What do you do for ice fishing TV/Internet entertainment in the shack?

[randingo]

Ive seen some really decked out fish houses on the forum here, and am curious what setups you guys use in them?

Im pretty tech saavy for the most part but am new to the "mobile" entertainment. It would be nice to see what other options I have besides watching the same old dvds over and over.

are you using mobile hotspot on your phone? paying a satellite provider? or what other options are there?

 

pictures are always welcome!

Thanks for all the input!

[randingo]

Just curious what you guys are doing for "mobile" entertainment in the fish house.

Ive seen some pretty awesome set ups on this forum and am curious how you guys are doing it? It would be nice to get away from watching the same old dvds over and over.

are you using mobile hotspots from your phone?

are you paying for satellite?

how much power does it take to run?

how much does your set up cost per month?

I'm fairly tech saavy, but never wired anything up off the grid. so please elaborate.pictures are always welcome!

[YettiStyle]

All of this really depends on your current setup or what you would be willing to add.  For me, I use 1 big RV battery and run a Honda eu2000i 24/7 when I'm on the ice.  This allows me to basically function as if I was at home.  Currently I have one 50" TV and it is only hooked up to a DVD player or my Marcum camera.  Another big thing was that I made sure I installed a cable jack on the outside of my shack when I was building it.  This way I can connect to cable at a campground or satellite TV. 

I'm currently building a house and will be getting Dish when it is finally done.  The nice thing about Dish is that it is only $7/month to add an additional receiver and you can start/stop paying for that receive whenever you want.  I can write a big long paragraph explaining their programming but their page is actually pretty good on explain things http://www.dishformyrv.com/.   Basically all you will need to add Dish is a receiver, satellite, and remote (bundles on their page are $280-$550, personally I'm getting http://www.dishformyrv.com/winegard-pathway-x2-bundle/).  I'm not going to mount the dish on my roof so when I get to my fishing spot all I'll have to do to get Satellite TV is plug the coax cable into the cable jack on the outside of my shack and place the satellite away from the shack.  This satellite will automatically search and adjust to find the correct signal.  Power consumption by these units is extremely low (less 25 watts) so basically it won't cost you anything to operate using a generator. 

So for a one time cost of $550, I'll basically only be spending $28 a year ($7x4 months) to have satellite TV in my shack.  Nothing better than hooking into a bunch of perch/walleyes, with a cold beer, in shorts, in -20 F outside, all while watching the Wild kick the dump out of the Blackhawks. 

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I scrapped Dish Network a few months back, saving me somewhere around $140/month.  After a year I can invest that $1680 into whiskey for ice fishing, and then I won't need a TV to provide me entertainment.

 

[YettiStyle]

33 minutes ago, Lip_Ripper Guy said:

I scrapped Dish Network a few months back, saving me somewhere around $140/month.  After a year I can invest that $1680 into whiskey for ice fishing, and then I won't need a TV to provide me entertainment.

 

$140/month???  Yikes, you got hosed.  Right now you can lock into a 3-year price guarantee with free installation for $72/month total plus state tax.  That's for their "Top 200" channel package ($64.99), first receiver is free (HD Duo will do two TV's in separate rooms), and $7/month receiver for another TV for a total of 3 TV's.  That's just for my actual house, and my new house is in the country where satellite is about the only option.  Even if I didn't do Dish, i'd still have to get some sort of cable/satellite provider which is going to cost the same, if not more.

Now for the 4 months a year I want to add that additional receiver for my ice shack, it will only cost me $28 total plus some tax.  For $28 I can only get a 750mL of Crown that will only last a day. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by YettiStyle

[leechlake]

58 minutes ago, Lip_Ripper Guy said:

I scrapped Dish Network a few months back, saving me somewhere around $140/month.  After a year I can invest that $1680 into whiskey for ice fishing, and then I won't need a TV to provide me entertainment.

 

my wife pays the bills but I saw the $171 bill for DTV and nearly had a stroke.  I called them and got them to knock about $30 off it since we've been with them for 15 years but still would love to find a "free" alternative.  We run the cabin DTV off of it too so it only hurts 90% of what it should.  It's a crime we spend that much.

[Moon Lake Refuge]

You missed the boat by about 5 years.  Used to be able to find a blockbuster going out of business and you could buy new dvd's at about .50$ each.  Have about 4-500 to cycle through ha

2 minutes ago, leechlake said:

my wife pays the bills but I saw the $171 bill for DTV and nearly had a stroke.  I called them and got them to knock about $30 off it since we've been with them for 15 years but still would love to find a "free" alternative.  We run the cabin DTV off of it too so it only hurts 90% of what it should.  It's a crime we spend that much.

Do you have wifi?  Kodi is free and has access to pretty much every movie and TV show out as early as the next day.

[leechlake]

yes on wifi...that's another $99 a month    My son has some sort of illegal movie webpage we watch movies on.  We have 6 tv's on the DTV including the cabin.  

