In my Ice Castle I have the standard King digital over the air antenna that is already amplified. Never seem to get many channels, even when there supposedly is some decent signals in the area according the FCC’s website. Is there anything you guys have figured out to add into the system that’ll make it better? And can’t justify satellite TV. Looking for strictly over the air TV tips.
Do you have an unlimited data plan for your mobile phone?
I would check your king digital. They can leak at times and wreck them.
I believe it’s just a few screws from the inside. A friend of mine had a brand new house less than a year old and could not get many channels at all. Once he took his a part he noticed it was very badly water damaged. I guess they can leak from the hole through the roof. Ice Castle put on a new one and he was good to go.
I currently get 66 channels in my house with only the King digital antenna…
Nope, wish I had unlimited as then I’d just run a hotspot and be golden. I’ve check the antenna and its find. I’m out in SW/W MN and there aren’t as many channels in general being broadcast, but typically all we ever get are the pioneer public channels and occasionally can get one good channel. The FCC shows the signal power of the ones at your location and sometimes even have problems with the “strong” signals and never get the “moderate” ones.
Just looking to see if there is a way to boost the power with the system I have or if its all that can be done.
Check your connections behind the plate where the coax screws into and on the antenna as well. My sons castle had bad connections from the factory. As far as your phone if you have a Iphone apple locks you down from using your phone as a hotspot for streaming tv. You can buy the HDMI to HDMI cables from your phone to your tv which should work. mine worked for a day then not the next. After some Googling found out Apple doesn’t allow that either. Just takes them a day or so to recognize you’re doing it.
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.
Good for you, I like watching wild games playoff football and whatever else I feel like while I’m fishing
Before I had a dish package I just had the tv with the built in hd antenna. Wouldnt pick up anything then bought three different amplifiers with lil success. Then I plugged into the wall fur shits and giggles bam all the good free channels perfect reception. I then figured out the previous hone owner has a giant crazy old antenna in the rafters of my garage and that’s what I hooked up to. Prob don’t want to lug around a huge antenna but the built in hd antenna on the tv got amplified by the old giant thing in my garage. I still watch football games over the free air antenna because hd quality is better than dish network.
What is the range of the King RV antenna?
Do you have Dish network at home? If you do, get an old Sat dish and then buy the receiver (about $120) have it set up at the fish house and for $7 per month whatever your home package is you get the same channels on the ice. This is what I am going to do at our summer cabin. It gets billed on your home account. I just found out about this option.
Get cable!
Get yourself set up with a small dvd player and some classic brain candy movies. It’s something on the tv but you don’t have to concentrate on it to follow the plot. Movies like Animal House, Caddyshack, Grumpy Old Men is a great one to have in the fish house.
You won’t get much ota anyhow unless you’re in the metro.
Get yourself set up with a small dvd player and some classic brain candy movies. It’s something on the tv but you don’t have to concentrate on it to follow the plot. Movies like Animal House, Caddyshack, Grumpy Old Men is a great one to have in the fish house.
You won’t get much ota anyhow unless you’re in the metro.
Yes but you can’t leave with out some old John Wayne flicks and tombstone. Maybe a good war movie as well. Hamburger hill
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Satelite isn’t an option and neither is streaming thru my phone. I always have DVD’s with but like to get live TV if possible, mainly for sports. Any suggestions on how to boost the signal power?
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Satelite isn’t an option and neither is streaming thru my phone. I always have DVD’s with but like to get live TV if possible, mainly for sports. Any suggestions on how to boost the signal power?
Besides the plug in amplifiers your only other option is to bring your own uhf/vhf outdoor antenna. The roof mount type that would go on your house. They still outperform any of the digital indoor amplified or RV amplified antenna. You could mount some sort of telescoping pole to the side of your house. most of these antennas do fold up to a somewhat manageable size. Still a hassle but if your just determined to have ota tv and satellite is out of the question there is no easy fix or option.
Much will also depend on your location to any broadcast stations, weather and so on.
We were on Devils Lake for the first round of NFL playoff games. I downloaded the CBS Sports app on my phone and was able to stream the game live free of charge. We used it mainly for the audio and just watched replays of any significant plays. It will drain your battery quickly but I always bring a small Battery Tender with USB ports for charging phones etc.
