Sound and vision

[starman]

Presently we have a trannie radio dangling from a hook by a window and watch occasional tele via the laptop and dongle. It works but I'd like something better in the next boat.

Nothing too fancy but a tv and a CD/ipod/MW LW FM radio in the main body of the boat plus a radio or, preferably, a radio-alarm with 'snooze and sleep' facilities for the cabin under the tug deck.

What's a not-too-tricksy way to do this? I don't want the roof festooned with aerials on scaffold poles BTW. Can I couple one discreet radio aerial to two radios for example or maybe is there a sound system I can work via a remote from in bed as well as in the saloon. Are these little portable satellite dishes the best solution for tv? Is 12v the route for radio & tele stuff? Brief experience with a battery digital radio suggests they eat power compared to old fashioned analogues.

All advice to techie numpty very gratefully received!

[DHutch]

Im going to watch this with interest.

 

We're currently on the 'car headunit and a pair of diy speaker cabs' set up in the living room but as the speakers are shot and the headunit not best setup for its application (auto re-tune that you cant turn off and no line-in) its very much due an overhaul. I also want to add speakers to the rear of the boat for when going along, alone or with friends.

 

Provisionally i thought about replacing the current head unit with one that had a line-in and the ability to play MP3 from cd or usb, replacing the speakers, and adding a second simular headunit at the rear, with a link cable between. The sound could then be controlled from both ends, and piped one way or the other to come out of both. Possible with a pair of £40 mains voltage 8" sub woofers to extend the range. And you would need a decent aerial somewhere.

 

However thats all starting to sound a tiny bit messy, and even by the time you bought cost effective brandless headunits, speakers, and subwoofers(cheap off ebay) you talking £200 odd which is maddness considering the quality of kit is still going to be dubious partiaurly if the subwoofers picked up a load of noise of the mixed and msw power source.

 

I cant use 12v sub woofers because its a 24v boat and the stepdown unit would be costly, and im reluctant to rely solely on 240v via an inverter if you get to the boat one evening with low batteries im still going to want sound and with no way of charging them till i run the steam plant up in the morning.

 

The problem is wanting the performance and flexibility, without spending a fortune or loosing the robustness.

 

 

Daniel

[J R]

Presently we have a trannie radio dangling from a hook by a window and watch occasional tele via the laptop and dongle. It works but I'd like something better in the next boat.

Nothing too fancy but a tv and a CD/ipod/MW LW FM radio in the main body of the boat plus a radio or, preferably, a radio-alarm with 'snooze and sleep' facilities for the cabin under the tug deck.

What's a not-too-tricksy way to do this? I don't want the roof festooned with aerials on scaffold poles BTW. Can I couple one discreet radio aerial to two radios for example or maybe is there a sound system I can work via a remote from in bed as well as in the saloon. Are these little portable satellite dishes the best solution for tv? Is 12v the route for radio & tele stuff? Brief experience with a battery digital radio suggests they eat power compared to old fashioned analogues.

All advice to techie numpty very gratefully received!

 

The small sat dishes, like the Kerstan ones for example, work well once you have it lined up. (Needs line of sight to the satallight for reception). With our boat we used an Omnimax aerial on the roof wired with (Black not brown coax cable, apparently better for digital signals, don't know why) to 2 omnimax booster boxs, one for the for the TV and a seperate one on the other side of the boat for the DAB radio (which also does FM). Not had any problems with reception for either. Please note that for the Omnimax you would need the black (digital booster) box as opposed to the original white (analogue) box. You can also get radio stations via sat on your TV. Don't think that a digital radio will use more power than an analogue one. It depends on the make and model of the radio itself as to the power consumption. www.sust-it.net gives power consumption and comparisons on household products.

[Keeping Up]

There are a lot of crazy statements in here. There is good and bad coax available both in black, in brown and in white (and probably other colours if you look for it). For the length on a boat, any decent quality coax will do.

 

The original (white) Omnimax box is perfectly OK for digital TV signals. The aerials and the boxes are both wide-band, suitable for all TV signals. I confess though that I don't know what the position with DAB radio is.

 

Nearly all DAB radios consume considerably more power than almost all analogue ones.

