TVs - 12 or 240v?

[Nickhlx]

I've no experience of the Gazelle but we get a good Freeview signal on our Omnimax aerial 75% of the time on our travels around the system. The problem is that it's not as if each location has a signal 75% of the time, it's that 3 out of 4 locations have a signal all the time and the other 1 out of 4 locations never gets any signal at all.

 

 

I reckon that Omnimax is an extremely good aerial which is amazing considering its (lack of) size...

 

Nick

[brev]

Just thinking about the reply from MJG.

What would be the better solution?

[Guest]

Just thinking about the reply from MJG.

What would be the better solution?

 

A proper aerial...

 

Mine wasn't a comment about the power set-up but rather your chosen aerial, I've never found omni-directional aerials to be any good at all either on our boat or for the many years we caravanned.

[alan_fincher]

I reckon that Omnimax is an extremely good aerial which is amazing considering its (lack of) size...

 

I've never found omni-directional aerials to be any good at all either on our boat or for the many years we caravanned.

 

These two comments, in my view, demonstrate exactly why anybody trying to advise on this is probably always going to mislead someone!

 

It is entirely obvious to me that "omnis" like the Omnimax can work perfectly at some locations, and be totally useless at others.

 

If you think of how much of the canal or river system is low lying or even in cuttings, much of it is not the best possible for coverage from TV transmitters, and an antenna on a (say) 5 foot pole on your boat often very much less well placed than one up a chimney on your house.

 

We gave up taking a TV on the boat years ago, (not because of lack of picture, but because of a dwindling interest in TV!), but I have to say I never came close to Alan Jones' 75% success rate with the "egg whisk" antenna. That said, ours was an elderly one that came with the boat, and it's possible they have improved the amplifier side of things since, even if externally they look the same. (IIRC some have some powered electronics in the head, some just the red light, but with all the amplification in the internal box, and some have even dispensed with the red light on the "whisk" ?).

 

In our experience a cheap satellite system, (£50), gave far more consistent results than trying to get a terrestrial signal, but if you only boat where there is a good signal, you could be tempted to assume much of the canal system is the same - it isn't!

[Nickhlx]

The "best" aerial will depend on where you are and how far you travel.

 

If you are in relatively high population density areas, then simpler aerials will be OK

 

Re "proper" aerials, if you travel widely, you will need a high gain directional aerial pointed at the transmitter for the weak areas, although using e.g. an Omnimax will be fine for the stronger areas.

 

The Omnimax is OK for us as we are darn sarf and never that far from civilisation so that is in use nearly all the time.

 

We also have a satellite dish system in a briefcase (Lidl special £40) but have never had to use it - only been out of the box to test it and it works extremely well - good "insurance" for those cuttings and places where there's a hill in the way

 

Nick

 

 

 

ETA : Success will also depend on the TV being used and the installation - an expensive recent TV will likely work better than an older one with a poor degraded installation with e.g water in the connections, waterlogged co-ax, and where aerial connectors are just "pressed in and not soldered", like most installers do because it saves a few minutes...

[dor]

I've fouind my Omnimax (no amp) to be much better since the digital changeover. My TV does have a good sensitive tuner, but it is rare for me to not be able to pick up the main channels.

Just completed the Cheshire Ring and had excellent TV every night, including in some fairly rural areas. At one stop I was inside watching TV whilst another boater spent about 10 minutes with his big directional aerial trying to get a signal!

I've got an aerial booster which I needed to use all the time with my previous TV. With the current one I get a better picture without it.

[Guest]

These two comments, in my view, demonstrate exactly why anybody trying to advise on this is probably always going to mislead someone!

 

My comment is purely based on my own extensive use of omni directional aerials over many years.

 

I would never advise their use generally - I accept some may have had better experience though. Ti's for the OP to determine what advice to follow.

[Naughty Cal]

We have gone through a few omni directional aerials sicne owning NC. We didnt replace them due to them being rubbish, in fact we found quite the opposite and almost always found a signal, but because we kept smashing them off on bridges

 

Currently we dont have an aerial installed. We have a batch of DVD's to watch if we wish but hardly ever switch the TV on. For the record its 12V Meos DVD and freeview unit.

