how to set up a tv at a tailgate?

Submitted by Helloheisman on
I wanted to gather some info on how I can set up a tv w/ a satellite for tailgating... Ie what type of battery do I use? Hooking up an inverter to the battery or any best practices anyone has? Thanks in advance

Fhshockey112002

July 25th, 2011 at 6:41 PM ^

Depending on your vehicle I have always found bringing a small generator along is the best option.  They are reliable, and are easier to set up than anything else I have looked into.  Usually you can find a "cheaper" on on sale if you do it before tailgate season, and can fit in the back of a SUV or Pickup.

Srock

July 25th, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^

We use a 2000 watt generator and that works very well for our TV, stereo, crock pot, charging cell phones, etc. Pretty much handles everything.

Are you going HD dish or just regular? The HD dish is a bit harder to align - you need to find 3 angles to get it perfectly, tilt, elevation and azimuth. I found a great $200 stand that works perfectly for my direct TV HD dish. I get it set up in minutes at every tailgate (as I live in Chicago and go to all games) so I am always re-setting all three. I would check out this website and order this stand: http://delsand.com/. If you are going from game to game (or even a different parking spot each game), you will want to eliminate the head aches. 

Come find us in the Blue Lot if you want to see this in action (UM Flag, City of Chicago Flag, State of Hawaii Flag).

Go Blue!

 

jcgary

July 25th, 2011 at 7:47 PM ^

Here is what we did for the past 3 seasons:

2 Marine batteries linked together with an inverter hooked up.  This powered a 26" tv & the satellite box/dish for around 12 hours.  We didn't allow anything else to be plugged into the inverter.  It was a great set up and then we charged them after each use.  

This year we are going to a generator due to people wanting to plug in music and other cooking devices.  But the 2 marine batteries worked great and was quiet.  If you go this route and you want to use a larger TV maybe linking up 3 batteries might last longer.  Our buddy that figured all this out is an engineer and he did the math on everything to know what we could use for how long.  

Good Luck!

GoBlueMAGNUS

July 25th, 2011 at 11:15 PM ^

Anyone have a good technique for dish pointing? I have a heck of a time trying to get it zeroed in when I parked at AAGOC last year. I only was successful one time (little bro game). I've tried using the dish pointer app as well as the compass to no avail.