TV tailgates

[mlchorn]

I swear this is the last time I will ask about this - I've asked before and never followed thru, but this time I am.

Instead of purchasing a loud generator, I am going to do the inverter / marine battery set-up.

If I'm powering a 19 inch TV, satellite receiver, and maybe a box fan, will a 1500 watt inverter cut it?

Also, any particular type of marine battery?

I really appreciate any advice.

 

[Texas___Fight]

I would also like to start using a sat and tv this year but need help getting started. Do I just take my dish, box, and TV and plug it up? Thanks in advance

 

[SMDhorn]

My brother is the one who knows what all the stuff is, but we have a marine battery at our tailgate, and it has powered a small TV and Playstation for all of our tailgate without ever running dry.

The battery we got is the largest capacity marine battery we could get at Wal-Mart.

I think our power inverter is only rated to 750 watts as well.

We have one of those "kill-a-watt" things that measures the wattage a device uses, so we can make sure that what we're using won't go overboard. I don't have the figures right now, but I can post what we have later.

We also made our own wiring thing inside of the battery box so that there's a fuse, a switch to turn the whole thing on and off, and an extra 12 volt accessory plug.

The great thing about the whole setup is that we can just get another battery, and hook it up (I don't remember if it's series or parallel), and you get more juice.

The whole setup isn't that big, it's noiseless, and just a bit heavy.

I'll get details and possibly photos.

 

[KC-97HORN]

Couldnt tell from your post, but if you are using a CRT TV, I think another way to cut down on the wattage used is to have a LCD TV.

I could be wrong on this, but I thought I heard that the LCD's suck a lot less juice than a standard CRT

 

[rblancarte]

Hey Texas___Fight, it isn't all that hard. You are right about only needing to take your dish, box and TV. Of course you need power, but that is part of the rest of this discussion.

As far as the dish - I recommend a good tripod. I picked up a cheap on from eBay, and it can be a pain in windy conditions.

Beyond that, just get your coordinates, and go. Pretty easy to do.

 

[Ignatius]

I would second the advice about a good tripod; I use a Winegard, but there's a lot of different options. If you're going to use a 3 LNB dish (ie if you want to pick up an HD signal) you need a much more unobstructed view of the south sky than if you're using one of the single LNBs. Depending on where you tailgate this can be somewhat of a challenge; there's a lot of tailgating spots in lots 70/99/80 that aren't viable for this because of trees.

I would also second the idea about an LCD over a CRT if you're going to be carrying it around (ie if it doesn't just sit in the back of your vehicle). It'll use a lot less juice and take up a lot less space when hauling all of your pregame **** around...

If you ever have any use for a generator at all it's worth looking at one of the ultra-quiet models. It's appreciably more expensive ($800 vs. maybe $125 or so for the battery/inverter option), but you can power a lot of stuff forever, plus you've got a hell of a nice piece of equipment around the house. This can come in handy if, say, your power goes out for a few hours like last month. If you go this route, please please please spend the extra $$ and get a quiet model...

It takes a little practice (I would definitely try it out at home or your tailgate spot a time or two prior to the first game), but once you get the hang of it it's a breeze. I've been doing it for 5 years now and really like it; it used to be that my only issue with an extended pre-game tailgate was missing out on all of the day's other games, which now isn't an issue.

 

[netslave]

mlchorn,
You have our basic set up. We have a new 19" CRT which takes less power than the older ones, satellite, fan, and I also bring a rope light in case we're in for the long haul.

My 1000 generator works just fine. If you have the money, I'd recommend getting a generator over the battery/inverter. The Honda EU100i is SUPER QUIET. I mean, you couldn't hear it if you sat on it. And you have a versatile/long lasting generator that is ready to go simply by stopping by the gas station rather than trying to remember to charge a battery. But in any case, 1000-1500 watts is fine.

