RVTV Option Two: Free Over The Air TV with LED TV

Planning Ahead:

If you are at all like me, as a seasoned RVer, you have learned to plan, and to budget, religiously; to avoid spending too much on one necessity, (like Fuel) only to be compelled to economize, painfully, on another; (like Accommodation).

Running short of funds in a place you know, like your own home town, is one thing. Running short, hundreds of miles away, at a strange location on the road, is another: The ultimate RV-lifestyle bummer!

Budgeting is the Key:

As with ordinary household budgeting, budgeting RV travel, has its need-tos and nice-tos.

Pre-flight, I begin my RV Travel Budget by sorting and organizing stuff into two columns. (I use a great PC Software to assist with this task. It's called Nomads Notes. See Resources.)

For instance: I need to keep current with televised World News and local affairs. I need to know what the local weather forecast is going to be, almost every day.

It's nice to watch PBS Programming. For entertainment, I like to watch outdoor sports. (Right: PBS and ESPN, are both nice-tos.)

Portable, Light Emitting Diode (LED) TV:

When budgeting my travel expenses, LED, or Flat Screen TV, lives at the top of my need-to column. (I paid $165 two years ago, for my 19" Insignia TV. I keep an extra $200 in the kitty, just in case, for a replacement.)

Everywhere OTA Signal is available, my LED TV works wonderfully.

So, in sum, my Over The Air (OTA) RVTV is 100% lovely, portable, convenient, and importantly: Totally without service fees.

Depending on your attitude towards RV life in general, and TV specifically: LED TV might be a need-to/nice-to, (a third column) you can, and should have. (OK, I'm totally biased.)

For most RVers, making your home-base LED TV, road ready, is actually going to be fairly easy, if you have not already done so. (You should do this.)

Many RVs come equipped with Bat Wing Antennas. On-board LED TV is now fairly standard equipment, too. Wiring in place, it's almost Plug and Play! (Otherwise, adding Home LED, to your rig, is no big deal.)   

Some RVers, (myself included) like to travel light, and economically. Todays LED TVs, fit that bill: They are light in weight, they are affordable, and versatile. I also use mine to play slides. (You should have one.)

RV Park Cable Service:

In my travels, before I started my own Satellite TV Business, in 2000, and before June 13, 2009, (the US Digital Television Transition) I just used the Bat Wing on my RV, coupled with my 26" RCA CRT TV, borrowed from my living room.

Prior to this Transition: Free Over The Air (OTA) TV, was all a little disappointing. Quite often, the channels were too few and too fuzzy!

On many trips, to supplement my selection of free OTA channels, (before the Transition) I would purposely seek out, and campRV parks advertising free Cable TV.

So situated, I could access ESPN sports, TMC movies, and distant channels, like WGBH Boston; not generally available OTA.

The Very Best RVTV:

These days, (post Transition) I travel RVTV-ready. Sometimes OTA HDTV gets the call. Beyond the Grid, I go to my Satellite RVTV. And on other occasions, (like on a dark and windy night) I'll pull into an RV Park with free Cable TV.

Now, depending on budget, availability, weather, time of day, and mood; I can choose between OTA, (via Bat Wing) Satellite (via Antenna Kit) and Cable (via RV Parks).

Actually, I also have a PCTV Adapter, which captures Standard Definition (SDTV) Enhanced Definition (EDTV) and even High Definition (HDTV) TV Signals, and displays crystal-clear OTA TV, right on my laptop!

Now, I rather suspect that all of this preparation and TV Paraphernalia, makes me: A real Techy Tubie. But, I prefer this handle to Wannabe Tubie, thank you.

RV Friends: You understand. I just want my Premium-quality, Affordable RVTV! That's all.

In that quest, (and conquest) over the last decade, I have experimented with, or purchased, or installed, and/or repaired, most every sort of portable TV available: Including OTA, PCTV, Satellite, (High Definition and Standard) and Cable.

OK. Technically, RV Park Cable is not really portable. But, because it is so generally available, (and I am hooked up to it currently) and it works so well with my LED TV and PCTV Adapter; I can watch, and even record, different programs at once: The Very Best RVTV available to me!

Not to brag, but, did I mention my Cable TV comes free with the RV space I currently occupy?

And truthfully, RV Friends, if that wasn't the case, I would crank up my OTA Bat Wing Antenna. I currently get about 40 All Digital OTA channels, also free.

Five Options:

Recently, I have written and published, an Illustrated Technical How To Series, and Free Special Report, covering all (5) Five available methods of obtaining the Very Best RVTV on the Road, as well as the complete DIY Procedures, you will need to get Very Best RVTV on the Road, for yourself. (See Resources.)

Happy Trails and Thanks for Tuning In!