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Post by jayjay on Mar 26, 2008 11:49:14 GMT
It's brilliant!
I was wondering if I'd have the same problem as Lunnie in that there would be no sound on the analogue programmes...
There wasn't, at first. Then I noticed in the manual it said that you won't get sound on analogue if it's not set to the right setting - there are several - the factory setting is at PAL BG and there was no sound. Next I tried PAL DK, still no sound.. I thought I was just going to have to go through the lot in the vague hope...
On the third attempt I got it - it needs to be set to PAL 1 to get analogue sound! It didn't actually say HOW to change the setting in the manual, so that took a bit of experimenting! Evenually, I got the hang of it.
Spent yesterday entertaining the grandson with the little 8 bit NES games that came with it! Oh, those early graphics!
Off later to see if it works in the van - I've only had it plugged in in the house and used the house aerial so far. But so far, so good.
I wasn't going to buy one until I knew I'd be ok camping in it and that things wouldn't get too difficult. Now after Wolverley I know I can do it! ;D ;D ;D
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Post by lunnie on Mar 26, 2008 12:48:24 GMT
Well done, it was probably me, not getting the right setting, but I am USELESS with electricals!!!! they have to go at the first attempt for me, plug in, switch on and that is it!!!
I diid look at yours and it looks a grand little tv/dvd, would have been great for me too.
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Post by jayjay on Mar 26, 2008 13:16:38 GMT
Well done, it was probably me, not getting the right setting, but I am USELESS with electricals!!!! they have to go at the first attempt for me, plug in, switch on and that is it!!! I diid look at yours and it looks a grand little tv/dvd, would have been great for me too. LOL, Lunnie! I don't think there are many things made like that these days - they are all multi-function jobbys - you need a pilot's licence to operate! (that's why I liked my little portable B/w TV - it really was plug and go). Worst for me are the video/dvd players - I've had one for four years and still have to consult the manual every time I want to record something - and then I still get it wrong and record a blue screen or something.. it's so multifunction I don't know what function I need! The MP3 player took some working out for something so small - it took me a week to get enough courage to even switch it on! And the Sat Nav - another long story!! |
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Post by jayjay on Mar 27, 2008 14:00:49 GMT
Next question... I can get the analogue programmes in the van (parked outside the house) but all the digital progs are scrambled. We don't have a good digi reception here, but it works on the house aerial. Do I need an outdoor aerial? If so, which one? I was thinking of a sucker-type stick on one, like this: [a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310032859343&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=021 ![]() [/img]"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310032859343&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=021 ![]() [/img][/a] would it work? i don't fancy carrying poles around and having to set them up as well! Thanks for any advice! |
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Post by yamaha on Mar 27, 2008 16:53:45 GMT
Hi Jayjay - scrambled reception on a Digital picture is a sign of a weak signal - so, in that location an outdoor aerial is needed.
I have yet to camp somewhere with good signal reception - so the aerial you indicated should do the job well, I would think - it's not a bad price, either.
Mike
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Post by viv on Mar 27, 2008 17:37:06 GMT
Hi
That stick on aerial looks really good and I think I will get one. I thought the wire could go through the window and was going to use the foam tubing that Terry uses for plumbing to put across top of driver's window and wind the window up onto the tube to make it draft proof, if that makes sense!
This will also be a reminder to take it down before I drive off!
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Post by jayjay on Mar 27, 2008 18:26:58 GMT
Hi Jayjay - scrambled reception on a Digital picture is a sign of a weak signal - so, in that location an outdoor aerial is needed. I have yet to camp somewhere with good signal reception - so the aerial you indicated should do the job well, I would think - it's not a bad price, either. Mike I thought that as well! Do you think it will pick up the digital signal enough? I also need a *something* to attach the wire to - there's an old little square box with an aerial connector - it sort of feeds into the interior - which needs replacing with a new one, if they still make them! Failing that, through the skylight with it! Or in the drivers window to rear. That stick on aerial looks really good and I think I will get one. I thought the wire could go through the window and was going to use the foam tubing that Terry uses for plumbing to put across top of driver's window and wind the window up onto the tube to make it draft proof, if that makes sense!Nope, can't quite picture what you mean! !! Just re-read that last bit and I understand now - you mean the squashy foam tube insulation stuff, right? feed the line through then sick it in the car window and wind it up so it doesn't fall out? |
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Post by jayjay on Mar 28, 2008 11:12:29 GMT
Quick message to say I've bought one. Like Yamaha said, not a bad price, so when it comes I'll let you know how good it is - or not, as the case may be.
