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I know that Amtrak permits its passengers to operate their own portable TV sets and Radios aboard the trains providing they use head phones to prevent disturbing other passengers. My question is: If a passenger brings along a portasble TV or Radio antenna that is a magmount (has a magnet base) for better reception, can he be allowed to mount the antenna on the roof of one of the Amtrak cars and run the Coax (lead in wire) inside the car through a window or vent in order to get better reception while on his trip?
If possible, I would like to know what Amtrak's regulations are concerning the mounting of portable antennas aboard the train for better reception of TVs, Radios. etc.
cajon Member # 40
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Hope you're talking about mounting the antenna inside car & then running the coax directly to your device. That may not be a problem other than raising the eyebrows of passengers & trainmen. If you're thinking of outside, doubt it at all. And of course there's thev events of 9/11 to consider.
Kent Loudon Member # 902
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I'd forget the TV. I really don't think you will be able to get anything decent with all the surrounding metal. I would think even radio might be a problem out in, say, North Dakota. (Well, maybe AM...) Along the Northeast Corridor you also have the overhead 11,000 VAC power line to contend with.
Back before Amtrak, I once took a small tabletop portable radio with me in a Roomette. I put it on the ledge next to the window and it worked fine through the midwest. But when we got to Pennsylvania I had to keep adjusting the antenna as the train rounded curves!
yummykaz Member # 475
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skip the TV!
Look out your window and see what a great country we live in.
I bring my laptop sometimes and play pc games w/ the kids and we listen to mp3's.
plus, what is on TV now is depressing and sad.
skinsfan31 Member # 910
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I wouldn't bother with a TV. There's no way on God's green earth that Amtrak would let you post an antenna on the roof of the car, especially with hightened security.
I got pretty good radio reception in the NEC, but not anywhere west of the Appalachians. Besides, you have to hold the radio up to the window the entire time, and your arm will get really tired.
On the newer Amfleet II (or is it Acela), cars in the NEC and Chicago area, there are phone ports at the seats, so you can even go online and read this very forum from the train.
But if you're on a Superliner, don't even consider getting on a computer. Each car has four plugs, from what I've seen-one on each side on each end. And unless you're the first in line to board at the origin, you're not likely to get the plug seat.
Charles
graynt Member # 17
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I took a pocket sized TV on my recent trip. When night comes and you aren't in the mood for too much conversation and the movie in the lounge car is pretty bad, a small TV can pass some time before going to sleep. Reception isn t that bad. when you are entering a city, stopped for awhile and leaving a city, reception ofa channel can last for an hour or longer. I ve caught Leno,Letterman and some prime time shows in their entirety. A littleTV is nice to have as a little something extra, not as the main event.
I was glad to have that TV on September11th. I was on a train from Florida to Philadelphia and when someone said a plane flew intothe WTC, a television was certainly beneficial. The train was over seven hours late getting into Philly. We were stopped in Petersburg,Va. for three hours as nobody was sure if the train was going to proceed North. A chilling afterthought: If thetrain was on time we would be passing by the Pentagon at the exact time that plane was crashing into it. That trip Northwas the end of a two and half week 10,000 mile trip and was certainly the most memorable.
graynt Member # 17
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I took a pocket sized TV on my recent trip. When night comes and you aren't in the mood for too much conversation and the movie in the lounge car is pretty bad, a small TV can pass some time before going to sleep. Reception isn t that bad. when you are entering a city, stopped for awhile and leaving a city, reception ofa channel can last for an hour or longer. I ve caught Leno,Letterman and some prime time shows in their entirety. A littleTV is nice to have as a little something extra, not as the main event.
I was glad to have that TV on September11th. I was on a train from Florida to Philadelphia and when someone said a plane flew intothe WTC, a television was certainly beneficial. The train was over seven hours late getting into Philly. We were stopped in Petersburg,Va. for three hours as nobody was sure if the train was going to proceed North. A chilling afterthought: If thetrain was on time we would be passing by the Pentagon at the exact time that plane was crashing into it. That trip Northwas the end of a two and half week 10,000 mile trip and was certainly the most memorable.
Ed Hein Member # 890
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Windows are sealed on Amtrak trains. I have used my portable scanner in the sleeper compartment with good results. The rubber ducky antenna was good enough to pick up the train and the dispatcher for the territory we were traveling through.
The scanner sat nicely on the ledge by the window. Since there's also an outlet in the compartment, I was able to charge the battery overnight.
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