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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 08:59am - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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My cabin is off grid, I do not have a TV connection, but use one for movies. I have no internet. But the cell service is plenty strong with my elevation to have a wireless internet. I am only now 1/4 mile from power and will hook up eventually when it comes by or I pay for it to come by. I do plan on building a home there where I will reside after retirement. I like internet. To town and back in a 50 mile round trip, so small items, get ordered online. One trip to town a month to load up the pantry by buying in bulk.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 09:38am
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No TV. We bought one to put in but we decided, after seeing the kids do so much better without it, that we didn't want it.
I do bring my laptop so the wife and I can watch some if we desire, but mostly she reads and I tinker.
Once when it rained all weekend I did make some popcorn and we all huddled around the laptop by the fire. But not having a permenant fixture is really great.
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Kithera
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 09:58am
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Quoting: Anonymous I'm in my 30s, grown up on tv, internet, and nintendo. Silly as it all sounds I don't think I would really want to leave these things behind. I enjoy going to the lake and the variety of projects that keep my busy. Currently have a tenant in a mobile home (this is a grid tied cabin) so we have satellite. When the time comes to move off grid (and to a different more remote property) I plan on having a satellite for internet.
I can appreciate that, being in the same age category. I may not have cable tv, but a good laptop and a good arcade controller will always be part of my cabin plans. A few things I noticed. Internet via satellite may be the best option, but it seems to be overall slow and expensive. I would really like to see how well netflix runs on such a service. I do know that any form of online gaming is completely out the window due to the 2 second plus round trip.
Don't give up on a cell connection, especially with some booster/repeater equipment. At least in the US, this seems to be a much better option that I previously thought.
Also, and I can't stress this enough, use your local library. They usually have a massive selection of all kinds of media, and will participate in the interlibrary loan program to get anything you could want that they don't have.
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ShabinNo5
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:09am
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We are currently off-grid and would like to have the ability to watch the local news and occasionally a football game. However with the switch to digital TV, our location is now out of range and we cannot justify the cost of DirectTV.
One of the un-expected bonuses of our property is having a strong 3G cell signal. This has allowed me to connect on the internet with a WIFI device. In my case this was great news. My job requires me to monitor systems 24/7 every third week. Before the 3G signal became available I had to park in front of one of the local Hotels or restaurants if an issue arose.
Next summer I expect that we will take advantage of using the 3G signal to periodically download shows or movies for our granddaughter. This past summer we rented DVD's from a local convenience store, which resulted in a significant cost after we realized that we forgot to return the DVD's before heading home 
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razmichael
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:21am
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No interest in TV at the cabin but originally we had no cell signal at all which I was not comfortable from a safety point of view. This summer there must have been a tower change because, if I had my cell phone in a few specific locations I could get one or two bars and occasionally could even get an email or two. This was enough to encourage me to put together a cell signal booster/amplifier system so I can now get a strong voice and data signal. The purpose is not to be constantly checking email or surfing (either directly on the phone or tethered to a laptop) but to allow me to spend more time at the cabin or come up even when I know I have some work I need to do that needs internet. I go up there to get away but this is not always possible as, similar to a number of posters, my job does not always allow me to go completely off grid. As far as tv, movies, electronic games etc our personal feeling is to keep these things at home. The cabin is for swimming, canoeing, hiking, playing in the sand, reading ... The kids know full well never to say "I'm bored"! Works for us - not for everyone I know.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:23am
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i dont want any of this.of course i would miss breaking aimish or extreme cheapskates tv shows-not!i just want us to work out there together.read and write and for gar to have a manual typewriter...
But I know he has other plans.thats fine too.
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kdrtk
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:34am
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I am off grid with solar, and was against the TV for several yrs, but my grown boys always mentioned it. This yr I bit the bullet and got a NAXA 24 inch 12 volt LED TV with dvd player. I must say now I enjoy it to, and watched the entire Ken Burns Civil War set of DVD's over the course of a few weeks recently. O, and I put in a $40 external TV antenna and get 2 local channels so I can watch the news/weather too.
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bobbotron
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:54am
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I would love to have the internet at my place. I can work from home from time to time. Working from cabin would be just about the best thing ever as far as work goes. The options I have for net are a bit expensive, maybe I'll go for it next Summer.
