We mainly use CL's which we much prefer to all singing all dancing sites. But we do struggle to get reasonable tv reception on some. We've tried all sorts, the built in roof aerials, indoor aerials, masted aerials and even a free sat dish. Even with help from Freeview and satellite apps we can't seem to get good, reliable reception. So, whats all this I hear about Wi-Fi boosters, hot spots and streaming devices?? 🤔 I'm the first to admit I am a total dunce with most technology. But if anyone out there can at least point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful.
Plenty of threads on this question of how to watch tv on site, if you search. I guess it partly depends how much tv you want to watch per day & whether you want to watch on a conventional tv & whether you have Sky etc at home. Sounds like you’ve tried all the gear.
We don’t watch much tv & find we can tether the iPad to my iPhone, as my monthly Vodafone data allowance is enough for the occasional program - but not 6 hours a day, every day. Someone I know has sky at home & uses SkyGo app when he’s away - but on an iPad not tv & I assume he uses mobile data.
There’ll be other thoughts coming soon. And search the forum: you’re not the first to ask this or a very similar question.
The quality of TV reception (or lack of!) varies enormously from site to site AND depends on your TV aerial type.
Firstly, there are two types of terrestrial TV transmitter, one does ALL the channels and mostly found in high population areas, the other is a 'Public Service' (aka Freeview light/lite) transmitter which only broadcasts a limited range of channels, as a kind of relay transmitter covering remote and local poor reception areas. Explanation here: https://www.smartaerials.co.uk/blog/what-is-freeview-lite-light
Then there is your caravan TV aerial, the Omnidirectional types are fairly notorious for poor reception. The Directional ones (where you have to rotate the head and orientate V or H) are generally much better. Quite common to find people on site with Directional aerials getting a good signal, whilst Omnidirectional ones struggle or fail totally! Not sure about an ordinary aerial on a pole, alignment can be quite critical, but the Directional caravan aerials are pretty good, with flexibility on alignment, and usually with a signal amplifier fitted as standard.
Signals are line of sight to transmitter, so obstacles, be they heavy tree cover or buildings, pylons etc. can interfere. Many larger sites have a TV Aerial outlet on the EHU Bollard to overcome these problems.
I've been all over the country, and some fairly remote places, yet never failed to pick up a signal (with my Directional aerial), albeit with some channels a bit weak, on one site in the Lake District which was deep in a wood particularly.
I also take a Satellite dish/receiver which is great IF you can get a totally unhindered clear view of the right bit of sky to aim dish at the satellite, but that's not always possible. I don't do Sky, only Freesat.
As to streaming services! Personally I find a lot of sites I've visited have poor or no mobile phone coverage, so that kills any chance of streaming! People have spent a lot of money on high end kit which is much better than a phone at receiving a signal, only to find, you can't amplify what's not there - if there is NO coverage, you cant receive it, no matter how fancy your kit! The other issue is that there is enormous variation with which provider has or doesn't have coverage in any given area, so you may need the right network SIM to get coverage wherever you area. That may translate as a SIM from ALL the networks to be sure! I've found the signal coverage maps published by the networks to be a tad optimistic - may hold more true with high end gear, but not necessarily with an ordinary phone!
Site Wi-Fi is often pretty poor, either not up to the high data demand, or poor coverage in parts of the site. The likes of CAMC paid for high data service is expensive for what you get! Data SIMS are far better value if you can find the right network for your location.
I think the view to take is, that all options, Aerial, Sat Dish, Streaming may give you the best chance of receiving TV in some form, and the more options you have the better your chances, BUT you may just have to accept it's also not available in any form in some areas/sites.
Personally I just accept that TV may be limited where I'm going, and live with it. I have a few DVDs and recordings to memory stick that provide some 'TV' if I feel the need, otherwise I read books and magazines. TBF, I don't find much on TV these days that I want to watch at home anyway where full Freeview and Freesat coverage is available! In some ways, the peace, quiet and tranquillity of many sites is something to embrace, listen to the birdsong rather than the dross pumped out across the airwaves! I have no trouble 'disconnecting' from so called civilisation, no phone, no TV is not a problem to me! Very personal view of course.
Before you spend lots of money make sure that all the coaxial plugs and sockets are correctly wired with no stray bits of the outer sheathing anywhere.
DaveS1
If you are on the Kent London border while at home your TV aerial will be targeted at Crystal Palace or Wrotham transmiters.These are both quite powerful.
How good can you tune in you TV in your caravan at home.
You seem to have replaced your aerial quite freqently, is there a fault with your TV set, your Freeview digibox or your coaxial cable.
