As a die-hard 'camper' I used to frown upon fellow campers that were sat inside (usually in caravans) watching the soaps, whilst the sun was shining in the early evening. I still do... but have grown to realise that just sometimes, usually on a wet and windy evening, something other than the local paper or a book might not be a bad idea - if only to watch the weather forecast for the next few days!
I'm not keen to have a flip-down monitor in the van or a screen on a bracket that can be folded away. The route I chose to go down was to simply watch TV on the laptop. After-all, the laptop is nearly always with me, I can use it for checking emails, blogging on the go, editing photos etc.
A few months ago I picked up an
Elgato EyeTV DTT dongle. For a little under £60 it comes with an easy setup disk and a magnetic-mount aerial. Simply arrive on site, plug in and set the dongle to auto-tune - it usually finds between 20 and 50 free-to-view channels within a couple of minutes depending on whereabouts you are in the UK. There's also space to record programmes to the dongle for later viewing - just like a modern set-top-box.
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| The size of a small USB stick - the dongle takes up next to no space in the van |
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| Great results from such a tiny aerial, it even works inside the poptop |
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| An instant, pin-sharp, full screen picture |
Plus the whole thing is portable, can be hidden away and plays DVDs and music too. With the addition of an old iMac remote control I can change channel and adjust volume without getting out of bed! Whilst die-hard campers might scoff at the thought of never being away from the television, I feel this is the perfect half-way solution without having anything permanently fitted in the van.
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