Comments

  • Ladder + Antenna = PITA?
    I don’t have an antenna but if you have junction box like Ray has for feeding in the cable, you could mount the antenna to the lid of the j-box. I’m thinking of a cell booster but would probably mount it in a location near the middle of the fifth wheel as I would be feeding the cable down in that area. I have a Ubiquity antenna that I would probably mount in the same area but haven’t done that yet. So far, the Ubiquity (WiFi) antenna works fine sitting on a window valance as the body of the RV is transparent at 2.2GHz. For cellular the additional height is important. BTW, if you opt for using the small mag-mount antenna on some of the cell boosters, note that it needs a ground plane for the antenna to work half-way decently. The ladder clamp-on antennae don’t need a ground plane.
  • Let's put Ray's solder iron away...
    I like soldering connections as well unless it’s heavy gauge wire. But, like Ray, I’ve been soldering stuff since I was a kid.
  • Replacing hot water tank
    The breaker is convenient enough on the inside for the number of times you need to switch it on/off. When I winterize the rig, I’ll flip and pin the outside switch. Pin, meaning lock the outside switch off.
  • Solar anybody
    Nice! I think you are going to enjoy the flexibility you now have.
  • PD9270
    I finally had a chance to test this with the Champion 2000 watt generator. I haven't needed the generator while dry camping as there was enough sun to bring the batteries back to 100% every day. This morning, the battery bank was at 73% so I dug out the generator, started it, let it warm up for a few minutes, left economy mode off, and plugged in the converter. According to my Kill-A-Watt meter, the PD9270 was drawing around 1050 watts. And between the solar and the converter, I was pushing 72 amps into the battery bank. Once charging started, I switched the generator to economy mode and it happily hummed along for the next 30 minutes. Successful addition. A whole lot better than the stock converter.
  • Whitewater Draw Sunset
    That’s a great video!
  • Cold Weather RVing in our Keystone Cougar Trailer
    Just my opinion, but I think you need insulation below the tanks as well as something to protect the insulation. Plus the heating duct does provide most of the heat. The tank heaters, at least on our fifth wheel, just heat the area around the drain, run on 12 vdc, and only draw a couple of amps. So maybe 30 or 40 watts at best. That isn't much heat. Plus the insulation and plastic underbelly keep some of that heat in around the drain pipes and water pipes so they don't freeze. These features may be challenging to retrofit.
  • Harvest Hosts
    A great program and worth every penny of the membership fee. Every place we've stayed at was a gem. I think our favorite places have been farms. Right now, we are behind a museum.

    D875CE76-591B-42E9-BAD7-56A7DCFD9304.jpeg
  • RV Surge Protectors
    I have one of the Progressive Industries ones but preferred the one that installs inside the trailer. One less thing to think about and is always in place. Installation is pretty straightforward.
  • First time at Quartzsite ... where exactly do I stay?
    We stayed at the Roadrunner BLM (free for 14 days) about 5 miles south of Quartzsite and the dirt roads were all solid with lots of “camp sites”. You won’t get stuck unless you really venture off into the sticks. The area has tons of space for anything you have. When we were there last month there was practically everything you could camp in and no soft ground or sand except in the washes. The LTVA areas to the north cost some $$ but you have access to water and dump stations and they are closer to town.

    BTW, I had the same concern until I got there...
  • Automatic LP Gas Regulator
    You might get more views if you put in a little description. Just a suggestion.
  • A Little More Solar
    The panels will generate some heat (like all semiconductors) when producing current as well as the dark surface absorbing heat and with the rigid panels, there is airflow on the backside. If it was an aluminum or other metal roof such as an Airstream, the metal would be a great heatsink and the flexible panels are a great option. Possibly even preferred. But on a wood/membrane roof, such as I have, I don’t really want the additional heat. Just my opinion as I don’t know the effect of heat on the rubber roof material. I haven’t measured the temperature but even on these cool days, the panel surface is pretty warm. This is just my opinion.

    You also do have the option of tilting the panels with the rigid panels.
  • Desktop Computer Storage
    Not really sure but I do have several Raspberry Pi3's running on SD cards as the storage device and once the device boots up and the services running, I turn the file system into read-only mode. But I have some that write to memory every 30 sec e.g. my solar charge controller monitor, and that has been running for 6 months at a time. After 6 months, I store an image of the card on a laptop, format a new card SD card, and write the image to a new card. Not that it's critical data but I want to keep it running. I usually toss the old memory card as I've had failures when trying to use it in a GoPro. SD cards are cheap. I hear that modern SD cards have write leveling built in to avoid any one area of memory going bad. And the number of memory writes being thrown around these days is something like 100,000. So maybe new cards are better than old.

    Most SSD's have software within the firmware to keep moving the rewrites to different locations in memory. When SSD's first came out, this needed to be done by the device driver. There were a lot of drive failures back then. With modern drives, it isn't an issue anymore. I don't know if there is something like that in devices such as the Garmin camera mentioned above. I would guess not.
  • Desktop Computer Storage
    SD cards have a limited lifetime when writing data and need to be replaced regularly on applications where data is being overwritten regularly.
  • We are Keith and Rebecca
    I get harassed sometimes by the amount of tools I have with me on the road. But, if you have the headroom on payload then why not. I’m surprised by what tools I’ve needed. Good luck on your transition!
  • Chiricahua Snow Day
    I guess I should stop complaining about mid-50s here in Needles...
  • RIP Angie You are Missed!
    Definitely missed. Thought about her again in the Kitt Peak clip you had in your last video...
  • Saving my trailer’s electronics
    I made the neutral-ground bonding plug. Just take any plug and connect the neutral and ground prongs together. I did it inside of a plug housing and just leave it plugged into one of the generator outlets all the time.

    IMG_2956.jpg
  • New Group 24 batteries
    I think the key word is “can”. They do have a pressure relief valve and excess pressure generated during during fast charging or higher voltage (such as during an equalization cycle) needs to vent. I always thought that AGM batteries being lead acid were subject to sulfation and should be run through an equalization cycle. Thank you for the link!
  • New Group 24 batteries
    As I understand it, the advantages of AGM are lower internal resistance, sealed, and can be discharged slightly deeper without damage to the plates. The lower internal resistance means that they can be charged/discharged at a higher current. Sealed means no out gassing, can be installed in any orientation, and readily shipped. Sealed also means no equalization. I’m not sure if this means can’t be equalized or doesn’t need it. It depends on what your needs are. I’ve not seen any real numbers on depth of discharge between flooded and AGM besides the statement that they tolerate a slightly deeper discharge without major damage.

    But, I have no recommendation on brand.