Computers on board

[Shaz]

Hi to all!!

 

Haven't seen many ladies on here so I thought I would join to build up the numbers!!!

 

Somebody help me - have a lovely boat, 70ft trad with vintage engine! ( Only had it 6 months) Love it!! love it!Love it !!

 

HUSBAND WONT GIVE UP THE DAY JOB !!!!!!!

 

Couple of questions I need answering to back up my case for becoming continuous cruisers.

 

Has anyone got a flat screen TV with Freeview - if so how does that work? What channels do you get etc? Would you change it to something else if you could?? More importantly can you get Sport channels??

 

What about using the Internet? What do you need for that?

 

Any other problems we should consider - What do you do have to think about in the Winter?

 

We have owned a boat for 9 years but this one we could easily live on. We have been out on it in the depths of Winter and its still very warm. In fact warmer than the house!

 

 

Does anyone have any drawbacks to living on a boat ?? Be honest !

 

Shaz

 

quote]Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away!

[DHutch]

There are people with freeview (and/or satalite) on board, usually with flatscreen displays.

 

For internet you really talking about geting a laptop, prefrably somthing with low power consuption (ie, a mobile processor, etc)

- Then a GPSM/G3 card or a phone.

 

 

Daniel

[nbtafelberg]

Has anyone got a flat screen TV with Freeview - if so how does that work? What channels do you get etc? Would you change it to something else if you could?? More importantly can you get Sport channels??

 

YES I HAVE A FLAT SCREEN TV/FREEVIEW, I GET ALL THE AVAILABLE CHANNELS - YOU do have to have a TV areal booster or too in a lot of places because canals/rivers tend to be in valleys!

 

What about using the Internet? What do you need for that?

 

Get a vodafone/orange/o2 3g card and you're wired for wireless broadband it works brilliantly, some places have open wirless networks like the middle of Hemel hempstead for instance, these are normally where some person has installed a wireless router and not protected it so you can "borrow" their bandwidth.

 

Anyway - We LOVE living on a boat (I've written a book about it).

 

Downsides

 

TOILET

Filling with water

Blacking the Hull

NO Shoreline

 

Upsides

 

NO leccy bill

Freedom!

and much more.

 

 

Too many to list here

 

Any other problems we should consider - What do you do have to think about in the Winter?

[tonyreptiles]

some places have open wirless networks like the middle of Hemel hempstead for instance,

 

Hiya, you mention Hemel as somewhere there is potential for piggybacking wi-fi connection.

I'm moving to Apsley in a couple of weeks. What do you reckon to my chances?

 

Regards

TR

[Bones]

Any other problems we should consider - What do you do have to think about in the Winter?quote]

 

wine and coal....

Edited March 8, 2006 by Bones

[nbtafelberg]

some places have open wirless networks like the middle of Hemel hempstead for instance,

 

Hiya, you mention Hemel as somewhere there is potential for piggybacking wi-fi connection.

I'm moving to Apsley in a couple of weeks. What do you reckon to my chances?

 

Regards

TR

 

Worth a go - we were right next to Apsley marina.

[tonyreptiles]

Worth a go - we were right next to Apsley marina.

 

 

My new spot!

cool and many thanks

 

TR

[AndyM]

Hi to all!!

 

 

Has anyone got a flat screen TV with Freeview - if so how does that work? What channels do you get etc? Would you change it to something else if you could?? More importantly can you get Sport channels??

 

 

Shaz

 

quote]Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away!

 

 

I have a Beko 15in flatscreen LCD, Philips 12v Freeview box (from Tescos) and a Gazelle 12v arial (painted to match the rest of the boat) and it all works a treat, I was suprised how good a picture I get, it obviously varies according to area/surroundings but still very happy with the set up and very low consumption - about 3amps total.

 

Andy

[steveh]

A little tip for wifi hotspots, if you access the internet visit mulitmap.co.uk type in the area you are and then on the top right hand side you should see a drop down menu right at the bottom select wifi hotspots and as if by magic a list of the available hotspots in the area with approx distance in miles.

