OTA TV install and test

Over The Air television - This is to share some results of a test of a MOHU leaf 50 HD antenna. It is a simple install of an almost invisible antenna which is similar to a military design called a mudflap. The antenna is about a 12 x 12 inch unit which is paper thin. Using the parts that came with the unit the long coax is connected to the mudflap, which was just laid flat on the roof, and then the connection on the side of our Raindrop. Next the coax inside the trailer at the TV is unscrewed and then connected to the amplifier which came with the unit. Next the coax that was on the amp is now connected to the TV. Last but not least the power unit is plugged into a 110 outlet and the USB connector is plugged into the power unit. That's it the install is complete. For the TV to use the antenna it's input must be set to antenna and then a scan of available channels made. Here in the driveway in Maynard, MA I got 27 HD channels Over The Air. This weekend I will test it in Herkimer, NY and will report the results. Later this season I will test in PA & GA as well as NH & VT and will post results. My choice of unit was based on 50 mile radius and that there would be virtually no mods to the trailer. I also Install a Blu-Ray player over an HDMI connection and will be testing it as well.

 

So the unit is not worth the bother unless you have 110 which while camping unless in a rv spot in a campground and if this is the case a lot of them have cable hook ups.

 

OTA HD TV as I have it installed needs the 110 to power the amp which gives it the 50 mile range. When we camp we normally are in a KOA campground in a site with water and electric. You can use an inexpensive 12 V to 110 converter when you do not have shore power, so you could be in a tent site at a state park. Which is what we do once or twice a season then we use a small solar panel to top off the battery. I usually do not even use the TV but my wife wanted an option if it rains, so I add it when installing the Blu-Ray player. Many campgrounds do not have cable or satellite for free. To each their own we will see how it works this weekend.

 

This update is for the KOA campground North of Herkimer NY. The KOA has cable in all of its cabins and two rows for class A Motorhomes. We were in a very nice water front site on the West Canada Creek. The majority of the campground does not have access. We were able to pull in 3 of the 6 local stations due to which mountain their antennas are on. One of with was the local NBC affiliate. I watched the NASCAR race that had been rain delayed. Picture quality was excellent. I will post again after our stay North of Burlington, VT weekend after next.

 

Additional info: The reason I needed a 110 connection for the powered amplifier is because the TV in my 2008 Raindrop (early first flat panel) did not have a powered USB connection. If it did and it was used then everything would run off the internal 12 volt system. Most current model flat panel TV's have both the HDMI & USB connections.

 

Report on results from the Lone Pine Campground in Colchester VT (just north of Burlington). The Brewers Festival was great. The campground has 246 campsites of which only 45 have cable, they are the large 50 amp full service Premium sites. Which is typical, 20% have cable at an extra charge and 80% do not. We were able to pull in 13 channels form Burlington, Plattsberg, and Montreal. With some of the rain on Friday night we were able to pick up Burlington channels without any problem. My guess is the 80/20% rule is going to be normal East of the Mississippi River. I will update again after a trip to PA. in a few weeks.

 

Report of results from the past month (august). In Honesdale KOA, PA which is in the Pocono's we were able to get just a few (9) only 4 were clear stations detected which allowed for major news Sunday morning and sports to be received. Saturday Night I got the NASCAR race while it was raining out. Next we were at the Hershey PA, KOA there we were able to scan over 18 channels but over half were not clear. But the rest got a little bit of everything. We were told by a Class A motorhome owner that they got similar results. Our third Campground was the Woodstock KOA, NH. There we could only scan 1 channel. Here the campground was installing cable into the majority of the trailer sites. September we will visit several more campgrounds as we go south to Georgia and back and will update again after that trip.

 

Jim, I'm curious as I'm trying to figure out the best setup for my Truck Camper, but the BluRay... 110v? or 12v?

If 12v, where did you find it.

I was considering a 12v TV but not impressed with the screen and cost, almost double the regular ones, so I'll probably go with the 120v Samsung TV but looking for a BluRay player, 12v if possible, but thinking it'll be another 120v.

Batteries start to squirm using an inverted for several hours, so thought I'd check..

I've tried several antennas, and amazed at the number of HD channels one can get... or not get, heheh, depending on areas..

Fun...
thanks ahead if you did find 12v BluRays....

cheers,

 

Frank, I've been very happy with Talelayo's 15" Majestic 12 volt TV from Defender Marine. It has performed without a hick up for thousands of ocean miles including an extensive cruise of the dreaded Bermuda Triangle! I know, I know, scary stuff indeed.





You are right a 12 volt system uses way less juice than a 120 volt through a inverter set up. We have spent many a delightful evening watching movies while anchored out without shore power. Unfortunately our present system on Dizzy is 120 volt through an inverter, we cannot use the system for long without our generator while dry camping. We use the generator for charging batteries only, not for watching TV. (unless it's an emergency, like if the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl kind of an emergency, but that goes without saying) I will switch to a 12 volt entertainment system at some point.

Michael

 

To fpoole:

The blu-ray player I am using is a Sony BDP-S3500 which gets updates over the web. It is very small and only weighs about a pound or two. It is WiFi certified and can stream off the web. In campgrounds you will never get enough bandwidth for an HD movie (5 megabits/sec), but at home on your home network it will not be a problem depending on your connection with your ISP and your WiFi bandwidth. The unit has a 12 V jack on the back but Sony does not offer a cord, so I have been using the 110 cord that came with it and an HDMI cable to the TV playback is fine. So I have not tested it off the 12 V socket.

 

Yah, well, I just finished spending all day looking at various options on the TV/Player thing. Jensen has a 32" but not seeing any real positive reviews so going with the 120 system with converter. Apparently, the new ones, TVs etc, draw a little more than the 12 systems and since I'll have 320w of Solar and the propane gen for emergency, I'll see how it goes.

Worst case, i'll get 2 underneath truck batteries and connect to the camper of additional power, 31's or whatever they're called. I'll have 2 29'ers in the camper..

Anyway, back on topic, antenna.. I'm not sure how the Wiengard works with the Dish set up/reciever as far as local channels go.

I suspect I can run an outside antenna as described above or the Bat Wing one and run it into the TV directly for local channels..

Otherwise, I have to call DISH or change my location to reprogram the local stations for that area... a PITA it sounds like..

Anyway, here's what I'm going with for now... heheh, like everything on this ride, subject to change on a whim...

Samsung UN32J6300 32-Inch TV with BD-J5900 Blu-ray Player



Cause, why not...

fun..