As for the tripod for the satellite, I use an old tripod from a meade telescope. You might be able to pick one up on ebay or craigslist, but it's rock steady. I've been in a tailgate where I had to brace my tent to a tree to keep it from blowing away but the dish was not moving.

Also, pick up a compass with the degree markers on it. It REALLY helps you find the right angle to point your dish prior to fine tuning the reception. This website helps as well....
The Link

Results for UT tailgate 54.6 Elevation / 186.5 Azimuth

Also, one final note, if you're a houstonian, you might not know that you can actually pick up Houston local channels in Austin with Directv!

 

[mlchorn]

Thanks netslave.

Man, I would LOVE to have that Honda generator, but it is not in the budget.
Since I can't splurge on that, and have heard many requests on here NOT to use a typical generator, I was going the inverter / battery route.
I was planning on purchasing the "emergency" set-up that DIRECTV offers for like $50 - you get the tripod and dish.
I already have receiver that I don't use but is still active on my DIRECTV account.
The 19" CRT is about 3 years old.
I'm most concerned about getting the dish pointed correctly, but I'm not so stupid that I can't figure it out - I don't think.
I plan to try it out in my backyard well prior to the first game.
Oh, and FWIW, not a houstonian, I'm in Aledo.
Thanks a lot for your advice, it's much appreciated.

 

[TornACL]

There are enough people in the tailgate lots using DirectTv that if you have problems, folks will be happy to help you out. We've helped other people who couldn't get a signal, and we've had help offered to us.

And yes, you'll get more help if you don't have a loud and annoying generator buzzing away in the background.

 

[Texas___Fight]

Thanks for the great read and excellent info. I look forward to expanding this year’s tailgate and making the most of the all day celebration. And what ever we decide to do I promise to use proper tailgate etiquette and use a quite power source. We are right across from a 1970's generator that's louder than a damn freight train.

 

[l00p]

somebody asked this in the Horn Depot so I am taking this up so they can see this as it may help them.

 

[Ignatius]

Not to threadjack, but it'll probably be useful for folks to have everything in one thread...

Has anyone ever/is anyone considering trying to set up one of the new 5LNB dishes on a tripod for their tailgate? I've been doing the 3LNB for a few years and have an extra 5LNB, but since the collar on the mounting bracket is wider I don't know how I'd adapt my existing tripod. The new ones are also trickier to aim, so the whole thing may not be worth it. However, the ability to get all networks and Fox in HD would be sweet...overkill, but sweet...

 

[Orangeblood]

I'm in the same situation. Have the triple down pat, but have been considering using the 5 LNB (slimline of course).

Figured that I'd work it out in July/August. And I have yet to get a second 5 LNB dish.

 

[Ignatius]

Once you embark on that effort, please let me/us know what you're doing as far as a tripod/tripod 'adapter'. I've seen a couple of custom solutions that are fairly pricey (~ $250), there's got to be an easier way than that. I'm hoping to figure out the tripod part for relatively cheap, and spend the $$ on a signal finder. I just use a compass and the D*TV signal meter from the TV right now with my 3LNB, but I'm led to believe lining up the 5LNB is a bit trickier...

Definitely take a look on craigslist for the secondary dish, I picked one up in a box for $25...there's a couple right out there for about the same price, not necessarily new but that doesn't really matter.

 

[dang-str8]

Last year I did the marine battery thing for a 37" LCD and the HDDVR Direct box... battery lasted on average about 3 1/2 - 4 hours... if you plan on doing a day long tailgate thing, then I would suggest to reconsider the a generator... I though I had a badass battery with a Die Hard from Sears, but not good enough.

 

[Orangeblood]

Ignatius,

For the last few years I've used a Home Depot bucket filled with quickrete around a PVC pipe that my dish pipe slides into. VERY sturdy and everything breaks down for easy transport. It's been time to make a new one and this might be my impetus.

I tried the tripod a couple of times and just liked this setup better. Currently, I use a compass and the TV meter most of the time. However, I do have a signal finder for emergencies. It has saved my *** a number of times on road trips.