As for TV, we don't even have a TV at home, we watch some shows on the laptop...
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justincasei812
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 11:28am
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Our cabin is ran off of a generator so TV is limited to when the generator is on the TV can be used. I have bought/ returned more than a couple of antenna's to see which one would work the best. Finally a small outside antenna has found it's home. I now get five channels (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, & PBS) all within fifty miles of our location. That is all we need, I was just looking for a little "live" TV and some news when we are out there for extended periods of time. I would like to figure out how long a deep cycle battery and inverter would last on a LCD TV so I don't have to run the generator at night just to watch the boob tube. I love the quiet and cringe when the genny starts or runs just to watch TV. Winter time it is dark by 6pm so the time spent inside is long and well TV just gives a little more of a convience to being there. Smart phones are our wireless but in time if electric finds it way closer to the cabin I would like to put in some sort of wireless capabilities.
Kevin
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Kithera
Member
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 11:44am - Edited by: Kithera
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Quoting: justincasei812 I would like to figure out how long a deep cycle battery and inverter would last on a LCD TV
A rough guess would be that your TV and a simple inverter to should eat about 3.5 amps at 12V. A typical deep cycle battery should never be discharged more than 50% and has about 100-125 Amp Hours of capacity. That should give you a total of 28 to 35 hours of TV between charges.
You can verify it all with a simple multimeter.
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creeky
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 12:35pm
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depends on how big your tv is.  . my tv eats 110 watts/hr. 200 if I'm running the blueray player. 240 if it's a streamed netflix movie.
I live offgrid and work for clients in the big cities. I have tv (OTA-12-14 channels depending on the weather. winegard amplified antenna.), a blueray player and satellite internet with a phone 3g backup.
hardly watch it in the summer. but when the wind is cold and the skies are black... plus it drowns out the sound of the genny. 
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justincasei812
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 12:48pm
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Thank you both Kithera & Creeky.
I knew that it would vary a bit depending on the TV. The good (if you call it good) part is that the genny does have to run so when it is running it can charge the battery and it would be very nice to just have the TV on late at night. The girlfriend likes to watch TV before bed too so that would be a plus even if it's for a couple of hours a night, the battery should last the weekend and we would not have to wake up and turn off the genny either. My biggest complaint is the waste of gas for just TV. We have a remote on the genny but we still have to go to the front window to turn it off and it is temperamental to say the least.
Kevin
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Kithera
Member
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 12:51pm
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150 watts for a streamed movie seems awfully high. Devices like an Apple TV, Roku or a Boxee should give you all the smart TV options you like, and eat about 3 watts! 3 is much less than 150.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 01:11pm
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Over the air TV via an antenna that is about 25 above grade. We get 9 channels we might watch, something like another half dozen we have no interest in at all. We have a pre amp booster that helped us get 2 of the channels we wanted with greater reliability. The only reason we get anything at all is our elevation. People nearby and lower need satellite.
We could have internet but have not spent the money for cell data service. We do have a basic cell phone that works well once on site, but no service on most of the drive up. Again, it's an altitude thing that blesses us; and a neaby cell tower that leaks enough signal our way.
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 01:52pm
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no internet available in my price range (what i can get costs more than its worth so i only access in town)
tv yes, i got a tv antenna on a tower and a small tv, i pick up about 15 channels but 4 are in french (good stuff late at night)
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 04:25pm
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Nope don't want that outside interference.The only radio we listen to is the marine radio for the forecast. We're on island time.
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Borrego
Member
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2012 10:11pm
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Quoting: Anonymous Not in the forseeable future. We get away to get away... There is no cell service, no radio reception, no nuthin' There is the ability to have it, so maybe one day we will, but not now.
Me too!
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skootamataschmidty
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2012 01:19pm
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I am off grid and have no tv or internet and no desire for it! We take a small portable DVD player along to watch movies on rainy days and we enjoy having a radio once in a while. My cell phone gets reception if I hold it on a certain angle in one of my windows. This allows me to keep in touch with texts and emails when I am up for an extended period of time by myself. My wife has a different service provider and her blackberry is pretty much useless at the cabin.
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