Hi guys and gurls.
I’m new to the world of tramping and I’m looking for some form of TV to watch when I’m parked up. I’ve tried the cheap ‘dongle’ things for my laptop but I’ve found the one I’ve got rather rubbish. I dont want to go spending a fortune but then again, I’m getting a little fed up with read books.
Any help would be great. 
I got a 19" hd with freeview and dvd built in from asda for £109 i use a 300w inverter to power it
As long as you can see the screen, any TV, big or small will do. Analogue or digital…
paying £200 for a digital TV is great, but if it won’t fit in you bag it’s no use. A cheap 2nd hand analogue connected to a £8 digibox will do a superb job too.
Whether you need something small & compact so that it’s portable enough to fit in your bag & can be stored in the car boot when not needed & easily moved from truck to truck if your a cab hopper doing occasional nights away for a big name fleet.
However if you want more than just channels 1-5, (digital etc) or a larger screen screwed to the bulkhead, a dvd player, playstation etc then you need to consider buying a good aerial/sat dish to improve the reception. But the more items you have for you entertainment increases the little problems + portability. Not to mention the storage
A laptop dongle is fine, but you Will need a good aerial for it (omnimax etc) £70+
But I’ve also used a STD £5 9/10 element domestic ext TV aerial joy rigged under the cab wind deflector . Pointed in roughly the right direction once I pull up for the night worked well for me in the past
try ebay.plenty of cheap 12volt colour tv’s on there.
bubsy06:
I got a 19" hd with freeview and dvd built in from asda for £109 i use a 300w inverter to power it
same here, when you see what some of the truckstops/accessory shops want for a smallish tv/dvd type unit, i thought i may as well go that route too, i keep the same truck, so can leave it all in there most of the year, which is handy.
After asking the same questions on here not so long ago I went on fleabay and bought a Bush 19" flat screen with built in freeview for £130 brand new with 12mth warranty, runs of mains plus either 12v or 24v. Supposedly it aint wall mountable but where theres a will theres a way.For an aeriel I bought an all-in-one` from Tossco for £25 which also runs on 12v just need to buy a multi-plug adapter from any truckstop.
As posted in the past
A lot of the generic brand 17/19/22/24 inch dvd freeview tv’s sold by asda tesco etc have a 12v input on the back. The problem is they don’t list that feature on the label so you need to go annoy the shop staff an spin them around on the shelf and look closely at ALL the jack plugs & inputs on the back. Much to the annoyance of the staff, because you’ll no doubt set off a few alarms in the process. But trust me a good 50% of those tv’s are 12v…Don’t be afraid. Go.look close and you’ll find the 12v plug
Cheers for the help.
I’ve been looking at small tv’s at asda and argos and was thinking of going that route. I’ve already got a 300w invertor so it wouldn’t matter too much if it was 240v.
In the past it has been the signal I have struggled with and i’ve tried a fair few ariels but never got one i was happy with.
Suggestions?
Paul Gloria Meadows:
In the past it has been the signal I have struggled with and i’ve tried a fair few ariels but never got one i was happy with.Suggestions?
maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod … 6&T=Module
Had mine well over a year now. I use a magmount for it. Absolutely spot on.
Also use an Avtex 15" 12volt telly (about £200).
£300 for the two combined - mucho dosho but it’s a smashin set up that works in 99% of the UK 
All I have is a cheap household aerial cost £20 and I get 100s of channels most nights and the tv is a tiny 6" digital tv.
The aerial is fixed to the mirror arm, just take it down in the morning when finished watching tv.
You do not need to buy a very expensive aerial like omninox or wotever they are called .
Deepinvet:
You do not need to buy a very expensive aerial like omninox or wotever they are called .
Absolutely.
Of course you do not need to buy an expensive aerial like an omnimax or whatever.
However, seeing as you’ve asked for advice all I can do is offer what I think is a good set up.
Paul
Best Ariel i can recommend is one like you use at home made for digital TV(if your going to be using freeview)
Might not look the best, might be abit of a faff attaching it to the mirror arm, but it will be spot on and get you the channels.
Maxview do one which has wingnuts on it, made for weak signal areas and is digital and ive heard nothing but good reports about it. Its what we sell most of the caravanners.
TV wise its up to you. Avtex do one that will work on 24V does 8 things in one tv.
Ive heard from a customer that Tesco do a TV which is 12V but has a box on it so that it can be used on 240v because its sold as a mains TV. He said he cut the cable taking out the box and put a 12v plug on the end and it works.
Not sure what TV it was though
Snooper S7000 truckmate is what I have. Works a treat aslong as you are in a area that has good digital reception, nice crisp picture and its a canny sat nav aswel 
Alcpone:
Snooper S7000 truckmate is what I have. Works a treat aslong as you are in a area that has good digital reception, nice crisp picture and its a canny sat nav aswel
Ive just googled this tv+ sat nav, first ive heard of the contraption looks good - but pricey 
I use a caravan digital aerial for mine, just put it up on a pole on the back of the cab. Was about 20 quid from a caravan shop. I use a 15.4 inch tv with digital and DVD built in, runs off 240v. The lot was about 115 in total. I’ll get a pic of the aerial tomorrow…
my two pence. My areial was ok but is now blinding after I fitted it to an extending decorators pole behind the cab.
merc0447:
Alcpone:
Snooper S7000 truckmate is what I have. Works a treat aslong as you are in a area that has good digital reception, nice crisp picture and its a canny sat nav aswelIve just googled this tv+ sat nav, first ive heard of the contraption looks good - but pricey
Its a canny bit of kit, I paid £450 for for mine
Beetie:
I use a caravan digital aerial for mine, just put it up on a pole on the back of the cab. Was about 20 quid from a caravan shop. I use a 15.4 inch tv with digital and DVD built in, runs off 240v. The lot was about 115 in total. I’ll get a pic of the aerial tomorrow…
I know the type of aerial you mean, can you get a good signal pretty much anywhere?
i got these for sale if ur still after for a freeview tele , in good nick , will re up the picture for you 2moro .