Another numb nut question

[terryvanman]

Being an avid television watcher, can anyone tell me the best/not too expensive system that works well on a canal boat, and what size screen is best for close TV watching

 

thanks again,,,[i promise not to ask any more questions when I know all there is to know about canal boats}

[alan_fincher]

There are loads of threads about satellite TV on the forum.

 

Some of it is about what you want to spend for pure convenience.

 

The cheap systems (usually based on a Comag receiver) from Maplin/Aldi/Lidl, etc, which can cost anywhere between £30 and £100 depending on current offers, actually work entirely reliably.

 

However you will need to be able to set up a dish and find the satellite.

 

Or you can spend more, going right up to literally thousands, for complex systems that self align and find the satellite for no more than a button push.

 

I'm a fifty quid man, myself!

 

I don't think anyone can answer the screen size thing for you. Narrowboat cabins are pretty small, and personally I find massive LCD panels on the walls unappealing, and would probably have a migraine if I had to watch for long at close quarters.

 

We have a 17" widescreen panel, and it's fine for us, but we are not really TV addicts, and generally use it very little. If you want to position it on a shelf or cupboard one side of a front or rear door or hatch, I'd argue that at much over about 20", it might start to impede people getting through the opening. Some people though like theit TV enough that they are prepared to live with it taking over the cabin a bit - I couldn't, personally.

 

Generally the bigger your screen, the more power it will consume, and hence the faster your batteries will flatten.

[Bullfrog]

best/not too expensive system that works well on a canal boat,

 

We use a satellite/suitcase system bought from Maplin for £60. It's sometimes cheaper, and is also often sold by Aldi and Lidl.

 

It works really well and gives a really sharp picture once you've got the dish alligned properly.

 

As for the TV we bought a small mains operated Phillips CRT set with built in DVD player, this was before LCD sets were becoming so readily available.

 

We run both bits of kit off our small inverter, without any problems.

 

You will find masses of topics and posts on here about this subject if you experiment with the search function.

 

regards

 

David

[terryvanman]

thank you kind sirs

[Lesd]

Ive just taken delivery of the maplin suitcase job mentioned by others. I tried it this evening but gave up in the end as it was too dark to bugger about any more. I managed to tune to the wrong satelite, astra 19 rather than astra 28, would have been great if i could understand german. Will try again later in the week !!

[Mat B]

TV - I have a 10 inch job from Maplin, adequate for me.

 

When I looked at This Website, I find that I can get a 15 inch that actually takes less power, so thinking of upgrading.

 

m@

[MrCJ]

a bit off topic well still to do with sat tv , just done search on here and it came up with loads of threads but non to do with sat tv

[nb Innisfree]

Ive just taken delivery of the maplin suitcase job mentioned by others. I tried it this evening but gave up in the end as it was too dark to bugger about any more. I managed to tune to the wrong satelite, astra 19 rather than astra 28, would have been great if i could understand german. Will try again later in the week !!

 

Just a tip, dish needs to be almost vertical when scanning.

[mrsmelly]

Being an avid television watcher, can anyone tell me the best/not too expensive system that works well on a canal boat, and what size screen is best for close TV watching

 

thanks again,,,[i promise not to ask any more questions when I know all there is to know about canal boats}

 

We watch telly on the very few occasions we dont go to the pub we have 22in lcd dont use too much lectric it has built in freeview and we get about 40 channels thro our 8 quid arial so cheap as chips. You could blow a grand or so if u want then get 200 crap channels instead of my 40 crap channels.......go to the bloody pub and banter its far more fun than tv...............

[Offcumden]

We have a 20 inch lcd linked to a Maxview satellite box.

Being CC'ers we have struggled at times to get a decent picture mainly down to alignment problems of either the Dish or the Terrestrial aerial.

I recently found two websites which have resolved the problem

 

www.dishpointer.com

www.macfh.co.uk/Test/UKTerrrestrialTVTest.html

 

Armed with either the postcode or map reference of our location, provided from AC Canalplanner, each site will provide a line between the dish/aerial and Satellite/Transmitter. Fine tuning is possible by using the site's satellite image to place your boat in its exact location by moving the cursor.

 

Both the dish and the terrestrial aerial are mounted on an extendable pole which is accessible from inside the cratch to enable me to rotate the pole from inside the cratch. The Dish is permenantly fixed to the lower section and the aerial to removable, extendable sections.

 

BTW the Maxview box has a built in Satfinder giving out a variable audio signal as you align with the signal.

 

Hope this helps, enjoy Marmaduke. !!!

John

[Keeping Up]

Putting in another plug, because it has proved very popular and I've had a lot of good feedback from people who have used it, in good weather you may find my Satellite Sundial useful. Just print it out and away you go!

[Bullfrog]

BTW the Maxview box has a built in Satfinder giving out a variable audio signal as you align with the signal.

 

So does the comag.

 

would have been great if i could understand german.

 

On ours the system defaults were all set to german - worth spending some time sorting that out!

 

david