I did a search on UKCS for info on aerials - took me a good hour or so to read through them! So much conflicting advice - buy this one, no- get that one - I was so confused I nearly lost the will to live! One said that a wire coat hanger would do the same job. A good tip there was to use a cheap wilkinsons clothes line prop if you needed an extendable pole to fasten it to! Or use an upside-down travel rotary clothes dryer for a tripod!
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Post by yamaha on Mar 28, 2008 13:02:32 GMT
If you need an outside pole to put the earial on - easiest thing is an aluminium pole, with a flat metal plate attached to the bottom.
You then drive the front wheel onto the plate - and just stick the aerial onto the pole!!
Mike
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Post by pendel on Mar 28, 2008 20:42:02 GMT
This has got to be the best forum ever. Where can you go and get so much info. We will be using Terrys idea with the foamy, spongy stuff for our tv aerial so thanks for that Viv.
For anyone interested, the only reason Derek had shorts on at Wolverly was because he only brought one pair of jeans and they got soaked when we went out to the pub for the meal. Thank goodness he brought the shorts. Hate to think what he would have been wearing if he hadnt got the shorts. All the way home his jeans were hanging over the dashboard to get dry from the camper heater so he would be decently dressed by the time we got to the services. Whats he like,eh? Penny
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Post by lunnie on Mar 28, 2008 22:10:42 GMT
He could have made a matching pair of legs with Martin!!!!
He should have said, I am sure that we could have rustled up a pair of trousers for him!! I certainly carry all sorts and yes Martin all sizes!! nothing short of the kitchen sink. ( Still carry hubby's clothes, I know, but what hey)
But two sets of legs in one weekend!!!! quick get out the fan, I need to cool down!!!!!
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Post by Pauline on Mar 29, 2008 19:02:50 GMT
He could have made a matching pair of legs with Martin!!!!! my eyes are still recovering from the blinding whiteness ;D |
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Post by jayjay on Mar 31, 2008 22:05:11 GMT
Hi That stick on aerial looks really good and I think I will get one. /quote] Hi Viv! Here's the low down on the aerial! Yes - it works! I got no freeview signal on my indoor aerial out in my wee van, (not bad on analoue, no freeview) but after a bit of experimentation, yes, about 10 digital channels without fragmentation from this stick-on aerial. Now for the bad points: It doesn't come ready assembled (as in plug and go) you have to assemble it all yourself and the instructions aren't detailed enough - I puzzled for at least an hour on how the 'black plastic universal joint' attached to the 'stand off arm', 'held together with the large wing nut'. Eventually figured that out from the pictures and a bit of experimentation, the Kripton factor test of the day. Then you have to connect the aerial lead to the aerial, then connect the other end to the coaxial plug, so pliers, stanley knife and screwdriver required and a fair bit of cursing. Oh for a man when you need one!! Nil points for the instruction manual. It's only easy when you know how - fortunately I'm now an expert (LOL ;D ;D) so any probs, give me a shout! It will stick on using the suckers and you can change the direction once it's stuck on. In my region, quite often the signal from my house aerial, which is on a mast way up, often fragments on the freeview channels, so to get half a dozen or so perfect channels out on the drive with an aerial that was literally thrown on top of the van I thought was very good. Now, the suckers seem very big, however, they only stick onto straight surfaces - on my vehicle, these only seem to be the side windows ( a bit dodgy, they're not very strong!) or the cab windows. They do stick on certain places on the romahome fibreglass body, but it's a struggle to get all three to stick onto fibreglass that has a slight slope to it. I might try a sucker type clamp (like the sort you get for a grab bar, or to pick up glass - like a handle but with lockable ends on it) to make sure it won't come off. At the mo, that looks a bit dodgy! Hard for a five-foot nothing to put up high on the van and then adjust too. Apart from taking the stepladders away with me, maybe a mast? The aerial 'sort of' folds up. It's still pretty big though! So where to store it is my next prob. I will however be finding room for it, its much better in low signal areas than the indoor one that came with the TV, or the other one I have on a portable in the house. Maybe in a cradle hanging from the ceiling??? LOL! Can you put a roof rack on a romahome? Hope that's been of some help to anyone thinking of buying one. The make of this particular one is the Mercury Overlander Mobile Aerial DIY Kit. The DIY in the product name above says it all! |
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Post by viv on Apr 1, 2008 7:28:57 GMT
Jayjay
What a wonderful and comprehensive review of the product!! We are still thinking of getting one, just a bit concerned about the suckers not sticking to a sloping side.
