A/C and TV antenna before/after

[padlin]

Unfortunately this weekend was not the CG with cable. No OTA reception, so no football.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by padlin

Unfortunately this weekend was not the CG with cable. No OTA reception, so no football.

All the good football ended in November anyway, with the playing of the Grey Cup.

[cpaharley2008]

I think one will find cable availability and OTA reception will be complimentary in most cases. If there is one, normally there will be the other. As far as reception, that should only apply to OTA as cable eliminates those issues. That said there are areas here on the East coast that have no OTA but will have cable, compared to out west, probably the reverse, more OTA but fewer cable. Just my observation.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by MyronL

The trailer will be pre-wired for the roof air conditioner whether or not you add one to your build list.

Myron, when I did my mini-split A/C mod you indicated that you installed a rooftop unit after the build. Can you share your experience as the original post was trying to determine how difficult it is to do later. Was it DIY or did you have an RV place do it?

[Kountrykamper]

Most of the places we camp have no OTA because we are too far away for the cities and towers. Those campgrounds also usually have no cable.

For years I carried a satellite hookup but that became such a PITA that I dropped it back in our Casita days and we don't miss it. I can get any weather or news we need on my phone.

It depends on your style of camping. We don't care much about TV when camping these days.

[MyronL]

I saved over $500 by buying my air conditioner over the internet and installing it myself, and it was pretty easy. Biggest hurdle is getting the thing up there without doing harm to the roof. Definitely best as a 2-man job, for safety sake.

Go to: Install an air conditioner yourself. Should answer most questions.

[thoer]

Myron - you have a much different definition of "pretty easy" than I do anymore!

[MyronL]

Thanks for adding that hot link, Donna, (I know it was you.) Eric, "easy is as easy does," as Forrest Gump would say. I only did it for the money saved, and for the challenge. Must admit, I spent more time getting up the nerve, and prepping my brain, than the actual installation took.

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Thanks for adding that hot link, Donna, (I know it was you.) Eric, "easy is as easy does," as Forrest Gump would say. I only did it for the money saved, and for the challenge. Must admit, I spent more time getting up the nerve, and prepping my brain, than the actual installation took.

Were you able to hook up a digital thermostat or do you have the thermostat built into the A/C unit?

[thoer]

Originally Posted by MyronL

...Eric, "easy is as easy does," as Forrest Gump would say. I only did it for the money saved, and for the challenge. Must admit, I spent more time getting up the nerve, and prepping my brain, than the actual installation took.

I hear you on that. I think the thing that would scare me the most would be the possibility that shelter frame would collapse with that extra 110# at the worst possible time....

[MyronL]

I did replace the analog factory thermostat with this White digital but it is not connected to the a/c. I use controls built into the air conditioner to run it. Reason is, ac is sooo loud don't like to keep cycling on and off a thermostat governor. Soon as the interior is comfortably cooled it stays that way long enough to suit us.

[MyronL]

You can bet I was thinking the same thing about using the canopy structure as a hoist frame. In the end it held up without complaint and the only issue was would I clear the roof. Did that with a scant 2 inches to spare. Strength of my dink block and tackle was the other issue but it did the job. Removing the plastic shroud of the unit was very smart. And of course, we did work fast.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I think one will find cable availability and OTA reception will be complimentary in most cases. If there is one, normally there will be the other. As far as reception, that should only apply to OTA as cable eliminates those issues. That said there are areas here on the East coast that have no OTA but will have cable, compared to out west, probably the reverse, more OTA but fewer cable. Just my observation.

Sorry Jim, but I live on the east coast and I find OTA almost everywhere, but find cable in very few private campgrounds. It is out west that OTA signal may be scarce. Not sure what world you are living in, but when it is not available, cable cannot eliminate any issues. I visit my sister in Bucks County frequently (not too far from York where you live), and I travel to NH where I previously lived, and except for KOAs which we avoid like the plague, most private campgrounds DO NOT have cable. Perhaps if you stopped in places other than KOAs, you would realize that cable availability is NOT THE NORM. And out west, it has been my experience that cable hook-ups are as scant as in the east, and OTA is generally less available than in the east.

[cpaharley2008]

I went to here Find Campgrounds, RV Parks, RV Resorts, State Park Campgrounds, National Park Campgrounds and National Forest Camping - CampingRoadTrip.com
and there are more than 50 campgrounds within 50 miles of Doylestown, Pa in Bucks County that have wi/fi and more than half have cable tv and 3 are KOA, rest are private. When searching the same without cable/wifi, the total is 88 in that area. A little more than 50%.

[Kountrykamper]

Isn't winter time on the forum fun with all the different perspectives on things.

We will all be camping again soon.

[Jim Bennett]

It has been rare that I saw TV connections in campgrounds, and often not even electric too. I think you need private ones for that luxury.

[thoer]

And here I was wondering how Myron used that burrito as a thermostat.....

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I went to here Find Campgrounds, RV Parks, RV Resorts, State Park Campgrounds, National Park Campgrounds and National Forest Camping - CampingRoadTrip.com
and there are more than 50 campgrounds within 50 miles of Doylestown, Pa in Bucks County that have wi/fi and more than half have cable tv and 3 are KOA, rest are private. When searching the same without cable/wifi, the total is 88 in that area. A little more than 50%.

My experience has been real world, not internet based. Just saying....
And 50 out of 138, if those 50 really do have cable, equals 36%, or a little more than 1/3. But I guess if you determined that number from the internet it must be true. I'm curious how many of them you have actually visited. And as I stated in an earlier post, often the cable service in some campgrounds is rather dismal, almost unwatchable. If I were a TV watcher (my wife is the TV watcher), I wouldn't rely on cable connections alone. And for that reason I wouldn't be recommending that newbies forego an OTA antenna. Better to have it and not need it very often than to regret not having it.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by thoer

And here I was wondering how Myron used that burrito as a thermostat.....

[float5]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

It has been rare that I saw TV connections in campgrounds, and often not even electric too. I think you need private ones for that luxury.

I know this is one big difference that I suppose is a Canada thing but haven't had our Escapes out west much yet. The campgrounds we frequent are public such as Corps of Engineers or state parks and they always have plenty of electric sites. And city and county do also. Cable not likely though. Of course, when we stay at private ones, they all have electric and many cable.

Even when we were in Canada though, we usually had electric. Of course, it was in popular places such as Banff and Jasper but they may also have plenty of sites without.

I do get the sense that electric is found much less frequently up there. You probably have more pristine areas and places where they do not want to go in, or prohibitive, with electric, much less cable.