Emergency Portable Television

[majorloser]

I'm looking for a small digital television for use during hurricane season. The set will be a Christmas gift for my mother. It needs to run on batteries and have a decent battery life. I would prefer something that can operate on normal alkaline batteries just for convenience of obtaining replacements. I have looked at some of the small LCD sets, but I haven't found one that really fits the bill. The rechargable units with lithium batteries don't have the greatest run time and would require recharging. Not very easy to do when there's no power.

Any suggestions?

 

[majorloser]

Nobody?

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[Adam]

Sorry, Dave. I looked around a bit for you, but nothing really caught my attention. What came to mind was a system that used rechargeable batteries and a hand crank. However, I don't know if that's a good choice for your mom, and the one that I saw had (I think) an NTSC tuner.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm looking for a small digital television for use during hurricane season. The set will be a Christmas gift for my mother. It needs to run on batteries and have a decent battery life. I would prefer something that can operate on normal alkaline batteries just for convenience of obtaining replacements. I have looked at some of the small LCD sets, but I haven't found one that really fits the bill. The rechargable units with lithium batteries don't have the greatest run time and would require recharging. Not very easy to do when there's no power.

Any suggestions?

I think you are asking a lot to run even a small color digital TV on dry cell alkaline batteries. I would think it would need a Lithium battery to run for any decent length of time, unless you had a big pile of batteries handy.

 

[highfigh]

I would consider something like this, too:
http://www.thereadystore.com/deluxe-dynamo-and-solar-powered-multiband-radio

The thing about TV is that it would need a working broadcast antenna, which can't be guaranteed in a hurricane zone or where tornadoes are common. That's why I'd get a radio. If the broadcast isn't going to be disrupted but power will, I would get a DC powered LCD TV, a sealed car battery and a solar charger. If she's not mobile, the solar panel could be set up on the South side and if she is but couldn't carry the battery, a cooler on wheels could be an option, with a grommet to allow the wires to come out, or a cigarette lighter jack to plug the TV into it. If AC is needed, a small inverter would be a good idea.

 

[MidnightSensi]

Is there a Bass Pro Shops by you?

I got one there. It runs on D cells for a really long time, its small but works well. It's brandless haha. TV and radio.

We should start a thread about our hurricane kits. I got a whole closet full of stuff. I'd probably get some good ideas off you guys

 

[majorloser]

I think you are asking a lot to run even a small color digital TV on dry cell alkaline batteries. I would think it would need a Lithium battery to run for any decent length of time, unless you had a big pile of batteries handy.

But then you run into the same problem Clint had with the unit he reviewed:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/eviant-t7-portable-7-lcd-tv

The Eviant T7 7" LCD Portable Television is a product that has several unique properties. Its included Lithium-ion battery sets it apart from many of the other products on the market. Though this takes it out of running as a "hurricane TV", it does place it squarely in line with the multimedia products dominating the market today. It's rechargeable battery is perfect for RV camping trips, short jaunts about town, picnics, or other trips where a 2 hour charge will allow for plenty of viewing time – or where replenishing the battery isn't particularly troublesome.

The lithium batteries only gave 2.5 hours of life before the need to recharge. Not a very easy thing to do when the power is down for days, not hours. Though alkaline batteries may not have the life of the lithium, they are cheap and easy to store around the house.

 

[TLS Guy]

But then you run into the same problem Clint had with the unit he reviewed:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/eviant-t7-portable-7-lcd-tv



The lithium batteries only gave 2.5 hours of life before the need to recharge. Not a very easy thing to do when the power is down for days, not hours. Though alkaline batteries may not have the life of the lithium, they are cheap and easy to store around the house.

You are up against the limits of technology. If the run time is around 2 hours with a Lithium battery, then alkaline batteries will run a 7" color TV for about five to 10 minutes. That is not useful either.

The real answer to staying in touch and making life easy after things like hurricanes and ice storms is a generator. With the lithium battery TV and a small portable generator you would be reasonably set.

 

[Adam]

To me, it sounds like you basically want a way to generate power. Generators that turn physical motion into electricity (such as hand-cranks) are one option. Solar power (as mentioned by highfigh) is another option, although that would be non-ideal if it's overcast due to stormy weather or at night. I also like highfigh's suggestion of a car battery, especially if she's going to be stationary at her house.

Heck, if she's going to be at her house, have you considered a gas-powered generator? You mentioned that it must run on batteries, but maybe that's a constraint that you can lift?

 

[majorloser]

Is there a Bass Pro Shops by you?

I got one there. It runs on D cells for a really long time, its small but works well. It's brandless haha. TV and radio.

We should start a thread about our hurricane kits. I got a whole closet full of stuff. I'd probably get some good ideas off you guys

There's a Bass Pro in Orlando or I can always hit the one in Dania when I'm down there visiting. I'll check it out, though I hate driving to either place this time of year.

I bought everybody in my family a Freeplay radio a few years back. They are some of the best on the market.
http://www.freeplayenergy.com/

 

[majorloser]

To me, it sounds like you basically want a way to generate power. Generators that turn physical motion into electricity (such as hand-cranks) are one option. Solar power (as mentioned by highfigh) is another option, although that would be non-ideal if it's overcast due to stormy weather or at night. I also like highfigh's suggestion of a car battery, especially if she's going to be stationary at her house.

