Creature Comforts - TV's

[Shack]

Is anyone out there running with a TracVision (gimbled) dish?

[speciald]

I have a Tracvision G4. Should have bought the G6 so I could get signals in the Carbbean.

[Omatako]

Just getting back to the power draw issue for a moment . . . .

I have a gizmo that I use to run my notebook on board which plugs into a cigar lighter and provides stabilized voltage for the notebook. I think the input is 12v and the output is 18V (not sure). Does a TV draw too much current for one of these?

[sailingdog]

Omatako-

Depends on the TV... a 15" LCD, probably not... a 42" plasma...yeah, probably.

[Omatako]

SD
In my dreams I'll ever own a boat big enough to accommodate a 42" plasma!!

[Freesail99]

Originally Posted by Omatako

SD
In my dreams I'll ever own a boat big enough to accommodate a 42" plasma!!

If you can dream it, you can make it fit.

[hellosailor]

"Does a TV draw too much current for one of these?"

A TV draws about as much current as a henweigh. What's a henweigh? Oh, about three pounds, maybe four if you get a big one.
(ta-boom < G > )

If you are talking about a "dc to dc power adapter" they are available in a variety of current and voltage ratings, you need to contact the maker of your TV to find out what is needed, and then find out if it is available anywhere.

[speciald]

I have a 32in plasma - would go for an LCD next time because of power usage.

[maxheadspace]

Originally Posted by Shack

Does anyone have recommendations on flat panel TV screens suitable for Marine use? I'm not sure if anyone makes a 12v TV, although I have seen 12v reception systems.

I mounted a 26" LCD HDTV to the wall in my salon. Bought a $29 rabbit ear HD amplifier antenna, and get about eight channels in the Annapolis area, both digital and analog (including HD). The only problem I have is that with some of the jacks on the back I have to dismount the TV to connect some forms of cables. I don't run the TV other than at the dock, but I immagine a decent inverter will give you the juice you need to power off of 12 vlt.

[Valiente]

I've considered a LCD TV, because I am likely to run a lot of DVD for educational and entertainment purposes offshore, because I will have a kid aboard (hey, he can watch Alex's "how to sail" collection!).

Two points:
Why wouldn't I just use a standard LCD video monitor? The kid could run video games from a laptop, or I could have chartplotting/radar repeating to the saloon. As for size, a relatively cheap and light 19" LCD in wide format would suffice for anywhere in the saloon...the longest linear distance being less than 11 feet...

Why wouldn't I have it on a mounting arm so that the kid can a) watch it from his bunk, b) we can watch in anywhere in the saloon, and c) I can lash it securely when deployed or stowed up in the "ceiling" of the saloon?

Because this seems far safer and more flexible a course than bolting it to a bulkhead, and the issue with cable access is no issue at all.