With mobile satellite TV, you no longer have to worry about your kids getting bored during a long drive. They will be having a new and entertaining toy – an in-car satellite television system. Hundreds of channels of entertainment, including Disney Channel and other cartoon channels will keep them occupied and silent. It's like you would be taking along a baby-sitter too.
Short History
Sandy Montag, a sports agent from New York, was one of the first customers to purchase a Trac Vision A5, a device designed to bring digital satellite TV signals into vehicles anywhere in the country, even while in motion.
Mobile satellite TV has been around for many years, but until recently it was used just on boats, RVs and buses, which had enough space to take up a big satellite device. Now, with Trac Vision, designed by KVH Industries, Inc., mobile satellite TV can be used in small vehicles too. The device is small enough to be mounted in a regular van or car and has a saucer-shaped antenna.
The Trac Vision A5 system is available since September 2003 and at first appealed only to the small audience of tech enthusiasts who had the money and interest to purchase latest trend gadgets. However, nowadays the number of drivers with a mobile satellite TV in their car is constantly increasing.
The Pros
With mobile satellite TV, you can keep up with news and sports and always know what's happening without having to stop. You can watch the news from your car to see what's going on in the world while on the road.
You will have a lot of entertaining programs for your kids to watch while on the road, thus preventing them for getting bored. You can take them along on a trip without worrying that they will constantly hassle you and ask when you arrive every five minutes.
Mobile satellite TV is also very popular for pre-game tailgate parties as well. If you go on a picnic or things like that in your SUV, you just have to open it and in addition to all the fun activities you're doing, you will be having a satellite television as well.
The Cons
However, there are a few disadvantages to mobile satellite TV. First of all, while it is a great entertainment device for passengers, drivers can't watch it. For those drivers who spend much of their time driving by themselves, a mobile satellite TV is pretty useless. A radio is a much better choice. In many places in the world, watching television while driving is considered illegal.
In terms of functionality, the only real problem is that in order to be able to receive a signal from the satellite, the dish must “see” it at all times. Buildings, trees or large vehicles blocking its view may prevent it from receiving the signal. This can affect you if you've parked your car in a lorry park and you are surrounded by big trucks or you're in a campsite and there are many trees around.
You should also keep in mind that the signal can also be affected by heavy rain or snow. This is not generally a problem, but severe weather can affect the television picture. Despite all these flaws, mobile satellite TV is still a very innovative and popular device which has made traveling in their car more fun for many people.
