Watch TV In A Car Or RV With A Converter

Snapshot:

• You can set up a DIGITAL TV CONVERTER BOX to watch digital TV channels on an analog TV in a car or RV.
  

• A simple car power inverter can be used to power any converter box, a TV, and other portable gadgets.

• Or there's a converter model that runs on car power and can be plugged into a car accessory jack. 

If you use a traditional ANALOG TV in your car or recreational vehicle (RV), or you have an ANALOG TV powered by the car or RV, there are several ways to connect a digital TV converter box and watch DIGITAL TV channels on the same TV set.  Each solution has different costs and benefits. 

As with any traditional analog TV, you will need a converter box to watch digital TV channels.  There is more information on purchasing a converter box and how to connect one to your TV on this website. 


Solution 1.  USE A "POWER INVERTER" IN THE CAR OR RV TO PROVIDE POWER TO A STANDARD CONVERTER BOX.

A power inverter is a device about the size of a fat paperback book that connects to a vehicle power system.  It changes car power (12 volts DC) to standard house power (120 volts AC). 
Inverters are rated by the size of the electrical load they can handle, which is measured in "watts."   For example, a 200 watt inverter can power one more more gadgets at the same time if their combined power requirement is less than 200 watts. The total "watts" of all the gadgets plugged into an inverter at the same time should not be greater than the number of watts the inverter is rated at. 

Since inverters produce standard house power, they can be used to power many gadgets one might take on a trip, including a small TV, any model of TV converter box, a video game, a DVD player, a laptop computer, a cellphone charger, or a radio. 

If the TV you are using already runs on car or RV power, and you only need an inverter to power a converter box, you can get a small inverter that handles 100 watts or less.  (Converter boxes use between 4 and 8 watts of power - very little).  Some small inverter models have the inverter built right onto the car power plug.  

To have more flexibility, we recommend that you get an inverter rated at 350 watts to 400 watts.  An inverter with this rating can power a medium-sized TV, plus a converter box or video game or DVD player.  It can also power home appliances if you have a house power failure.

Car power inverters can be purchased at auto supply stores, consumer electronics stores, and online. 

We have tried two models of inverters.  The first, a Xantrex 400 Plus, was available for online purchase at less than $35.  It comes with battery cables, so that if the gadgets you will power with it need more than 100 watts, the inverter power input cables can be connected directly to a car battery. And even though it has a cooling fan, it is very quiet when running. 

We also tried a Tripp-Lite PV-375, rated at 375 watts.  It's rugged and works well. It was priced at about $45 and has a noticeable fan noise when running.  It does not come with battery cables. 

Using an inverter to power a TV converter box. 

Using an inverter to power a converter box is simple.  The inverter is plugged into a car accessory outlet.  Then the converter box is plugged into the inverter.  The converter is connected to the TV using an antenna or line input as described in the converter instructions and on this website. 



















If several gadgets are being powered by the inverter, and the sum of their "watts" is greater than 100, then the inverter should be connected directly to the vehicle battery or the car or RV power system, and not be plugged into an accessory outlet. (This is because most vehicle accessory outlets are not designed to provide more than 100 watts of power.  If more than 100 watts are used, a fuse in the accessory outlet circuit may blow.) 

For temporary use, the inverter can be connected to the vehicle battery terminals (be careful to connect the positive [red] cable to the positive battery terminal, and the negative [black] cable to a clean "ground" on the vehicle metal frame, or to the negative battery terminal).  If the inverter is being permanently installed in the car or RV, it can be wired into the vehicle wiring with heavy gauge wire.

When any appliances are running on an inverter, they are discharging the vehicle battery if the engine is not running.  Most inverters will sound an alarm and turn themselves off if they sense that the battery voltage has gotten too low.  You should not depend on the cutoff to protect the battery charge. Monitor the battery voltage to make sure it does not get too low to start the engine. You many need to run the engine occasionally to recharge the battery if you use the inverter for a long period. 

When the engine is running, it keeps the battery charged and compensates for power used by the inverter.


Solution 2.  USE A 12 VOLT CONVERTER BOX POWERED BY CAR POWER.

With this solution, you purchase a converter box that runs on 12 volts DC, which is the same as car power, and plug it into a car accessory plug.  You might choose this solution if you have a TV that runs on 12 volts DC, and you don't want to buy an inverter. 

After researching many converter box models, we found a converter box that runs on 12 volts DC: the ARTEC Model T3A Pro.  It is also very small and sleek, and it has buttons for channel change and volume on the converter itself, which is convenient, especially for operating a converter box in a car.  We bought this model from an online store and used a $40 converter coupon, so the total cost including shipping was less than $25.  There may be other models of converter boxes that run on 12 volts.

The ARTEC T3A Pro converter comes with an external power adapter that has 12 volts DC output.  This is how it is normally powered in a house.  To power it in a car, we purchased a Radio Shack model 270-1533 car power adapter cord for under $10.  One end of this cord has a car power plug, and the other end has an "M-size" plug which fits the ARTEC converter box power input. 

Using the TV converter box on car power. 

This is simple.  The 12 volt DC car power adapter cord is plugged into a vehicle accessory jack, and the other end is plugged into the converter box.  The converter box is connected to the TV using an antenna or line input as described in the converter instructions and on this website.  After that, the converter box will work normally.



















You can control the ARTEC converter box with its remote control, or use the buttons on top of it to change volume and channels.    

If you need two car accessory outlets for the TV and the converter box, and only one accessory outlet is available, you can purchase, for about $8, a Radio Shack model 270-1535 "Y" adapter which has one plug and two outlets. 


Solution 3.  BUY A DIGITAL TV THAT CAN RUN ON A BATTERY OR A CAR POWER ADAPTER.

There are small digital TV models now available which run on batteries, and which can also be run on car power.  These include the AccurianTM Model 16-454, sold by Radio Shack and listed at $200, and a new model just announced (9/08) by EPOQ Multimedia, the EPT-LC7AT.  As U.S. broadcasting becomes all-digital, more portable digital TV models will become available.








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CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.