I have found that the best system is via a sat dish. You can get any sate in Aus with just a phone call to vast and you can also take your Foxtel box from home with you. Takes me about 10 minutes to set up and you will always get tv.

wassa

Thanks

Galivanters wrote:

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Hi everyone, newbies here (Brian n Jude). We've got the motorhome and are wondering what's the best TV Aerial to have?

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 Hi Brian 

We have a flat style gate type aerial with a booster and a mast to get it up a bit. Just one that you buy for houses in a difficult area. It works OK most places near towns. In fact if you can see the transmitter I just sit it against the van or a fence on the ground. I look at the aerials on the houses as we get close to stopping to know the polarity and direction to help setting up. 

But a satellite system is more certain if you need to watch it every night. Also with the ordinary aerial, if you are out back well away from towns or in the forest, or down near a creek there may be no signal to pick up. So listen to the birds ! or go to bed.  But most towns have a repeater these days. 

Jaahn   

Hi and welcome,

If you go for the Winegard sensar pro amp and freevision HV antenna, the cost of buying the entire kit will be close on the cost of the VAST satellite system.

The Wineguard kit is fitted to most caravans by manufacturers these days. I have this setup and it performs very well receiving both vertical and horizontal transmission...important if near outback towns. If you are starting from scratch, VAST may be a better investment and way to go...IMO 

You can connect your iPad to your tv but the problem is your down load speed and your down load capacity. Roof sat dishes are expensive but simple to use but you still have the problems of trees buildings other vans blocking your sat access, with a free standing dish you can set the dish anywhere to get sat accesS. I have two leads to connect the van to the dish. One is a std length which I can use most times and the second is twice that length  for when there are a lot of obstructions and in the worst case I can join the two together. We have been travelling for around 15 years and have never ever not had Tv. An auto roof top system is around $4000 and the manual around $500. You can get a lot of cold beers for $3,500.

Wassa

We use one of these https://www.jaycar.com.au/outdoor-omni-directional-uhf-vhf-amplified-digital-antenna/p/LT3141 and put it up on a spare annex pole. It's OK where free to air is available. Failing free to air (or if free to air is rubbish) we always have our trusty 2TB Toshiba X10 SSD which we preload with movies, TV series, docos, etc.

We find that the tv rarely gets unpacked but it's nice to have if the weather is rubbish and we get stuck inside for a day or two.

"Winegard sensar pro amp and freevision HV antenna" Yes totally agree, great antenna and easily installed to existing wind up systems, a great ap, for your phone is "DTV" which automatically shows the direction of TV stations where ever you are.