 

I have recently upgraded my mobile phone to a O2 XDA EXEC (basically a PDA and mobile phone in one) With this device I can access then web using GPRS/3G/ Dial up and wifi on the device. Also I have read using O2 Mobile Web service you can connect a PC / laptop directly to the web via the device saving money on a 3G card and a wifi access point. Bargain! With the device you can also access you email, comes with pocket versions of Outlook, Excel and Word. I belive Orange also have a simialr device on the market.

[Shaz]

[i have a Beko 15in flatscreen LCD, Philips 12v Freeview box (from Tescos) and a Gazelle 12v arial

 

 

Andy

 

where did you have your TV and ariel from?? Do you have to 'retune' the sytem all the time to align it? We want to travel around and not stay in one place too long

 

 

How many channels do you get?

 

 

Sorry this isn't supposed to be the Spanish Inquisition !!

 

 

many thanks for you reply and to everyone else too. Very friendly and helpful site !!!

 

Shaz

[AndyM]

[i have a Beko 15in flatscreen LCD, Philips 12v Freeview box (from Tescos) and a Gazelle 12v arial

Andy

 

where did you have your TV and ariel from?? Do you have to 'retune' the sytem all the time to align it? We want to travel around and not stay in one place too long

How many channels do you get?

Sorry this isn't supposed to be the Spanish Inquisition !!

many thanks for you reply and to everyone else too. Very friendly and helpful site !!!

 

Shaz

 

Hi Shaz,

 

Beko 15" LCD from Currys (just under £200), Philips Freeview 12v from Tescos (£45) and I adapted a cigar lead plug for the power supply, the Gazelle "Digital ready" arial from my local chandlers for around £90ish, Voltage stabiliser from Amperor (Internet order: http://www.amperordirect.co.uk/prod_adp_90dc-12s1.asp )£40ish to keep the voltage stable whilst cruising/engine running.

 

I get all the available channels on Freeview - too many to mention with only the history channel occasionaly digitising from a weak signal, but then that will depend on where you are in the coutryside I guess.

 

I always switch off the master switch when leaving the boat and when I return and switch all the systems back on at the master switch, the Tele and Freeview are still tuned in to the originaly set channels. If you travel any distance then I would expect to have to re-tune the two of them but then you can set them to auto-tune - not a problem at all.

 

As I am in the middle of fitting my boat out I have not travelled any great distance due to not having my water systems fitted or beds fitted yet!!! But I can watch tele!!

 

I'm afraid being a couch potato I don't go in for the sports channels too much - I find them too exhausting!!

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andy

[NB.BELLE]

You may wish to consider combining the TV and computer using one of these:

 

 

Plugs into a USB port and comes with a stubby aerial, but can be connected into other aerials if there is only a weak signal available.

 

Cheers, Chris.

[Lesd]

Hi Tony, paul,

I live on land (currently) 5 mins walk from Apsley marina. At that location you are surrounded by maybe 200 flats / houses and on the far bank of the canal you have a major hotel and several industrial buildings including BT etc. If you can't pick up an unprotected WIFI LAN at that location (from the nearby flts and houses mainly) I'd be amazed...happy free surfing !

Les

 

My new spot!

cool and many thanks

 

TR

[charles123]

You may wish to consider combining the TV and computer using one of these:

 

 

Plugs into a USB port and comes with a stubby aerial, but can be connected into other aerials if there is only a weak signal available.

 

Cheers, Chris.

 

Chris,

Can you comment further on this freecom device I have not come across it until now?

Charles

[nbtafelberg]

On the subject of TV

 

A Good help is to install TV Areal boosters You can daisy chain them and for some reason mostly it works provided they are the same make.

 

 

>---- ARIEAL (cant spell) --- BOOSTER --- BOOSTER -- TV

 

We have two it makes all the difference because you don't have to keep faffing around.