[starman]

Thanks for the tips. Any more guidance on a practical way to provide radio/music in the saloon and also in bed under the tug deck would be welcome. Something relatively easily installed but decent quality.

[charles123]

Assuming you have a decent inverter I suggest for the TV a 240v flat screen with built in DVD player and built in freeview. Then an aerial that you only put up when you watch TV. I have had SAT before and although the picture quality is superb getting a signal and tuning it to the satellite can be a real pain

 

For the radio, there are some neat radio/alarm/docking station for ipod units with remote control and rechargeable batteries around

 

Charles

[mrsmelly]

Assuming you have a decent inverter I suggest for the TV a 240v flat screen with built in DVD player and built in freeview. Then an aerial that you only put up when you watch TV. I have had SAT before and although the picture quality is superb getting a signal and tuning it to the satellite can be a real pain

 

For the radio, there are some neat radio/alarm/docking station for ipod units with remote control and rechargeable batteries around

 

Charles

 

I concur with the above and as another tip I would strongly recomend you do not have a fitted in tv or other electrical items as technology changes so quickly now in a few short years if you need to replace anything it will not fit exactly where previous items did.

[starman]

Thought I'd resurrect this one as I'm still casting around for info. My original query was probably too vague so I'll re-word it...

I want to fit a reasonably decent (eg mid-price) sound system into the boat for radio and for music that would be largely via iPod. Ideally it would have a remote control facility so I can switch on and off from in bed under the tug deck.

My preference would be something that works off the 12v DC system.

 

It doesn't have to be a single unit. Maybe a separate radio and decent iPod dock - maybe a Bose if there's a DC one.

 

How have other people done it?

[Alan Saunders]

All audio installations are limited by the quality of the speakers and the environment (dimensions and reverberation) in which they are installed. Most people today have better Hi-Fi systems in their cars (even original equipment; my cheapo Clio has tweeters in the dash and speakers in front and rear doors with balance controls) than in their homes. The problem in a boat, especially a narrow-boat, is accommodating and positioning decent speakers.

 

Many boat installations have car-type speakers installed in the deck-head (ceiling) to port and starboard. These may be acceptable if, as in a car, the seating faces the bow or stern. More often, the boat seating faces the side of the boat. Four ceiling speakers at least six feet apart, centred on the usual seating position, with L/R channels fore and aft may produce a good stereo experience in the main cabin. I doubt many will notice the transposition of L and R channels if they are sitting on the 'wrong' side. A sub-woofer could be installed anywhere, perhaps in a cupboard or locker, but this may also entertain (annoy) nearby boaters and land-dwellers. In other areas of the boat; galley, bedroom, bathroom etc., a pair of small speakers may be adequate.

 

Having determined the best possible speaker installation you will know what maximum power it can accommodate. Most of us end up with equipment intended for installation in a vehicle.Typically this will provide 40W or more into two or four channels. If this proves inadequate you could add an additional 12v amplifier. In Car Entertainment (ICE) is the most economic solution, even the cheapest models will exceed the quality of your speaker installation and they are compact and available with CD, MP3 CD, USB, SD-Card, I-Pod Dock and other external inputs.

 

Alan

[steelaway]

Presently we have a trannie radio dangling from a hook by a window and watch occasional tele via the laptop and dongle. It works but I'd like something better in the next boat.

Nothing too fancy but a tv and a CD/ipod/MW LW FM radio in the main body of the boat plus a radio or, preferably, a radio-alarm with 'snooze and sleep' facilities for the cabin under the tug deck.

What's a not-too-tricksy way to do this? I don't want the roof festooned with aerials on scaffold poles BTW. Can I couple one discreet radio aerial to two radios for example or maybe is there a sound system I can work via a remote from in bed as well as in the saloon. Are these little portable satellite dishes the best solution for tv? Is 12v the route for radio & tele stuff? Brief experience with a battery digital radio suggests they eat power compared to old fashioned analogues.

All advice to techie numpty very gratefully received!

 

 

Hi

 

Have a look at Theloudest.co. everthing you will ever need

 

Alex

[deletedaccount]

Thought I'd resurrect this one as I'm still casting around for info. My original query was probably too vague so I'll re-word it...

