Tv reception in caravan

GIBBSEY · 07-06-2011, 16:36

I need some advice on getting a good tv reception in a caravan.I get crappy digital reception at most campsites do i need a signal booster or a masthead aerial amplifier.Where do i find any of these that run just on a 12v supply?

chrisjr · 07-06-2011, 16:45

What sort of aerial do you have? If it is some sort of omnidirectional loop type thing then you would be better off putting it out of it's misery and investing in a better aerial. Basically you cannot amplify what is not there. Simple loop type aerials do not suck enough signal out of the air to produce a usable result unless you happen to be in a very strong signal area.

A booster cannot boost just the wanted signal, it also boosts all the noise and interference as well. So if the problem is the wanted signal is buried in the noise it will still be buried in the noise after boosting.

Something like this would give you a far better signal to start with. It has suction cups to stick to the side of the van so doesn't need permanent fixing.

http://cpc.farnell.com/mercury/el05/...-kit/dp/APEL08

grahamlthompson · 07-06-2011, 16:52

For near universal coverage consider a 12V free to air satellite kit. Lot's of suitcase models.

See here

http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/

For freeview I would use a mast fixed to a bracket on the A frame and buy a log periodic (log40 for more fringe reception)

If you need an amplifier masthead amplifiers work using 12V sent up the coax. A good caravan dealers may have a box that can add the 12V power to the coax.

soulboy77 · 07-06-2011, 16:57

The key factor from your perspective is mast height in that the higher you can get an aerial placed above you the more likely you will have success. Most Masthead Amplifiers run on 12v so that should not be an issue. For best reception you need line of sight of the transmitter but on a caravan your aerial will be too low (compared to a house) and if you are at a coastal campsite you may find transmission strength reduced in your direction as well to stop interference with adjacent countries.

David (2) · 07-06-2011, 21:33

Touring vans/motor homes pose more problems as you will be trying to get reception in different parts of the UK [for freeview/analogue]. Some parts of the UK get Freeview, and Freeview HD, some just Freeview, some FreeviewLite with HD, some just plain Freeview Lite, and others just analogue 4 channels (5 if your lucky). Signals maybe close by in some locations, while at other locations the signal might be from a tower which is 36 miles away. You may need to have the aerial vertical at locations served by a relay tower, but horizontal for the much larger Main masts. And the aerial needs to be wideband (uhf21-69) in order to work with the varying tv signals in the UK. None of this helps freeview reception. Large high gain wideband aerials work well with faint distant signals but require loads of space and where digital Switchover has happened already, will be prone to picking up numerous duplicate channels. A small Wideband aerial will be compact but you have to rely on having dtrong local tv signals for it to work. With Freeview, this might mean "No signal" being displayed (a lot). A Log Periodic aerial (wideband) is the best all round option, but this still wont gurantee reception.
....Satellite is a lot newer to caravaning. More basic kit requires you to set up a regular looking dish, which is cheap, but not what you really want to spend time doing on holiday. Self configuring freesat based equipment is now out there, which should remove most of the hard work, and you can use it for HD on freesat too. But this stuff isnt cheap, think more like £100.

call100 · 07-06-2011, 23:33

This will do it....Aldi satellite offer
My mate has one he takes with his caravan and swears by it.

GIBBSEY · 09-06-2011, 20:32

Will satellite kit work on a freeview tv?

grahamlthompson · 09-06-2011, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by GIBBSEY

Will satellite kit work on a freeview tv?

Yes of course provided it has a scart socket or either the box has a uhf modulator or you add one. Any Freeview equipped TV is pretty certain to have at least one scart. A HD ready TV will have a hdmi socket which will work with a HD fta sat box.

David (2) · 09-06-2011, 21:47

many people I know have new tv's with Freeview built in, but dont even have the aerial plugged in - they just use a Sky or Freesat box (connected via Scart or hdmi for HD).

07-06-2011, 16:36	#1
GIBBSEY Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 7	Tv reception in caravan I need some advice on getting a good tv reception in a caravan.I get crappy digital reception at most campsites do i need a signal booster or a masthead aerial amplifier.Where do i find any of these that run just on a 12v supply?

