Watching TV onboard

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MichaelB1969

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Joined
Oct 15, 2016
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679
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Speedy Charlotte
Vessel Make
Beneteau Swift Trawler 44
Hi all, thinking about adding a TV onboard. I have a DVD player built in but I don't really use DVDs.

I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.

I have DirecTV at home and I understand adding it to the boat isn't to costly...however it seems that the satellite equipment for the boat is pricey.

My WiFi at the marina is supposedly horrible.

Only other option I can think of is trying to connect an AppleTV to my cell phone's LTE connection.

Anyone try this? Any other options I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!
 
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gaston said:
Funny I purchase a boat so I didn't have phone,TV, DVDs . newspapers .fax. lol
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We wouldn't use it underway, but I could see it being fun to cozy up in the salon watching some of our favorite binge-worthy shows at night while at our slip.
 
I had the same initial reaction - television is a menace, a constant stream of coarse, peace-shattering noise. But then on the other hand this coming season we are replacing the glass tube small tv's in the two berths and the salon with flatscreens, so we make some concessions. We have a Shakespeare Seawatch 3015, came with the boat, but it never works, just snow on the TV screens. We do have a library of boat dvd's though. Captain Ron. Moby Dick (Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck). Mystic Pizza. Master and Commander. Oh, and Finest Hour, the Pendleton rescue.
 
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Personally, I think we are living in an interesting time when it comes to entertainment. I don't watch any network tv, but Netflix, HBO and others are creating some great, high quality content.

To name a few:

Stranger Things
The Night Of
Godless
Ozark
The Handmaid's Tale
Black Mirror

And I still keep up with The Walking Dead!
 
I have an inexpensive small flat screen hdtv, and it’s hooked up to a digital air antenna. 20+ HDTV networks. No it’s not cable but I get all the major channels and football:). I just do a channel scan at each new port. Cheap and easy.
 
kthoennes said:
I had the same initial reaction - television is a menace, a constant stream of coarse, peace-shattering noise. But then on the other hand this coming season we are replacing the glass tube small tv's in the two berths and the salon with flatscreens, so we make some concessions. We have a Shakespeare Seawatch 3015, came with the boat, but it never works, just snow on the TV screens. We do have a library of boat dvd's though. Captain Ron. Moby Dick (Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck). Mystic Pizza. Master and Commander. Oh, and Finest Hour, the Pendleton rescue.
Click to expand...

If you still have CRT TV's on your boat ,that's more than likely the reason all you get is snow...they are more than likely old, analog receivers & not digital. Doubtful there is anything wrong with your antenna if it's connected correctly & it's preamp is on & functioning.
 
MichaelB1969 said:
Hi all, thinking about adding a TV onboard. I have a DVD player built in but I don't really use DVDs.

I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.

I have DirecTV at home and I understand adding it to the boat isn't to costly...however it seems that the satellite equipment for the boat is pricey.

My WiFi at the marina is supposedly horrible.

Only other option I can think of is trying to connect an AppleTV to my cell phone's LTE connection.

Anyone try this? Any other options I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would definitely think about an onboard TV antenna to receive local broadcasts. You might be surprised with the amount of channels you receive. I think they're a great tool for checking the local weather when cruising. I do better with a visual rather than from a VHF broadcast regarding forecasts, fronts. etc.
Satellite antenna systems such as KVH maintain reception while underway & start for slightly over $2k
https://www.kvh.com/Leisure/Marine-Systems/Television/TV-series/TracVision-TV1.aspx

A satellite antenna system that maintains the general direction of your user supplied antenna via an internal magnetic compass as opposed to signal tracking in a true "tracking" unit is about half the price. They will work while underway in calm water but really aren't designed to operate as such because they don't adjust the antenna elevation.

Track It TV
 
Why do we tell the man that "we don't want TV and go boating to get away from it, and it's all noise and blah blah blah????? If you don't like TV that's YOUR choice. Michael wants TV, that's HIS choice, and only asking for options to get it. If you have nothing to contribute, then DON'T POST..... (rant off)....

-----

I've used my Iphone as a wifi spot to stream Netflix to the Ipad and works pretty well. When I do the look, I'll add wifi to the Ipad which I suspect will be a tad better. There are other streaming option, too.

The antenna is a great idea, cheap and works, but limited. Ive used that on occasion and picked up a few stations.

I also have a Dish network antenna, but don't have a subscription, but will on the Loop at $20 a month.
 
It's not for the purist but we have a 5 TVs. One in each stateroom, one in the salon and another on the back deck.

For us it really work well. We have two boys so there is bound to be some nighttime shows that they want to watch. We also love to watch college football on the "patio."