[Nickhlx]

The higher the gain the aerial, the more accurately it will need to be orientated, and the more susceptible it will be to being bent / knocked, and boat movements, if not in a strong signal area( when its need is in question anyway)

 

So a better result would be to use a lower gain aerial where it can bring in sufficient signal and save the higher gain aerials for when necessary - instal both and have an aerial switch, NOT a splitter or combiner, as that throws away 50% + of the signal immediately...

 

Nick

[stuart]

I brought a cheap as chips 240v LCD TV from Argos, took the power adapter off it (240v to 12v DC) and simply wired it straight in to the 12v circuit. Works fine, no issues even when engine pushing out 14.8v - assuming that it has an internal reguator.

 

I did originally use an Amperor 12v regulator but this failed (they sent me another under warranty) but I never used it and sold it on.

[alan_fincher]

So a better result would be to use a lower gain aerial where it can bring in sufficient signal and save the higher gain aerials for when necessary

But if you use a high gain antenna in a strong signal area, the exact orientation will be far less important anyway.

 

If close enough to the transmitter is really will not be very important at al, (in fact, in the more extreme cases, it may be less likely that the TV will get swamped with too much signal if it's not perfectly aligned!)

 

I can't really follow the logic here - if the high gain, very directional ,antenna manages to hang on to a picture in a weak signal area, it will work without issue in a stronger signal area, surely ?

[Nickhlx]

But if you use a high gain antenna in a strong signal area, the exact orientation will be far less important anyway.

 

If close enough to the transmitter is really will not be very important at al, (in fact, in the more extreme cases, it may be less likely that the TV will get swamped with too much signal if it's not perfectly aligned!)

 

I can't really follow the logic here - if the high gain, very directional ,antenna manages to hang on to a picture in a weak signal area, it will work without issue in a stronger signal area, surely ?

 

 

As usual, it depends...

 

Of course, in a VERY strong signal area, anything in any direction will work... even a ( literally) piece of wet string, assuming you aren't getting overload / intermodulation problems.

 

I was more thinking of the "medium" strength signal area - i.e. what's probably normally found for the largest part of the service area, ( difficult to define as depends on ERP of the TX and gain / beamwidth of the RX antenna and how good the front end of the TV is) it certainly will need the antenna to be pointing "about right" , as in the extreme of coverage.

It is not just a case of putting up a high gain aerial and it will "always work" - A high gain aerial will frequently pick up reflections and give ghosting unless installed with some care.

 

Nick

[brev]

The middle ground is where I (we) all want to be. It's fairly clear, from the previous experienced posts, that the signal quality is directly proportional to your location. Even with satellite equipment....

There are lots of pro's and con's.

If you want to use a satellite system. It needs to be set up at the end of the cruising day.

Using a directional aerial needs to be raised and directed, at the end of the cruising day.

Is an omni-directional aerial a plausible solution to the end of the day set-up regime?

[Nickhlx]

The middle ground is where I (we) all want to be. It's fairly clear, from the previous experienced posts, that the signal quality is directly proportional to your location. Even with satellite equipment....

There are lots of pro's and con's.

If you want to use a satellite system. It needs to be set up at the end of the cruising day.

Using a directional aerial needs to be raised and directed, at the end of the cruising day.

Is an omni-directional aerial a plausible solution to the end of the day set-up regime?

 

 

For average conditions, in a not too remote area, with non-corroded feeder/connections with a reasonable TV - yes, our is anyway - not found it lacking.

 

If you want more than "average" capability to receive reasonable signals, then have a hi-gain aerial to point at those more distant transmitters and pull in a bit more signal and use it when you need to. It and no other aerial will never work well or at all in conditions where there is a major nearby obstacle in the way, like a hill or you are in a cutting.

 

In that case the only solution is a dish pointing upwards at a satellite and even these won't always work.

 

A DVD will still work though, or maybe streaming video off the internet if you have coverage and the cost is acceptable

 

Nick

[nikk malee]

I don't know if you managed to get 1 but I paid £80 for my 12v/240 15" dvd hd combi brand new at Skirlington near Hornsea.