12 volt tv and antenna

[352]

I have a small slide in pop up camper. I dry camp from time to time. I was looking to buy a 13 inch 12 volt tv with an external antenna. Can anyone educate me on what might be best for my needs?

[Bumpyroad]

Dakota98 wrote:
My opinion only. Buy a small flat screen TV & AC/DC inverter. Your options for a TV increase & a flat screen won't take as much space. .

are non flat screen TVs even sold anymore? in the smaller units.
bumpy

[RoyB]

I would most definitely look to getting an antenna that has a built-in pre-amplifier like the RV BATWING or the KING JACK antenna.

We get great full screen high def HDTV signals from the NATIONAL BROADCAST system transmitted from the local towns.

We use a 120VAC 22-inch VIZIO running from a 600WATT PSW INVERTER. Having the inverter offers a whole bunch of other 120VAC items we can use camping off the power grid...

Using the truck stop 12VDC appliances was a big bust for us as they all pull alot of DC current and would melt down a cigarette lighter socket in a heart beat. The last straw was the 12VDC Coffee pot which took over 7 hours to brew a 8-cup pot of coffee... My 2KW generator 120VAC output grinds and brews a 10-cup pot of good ole fresh bean coffee in 5-minutes time and pours up into a thermos to stay hot all day long.

I have two 120VAC drops from my 600WATT PSW Inverter one located in the Home Entertainment Center area and the other near my bedroom night stand. These are always ON and supports all of so called needed emergency items including hdtv...

I can recharge my 50% depleted batteries each morning with a quick three hour generator run time using my on-board smart mode converter/charger unit.

120VAC appliances are much easier for us to accommodate in the RV World... Once you get all setup it is a no big deal camping off the power the grid - everything is second nature now... Just go camping and pull off the road anywhere you want... Good for the night... Recharge batteries back up during breakfast the next morning for three hours then you are good to do it all over again the next day/night run off the batteries.

Roy Ken

[ChooChooMan74]

Here is a direct link to my television install.
http://campinglifewithmatt.blogspot.com/2013/04/trailer-mod-12v-insignia-tv.html

[Driftwood132]

I have a 13" Seiki that was bought from Tiger direct a couple of years ago. LED flat screen 12 volt plugs into the power port up in the bunk. Also came with a wall wort that plugs into 120 volt .I mounted it on a articulating wall mount . Wineguard makes a nice flat antenna that can be mounted anywhere. Also if you have a 12 volt light in the ceiling, some of the Auto TV DVD players that are made for the autos are nice. Even has the lights built in.

[MartyG2]

We bought a small TV with DVD player from Amazon. You have to read the details, but we saw that it ran on 12V and also 120VAC. To our happy surprise, when we got it we saw it "ran" on 12V, and the 120VAC was a step-down transformer from 120 to 12V. So we plug ours in the 12V and leave it like that. With or without AC, our TV works. About a 24" flat screen, with DVD, for about $200.

[nomadictxn]

Like the simplicity of the 12V TV.
ChooChoo, thanks for the towing conspiracy link. Great read!

[Artum_Snowbird]

Many small TV's now come with a removable plug in adapter that converts 110 power to the 12 volt power in the TV.

We have a 22 inch unit that is just that, and it cost us about $150. One of it's features is the ability to change the screen depending on the angle of viewing, and it does not require tilting the TV, but just inputting the angle of view to the unit. That makes a huge difference for us.

It will run peacefully off 110 at about 25 watts, or can be plugged into the 12 volt power directly if need be.

[Wheelholder]

If you are set on getting a 12 volt tv, look at truck stops. Pilots, Flying J's, Petro and the like will have several sizes and models of 12 volt for big trucks. Will work in a truck camper also.. I think there is a web site for 12 volt television. Cannot remember the name of it, but you could try a google search.

[Bedlam]

Dakota98 wrote:
My opinion only. Buy a small flat screen TV & AC/DC inverter. Your options for a TV increase & a flat screen won't take as much space.

In doing so, you could also add a Blu-Ray player & watch movies when OTA is not available.

There are many options for an OTA antenna.

If you already have a laptop with a DVD drive, you can save space and money by connecting it to your TV.

Most broadcasts are on the UHF band and there is no such thing as a digital antenna. The broadcasts are on the same frequencies as previous analog TV. I suggest an amplified antenna patch to get the best reception in limited space.

I would not get too tied up finding a 12vdc television. You can add a small 300w inverter which then can be used for other devices which require AC and do not have a DC adapter.

[ChooChooMan74]

I have a $99 Insignia and hard wired it. Check my blog below and you will see it.

[Dakota98]

My opinion only. Buy a small flat screen TV & AC/DC inverter. Your options for a TV increase & a flat screen won't take as much space.

In doing so, you could also add a Blu-Ray player & watch movies when OTA is not available.

There are many options for an OTA antenna.