The TV's are hooked up to a Roku stick and I stream it from my cell phone. I also have CCTV's hooked up as well as a GPS display and can send the signal to all of the TV's. The cameras show the front of the boat, the back of the boat, the salon and the engine room.

While we are underway I tune the TV's to the CCTV "channel" and can keep an eye on things no matter where I am on the boat. If something goes bump in the night, all it takes is me turning on the TV in the bedroom to see the front and back of the boat.
 
MichaelB1969 said:
I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.
Click to expand...


We just use the antenna that came with the boat to receive over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting. Then we get whatever we get, sometimes, 4 stations, sometimes 50 depending on our location. When we do receive stations, usually at least one of them has the local news/weather.

As we're approaching Charleston, we started receiving their stations: 14 when 70 miles out, then we picked up 3 more when we hit the 40 mile mark.

-Chris
 
boomerang said:
If you still have CRT TV's on your boat ,that's more than likely the reason all you get is snow...they are more than likely old, analog receivers & not digital. Doubtful there is anything wrong with your antenna if it's connected correctly & it's preamp is on & functioning.
Click to expand...

Ahh, that very well could be, hadn't thought of that. They are ancient, one is a VHS/TV combo. Good tip, thank you, we'll see.
 
Getting a good TV signal has always been a nightmare in the area's I've cruised in. I've spent a lot of money on antennae's and boosters over the years. With advances in technology we now use Google Chromecast and found it far superior to using an antennae.
 
I have a portable hard drive and a Raspberry PI with KODI operating system.

Gives me all the streaming stuff you get on a Roku/apple TV but I can download media and put it on the hard drive. KODI pulls all the info and organizes it in a library.

Very inexpensive setup to boot.
 
Seevee said:
Why do we tell the man that "we don't want TV and go boating to get away from it, and it's all noise and blah blah blah????? If you don't like TV that's YOUR choice. Michael wants TV, that's HIS choice, and only asking for options to get it. If you have nothing to contribute, then DON'T POST..... (rant off)....
.
Click to expand...

Well said, thanks. :thumb:
 
We have Directv at the dock and because there is decent wifi there, our TV on the boat is as good there as it is at home. I also have a Verizon Jet box plus ipads that can get streaming TV via Roku when away with limitations.

Have to be aware of the streaming limitations using Verizon's wifi and I assume the same from other providers. For example, Verizon and others offer unlimited wifi for a price. What they do not explain is that...at least for Verizon is that they limit the 4K download service to just 10GB/month/device and after you use that allowance, the service drops to 3K. Good luck watching TV on 3K video.
 
Wifey B: Would not be without satellite tv, have Direct. We're huge sports fans. Not sure where we'll be when Super Bowl day, but sure we'll watch the game. Headed somewhere today and then somewhere else, but not sure where yet due to the strange conditions this January, just know we'll never be out of touch. Will watch NBA throughout our trip.

 
There are many stationary sat antennas that you can sit on the dock or mount to a piling. They range from one like you would mount on your house to the small portable ones that are made for RV's. Most are single LNB's so you would have to manually move it to get channels from another sat.

Take your DTV box from home when you go to the boat (free) or, get one for the boat.
 
I have an Apple TV onboard, works great over LTE. I use a Peplink MAX Mini router with a T-Mobile unlimited SIM card for internet. I rarely if ever connect to marina WiFi since LTE is almost always faster. T-Mobile hasn't complained or noticeably throttled me even after using many hundreds of GBs a month.

With a Comcast (or probably other cable/satellite provider) login, lots of live TV (including ESPN) is available over Apple TV.
 
ranger42c said:
As we're approaching Charleston, we started receiving their stations: 14 when 70 miles out, then we picked up 3 more when we hit the 40 mile mark.
Click to expand...


Update: make that 15 and 4. Just noticed the TV actually synced on two stations not listed in the TV Guide app.

Presumably when we get to Charleston we'll receive approx 33 OTA stations...

-Chris
 
seasalt007 said:
Take your DTV box from home when you go to the boat (free) or, get one for the boat.
Click to expand...

That works, but there are limitations to it. Get too far away from home and:

a) DirecTV will know what you are up to and insist you lease a new bow for it (of course adding to your account to the tune of $20... $10 for the additional box lease and $10 for adding a box to your account)

b) The spot beam that carries your local station only hit (as the name implies) a specific spot on the globe. So you won't have access to them. I recall seeing an interactive map somewhere that let you view the range of your specific spot beam.
 
ranger42c said:
Update: make that 15 and 4. Just noticed the TV actually synced on two stations not listed in the TV Guide app.

Presumably when we get to Charleston we'll receive approx 33 OTA stations...

-Chris
Click to expand...

