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Replies: 13
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Freshman [10]
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Joined: 10/20/15
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Tailgating Advice: Generators and TV's
Oct 24, 2016, 9:44 AM
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Good Morning fellow tiger fans. I have slowly been adding different pieces to my tailgate to try to have everything I need in order to enjoy the sacred days that are Clemson home football games. I have acquired a grill, 6 foot table, chairs, tent, and various other things to help give it the right touches. However, I am really trying to finish it off and make it something that I can enjoy for years to come. I started to look into getting a generator so I can add a TV, blender, crock pot, etc. to really put my tailgate spot over the top.
This leads me to my first question. What kind of generator do people here use? I am looking at the Ryobi 2200 Inverter. Due to the price and size, this seems like a perfect fit for my needs. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions of what they used and could provide any feedback.
Secondly, once I purchase this generator I want to add a TV to enjoy watching analysis & other games before kickoff. I have seen the Direct TV tailgating package which seems nice, but a little out of my price range for what I am looking for. Has anyone used the TV antenna's that get the free HD channels or have any other recommendations? I am all ears!
Thank you so much for helping out another Tiger interested in enjoying his Saturdays a little bit more.
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All-In [30766]
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I've only ever had honda's so i cant say about the ryobi
Oct 24, 2016, 9:53 AM
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DO you have friends? DO you have friends with direct TV or dish?
Pay 1 of them 5-7 bucks a month (whatever it would cost them) for an extra sat box. Buy or find a dish. They are always on the side of the road. When they deliver your friend's extra box, the guy will probably have 4 or 5 extra in his van... slip him a $20.
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Orange Blooded [2613]
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I have a Honda 1000 generator and love it. The Ryobi will
Oct 24, 2016, 9:58 AM
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work just fine for tailgating if you place it in front of your vehicle to held block the noise although I can't speak to the reliability. My Honda always cranks on first or 2nd pull so it's been very reliable. Just make sure you use non-ethanol gas and put treatment in it for when it sits for weeks or months at a time. I also will run mine every month or two in the off season just for some preventive maintenance. If you have direct TV at your house, then all you need is a stand alone dish and a stand alone receiver. I have an H25 receiver that is normally used with my garage TV. Just carry it with me to each game or my lake house and I have the same service I have at home at no extra cost. If you live more than an hour or so from clemson, you will have to change your service address to clemson on gamedays if you want to get the local channels. No charge for that either but the hassle of a phone call before and after the game. I did try an HD TV antenna in Brooks parking lot and reception there is not good for any locals unless you have a tall pole which is tough unless you're driving a bus. I have heard of other folks having success using the HD TV antenna in different locations so it may just be a trial and error thing depending on where you tailgate. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and Go Tigers!
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110%er [5121]
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"if you place it in front of your vehicle to block the
Oct 24, 2016, 11:32 AM
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noise".
This is the problem. Too many people with noisy ### generators think it's perfectly fine to just put it in front of their vehicle so that "they" aren't bothered by the noise. There's 3 or 4 of these generators within about 150 feet of my tailgate...we can hardly have normal conversation at our tailgate because of them.
For many years I brought lots of toys and used deep cycle batteries to run everything. No noise. No pissed off neighbors. No chance of a pissed off Noodle showing up at your tailgate with wire cutters...
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Orange Blooded [4098]
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Re: Tailgating Advice: Generators and TV's
Oct 24, 2016, 10:04 AM
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HONDA GENERATOR ONLY, HONDA, HONDA
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110%er [5465]
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I went they Ryobi this year and it has worked flawlessly so
Oct 24, 2016, 10:05 AM
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far. Just as quiet (or noisy) as the Honda 2000. Didn't cause any problems or inconveniences with nearby tailgaters. Had a 46 TV, satellite, phone chargers, fan all going for 8 hours with no problems. Only used 1 1/2 gallons of gas in 8 hours. Great for just above half the price of the Honda.
