How to Watch TV at a Tailgate

Whether you are making an all-day event of your tailgate and want to see how other teams around the league are faring, or whether you are tailgating for the experience of the event even though you don't have tickets to the game, you may want to be able to watch TV from the comfort of your own set-up. The most important things to remember when watching TV while tailgating is having an energy source and a TV signal. Once you have these things it's easy to sit back in your team's colors and enjoy the big game.

Things You'll Need

  • TV
  • Portable generator with fuel and oil
  • Extension cord
  • Table (optional)
  • TV signal source
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Instructions

    • 1

      Turn on your generator and position it near the front of your vehicle so that the noise doesn't take away from your party atmosphere. Check the levels of fuel and oil regularly as you watch TV to make sure your generator will run properly. Add fuel and oil as needed.

    • 2

      Set up your table or other stable, level place for your TV to sit. A folding card table is usually fine for this purpose. If you have a truck or SUV, you might want to set the TV in the back of your vehicle on the floor.

    • 3

      Plug the extension cord into your generator. Run the cord to the back of your vehicle and plug it into your TV. If you are watching DVDs or VHS tapes rather than live feeds, you will also need to plug your DVD or VHS player into the extension cord and hook the player to your TV. Once you've done this, you are ready to watch your videos.

    • 4

      Turn on your TV and tune in, if you are able to get satisfactory reception on an over-the-air station. For more channels and better reception, bring a mobile satellite TV system. Hook the system to your TV according to manufacturer's directions and position the satellite near the top of your vehicle for the best signal possible. An HD TV with internal tuner should pick up several stations. If you have an older TV, you will need to bring a digital-to-analog TV converter box and hook that up to your TV.