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.
Well played. Who’s out there to fish and who’s out there to drink beer, play cards, socialize, and watch TV? With the expanded use of wheel houses, its obvious a lot are out there doing the latter.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskycliff wrote:</div>
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.Well played. Who’s out there to fish and who’s out there to drink beer, play cards, socialize, and watch TV? With the expanded use of wheel houses, its obvious a lot are out there doing the latter.
Yeah……I even heard half those idiots in wheelhouses don’t even drill holes 
Hey. This is America. Do whatever you want.
I like the old Wingard Batwing antenna that they use to put on RVs. There are very few places in the state on MN that I can’t pick up a few channels. But I think a coathanger and tin foil would work better than the antennas that are put on fish houses today.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskycliff wrote:</div>
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.Good for you, I like watching wild games playoff football and whatever else I feel like while I’m fishing
You won’t get the Wild game or any of the Hockey Day In Minnesota stuff over your antenna this weekend. All that is broadcast through FSN so it’s cable or satellite only. I have one of those King portable satellite boxes but you need a subscription with Dish or DirecTv to make it work. If somebody is in the market I’d sell it.
A couple years ago we sat on Red and had the Hockey Day in Minnestoa broadcast going all day. Fishing was dead slow so we had the popular place to be that day.
So, humor me for a second, if a guy had an unlimited phone plan. They could technically cast from their phone correct? The next question is, if you have a hotspot, that hotspot would need to connect to a phones network right? So when I’m out on the islands of Lake of the Woods this winter and the Wild are trying to secure a number 1 pick in the upcoming draft and I would like to see that, I would need to be in an area with some phone service?
So, humor me for a second, if a guy had an unlimited phone plan. They could technically cast from their phone correct? The next question is, if you have a hotspot, that hotspot would need to connect to a phones network right? So when I’m out on the islands of Lake of the Woods this winter and the Wild are trying to secure a number 1 pick in the upcoming draft and I would like to see that, I would need to be in an area with some phone service?
yes you can watch pretty much everything from your phone, the issues start to happen when you want to then mirror the phone screen to a large TV via a dongle cable or airplay if allowed. Some apps allow it (FSN App, NBCSports App) but others (Xfinity Stream app) do not…
es you can watch pretty much everything from your phone, the issues start to happen when you want to then mirror the phone screen to a large TV via a dongle cable or airplay if allowed. Some apps allow it (FSN App, NBCSports App) but others (Xfinity Stream app) do not…
I’ve done kind of a similar approach for my camper on my hunting property.
I added a mobile hotspot to my cell phone plan. Yes, I COULD use my phone as a hotspot, but having the separate mobile hotspot allows me to keep the hotspot in a waterproof plastic box outside the camper where the signal is much better. For a fringe area, this makes all the difference.
I then connect my Windows Surface tablet to the hotspot and use it as a TV. It’s not a jumbo screen, but then it’s a 26 foot camper so it’s not like a 96 inch tv is required.
It really sucks down the data, so you have to have a cell plan that allows unlimited data on the hotspot, so there’s the first barrier. I use Iheartradio to listen to games to cut down on the data use.
I’m close enough to the Cities and Duluth that my antenna actually gets a few channels, but most of what I really want to watch is Wild games which are not on the air.
Grouse
I’m not being a smart azz but did you have the booster power button turned on?
If so, it makes me wonder if the antenna is bad or cable is bad from antenna to TV. We have had one in our past two campers and they pick up stuff for us in the middle of nowhere.
if you are going to use your phone, make sure you have 4G or it will likely not work. I know the further you go north, the weaker the signal.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskycliff wrote:</div>
Just fish and ignore the TV. Never understood the need to watch TV while fishing. The only use I have for a TV was to connect to underwater camera.Good for you, I like watching wild games playoff football and whatever else I feel like while I’m fishing
One of the best days I’ve ever had on the ice was with a buddy in my ice castle watching Barbershop on dish network. We still laugh and talk about that day, how bizarre it felt to be watching ice cube out in the middle of red lake hauling walleye after walleye through a hole in the frozen water. O
Eeeh, maybe you had to be there.
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