Message was edited by: tigerpaw80®
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Orange Blooded [4299]
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For generators, NOISE is the key factor
Oct 24, 2016, 10:13 AM
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You want a quiet one. The Hondas are very quiet. The 1000 is the quietest that Ive seen. The 2000 is good as well. Some of the other brands are coming along on their noise level. The Generac IQ is supposed to be even better. Even though you can put it on the other side of your vehicle, please keep your neighbors in mind. It shouldn't be any louder to them than it is to you.
But, unless you are dead set on that crock pot, you may not need a generator at all. A Deep Cycle battery and inverter will power a TV and sat box all day. You should try that out.
As for signal, you have 3 options. Free Over the air (OTA) reception with a good digital antenna. (This doesn't let you get gameday,btw), smart TV or stick (Roku, Firestick) will let you watch ESPN using your cell phone hotspot or campus wifi, (depending where you tailgate), or lastly, the satellite box. I use Dish because it lets you get HD local channels using the the same dish. I am a cable subscriber at home so I have to pay about $65/mth to use my DISH tailgater during football season. DISH has a pay as you go, month to month plan with no recurring billing or contract. It works for me. The only problem is that I have to call them to change the local region whenever I go to away games.
Having a self pointing dish like the Tailgater makes set up a snap.
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Orange Blooded [4299]
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Re: For generators, NOISE is the key factor
Oct 24, 2016, 10:18 AM
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Make sure you have a clear sky to the SW (240 degrees, i think), otherwise you may need a long coax. Use only RG6 coax for long runs. Trust me.
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All-In [30766]
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couple additions
Oct 24, 2016, 10:41 AM
[ in reply to For generators, NOISE is the key factor ] |
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But, unless you are dead set on that crock pot, you may not need a generator at all. A Deep Cycle battery and inverter will power a TV and sat box all day. You should try that out.
although I agree this is viable, I disagree with your set up. Lugging around a deep cell battery and convertor now adays is stupid.
They make highly portable, rechargeable jump boxes that come with built in convertors. I would just buy 1 of these. You can use it to jump dead batteries as well.
I used a small one to watch TV (via my phone) for about 7 hours at the orange bowl last year.
You can buy a relatively cheap HDMI cable for your phone and plug it directly into your TV. No need for wifi, roku, or hotspot...... IF YOU HAVE mega data plan.
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Mascot [16]
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Re: Tailgating Advice: Generators and TV's
Oct 24, 2016, 10:15 AM
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I went with the Ryobi this year and it has been perfect. Starts easy, no noticeable different than the Honda next to me. Does exactly what I want. Went from noon till game time against Louisville without adding fuel. Perfect.
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Orange Blooded [3633]
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110%er [5461]
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Agreed. Yamaha also comes with 12VDC cable to...
Oct 24, 2016, 12:33 PM
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...charge your car battery. I had to do that the first time I took it tailgating and the dome lights were left on.
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Varsity [217]
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Re: Tailgating Advice: Generators and TV's
Oct 24, 2016, 10:17 AM
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Fortunate to have a Honda and a couple of Yamaha inverters. I have had all for 6+ years. The Yamaha ef2000is will run everything you need including a microwave, TV, crockpot, lights. Recently ran it during the hurricane and got 12+ hours run time for a light load. The Yamahas are MUCH quieter than the Hondas. Never a problem with any of them.
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110%er [8082]
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You might want to add up all the Watts that you'll be using
Oct 24, 2016, 10:17 AM
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and get an appropriately sized genny. I know a crock pot uses a lot of wattage. As far as type, I'm partial to my Yamaha. Dish Network has a pay-as-you-go program. I turn my account on in Sept & turn it off after the Carolina game. Then it comes down to wether you want an HD or SD picture. Satellites are easy to access with a Tailgater antenna (with Dish -- 5 minute setup) vs using a big, bulky dish (which has to be pointed precisely at the satellites to get HD programming with DirecTV). If you use an over the air TV antenna, you'll not get the games that are on ESPN, etc.
Go Tigers AND Tiger Nation!
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