[Moon Lake Refuge]

2 minutes ago, leechlake said:

yes on wifi...that's another $99 a month    My son has some sort of illegal movie webpage we watch movies on.  We have 6 tv's on the DTV including the cabin.  

Kodi is legal and free.  Look it up, you can find boxes on the auction sites for 50-100 basically just small computers that you leave plugged into your TV.  I have yet to find a TV show or movie I cant get on there.  We put one in the living room and one in the bedroom for 50 each.  Takes an extra minute to get your show started but no commercials after that so makes up for it.

And 99?? Ouch, I think were at 60 for 50meg and I thought that was painful.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Moon Lake Refuge

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

32 minutes ago, YettiStyle said:

$140/month???  Yikes, you got hosed.  Right now you can lock into a 3-year price guarantee with free installation for $72/month total plus state tax.  That's for their "Top 200" channel package ($64.99), first receiver is free (HD Duo will do two TV's in separate rooms), and $7/month receiver for another TV for a total of 3 TV's.  That's just for my actual house, and my new house is in the country where satellite is about the only option.  Even if I didn't do Dish, i'd still have to get some sort of cable/satellite provider which is going to cost the same, if not more.

Now for the 4 months a year I want to add that additional receiver for my ice shack, it will only cost me $28 total plus some tax.  For $28 I can only get a 750mL of Crown that will only last a day. 

That's the "new customer" rate, and I had a few add on's, as well.  They won't do that rate for their existing subscribers, unless you call to cancel.  By the time I got done with the two or three different cancellation folks I talked to, their offer was under the $72/month.  I forget the exact amount, but I know it was less than that.

I already had an Amazon Prime account, so I bought a couple Fire Sticks, we're splitting a Netflix and one other account with the g/f's sister, bought a digital antenna, and I haven't missed Dish Network for a single second.   

[Boar]

crank my dish up, bring reciver.from home, little.fanaglei g on the dish and tv and im what hin direct tv

 

[rl_sd]

I have a sling box at my house and a hotspot in the fish house. Basically, a sling box uses your existing cable/satellite set top box at home and streams the output over the wifi to your device. On the fish house side, I have a $30 roku stick... So basically I can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, or cable TV from my house. The Sling Box uses A LOT less data then streaming movies from Netflix or Amazon... Plus I can access my home DVR recorded movies. Too bad we had such late ice, otherwise I could have watched the Vikes pee the playoffs down their leg from the lake instead of my basement!

One additional thing.... I have a 32" LED 120v AC TV/DVD combo that only draws 2 amps through the inverter. Although I have a generator, I can watch TV for about 12 hours without having to fire it up.

[randingo]

all great information guys, i appreciate your input! I am a new member but have been a long time lurker on HSO and absolutely love watching your builds on the forum. Thanks for chiming in and keep up the great work

I am designing a build which hopefully will have a thread half as worthy as some of the information you guys are contributing.

cheers and beers!

[lungdeflator]

All good info guys.  

I was curious about this stuff earlier this year.  I got rid of Dish last spring after the initial 2 years was up.  Saved about 96$/month.  Thought I was smart and got the NHL Live package through the ROKU, 135$ for the year.  Worked until the All-Star break, then they updated their programming and all the Wild games are blacked out now.  "There was a programming issue earlier this year that allowed some devices to skip black outs"  is what they said.  

Does anybody know how much data it takes to stream a movie using cellular data?  

I thought about using the phone as a hotspot, and just watching netflix.  We only spend 3-4 weekends a year in the wheelhouse, so maybe watch 8-12 movies during the year.  I thought I could spend an extra 30-40$ per month for the overage data costs instead of going through the hassle of a 2-3 year contract with Dish when I don't want it 8-9 months out of the year.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I'm amazed at all the guys who are able to stream movies via cellular data.  I have Sprint (which is probably the problem), but anytime I get north of the Little Falls area I consider myself lucky to get phone/texts, and there isn't a snowballs chance in heck of streaming a movie.

I don't think you'll be able to stream a movie without going over most data plans, but I'm not positive of that.  Times have probably changed from when I got a $1,600 phone bill from streaming music for 1 day.   

[Moon Lake Refuge]

Streaming depends on quality.  A couple movies a weekend may not be a huge deal but much more than that at decent quality is going to stack up pretty quick.  If you just watching movies you would probably be cheaper just hitting a redbox on your way out and renting a hand full of movies for a buck or two each for the weekend.  Less loading, no taking up your phone and no worry of where your at with data.  I am planning on a hi def antenna and a box of DVD's for next winter.  The antenna on my camper does a great job in areas I've had it so far.

[Hawg]

I pay $5/month for an extra box from DTV. It's only standard definition but I can have a signal in about 2 minutes after I lower the house and it always works. Plenty good for the fish house, besides what more does a person need besides The Western Channel on Encore?  

[brian6715]

19 hours ago, Lip_Ripper Guy said:

I scrapped Dish Network a few months back, saving me somewhere around $140/month.  After a year I can invest that $1680 into whiskey for ice fishing, and then I won't need a TV to provide me entertainment.

