Compared to the old bulky, CRT TVs, the flat screen models sure make things nice and easy. Not only are flat screen TVs lighter and thinner, but they also don’t require a dedicated cabinet to house it. You can mount your flat screen TV on any well-positioned wall, bulkhead, or cabinet. Better yet, you can mount it on a swivel mount, so you can point it in different directions.
Unfortunately, most RV manufacturers are still designing and installing TV cabinets in their RVs that are really made for CRT TVs. My 2011 Wolf Creek 850 is no different. The problem is that the electrical and antenna/cable/satellite outlets are inside the TV cabinet while the only real location to mount a flat screen TV is on the cabinet’s side. In order to access the outlets you need to drill a hole in the cabinet to pass all of the TV wiring. I never like drilling a hole anywhere in a new RV. Once it’s done you can’t undo it, so you better make sure that the location is right. It would’ve been better to have the outlets outside the cabinet rather than inside.
 |
| The TV cabinet electrical and antenna outlets. |
Placing the flat screen inside the cabinet isn’t really an option either. For one, most flat screen TVs are too big to fit inside like mine. And two, the cabinet has a hinged door. With the door open you could only watch the TV seated in the rear of the camper. There’s no way to see the TV if you’re laying in bed because the cabinet door would block your view. The only real solution to this problem would be to replace the hinged door with a sliding, tambour style door.
The flat screen TV I installed is a 18.5 inch Sanyo DP19241. It weighs just 5.7 lbs, runs on 110v AC, and consumes a paltry 24 watts in operation. At just $139.00, it was much cheaper to buy than a 12v DC model. We already have an 300 watt inverter so going this route was cheaper for us.
The swivel mount I installed is a Master Mounts LCD-403L. What I really like about this mount is that it has a spring-loaded pin to keep the TV secure while in transit. Although the TV is pretty light, I placed some extra bracing behind the swivel mount to ensure there’s enough support for the nearly two-foot long arm extension. Pics of the TV, swivel mount, and locking mechanism are provided below.
 |
| TV in the locked position for travel. |
 |
| Closeup of the swivel mount and mounting location. |
 |
| Pic showing TV facing dinette with TV cabinet on left. Looks great! |
Having a TV in the camper will be nice. While we have no plans on using the TV while we camp, it will certainly come in handy for other activities like road trips, tailgate parties, and for visiting family. Having the TV in the camper also makes for a great man-cave and that’s always a good thing.
Hello and welcome to my blog. The Q has notoriously bad TV OTA reception. Have you considered satellite TV? Enjoy the weather here.
I just bought and installed the exact same TV! I love it, but I'm not getting any reception in my site in Quartzsite, so I unplugged it for now. The picture on this RV is sooooo much better than my old TV with the converter attached. This one looks like a very clear, sharp colored, 3-D TV. I was able to take off the old TV and just screw in this new one to the old swivel arm, so my install was super easy. Enjoy! 🙂