 

Withour setup we can even have the areal just lying on the roof of the boat and still get DIGITAL signal.

[NB.BELLE]

Hi Charles,

 

You will find some more details about this device here:

 

Freecom

 

I have been using mine, albeit at home with the mag-mount aerial on a biscuit tin lid (something I learned from my old CB days ages ago!), with very few problems for the last three months. I expect that the ground plane provided by the steel boat cabin would take some beating, so reception on a boat using the stubby mag-mount aerial that comes in the kit should be better. I can get most of the freeview channels with my current set-up. The aerial interface is a standard coax connector like your telly at home, so you can readily connect it to other aerials designed for digital reception. Installation to the computer is straightforward. Kit includes CD-ROM with all drivers, etc., but these can be downloaded from the Freecom website anyway, along with an operating manual. The kit also comes with a male/female USB extension lead and a remote control.

 

So, laptop or desktop computer becomes a telly just by adding this 'matchbox sized' bit of kit and connecting to an aerial. I have not added any special graphic cards and the like. Runs fine on both my Dell X300 laptop with XP pro and and my Presario 5560 desktop with XP home. Price when I bought mine from PC World was about £59 - if you shop around, I feel sure you will get one significantly cheaper than this now.

 

Cheers, Chris.

[Crazy Scheme]

If you need access to email lots I'd recommend you get a blackberryphone as well - that way you can pick up and answer your email without having to switch on the laptop.

 

We'll be working from our boat when we've got it, but I have been practising working on a boat. We have a wifi enabled laptop,also a Vodafone 3G/GPRS data card, also the Blackberry phone. You can also buy laptop power invertors which run on 12v supply - I do a lot of business travel and first saw people using these to power their laptops on planes.

As for the tv - we don't wtch it that much,so we were going to do what NB Belle is doing.

[davidandheather]

Hi Charles,

 

You will find some more details about this device here:

 

Freecom

 

I have been using mine, albeit at home with the mag-mount aerial on a biscuit tin lid (something I learned from my old CB days ages ago!), with very few problems for the last three months. I expect that the ground plane provided by the steel boat cabin would take some beating, so reception on a boat using the stubby mag-mount aerial that comes in the kit should be better. I can get most of the freeview channels with my current set-up. The aerial interface is a standard coax connector like your telly at home, so you can readily connect it to other aerials designed for digital reception. Installation to the computer is straightforward. Kit includes CD-ROM with all drivers, etc., but these can be downloaded from the Freecom website anyway, along with an operating manual. The kit also comes with a male/female USB extension lead and a remote control.

 

So, laptop or desktop computer becomes a telly just by adding this 'matchbox sized' bit of kit and connecting to an aerial. I have not added any special graphic cards and the like. Runs fine on both my Dell X300 laptop with XP pro and and my Presario 5560 desktop with XP home. Price when I bought mine from PC World was about £59 - if you shop around, I feel sure you will get one significantly cheaper than this now.

 

Cheers, Chris.

Hi have a look here http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/computing/com...s/507682/prices

David

[DHutch]

Yeah, there are lot of diffrent "TV Cards" which allow you to veiw TV on your PC.

- You can get USB ones, PCMCIA ones (laptops), and PCI ones (desktops)

 

I have one in this PC at the moment, £20, and it will display (Analog)TV, or S-video or Composite inputs. And can then record/timeshift it as well.

- If had it about 4years now, and since then most TV cards also pick up digital tv as well. All be it for a few quid more. (also, the more expesive ones have dedicated Mpeg encoders, rather than just using a lot of CPU power)

 

 

Daniel

[monty]

Has anyone got a flat screen TV with Freeview - if so how does that work? What channels do you get etc? Would you change it to something else if you could?? More importantly can you get Sport channels??

 

YES I HAVE A FLAT SCREEN TV/FREEVIEW, I GET ALL THE AVAILABLE CHANNELS - YOU do have to have a TV areal booster or too in a lot of places because canals/rivers tend to be in valleys!