 

I like this plan! I just have a 26" DC TV/DVD combo that I run off my battery and a non-powered antenna. I can run it all weekend without a generator, and the sound is hooked up through my stereo system so it's good quality surround sound. I can get a few channels and that is good enough for me.

Personally, the last thing I want when I am out on the lake with the family is to have the focus to be on the TV. 

[randingo]

7 hours ago, brian6715 said:

I like this plan! I just have a 26" DC TV/DVD combo that I run off my battery and a non-powered antenna. I can run it all weekend without a generator, and the sound is hooked up through my stereo system so it's good quality surround sound. I can get a few channels and that is good enough for me.

Personally, the last thing I want when I am out on the lake with the family is to have the focus to be on the TV. 

Yeah i hear what you're saying. im hoping to double mine as a camper in the summer, so i was just exploring all the options out there in case of a rainy day or something.

I like the idea of running everything off of the battery for the weekend though!

On 3/10/2016 at 3:46 PM, rl_sd said:

I have a sling box at my house and a hotspot in the fish house. Basically, a sling box uses your existing cable/satellite set top box at home and streams the output over the wifi to your device. On the fish house side, I have a $30 roku stick... So basically I can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, or cable TV from my house. The Sling Box uses A LOT less data then streaming movies from Netflix or Amazon... Plus I can access my home DVR recorded movies. Too bad we had such late ice, otherwise I could have watched the Vikes pee the playoffs down their leg from the lake instead of my basement!

One additional thing.... I have a 32" LED 120v AC TV/DVD combo that only draws 2 amps through the inverter. Although I have a generator, I can watch TV for about 12 hours without having to fire it up.

is your hotspot through your cell phone carrier?  who do you have?

kind of curious in this option just not certain what kind of speed you would get for the price. I know with T-mobile I don't get data service on many of the lakes I fish on up north, but using a roku stick would be tits!

[grasshopper]

I got dish. I pay 128 a month for 4 recievers. 2 at home 1 in the cabin and 1 in my truck. ( over the road driver) I take mine fishing, camping and any where else need be. I can fish, watch tv , talk and drink beer all the same time. don't think it's a problem.

[Princeton]

I added Amazon Prime to my Fish house this year.  I use a wi fi repeater with an external antennae and grab the Internet from a friends house who lives on the lake.  I have 10 Mbps free internet in the house :). So far has worked great for watching movies and playing games.  

[rl_sd]

On March 10, 2016 at 7:46 AM, Lip_Ripper Guy said:

I'm amazed at all the guys who are able to stream movies via cellular data.  I have Sprint (which is probably the problem), but anytime I get north of the Little Falls area I consider myself lucky to get phone/texts, and there isn't a snowballs chance in heck of streaming a movie.

I don't think you'll be able to stream a movie without going over most data plans, but I'm not positive of that.  Times have probably changed from when I got a $1,600 phone bill from streaming music for 1 day.   

I have Verizon. Was up at red lake in February and was able to stream movies

On March 10, 2016 at 4:26 PM, randingo said:

Yeah i hear what you're saying. im hoping to double mine as a camper in the summer, so i was just exploring all the options out there in case of a rainy day or something.

I like the idea of running everything off of the battery for the weekend though!

is your hotspot through your cell phone carrier?  who do you have?

kind of curious in this option just not certain what kind of speed you would get for the price. I know with T-mobile I don't get data service on many of the lakes I fish on up north, but using a roku stick would be tits!

Yes, the hotspot is through Verizon. The way I figured it, I can watch 10 hours of sling box on a gig of data as long as I use standard quality instead of high quality. Encore and stars play are the most data hungry with Netflix a close third. They use about 250mb an hour. Amazon is about 150 mb an hour. 

[Moon Lake Refuge]

11 minutes ago, rl_sd said:

I have Verizon. Was up at red lake in February and was able to stream movies

Yes, the hotspot is through Verizon. The way I figured it, I can watch 10 hours of sling box on a gig of data as long as I use standard quality instead of high quality. Encore and stars play are the most data hungry with Netflix a close third. They use about 250mb an hour. Amazon is about 150 mb an hour. 

I used to have verizon and was hands down the best service I have ever seen anywhere.  The only reason I have sprint now is because I have the unlimited data plan.  Only downside is that doesn't extend to hot spots, but with a cord I can hook up to a TV and anything I stream on my phone plays on the TV also.

[randingo]

good info,

I just read on slings page if you sign up for 3 months, theyll even give you a free roku 2. Thats a dam good deal. Then i can type in my netflix and im set!

Man thats cheap 27 bucks a month and you get quite a few good networks and tons for streaming on netflix, my only complaint is where is Discovery channel!?!?!

The fish house is gonna turn into the new man cave, screw the garage

[rl_sd]

Not sure what you are having to pay for. My sling box hooks up to my tv at home... Which is different than sling TV.