Improving TV reception in the caravan

[@TheTrudgians]

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[@Xyleth07]

Thank you Dan! We've been having the exact same issue - the amount of time I've spent waggling the antenna in a suggestive manner at the nearest transmitter. Never even crossed my mind this might be the issue! Luckily I'm planning some work on the Coax distribution soon so I will add these into the design.

[@ggardner33gg]

Cheers Dan I have always thought the reception was patchy but now I'm thinking it may be all the mobile devices in the van will definately give this a try.

[@twerki78]

The notch filter is designed to block 4G transmissions from swamping the TVs receiver. Often caused by a near by mast or in your case the fact you have a MiFi hotspot in the van so close to the TV aerial which is probably on 4G. Possibly the the transmitter in the MiFi spot is enough to de-sense the TV or overload the front end causing the AGC in the TVs tuner to reduce gain. The ferrite chokes stop RF and would be better placed on the USB power cable at the MiFi spot end with the power cable making one loop around the closed choke. This will help reduce any RF leaking from the MiFi spot back down the power supply cable and radiating using the caravans wiring. Another good spot for the ferrite choke would be on the 12v supply cable to the USB socket. The DC to DC converters in these USB adaptors can back feed all sorts of nasties.

[@StephenGallagher67]

Thanks Dan! I have this same installation booked along with a service next month so your timing is perfect. Extras now needed are ordered.

[@CaravanEscapades101]

Thanks for sharing. I fitted the Nighthawk in the top cupboard but about 4ft away from the TV Ariel. I Have had some issues. I will give it a try. Thanks again

[@PCB1601]

Like you have added the mifi near the aerial looked like the obvious place, wondered why the tv reception was poor. Filters now on order Thanks

[@DenSol-xk4sd]

Added the notch and has made a big difference. Shame I can’t add a pic. Thank yet again Dan the man 👌👌👌🎉🎉

[@gnarlyboot477]

Hi Dan, before retirement I worked for Nissan and spent a bit of time in Japan. It was a little while ago, but here’s a little thing to watch out for. You will probably be using the train system a lot. You’ll find the signs in major stations are written in Kanji, Katakana and Romanic. So you will be able to read the Romanic alphabet. They drop the Romanic alphabet in more rural areas, so it’s useful to research the Katakana symbols for destinations. For instance we used Yokohama station a lot, the Katakana symbols look like a fat man and a thin man watching TV. Of course this was before the introduction of smart phones.

[@TheTrudgians]

oh wonderful info - thank you. We should have gone last year, hopefully we set off next year now, its areal bucket list item for us, weve wanted to go for such a long time, but to do what we want it aint cheap lol....

[@GrandadGrandsonsAdventures]

Great video, yet again. Japan is a great country you will enjoy the trip WHEN you get there.

[@lesfletcher2473]

My problem was that our caravan is kept at our home and we like to use it some evenings but freeview where I live is from a relay transmitter with not many channels . I have bought a cheap satellite dish and had a spare humax receiver and set that up. the dish is mounted on the jockey wheel. This works great and only cost about 35 quid . The dish is 80cm so a bit big to take away but I have a 40cm one I use when needed on holiday. We have a status aerial which is fine most of the time. I just use sat when in poor Freeview areas.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Interesting vlog Dan, When I spoke to you last week about this vlog you get me thinking about our set up. We did get some interference on the TV occasionally but I thought it was just a signal issue with the area we were in. An easy fix so will be checking ours out when we eventually get to use the van again. Take care, matey 🙂

[@DenSol-xk4sd]

Yet another great tip. Just ordered this for my Ridgeway. 👌👌👌

[@clem02031964]

Thanks Dan, I'll be looking into this and also MIFI.

[@nigelwyn]

I find that in places with bad reception, the HD channels usually come through stronger than SD. It might be better to use an SD channel to test reception.

[@peterRobinson10101]

Imagine watching youtube on a device and thinking there might be better options on a free to air TV

[@most_things_Motorhome]

Thanks for the idea Dan I can now watch caravan TV on free sat without it breaking up :)

[@Parknest]

I've suffered from poor TV reception in my caravan so I might give this a go. I'm sure it would work with the TV reception at home because we have an aerial in the loft with a splitter that goes to the bedrooms and the living room.