TV reception 70 miles out is pretty good but I want to know how you're getting a cell signal to post on the forum that far out!!! Satellite service?
 
Tom.B said:
That works, but there are limitations to it. Get too far away from home and:

a) DirecTV will know what you are up to and insist you lease a new bow for it (of course adding to your account to the tune of $20... $10 for the additional box lease and $10 for adding a box to your account)

b) The spot beam that carries your local station only hit (as the name implies) a specific spot on the globe. So you won't have access to them. I recall seeing an interactive map somewhere that let you view the range of your specific spot beam.
Click to expand...

There are some sneaky ways to get on the DTV national feed where all channels are on one sat and they have no idea where you are.
 
Tom.B said:
That works, but there are limitations to it. Get too far away from home and:

a) DirecTV will know what you are up to and insist you lease a new bow for it (of course adding to your account to the tune of $20... $10 for the additional box lease and $10 for adding a box to your account)

b) The spot beam that carries your local station only hit (as the name implies) a specific spot on the globe. So you won't have access to them. I recall seeing an interactive map somewhere that let you view the range of your specific spot beam.
Click to expand...

We have been RVing for a while and have never heard of DirecTV cutting off RVers who take their home cable box on their travels. Just get a used Winegard Carryout on Craigslist and plop it down on the dock when you get to the marina. If you want local TV you can call DirecTV and have them change your location or you can get an RV TV antenna. This is SOP for the RV world: if you really want you can get an RV account with a new receiver/DVR, but why bother, when you can bring the one from home?

I never heard about any narrowcasting beam from the Satellite to each individual reciever, I always figured that the server at DirecTV simply authorized the various channels permitted each account when they did their "handshake" upon connection when it does the authentification process. Given that there are only a handful of geo stationary satellites and millions of accounts, there must be an enormous amount of transmitters up there if that's how it works!
 
Woodland Hills said:
We have been RVing for a while and have never heard of DirecTV cutting off RVers who take their home cable box on their travels. Just get a used Winegard Carryout on Craigslist and plop it down on the dock when you get to the marina. If you want local TV you can call DirecTV and have them change your location or you can get an RV TV antenna. This is SOP for the RV world: if you really want you can get an RV account with a new receiver/DVR, but why bother, when you can bring the one from home?

I never heard about any narrowcasting beam from the Satellite to each individual reciever, I always figured that the server at DirecTV simply authorized the various channels permitted each account when they did their "handshake" upon connection when it does the authentification process. Given that there are only a handful of geo stationary satellites and millions of accounts, there must be an enormous amount of transmitters up there if that's how it works!
Click to expand...


I have dealt with Directv now for well over 10 years. One thing they show the greatest concern about is losing subscribers. So my point is, one should not be concerned about them cutting anybody loose today because they will almost stand on their head to keep customers........via discounts!

As to which beam one receives, it depends on the address you provide them. For example, we live just over an hour away from the boat and because they have my home address, we get Boston TV channels. My friend has his boat using Directv, not his home so he gave them the address of his marina about 1 mile from us. He gets Rhode Island TV stations.
 
A few things that may not have been covered:

If you have phone service at your slip, you could get a DSL internet connection. The quality would not be great, but you could then access all your channels from your cable provider.

If you just want to watch TV shows, but not live TV, you can order disks from Netflix of entire seasons of shows and watch them in your DVD player.

It sounds like you have not tested the wifi at your marina and are assuming its terrible based on word of mouth. I'd probably do the following in order:

a)Try wifi as is

b)Try wifi with an added antenna ( see other thread on this topic )

c) Complain to marina that their wifi doesn't work and ask for a slip closer to the router, or that they upgrade their service, since you're paying for it. If the water service stopped working you wouldn't start lugging water to your boat.....you'd complain!!
 
Woodland Hills said:
I never heard about any narrowcasting beam from the Satellite to each individual reciever,
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input from the RV world. :)

Just to clarify... It isn't to each individual receiver, it is to a market.

A quick Google search landed this older image of the market beams:

spots1.png


Here is an explanation: Solid Signal Blog - How much area is covered by a spot beam?

Here is a post that shows all the beams and will open up a Google Earth map showing the beam's hit point and the outward signal strength footprint: Interactive Beam Footprint Library
 
I don’t know if it has changed lately, but with Directv you could get the national feeds if you own an RV. You had to send them a copy of the RV registration and they would enable the feeds for whatever fee they charged for them. The rules were different for RV than boats because apparently the RV industry has better lobbyists. This wasn’t Directs rules but rather the FCC (I guess is who has the authority). We had a home disk that we installed on a piling at our slip to get the satellite signals. Worked fine but was only good when we were at our home dock. Now when we are traveling we take dvds with us and have a TV with a built in dvd player.
 
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