 

What about using the Internet? What do you need for that?

 

Get a vodafone/orange/o2 3g card and you're wired for wireless broadband it works brilliantly, some places have open wirless networks like the middle of Hemel hempstead for instance, these are normally where some person has installed a wireless router and not protected it so you can "borrow" their bandwidth.

 

Anyway - We LOVE living on a boat (I've written a book about it).

 

Downsides

 

TOILET

Filling with water

Blacking the Hull

NO Shoreline

 

Upsides

 

NO leccy bill

Freedom!

and much more.

 

 

Too many to list here

 

Any other problems we should consider - What do you do have to think about in the Winter?

 

 

Paul,

What sought of boosters are you using?how are they powered,im moored at Uxbridge and at the mo with my freecom laptop stick i can only get BBC channels!but on my tv digital box i can get a couple more

[stuart]

So, laptop or desktop computer becomes a telly just by adding this 'matchbox sized' bit of kit and connecting to an aerial. I have not added any special graphic cards and the like. Runs fine on both my Dell X300 laptop with XP pro and and my Presario 5560 desktop with XP home. Price when I bought mine from PC World was about £59 - if you shop around, I feel sure you will get one significantly cheaper than this now.

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/in...oduct_uid=94486

 

£32.33 including VAT.

 

or even cheaper http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/in...duct_uid=101969

 

for £29 inc. VAT.

Edited March 10, 2006 by stuart

[DHutch]

Theres a whole site dedicated to tv cards here... http://www.tv-cards.com/

- Also, i just done some rummageing, and it seams you cant get a PCMCIA card that fits within the laptop, all you can get is ones that stick out about 20mm, so you might as well get a USB one instead!

 

 

 

Daniel

Edited March 10, 2006 by dhutch

[Clarissa]

"... - Also, i just done some rummageing, and it seams you cant get a PCMCIA card that fits within the laptop, all you can get is ones that stick out about 20mm, so you might as well get a USB one instead!

Daniel"

 

I agree, the WiFi PCMCIA card in my laptop gets pretty hot and a TV card would likely be the same. A USB connection puts the active electronics away from the insides of the laptop and will keep everything cooler.

Also the antenna at the end of a PCMCIA card (both WiFi and TV) is limited in position whereas a USB connection enables the active antennae to be raised higher or nearer a window. Sometimes I can speed up the WiFi connection by ten percent just by lifting the laptop up a foot or two.

[DHutch]

I agree, the WiFi PCMCIA card in my laptop gets pretty hot and a TV card would likely be the same. A USB connection puts the active electronics away from the insides of the laptop and will keep everything cooler.

Also the antenna at the end of a PCMCIA card (both WiFi and TV) is limited in position whereas a USB connection enables the active antennae to be raised higher or nearer a window. Sometimes I can speed up the WiFi connection by ten percent just by lifting the laptop up a foot or two.

Yeah, there is also the advantage that the usb ones can be moved about, with the us of a short usb cable (which everything comes with, i have a about 6 from varous pendrives etc)

- Althought the tv card usually have an external aerial anyway, so its less of a deal with that.

- I beleave most laptops with build-in wifi usually have at antenna in the montier, usally near the top!

 

As for heat, the heat is quite likly to be coming from the laptop itself, rather than your wifi card, laptops are always hot, with the CPU reaching anywhere upto 90 degrees C at times.

 

 

Daniel

[Clarissa]

As for heat, the heat is quite likly to be coming from the laptop itself, rather than your wifi card, laptops are always hot, with the CPU reaching anywhere upto 90 degrees C at times.

Daniel

 

 

You're right, the heat is not where the card is but further towards the middle of the laptop. What it must be is I use the laptop for hours on end with the WiFi card whereas I only did an hour or two before, so now it's heating up more (with all the Canal World forum hot air going through it ).