09-06-2011, 20:32	#7
GIBBSEY Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 7	Satellite Kits Will satellite kit work on a freeview tv?

07-06-2011, 16:45	#2
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	What sort of aerial do you have? If it is some sort of omnidirectional loop type thing then you would be better off putting it out of it's misery and investing in a better aerial. Basically you cannot amplify what is not there. Simple loop type aerials do not suck enough signal out of the air to produce a usable result unless you happen to be in a very strong signal area. A booster cannot boost just the wanted signal, it also boosts all the noise and interference as well. So if the problem is the wanted signal is buried in the noise it will still be buried in the noise after boosting. Something like this would give you a far better signal to start with. It has suction cups to stick to the side of the van so doesn't need permanent fixing. http://cpc.farnell.com/mercury/el05/...-kit/dp/APEL08

07-06-2011, 16:52	#3
grahamlthompson Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Redditch Worcs Posts: 17,293	For near universal coverage consider a 12V free to air satellite kit. Lot's of suitcase models. See here http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/ For freeview I would use a mast fixed to a bracket on the A frame and buy a log periodic (log40 for more fringe reception) If you need an amplifier masthead amplifiers work using 12V sent up the coax. A good caravan dealers may have a box that can add the 12V power to the coax.

07-06-2011, 16:57	#4
soulboy77 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Herts Posts: 17,005	The key factor from your perspective is mast height in that the higher you can get an aerial placed above you the more likely you will have success. Most Masthead Amplifiers run on 12v so that should not be an issue. For best reception you need line of sight of the transmitter but on a caravan your aerial will be too low (compared to a house) and if you are at a coastal campsite you may find transmission strength reduced in your direction as well to stop interference with adjacent countries.

07-06-2011, 21:33	#5
David (2) Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: S.West England. Posts: 18,037	Touring vans/motor homes pose more problems as you will be trying to get reception in different parts of the UK [for freeview/analogue]. Some parts of the UK get Freeview, and Freeview HD, some just Freeview, some FreeviewLite with HD, some just plain Freeview Lite, and others just analogue 4 channels (5 if your lucky). Signals maybe close by in some locations, while at other locations the signal might be from a tower which is 36 miles away. You may need to have the aerial vertical at locations served by a relay tower, but horizontal for the much larger Main masts. And the aerial needs to be wideband (uhf21-69) in order to work with the varying tv signals in the UK. None of this helps freeview reception. Large high gain wideband aerials work well with faint distant signals but require loads of space and where digital Switchover has happened already, will be prone to picking up numerous duplicate channels. A small Wideband aerial will be compact but you have to rely on having dtrong local tv signals for it to work. With Freeview, this might mean "No signal" being displayed (a lot). A Log Periodic aerial (wideband) is the best all round option, but this still wont gurantee reception. ....Satellite is a lot newer to caravaning. More basic kit requires you to set up a regular looking dish, which is cheap, but not what you really want to spend time doing on holiday. Self configuring freesat based equipment is now out there, which should remove most of the hard work, and you can use it for HD on freesat too. But this stuff isnt cheap, think more like £100.

07-06-2011, 23:33	#6
call100 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,572	This will do it....Aldi satellite offer My mate has one he takes with his caravan and swears by it.

09-06-2011, 20:36	#8
grahamlthompson Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Redditch Worcs Posts: 17,293	Quote: Originally Posted by GIBBSEY Will satellite kit work on a freeview tv? Yes of course provided it has a scart socket or either the box has a uhf modulator or you add one. Any Freeview equipped TV is pretty certain to have at least one scart. A HD ready TV will have a hdmi socket which will work with a HD fta sat box.

09-06-2011, 21:47	#9
David (2) Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: S.West England. Posts: 18,037	many people I know have new tv's with Freeview built in, but dont even have the aerial plugged in - they just use a Sky or Freesat box (connected via Scart or hdmi for HD).

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Tv reception in caravan