and more... Portable TV's

[Ken Bayard]

I love my 42" plasma TV... I don't think it would make a good chase tool, all though the idea is intriguing!

I wondered what you guys use for a portable TV, if you don't, thats fine too, then this question is for those who do.

I was clicking through ebay and saw tons of no name tv's and tons of expensive brand names, what do you have?

Also, I noticed how sensitive my antenna is on my house, how well do these things work on the road? Yes mobile, not that I will watch TV while driving, but if I were to leave it on for a source of reports or if I have a co-pilot.

Thanks

Ken

 

[Skip Talbot]

Will you have a laptop? How about a TV tuner:
http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQrQQwAA

Just curious, how are you going to use it as a chase tool? You mentioned reports, you mean from the local news stations?

 

[Bart_Comstock]

TV's have little use while chasing. If you want reports from the local TV stations you can usually listen into their coverage on a radio station that they are simulcasting through.

The only time a TV wold be handy are on those days you bust and have nothing else better to do than watch TV while on the side of the road or during a hurricane if you are just curious what the coverage looks like.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I used some unheard of brand portable tv back in the day. It is an ok option to get radar updates and such, but you have to be in area where you can pick it up. If you can pick a station up it is great, but I rarely saw anything but static. I have no idea how it works now since the digital transition though.


If you are trying to save money you are better off sticking to radio updates. They are alot more reliable. If you really want radar, tethering through your cell phone I believe is still the cheapest option for internet.

 

[Lou Ruh]

I do have a small flat screen TV installed in my chase vehicle (actually two). They are usually used as the computer monitors, but, when I use them as TVs, they work OK. But, digital TV while moving is dodgy (assuming you are in range of a station ... the picture would likely break up a lot as you travel), so, not usually a reliable chase tool. Sitting still, they work fine, but, not something I would rely on while chasing.

 

[Shane Adams]

I used your basic black-n-white 13-in TV, which doubled as a monitor for my vidcam (flip of a switch). Although it's not a "sexy" piece of equipment these days, it's as useful as anything when it comes to local TV weather. If you're in range, it's as fast as any computer for a 1/10th of the cost.

I know it's been said on this topic that portable TVs are worthless for chasing, but they've saved the day for me in years past; a live weather break-in alerted us to a new tornadic storm we couldn't see visually during the 5-4-01 OK grungefest (which eventually led to two tornadoes), and I used local weather coverage radar to safely punch the core of the Happy, TX storm on 5-5-02 while not having a visual on the tornado in progress.

I think it's more a case of "needing the latest/greatest equip" than it is portable TVs being useless. Today's chasers don't think beyond the computer age; there were helpful items back in the days when chasers looked out windows instead of staring at laptops.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

TV's have little use while chasing. If you want reports from the local TV stations you can usually listen into their coverage on a radio station that they are simulcasting through.

The only time a TV wold be handy are on those days you bust and have nothing else better to do than watch TV while on the side of the road or during a hurricane if you are just curious what the coverage looks like.

I agree, I have a TV tuner for my laptop and I've yet to find it useful during storm chasing. I would much rather listen to the wall-to-wall coverage on radio.

 

[Bill Hark]

I have had a small LCD TV since I started chasing back in the late 90's and it was occasionally useful if I was near a city. Local stations during severe weather outbreaks would often show radar images. Of course, there was usually better coverage in the Plains than in Virginia. It did help me on a couple of occasions. Since the TV was small, it wasn't difficult to keep for those rare times. I used it less once I obtained a laptop and WX-WORX. I also used the portable TV when bored or to check out severe weather coverage while on the road after an event (while parked!). The TV is now worthless after the change to digital. I haven't tried a portable TV that receives digital signals but I have heard that they are much less tolerant of poor signals and have a much lower range away from the broadcast signal.

Bill Hark

 

[Wes Carter]

FWIW, we used to be able to pick up television stations out of Nashville, TN and Huntsville, AL before the change to digital. All that was needed was an antenna in the attic. Now we can't pick up anything. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut it's a similar story out in the Plains. That is unless the FCC has allowed them to boost their signal to compensate because the towns are further apart and there is less chance of interference.

 

[mikegeukes]

Years ago, I used a portable 13" TV with a AC/DC adapter and
a boomerang antenna. Back then, internet was not popular,
the occasional library might have internet, it was somewhat
useful chasing the gunge, low visibility storms in the Great Lakes.
Would be nice to see a updated radar image.

Some TV stations came in better than others, depending on the
power output and height of the transmitters. TV stations are
usually located in larger cities. The closer you were to the
transmitter the better the reception. Reception was okay out
to 30 miles if I remember right, a change in direction while
driving you would sometimes get lousy reception. The farther
away from the transmitter, the worst the reception got.

The biggest problem, is the TV took up a lot of space in the
car, and it was a pain in the butt taking the TV in and out of
the car, when staying in a motel.

I can really see no use for a TV these days, kinda like the days
when people had portable satellite dishes, there is no use for those
these days. Have no idea what a portable TV would do these days,
since everything is digital.

Mike
Lansing, MI

I added more weather sites: http://mikegeukesweather.blogspot.com

 

[John A. Sellers]

I have a 19 inch tv in my chase truck. When we were in the Texas panhandle area they had the NWS radar and info on one of the channels and was helpful to us,also have a camera that records on the tvs buildt in vcr.

 

[Jason Foster]

Just a personal opinion:

K.I.S.S. = leave the TV at home. There is so much better sources for info, and if you are bored...take in the local nature or other attraction. I'm never bored because I find it fun to talk with locals and learn as much as I can about the area in which I chase in. Plus, watching TV is just another activity sitting on my butt...when I get restless after sitting for weeks on end in a vehicle.