Mounting Flat Screen TV In My RV

Posted by hankster |3 comments

When I purchased my 5th wheel it had an old 19" analog TV in it. I could have just bought a converter for digital TV but decided I wanted to put in an LCD flat screen TV. After some measuring I figured I could fit a 24" LCD into the existing opening. I looked on-line and found a few that would just fit.

Since it was close to Black Friday I decided to wait until then to see what kind of deals I could get. That is where the problem started. What I found on Black Friday was a 32" LCD TV for $199. I just couldn't pass up the deal. Then when I got it home I had to figure out a way to mount it in the entertainment center. After measuring, looking, test fitting, measuring some more I figured a swing arm mount would be the most versatile.

The TV only weighs 25 pounds but I wanted something that would take the abuse it would have to stand up to in a bouncing trailer. There are many different designs but I settled on a twin arm design instead of a single arm design. This gives you two mounting points at each swivel point instead of single pivot point which should be more durable. I also wanted one that would handle a lot more weight then what the TV weighs, again for a safety margin. Looking at the big box stores I was shocked to find that a heavy duty mount like that would cost almost as much as the TV! I finally found one on eBay (click for examples) with dual arms that would hold 80 pounds for $50.

The walls of the entertainment center are only made of 1/8" pressed board so I needed something stronger to mount to. I went a bought a 4' x 4' piece of 5/8" MDF and cut it to the full size of the entertainment enclosure walls. This made a sandwiched with 5/8" MDF - 1/8" pressed board - 5/8" MDF.  Then drilled a few holes and bolted the sandwich together. This gave me a bit over 1 1/4" thick wall to bolt to.

Here is where I made a mistake which I will point out later. I attached the mount to the TV and lifted it into place where I wanted it. I marked the wall mounting holes for the articulating arm, drilled holes and bolted it through the MDF sandwich wall. But what I found was that there was just too much give in the arm that would allow the TV to bounce. No matter how I tried to strap it down for transporting it was not very secure.

What I ended up doing was to extend the bottom of opening in the entertainment center out 5 inches to allow the TV to set on it while being transported. I just took another piece of MDF, cut it to the size of the opening floor, plus 5" and let the TV set on it. The bottom of the TV is not completely flat so I put two small blocks on each end of the shelf to support the TV. I wasn't sure I would like it this way but I found the space that was between the spacer blocks was a perfect place to put my Wii sensor bar. It almost looks like I planned it that way.

The last thing I did was to put a few pieces of sticky back Velcro (the soft part) on each block and on the back of the TV where it would touch the entertainment center to eliminate any wear and tear. So far I have been happy with the install. I put this in during the winter so I still have to paint/stain things to dress it up. But it has traveled over 4,000 miles this winter and is as good as new.

Texas State Aquarium and Snoopy's

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Headed to Corpus Christi today to go to the Texas State Aquarium. I had heard it was nice and figured since I was in the area I should go see it. It happens to be right next door to the USS Lexington that I went to a couple of weeks ago. This would be a perfect pair of activities to do in one day as each of them take 3 or 4 hours each to see.

I got there at just the right time as a dolphin show was starting 15 minutes after I got there. There were three dolphins performing and the show lasted about 15 minutes. Of course they do the usual jumps, ball throwing and spectator splashing. It was an enjoyable show.

There is also an otter habitat, sea turtles, swamp turtles and a birding show. I didn't stay for the birding show. Inside they have an area for kids to touch sting rays and a really nice aquarium area that has a many different large and small aquarium setups with everything from sharks to jelly fish. It was a nice relaxing activity.

More pictures of Texas State Aquarium.

On the way back I stopped at Snoopy's for a bite to eat. It is located right at the exit of the Padre Island side of the causeway that connects Corpus Christi to Padre Island. You drive down a narrow road that looks like it will flood with any rain at all, and drive out on the jetty where it is located right on the bay.

You walk in to a counter where you place your order. The owner is friendly and we traded a few jokes before I order the recommended fish and chips.... and a Lone Star. I grabbed my brew and walked out the back door to find an open air seat that was right on the bay. In a few minutes I hear my name over the load speaker and go get the food. The fish was excellent, nice, fresh and firm with melt in your mouth breading. And the fries weren't bad either. Just sat there enjoying the food, the sun and watching the boats go by.

