellite system lost track of everything last year and this turned out t be due to rearranging of the channels on the Astra satellites by the satellite operators. The people who supplied our statellite system had gone out of business but we were able to get Conrad Anderson to re-set our system but we had to travel to their site in Birmingham for the purose. A new system should never need this because the Astra twiddling has apparently now finished for the foreseeable future. Handy firm Conrad Anderson; I recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I've just received a marketing email from Leisure Shop Direct, they must be reading this thread as it includes a 12/230 volt TV... https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan-accessories/caravan-tv/12v-tv/manta-led-tv-19inch-1903 Might be worth looking at. I've never bought one so can't comment whether it's any good or not though. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Paid £79.99 for a 19" Bush TV/DVD from an Argos overflow Shop. It is 12/230 volt and an excellent bit of kit. Wide viewing angle, better than some expensive TV's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 747 - 2015-12-10 8:59 AM Paid £79.99 for a 19" Bush TV/DVD from an Argos overflow Shop. It is 12/230 volt and an excellent bit of kit. Wide viewing angle, better than some expensive TV's. Agree We paid 69.99 for a 12/240 from Currys. and it has a built in DVD, so one less piece of kit to carry, as before we had a separate DVD player PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiseller Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 jonathantipler - 2015-12-09 1:36 PM We've recently got back into motorhoming and have a Rollerteam 746. We need to replace the TV. Has anyone got any advice on good reliable TVs that will work from mains and battery? Also, I'm not inclined to use an external satellite dish, but if anyone can persuade me of how easy they are to use, I'm willing to listen! Many thanks I've used 2 Avtex sets for the past 3.5 years and have found them to be excellent with a 1 button tuning facility. They use minimal power and they now hav a built-in satellite receiver which is a bonus. Yes, they are relatively expensive but as ever you get what you pay for. Modern auto seeking dishes are simple to use and if you buy quality you should have long reliable service from it. Personally I have a satdome for windy west of Scotland, an 85cm auto dish for the Continent and a terrestrial aerial for pitches that have signal blocking trees or buildings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.