[@MrTimGJ]

Use a distribution amplifier rather than a spitter. The splitter halves the signal strength to provide for each leg.

[@Parknest]

@@MrTimGJ I didn't bother with one of these. I've got an aerial that clamps on the A frame of my caravan and use the UK Aerial Alignment app to align it.

[@derekchebsey6793]

Interesting video, we’ve just installed our nighthawk in a similar position didn’t think to test it with the tv on

[@DenSol-xk4sd]

When doing this make sure they send right unit. My one has wrong connectors and not as per what is advertised. Have contacted the seller 👌

[@TheTrudgians]

What connectors did yours have? The one I bought was F type.

[@DenSol-xk4sd]

@@TheTrudgians Hi Dan. one end was male (signal in) the other end was female, (signal out). From your vid both should have been female. Same as that is advertised. 👌

[@m1cxf]

I was starting to think that you guys had gone QRT. Would it not have been less aggro to move the myfi?. I have found at times using a ground-spike often helps improve telly reception and reduces interference, a short piece of wire and a foot of copper pipe is my usual weapon of choice.

[@bellefreeman803]

Hi we have really bad issues with our TV in our caravan where ever we go. The ferrites you have linked don't come up on WiFi. I've found some but not sure wht size as all different 5mm 7mm 9mm? Could you tell me which size please, I'm not very technical. Also what do you use to help ith WiFi. My daughter is autistic and has severe learning delays. So is finding it hard as lot of caravan sites the WiFi is awful even at the minute in skirlington we can't even get onto our data. I've enquired with some other caravan vlogers what they use but what they have sent me is going to cost nearly 400.00 which I can't afford. Any info would be useful just for a peaceful life with my daughter when we go away. It's not every weekend maybe once every few months, so don't want to be paying hundreds for WiFi. Thk you. Dawn

[@chrisjef06120010]

I have issues like this with my TV. I was thinking of getting a 4G filter to pop on to the aerial lead.

[@davidmbell]

A year on has this improved things? Noticed sometimes if Gary and I use our o2 devices the tv can go blocky (but less with EE) so thought about getting one of these LTE filters.

[@reginaldshannon4220]

You should do a video on your ham gear you bring on holiday. I am a cb'er and have a base antenna set up at my static mobile home. Reg in Dublin

[@magshunt4392]

Hi Dan great to see you back.Our caravan has been in storage since September and we have went down today and tge battery is flat its quite a new one .Can you advise us please is this common and could the flat battery stop our alarm from working appreciate any help.

[@MrG.42]

How on earth will you find an aeroplane with a tow bar to attach your caravan to get you to Japan?

[@TheTrudgians]

everyone knows that answer... jeeeeze... You fit a paper aeroplane to the roof light, ergo you fly.... blimey... ;-)

[@brianharvey8675]

Yet another great video Dan. Do you think you might see an improvement if you don't have Mifi? Hope you eventually enjoy your holiday.

[@nicoladavies8555]

Hi Dan we’ve been having the same pixelating problems when away in our van was thinking of buying the notch filter our amplifier is a little different to your the White aerial wire goes into a tv output on the amplifier is this the cable the notch filter would go on the other cables are all black Thanks

[@ianwhite8317]

Hi Dan. I’m wondering if the cause of your tv reception issue is the closeness of the mifi unit to the aerial. I suspect if they are located as far away as possible in the caravan, the issue would go away without the need for extra equipment. It would ruin your extremely nice and neat. out of the way setup though! Regards, Ian.

[@TheTrudgians]

HI Ian, yes the MiFi is interfering with the TV, but not the antenna. the feeder(coax) and amplifier are the culprits. its easy for signals in close proximity to get into poor grade coax - adding the filters and chokes have cured that, but not just the Mifi, anything that may produce a strong interference will also get filtered out. For instance parking next to a WiFi antenna on site, or having to point the TV antenna in that general direction. Hope that helps Dan

[@joeduffy9431]

in reference to the MiFi what distance would it reach to as my in laws have their caravan next to ours around 10 meters

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Joe, 10m should be okay - but really depends on height and any physical obstruction- hope that helps.