Oh yeah, it doesn't appear there is any heat in the restaurant building itself and everything is pretty open. There is a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant if you are feeling a little chilly. It's not a fancy place but I really enjoyed the setting and the food was outstanding as was the ice cold Lone Star. You know you have to drink Lone Star when in Texas. I would highly recommend Snoopy's to anyone.

A Bit O' Shrimp

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Got up this morning and the weather is a lot nicer. Still a bit cool but I'll sunny and mid 50's any day over the crap we had yesterday. Went out to a local restaurant today for lunch. Didn't really have a plan where to stop so I just drove down the road until I found one with a full parking lot. Found one about half full so I stopped in. I noticed this one before because they always have a "lunch special" sign out front.

I went in and they were pretty full. Ordered fried shrimp and fries and dug into the salad bar. Had to just wait just a short bit for the shrimp to get served. The plate had 7 nice fat shrimp and cottage style fries and it looked good. The shrimp itself was really good and fresh but I think the breading was just a bit undercooked. Not really bad, just a little bit mushy. May have been the style of breading but I don't think so. The fries were really good as they had some seasoning on them giving them a bit of tang. Not a bad lunch, just not great.

On the way back me and Spud stopped for a short walk on the beach. When I got back there was a propane truck in the campground filling tanks. With all the cold weather I figured it would be best to check my tanks. One of the tanks was almost empty so I flagged down the truck driver and had him fill the tank. Cost to fill the 30# tank was $20. It took 7 gals of propane so there was only a 1/2 gal left. I could have saved a couple of bucks if I would have driven to the refill station in town but would have spend more in gas on the 10 mile trip then I would have saved. At least I'll be set for propane for the rest of my trip.

Once we got back into the trailer Spud ran over to his food dish and started to chow down. Maybe he was just telling me that I should have saved him some shrimp. As I was sitting there watching him eat I got a real laugh. Sometimes Spud likes to take the food out of his dish, lay it on the floor and then eat it off the floor. This also means there is always dog food scattered around his dish. When I looked, sure enough there was food on the floor. But this time he had the food nuggets lined up in 3 nice little neat lines. (see picture). Maybe he was just setting it aside for breakfast, lunch and dinner or maybe he's becoming anal in his old age.

Texas Winter on the Coast

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A nice cold front moved through last night and dropped the temperatures. Today is was 42 degrees, winds a constant 20 mph with rain. That is a 25 degree drop from yesterday. Not a very pleasant day to be outside. I even wussed out and didn't go out for lunch and just had hot dogs and acgrilled cheese sandwich. Yes, I took my chances and ate two of the old fashioned tubular hot dogs. I didn't choke once. Now I sit, running 2 electric heaters, listening to the slide topper (awning) flap in the wind and watching RTV.

RTV is Retro TV that shows old serials like Kojack, I Spy and The Hulk. There is this strange attraction to these shows. Maybe it is the memory of watching them when I was younger. But compared to today's shows, they sure are funky and the acting is sooooooo bad. I'm scared now, David Bannister just turned green!!!!!!!

The weather is suppose to get better soon with temps in the high 60's on Thursday and lasting for a few days. Look out Florida, this cold front should hit you in a couple of days!

Just another day at Mustang Island SP

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Looks like I've settled in here a bit. No real rush to go out and do things since I'm going to be here for another 12 days. I did go out and take the truck on the beach to walk Spud. But I happened to pick high tide to do it and there wasn't a whole lot of beach to drive on. There were a few trucks and cars in the parking area so I figured it was safe and I didn't have any problems. Other then that not much else going on.

The park is completely full and will be for the next 3 weeks or so. Not every space has an RV in it as it seems someone is leaving and arriving every day. Looks like I was lucky to get a space for 2 weeks.

It was nice and warm yesterday with a high in the low 70's. Today is cooler and breezier with a high in the low 60's and winds about 15 mph. A cold front is suppose to move through tonight and drop temps into the 50's for highs and a bit of rain. Thinking it will be a good day to go out and have a nice seafood lunch.