A short circuit in an old coaxial cable, eg sabertage by putting a pin through it will burn out your Freeview digibox and kill the reciever on your tv. They may show no signs of damage, lights will come on etc.
Run mains power to your caravan at home at replace devices one at a time with ones from home you know to be good.
If you need to replace a faulty device try August Brand from Daffodil: https://idaffodil.co.uk/collections/portable-freeview-televisions
before you go camping download a copy of the TV Transmitter map: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/coverage-and-transmitters/tv-transmitter-maps
Use a compass to point your aerial in the right direction.
If you have not yet got one, buy a signal strength meter, a cheap one from fleabay or amazon would be sufficient, so that you can rotate your aerial for the best signal strength.
We have downloaded an app to our phones called “Antenna Finder” which is great for making sure your ariel is pointed in the right direction. You turn it on and it asks you to enter a location or allow it to use your GPS. I choose GPS and it pinpoints where I am and gives me a list of transmitters to choose from along with their strength and distance from where you are. You choose what looks like the best transmitter from the list and tap on it. The App then tells you exactly where to point your ariel and whether it needs to be vertical or horizontal. I then tune the TV and check the picture. If it doesn’t look great, I go back to the app and choose a different transmitter and align to where the App tells me to point it and then retune again. I usually get a good signal with the first transmitter I try but occasionally, I have to try a different one.
We also have a 4g cat 6 router in the caravan which we pop a SIM card in and connect our Firestick to so we can stream TV if we want. This works well as long as there is a decent 4G signal in the area. Sometimes, some networks have a good signal and others don’t so it can be hit or miss whether you will get a signal unless you have a couple of different SIM cards to try. I wrote a message in this post (click here) which explains more about how we use the internet in the caravan to watch TV.
I should also say, check that all your connections are in the right place. A few years ago we were on a site in Somerset and we could see the TV transmitter on a hill a short distance from the site. We pointed the aerial directly at it and tuned the tv but we were getting a rubbish picture. This was driving me crazy as I knew we should be getting a super picture as we had direct line of sight to the transmitter. It was only at the end of the holiday when I was packing the TV away that I noticed my husband had plugged the co axial cable from the TV into the satellite output socket rather than the roof aerial socket!
Thank you all for your help and advice. It's so nice to be able to press a few buttons and people you've never met can't wait to help. In these days of selfishness, it's a real treat. Ive downloaded an app called Freepoint TV. Excellent. It has best options to tune in on over 7000 caravan sites. I'm now enjoying getting a decent signal. Pity there's not much worth watching. As Monty15(who has been so helpful to me recently with an Alko lock problem, which was down to my stupidity, which he was kind enough not to mention) says, not getting a signal is not the end of the world. Wise words. Except Monty, listening to the birds in the hawthorn hedges a yard away from my bedroom window in the morning is not conducive to sleep!! Thanks again everyone. I can fall asleep watching the snooker tonight!!!
Thanks bazlam.
I have not found a Freepoint tv app in the App store for iPhones, so it must be the website called FreePointUK. It has a caravan logo, bit of a clue…
I hope you can find your snooker in remote places now.
If you have a problem you can't solve which someone else with different life experiences solves in passing doesn't mean you are stupid. You now know the answer to this problem and can choose to either lord it over the next "stupid" person who gets it or to make a friend by sharing the solution.
Enjoy your TV wherever you may be!
Maybe this discussion has helped others.
Quote: Originally posted by Bramston on 04/5/2025
If you have a problem you can't solve which someone else with different life experiences solves in passing doesn't mean you are stupid. You now know the answer to this problem and can choose to either lord it over the next "stupid" person who gets it or to make a friend by sharing the solution.
Enjoy your TV wherever you may be!
Maybe this discussion has helped others.
I think that's where UKCS is head and shoulders above most social media and even dedicated forums. Shared, and sharing, knowledge without judgement is so much healthier for all than adopting an aloof stance and criticising those who are finding their way as novices or baffled by a problem.
I have Just returned from France, where the campsite did not have Wifi, so I just Streamed TV through my tablet tethered to my Phone.
I am a person, where I need to have TV on in the background (with headphones so not to disturb the wife)
I was Streaming "Doctor Who" through the night from 11pm to 8am used about 7.5Gb of Data a night. There might have been a little bit of Facebook browsing and news updates, going on at the same time.
As a rule of thumb, I was using just under 850 Mb an hour of Data whilst streaming, So Keeping in simple for Worst Case Scenario, I plan for consumption of 1Gb an hour.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Fed up with poor tv signal.
via mobile 02/5/2025 at 9:16pm