Do you mean it won't stick to any side at all or does your van slope quite a lot. I don't remember yours being any more slopey than ours!!! Are the rubber suckers so rigid or is is that the inside point of the arial sticks into the side if there is a slope. I am sure this won't make sense in the reading but it does whilst I write it so apologies if it is a bit garbled.
Well done for sorting out the arial using the instructions, I think they should always get a novice to write the manuals. I would volunteer.
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Post by jayjay on Apr 1, 2008 11:48:51 GMT
Jayjay Do you mean it won't stick to any side at all or does your van slope quite a lot. I don't remember yours being any more slopey than ours!!! Are the rubber suckers so rigid or is is that the inside point of the arial sticks into the side if there is a slope. The suckers are ok, just nothing seems to want to stick well to fibreglass!!! No problem with the aerial itself, it just seems that it sticks better onto glass, well rubber would! I think with a bit of practice it will become easier to stick - the suckers really don't like the 'leatherette' type panels on my van, but stick ok onto the plain bits! I still think a clamp or something will help, I'm about to try this and will post some photos a bit later. I think Martin's aerial on a mast (if you saw it at Wolverley) was much better than this - smaller too. It all depends what you want to spend! I don't like the separate mast thing really... Well today is a windy day, so we'll see just how good those suckers are!  |
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Post by jayjay on Apr 2, 2008 18:28:05 GMT
Hey Viv! Don't buy one just yet. After all the messing about I did trying to get that aerial in the right place I couldn't move the next day (did my back in, not hard when you're already half way there anyway) , and I don't fancy that when I'm on holiday! I've seen a good one at Maplins: www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=46230&doy=2m4#overviewhowever, like the last one, it doesn't give dimensions... but we have a Maplins store 7 miles away, so I'm off to check it out either tomorrow or Friday. it's more expensive - and it doesn't say how it attaches, but looks a lot less hassle than the one I've got. I already have a hole where there's a broken aerial inny-outey thingy (lol) so If it needs to be attached, I already have somewhere it can go without drilling holes, well, maybe. I'm going to look anyway. If it's better (i.e., more managable for little me, then I'll be selling the stick-on one shortly!!! |
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Post by viv on Apr 3, 2008 19:39:59 GMT
Too late jayjay, mine arrived today! I opened the box and then closed it again after having a quick look at the instructions. I certainly don't understand them but Terry is going to set it up. It is lightweight and quite storable. I have literally just popped out to try a sucker and it sticks to the car OK so should be fine on the van.
Anyway it was only £11.99 so if it is no good I have not broken the bank, and anyway I won on the premium bonds this month so it is my treat from the winnings.
The proof of the pudding as they say, so we will try it on next trip.
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Post by jayjay on Apr 4, 2008 19:28:06 GMT
Too late jayjay, mine arrived today! I opened the box and then closed it again after having a quick look at the instructions. I certainly don't understand them but Terry is going to set it up. It is lightweight and quite storable. I have literally just popped out to try a sucker and it sticks to the car OK so should be fine on the van. Anyway it was only £11.99 so if it is no good I have not broken the bank, and anyway I won on the premium bonds this month so it is my treat from the winnings. The proof of the pudding as they say, so we will try it on next trip. hehe Val - I did the same with those instructions! £11.99 is a lot less than I paid, mine was £19-odd with the postage! Good luck Terry! any probs, give me a shout! I didn't go and check the other one out. Been sorting out a new sat nav this week! And trying to chivvy along the garage to sort out the pipes that need replacing in the engine. |
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Post by viv on Apr 5, 2008 19:38:34 GMT
Hi jayjay,
Not so different my postage was £6 so it was £19 altogether. Well Terry has set it up and we will test it tomorrow. I tested the suckers on my kitchen tiles and they fell off within 5 mins. In fairness I thought I should try them on the van sides and they stuck on very well and stayed on until I had to prise them off this evening. If all goes well tomorrow then I think it will suit us well.
