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Post by Adventurous Ags on Oct 30, 2011 1:34:09 GMT
Thanks, Julz. We will be in Dhahran in exactly one month! My husband and I are both Ags. We will definitely look for the group when we settle in. We may need help finding where we can watch the bowl game depending on how long it takes to get our cable and Internet set up.  |
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Post by vpainter on Oct 30, 2011 17:38:10 GMT
FYI: I met someone the other day who used the forum before coming. I asked them if there was anything they wished they'd learned. Their response is they wished they'd known to bring all their small appliances they liked using. Toaster, coffeemaker, microwave, etc.
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Post by Carolina on Oct 31, 2011 11:32:55 GMT
o
We took the cash in lieu instead of shipping anything over here and personally it was a huge mistake for us - I am from Scotland.
We have spent a fortune in replacing items we missed in the UK especially for the kitchen as I cook a lot - when Lakeland the UK store opened up in Bahrain I went completely mad! at my poor husband's expense - I simply drooled over good pans and crockery and everything else that this wonderful kitchen shop has to offer but it is much more expensive than in the UK - so you have been given really good advice of what to ship over - especially a decent hoover, microwave etc etc on a positive note we did buy a lot of 2nd hand furniture here on the Aramco Classifieds section but it took time and effort and meant that most of it was for sale in Dharhan and so after work for around 6 weeks my husband had to drive me to buy these items - and as another post said often the 2nd hand furniture is at quite a high price - so I think for my first 6 months here we were quite broke! but on a positive note we now have a lovely home here in RT as you will be moving to Dharhan then you will be so much closer to be able to visit Khobar and check out the stores there on a daily basis.
Also more importantly as another post pointed out all 110 V appliances are now being phased out in the Kingdom - yes SACO in Khobar still stock them but they are not what you would be used to - we refuse to use transformers as they are extremely dangerous - so we have added a few more 220 sockets to get around this problem (with a highly qualified electrician) because if when all the 110 volts appliances run out in the Kingdom what does one do but end up buying appliances that are 220 volts! and the debate continues to go on.
On a great positive note you will find so many people that will rally around to help you when you arrive but do think very carefully of what to pack - and enjoy your time here.
All the very best
Kind Regards
Carolina
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Post by GroveWanderer on Nov 27, 2011 10:56:10 GMT
Having done some more reading on this, I may have to modify my earlier post. Although HDMI is a single standard in one sense and does not come in PAL or NTSC formats as such, the signal can apparently be output by various devices (satellite decoders, DVD players etc) at different frame rates, either 50Hz or 60Hz. Some TV's can handle both, some can only handle one or other.
Based on what I've read the US uses a 50Hz frame rate, UK/Europe/Rest of the World uses 60Hz. If your TV is from the States, it will definitely support 50Hz - but it might or might not support the 60Hz frame rate (which is what many local decoders or DVD players may be using) depending on the exact model of TV you have.
You should be able to check your TV's technical specifications to see if it can handle both 50 & 60Hz.
I hope this helps and is not too confusing.
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Post by Carolina on Nov 29, 2011 4:00:20 GMT
Thanks GroveWanderer
I am not up to speed on TV i.e. different Hz etc and this will help a lot of new arrivals with your good and clear advice - I understood it perfectly.
Kind Regards
Carolina
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Post by Nonno on Jul 19, 2012 2:06:21 GMT
GroveWanderer: respectfully, you've got that somewhat backwards. The US uses 110-120VAC @60hz. The UK uses 240VAC @50hz, most of Europe uses between 207 and 220VAC @50hz, and Saudi Arabia uses 127-220VAC @50hz (source: www.powerstream.com/cv.htm). It doesn't matter if your tv handles both 50/60Hz but if not, you'll notice the difference. When I lived in England back in the eighties, I owned a multi-system tv and vcr and they were great! My kids and I could use them anywhere in the world we went and when, after we had returned to the US, we wanted to watch some Dr. Who episodes we had recorded in the UK, we were able to do so on the multi-system components with no problems. Also, HDMI cables are rated for speed and not in Hz (source: www.blueechoav.com/2010/03/17/hd ... -versions/), so I'm not sure if conversion would be necessary. I'm an old electronics technician/computer technician from years ago and have not really kept up with the current technologies. Can anyone share more information? Thanks! Nonno
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