[@TheBiffabacon5]

Thanks Dan another great video 👍 We purchased our first van last summer a 2006 alpine sprite and we have a tv that was given to us but so far I haven't been able to get a signal with live tv after two trips away last year. The tv has hdmi input so it is digital but I'm wondering if the Ariel on the roof is anolog and not receiving a signal, how can you tell the difference ?? Also for info there's no other interference to consider regarding other equipment 👍

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Phil, to be really clear the antenna you have will be able to receive analogue and digital signals. the aerial doesn't know the difference between the signal types. It will just receive them (on the correct frequency) its the TV that will decode any digital signal, and thats where the processing takes place. However, it maybe that an older antenna may not have enough gain to receive a signal in a rural setting, but to be honest, i would think it would work fine. Hope that helps

[@TheBiffabacon5]

@@TheTrudgians brilliant thanks Dan I'm sure we'll change the tv for a newer model at some point so hopefully we'll solve the issue, cheers 👍

[@ianpattinson6744]

Really handy video 👍

[@andrewmitchell9935]

My microwave is my problem. I've ordered one see if that will sort it. Cheers Dan.

[@TheTrudgians]

Microwave spurious RF should be easily choked off with clip on filters. Try close to tv amp and where coax comes in from antenna. It could also be interfering with the coax near to tv. Worth experimenting there too.

[@andrewmitchell9935]

Will be on it tomorrow going away on the 12th April. To Devon. Cheers 🍻

[@Harris_The_Cocker]

Brilliant timing, one of my projects once the winter cover comes off the van was to put my negear mifi in the same position that you did. Never gave a second thought to interference with the antenna.....well that’s my engineering degree in the bin! Still want to mount the mifi in the same place out of the way etc, will definitely take your advice regarding fitting a filter. Just a quick question about your netfear mifi, do you leave it charging via the USB port all the time and if so is the battery ok? Read some stuff on the net about the battery overheating if left on charge, one option being to run with the battery removed?

[@TheTrudgians]

Morning, well i have removed the battery and leave it plugged in all the time. When the caravan is switched on, the Mifi wakes up, and when i switch the van off at the end of the holiday, the MiFi goes off... so i never actually play or fiddle with the Mifi... removing the battery so far has worked really well. Hope that helps. Dan

[@Harris_The_Cocker]

@@TheTrudgians Hi Dan thanks for the quick response, battery out it is then ! Cheers and have a good weekend. Chris

[@Gixer750pilot]

DT goes international . Recon you’ll be huge in Japan mate

[@johneast7987]

Very informative Dan, A lot better than faffing around with ferrite rings! what's your callsign? What happened to the proposed mattress review? Regards John G0HIC

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi John, M0TGN this end Duvalay review coming v soon, now im back up and running.

[@M..R....]

Hi Dan , the notch filter you fitted had the brand NEDIS on it (8:58) but your eBay link to it is to a KONIG filter. Concerned these may not have the same frequency cut outs. Do you have the link to the Nedis notch filter you used in your video? Thanks

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Mark, the link is to the item i purchased - i am pretty sure they are all the same just branded by some random name.

[@caravaningincarathevan467]

I'm very interested in getting digital TV in cara. Thanks for all your advice x

[@TheTrudgians]

You're so welcome!

[@hywelmartin101]

Does the Avtex tv support netflix prime and disney at all ?

[@MrSnookerballs]

interesting, you say you were on holiday a few weeks ago but how as lockdown was still in place.

[@TheTrudgians]

Think about when this was filmed.

[@peterRobinson10101]

Says he spends 30minutes a day .... if true he should speak about 15 languages fluently by now.

[@bilbp41]

What is your call sign I’m also a radio ham Michael sign is 2E0AAI

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi David, My callsign is M0TGN - have a look at my other channel where i (did) create radio based content, kzbin.info_Channel Take care Dan

[@SeawolfGB]

Hi Dan. I have just put my WiFi unit in the same location so will get these just so we don't get caught out! Thanks for the very informative video as always! :)