Heck, if she's going to be at her house, have you considered a gas-powered generator? You mentioned that it must run on batteries, but maybe that's a constraint that you can lift?

You guys are overthinking this. We're talking a 70+ year old lady who lives in a condo. She just needs a portable TV to replace the current analog portable tube set she has. It's either that or a battery powered digital tuner.

Television broadcasts have been very reliable during and after the storms. But the electrical company (FPL) is about worthless. I can tell you from personal experience, a portable generator is also impractical when you have to find more gas. I rationed myself to 8 or 10 hours run per day. That still used about 5 gallons of gas per day. I'll store about 50 gallons prior to the storm, but some has to be save for the car/truck. The gas stations also had no power and no phone lines. So that meant no computers for them to use their registers and credit card machines. It also meant they couldn't pump gas. Many people had to travel half way across the state just to find a gas station that was open and actually had fuel on-hand.

But seriously, do you think a +70 year old woman who is 4' 10" and maybe 120 lbs soaking wet is going to want to deal with any of that stuff? Not on your life. Save your breath about how she needs to go somewhere else during a storm, she stays at my sister's home during the storm. But it's not just hurricanes that knock the power out for long periods of time here.

Just consider the new set a "security blanket" for an old woman. She just needs to know she can turn on a TV and hear the local weather guy rant about how "We're all gonna die."

 

[majorloser]

You are up against the limits of technology. If the run time is around 2 hours with a Lithium battery, then alkaline batteries will run a 7" color TV for about five to 10 minutes. That is not useful either.

The real answer to staying in touch and making life easy after things like hurricanes and ice storms is a generator. With the lithium battery TV and a small portable generator you would be reasonably set.

You have to remember that the previous generation of portable sets were tubes. They were much larger, so they had plenty of room for D cells. Today they try to make these super compact LCD sets so they have to use very small lithium packs. In this case the runtime is really a factor of the battery cell size, not the type of cell.

Maybe I'll just buy her a big UPS and teach her how to turn it "on" and "off". Or maybe I'll just make her an 8-pack D cell battery holder that will provide an external 12V source for the LCD. It would be a lot easier.

 

[Rickster71]

Dave, I have an idea, but it's not pretty.
A sealed gel cell car battery hooked to an inverter, with the battery charged by a trickle charger like a Battery Tender.
You could make a box for the battery and charger, so it could hide behind the couch.

 

[majorloser]

Dave, I have an idea, but it's not pretty.
A sealed gel cell car battery hooked to an inverter, with the battery charged by a trickle charger like a Battery Tender.
You could make a box for the battery and charger, so it could hide behind the couch.

Somehow I don't think that's what mom asked me to buy her for Christmas, but it is a good idea. Been thinking about doing something like that at home with a solar panel to run some 12V LED lighting.

 

[Rickster71]

Somehow I don't think that's what mom asked me to buy her for Christmas, but it is a good idea. Been thinking about doing something like that at home with a solar panel to run some 12V LED lighting.

I posted that before I saw your UPS post / idea; your idea is much better.

What? The car battery wouldn't make a great stocking stuffer?

 

[Adam]

You guys are overthinking this. We're talking a 70+ year old lady who lives in a condo.

Well, now - you never mentioned that before.

I did figure that she was older, hence me not recommending the hand-cranked unit after your first post. After you posted the cricket, I thought that I'd chime in.

 

[majorloser]

I gave her a nice digital picture frame last year and some SD cards that came with a USB reader. I figured she could have my sisters add pictures of her grandchildren every time she visits their homes. But she just can't figure it out.

She is very technology impaired.

 

[Rickster71]

I gave her a nice digital picture frame last year and some SD cards that came with a USB reader. I figured she could have my sisters add pictures of her grandchildren every time she visits their homes. But she just can't figure it out.

She is very technology impaired.

Oh....so she doesn't have a car battery yet.

She sounds more and more like a woman that could a nice simple car battery; no moving parts.

 

[highfigh]

To me, it sounds like you basically want a way to generate power. Generators that turn physical motion into electricity (such as hand-cranks) are one option. Solar power (as mentioned by highfigh) is another option, although that would be non-ideal if it's overcast due to stormy weather or at night. I also like highfigh's suggestion of a car battery, especially if she's going to be stationary at her house.

Heck, if she's going to be at her house, have you considered a gas-powered generator? You mentioned that it must run on batteries, but maybe that's a constraint that you can lift?

Even if it's overcast, a solar cell will provide some current. It's better than nothing and Harbor Freight sells some panels that aren't terribly expensive. The large one is about 50W and with two of them, it would probably run the TV or radio without depleting the battery much, if at all.

The problem with any kind of generator is that it still needs fuel and worst case, it won't last for too many days without the fuel being a safety hazard. You wouldn't want to store it in the house, it would probably not be safe outside, so a solar panel is probably the best solution if total isolation occurs.

 

[shoryuken]

Excellent Gift

Great gift idea. I'm going to throw that on my list as well.