I want to fit a reasonably decent (eg mid-price) sound system into the boat for radio and for music that would be largely via iPod. Ideally it would have a remote control facility so I can switch on and off from in bed under the tug deck.

My preference would be something that works off the 12v DC system.

 

It doesn't have to be a single unit. Maybe a separate radio and decent iPod dock - maybe a Bose if there's a DC one.

 

How have other people done it?

 

For music I've got a 12v class T amplifier. The sound is amazing, much better than a class D car amp. They're only 30 quid on ebay and super efficient. It's got a line in so you can plug anything you like into it. I run some regular bookshelf speakers off of it.

 

For TV I've got a 12v LCD telly from richer sounds with built in DVD.

[David Schweizer]

Thought I'd resurrect this one as I'm still casting around for info. My original query was probably too vague so I'll re-word it...

I want to fit a reasonably decent (eg mid-price) sound system into the boat for radio and for music that would be largely via iPod. Ideally it would have a remote control facility so I can switch on and off from in bed under the tug deck.

My preference would be something that works off the 12v DC system.

 

It doesn't have to be a single unit. Maybe a separate radio and decent iPod dock - maybe a Bose if there's a DC one.

 

How have other people done it?

We recently purchased a 15" 240v AC/ 12v DC LCD TV from Richer Sounds for the boat. Here :- http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/visual-innovations/vi1500dvd/visu-innov-vi1500dvd

 

It works very well on the boat's 12v supply. My only criticism is that the sound is not particularly brilliant, but I am in the process of wiring in a pair of small 12v powered Cambridge computer speakers through the headphone socket, which will solve that little problem.

[canalowl]

Thought I'd resurrect this one as I'm still casting around for info. My original query was probably too vague so I'll re-word it...

I want to fit a reasonably decent (eg mid-price) sound system into the boat for radio and for music that would be largely via iPod. Ideally it would have a remote control facility so I can switch on and off from in bed under the tug deck.

My preference would be something that works off the 12v DC system.

 

It doesn't have to be a single unit. Maybe a separate radio and decent iPod dock - maybe a Bose if there's a DC one.

 

How have other people done it?

[Naughty Cal]

We are a little spoiled with our music and audio set up at home so the audio set up on the boat is a bit of a let down. We have a marine head unit with remote control and provision for plugging in an ipod and two sets of speakers, one set in the cabin and one set of waterproof speakers outside in the cockpit. The sound quality is alright but not as good as the set up at home. It surfices for how we use it on the boat though.

 

The TV we have on the boat is a 15.4 inch 12V LCD TV with built in DVD and freeview. It is a Meos TV. Again the picture quality and sound are alright for the limited amount of use they get but if we were using it more often it wouldnt be our first choice. If you have an inverter then 240v systems give you much more choice and better quality options.

[canalowl]

Thought I'd resurrect this one as I'm still casting around for info. My original query was probably too vague so I'll re-word it...

I want to fit a reasonably decent (eg mid-price) sound system into the boat for radio and for music that would be largely via iPod. Ideally it would have a remote control facility so I can switch on and off from in bed under the tug deck.

My preference would be something that works off the 12v DC system.

 

It doesn't have to be a single unit. Maybe a separate radio and decent iPod dock - maybe a Bose if there's a DC one.

 

How have other people done it?

 

Apologies for the blank reply - what I had intended to say was:

 

Not quite an answer but a possible solution. I have a TV working off a dish that also plays MP3s and is capable of receiving digital radio, a laptop with loads of music, an iPod and a docking station. Because the TV set up (and laptop) uses a lot of power I also have a rechargeable PURE Evoke digital radio for normal radio listening. The problem is that reception within the boat is not good when you are moving the radio around and so my idea is to buy the PURE 'highway unit" or something similar with an external aerial so that I could then transmit any of the above on FM throughout the boat and listen to it on the PURE Evoke radio. I am not too concerned about the quality as I think the Evoke most probably produces as good as it gets on a boat (anything more is wasted..?) but I cannot find out anything about the range of these FM transmitters.

 

Does anyone know how powerful the FM transmitters are and have experience of using them in a nb?

 

Dave