How to catch the big match - TV and radio options for your caravan
There’s a feast of summer sport lying ahead, not to mention the Football season kicking off again in August. So how do you tune in to the big matches when you’re out on the road or on site?
Many of the options are probably self-evident. There are plenty of motorhomes for example driving around with satellite or digital TV antennas fitted - but if you’re in the market for a new system, there are features that will make your viewing experience a whole lot better.
We’ve looked carefully into the various boxes to tick for TV and radio on the move and this led us to the Avtex range. They do command a higher price point than other TV manufacturers, but they’re designed specifically for the leisure market – and it shows!
Here are some of the features to look for when choosing your set-up.
Satellite options
Satellite TV is a popular option with tourers as you get reliable reception and excellent range. Pair a TV with satellite decoder built-in with a self-seeking motorised dish and you can be sat down, relaxing and watching within minutes of pitching.
The Avtex range includes models with built-in DVB-S2 HD decoders.
Digital TV
Digital TV allows you to watch free-to-air and subscription channels, although obviously you have to be within limited transmitter range. A 360° TV antenna amplify weaker signals but it won’t cross continents!
Our Avtex TVs include DBB-T2 decoders so you can pick up HD Freeview channels and we particularly like the magic orange AQT button on the remote. Hold for three seconds and your Avtex TV will automatically retune to the local transmitters.
Picture quality and viewing angle
These days, a sharp picture is a given, but in the confines of a van or boat you need to think carefully about screen size and viewing angle. Samsung Tech Life suggests the following formula for choosing screen size: calculate your likely viewing distance in inches and then divide by three for your optimal screen size.
Regarding viewing angles, having your TV at eye level is optimal, but that’s not often practical in a van – so check the specs for the maximum horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Avtex models, such as this 21" model, deliver flexible 170/160-degree performance.
Power play
If you’re going off-grid you’ll be reliant on your leisure battery. Go for a model that offers 12/24V operation, along with 240V running, so you can use your investment on hook up or at home as well.
All of the Avtex TVs we stock offer this variable voltage facility, along with other leisure friendly features such as on-screen battery information.
Swiss army TV?
With space at a premium, a decent touring TV should have as much as possible built-in. Most of the Avtex TVs we stock have an integrated DVD and CD player, USB sockets to record or play media on thumb drives, stereo audio inputs and digital TV decoders.
Several have built-in satellite receivers too – giving you everything in one neat, flat-screen package.
Internet TV and radio
Services such as BBC iPlayer and All 4 allow you to stream ‘live’ and catch up on TV or radio over the Internet. This is great if you have a cheap and reasonably fast Internet connection with an unlimited data allowance (check what’s included if using a campsite service).
If your TV has an HDMI socket (our Avtex models each have two), you can plug in a tiny Amazon Fire TV Stick and stream free or subscription channels such as iPlayer, Netflix and Prime directly to your TV screen.
DAB and analogue radio
TV and driving isn’t a great combination, but there’s always radio. Bear in mind however that a UK DAB radio will be useless in many European countries, where technical standards differ. However, you can listen to all BBC Radio channels live and without restriction through the BBC iPlayer Radio website or app.
Watching in Europe
If you check your UK Sky agreement it’ll probably only authorise you to watch in the UK - and services such as Netflix or iPlayer may not work if you’re a British subscriber touring overseas. This is due to complicated broadcast rights and while there are plenty of workarounds described on the web, they’ll mostly involve breaching some aspect of a contract or law.