Will give a review soon.
Wishing you well.
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Post by jayjay on Apr 6, 2008 10:01:50 GMT
Viv - are you just sticking the suckers on things - without the aerial attached? The areal frame is pretty rigid! I thought of soaking the suckers for a while in warm water - I think they're too 'new' to stick much and I think after a bit of use they will become more flexible and stick better. Seems to me the flimsier these things are, the better they stick. Make sure you wet them before you stick them to the van.
I've found a place to put mine as well (inside the van for transporting), so I'm not going to bother seeking alternatives - this one works! Take off the 'H' bit and loosen the wing nut on the stand off arm and it all folds down rather well. Watch your fingers though, parts of this are quite sharp, which I'm not impressed about - it wasn't until I started trying to find somewhere to stow that I noticed this!
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Post by viv on Apr 6, 2008 10:16:09 GMT
Hi jayjay
I stuck the suckers with just the frame bit on (not the aerial if you know what I mean). It did stick well on the van and I really had to break the seal on the last one to remove it. At first I stuck them on with all three suckers in one line and it was not so good but did not fall off (the top one came off first) but then I turned one bar of the frame and then stuck it back on with the three in a triangle shape and it stuck well.
Also I only loosely placed them on to the metal prongs and then when I had positioned it I kind of thumped them in place so that the prongs pushed down in the sucker cup to a position that suited the slope.
( I hope you understand what I am trying to explain)
I suppose the only way to really tell is to try it out while camping and if it works we will be pleased if not perhaps we could start a stall together, on ebay for useless aerials!!!!.
Hope little Merlyn is well.
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Post by jayjay on Apr 6, 2008 13:16:41 GMT
He he Viv! I'm sure we'll get used to them eventually, I think it's like most things - easy when you know how, after a bit of practice I'm sure we will!
Merlyn's ok - she went to the Vets for first round of innoculations and they found a lump under one of her nipples, very worrying. They were suggesting all sorts of radical (and expensive) surgery (including taking out the whole row of nipples and spaying her at the same time - very knife happy!) but I'm going for taking out the lump and seeing what it is first. Could just be another cyst - she already has some of those. Can't see the point of invasive surgery just because it 'might' save problems later on when there might not be any. Due to go on Thursday, so will know when the op will be and result in a couple of weeks.
She looked fine this morning romping in the snow!!
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Post by moya on Apr 24, 2008 13:21:45 GMT
Hi Jayjay, Where did you get your tv/dvd/games combo tv from? Might be looking for somthing similar soon because of the switchover to digital looming up.  |
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Post by jayjay on Apr 25, 2008 10:36:10 GMT
Hi Moya! I got mine from a shop on Ebay. I paid £130 with postage (insured) and it was a lot cheaper than any others I'd seen, esp. as it has an internal 3 hour rechargable battery, which means you get 3 hours of Tv/DVD when you don't have an electric hookup and it can be recharged either from the mains or from the supplied ciggie lighter charger. Came with all sorts of gismos as well, particularly like the hanging cover - it fits over the luton on an expanding shower rial I fitted and it out of the way. here's the link to the seller's shop: cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-4-Portable-DVD-player-Digital-Freeview-TV-Divx-Bag_W0QQitemZ370043882168QQihZ024QQcategoryZ15055QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemI bought the 10.4" as the 9" were only a few pounds cheaper. |
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Post by moya on Apr 25, 2008 11:45:24 GMT
Thanks for that Jayjay. It's certainly good value. I'll have to think about it but I would think they will sell them for quite a while. |
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Post by glenw on Apr 25, 2008 17:24:08 GMT
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Post by jayjay on Apr 28, 2008 9:03:43 GMT
Big difference in price, Glen! I tried several auctions, but they were all going way over that. I tried bidding on a few tv/analogue/freview without DVD and they were going for a lot more than I was prepared to bid! It wasn't until I started looking for DVd players with inbuilt tv instead of tv players with DVD that I found something - how strange! Shall ask if you've seen it cheaper before I buy anything in the future, Glen! |
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