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lappir

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Everything posted by lappir

  1. Most of the Toy Haulers are made for weekend use only and not every weekend in a year in my opinion. I had one, used two and they were not made for full time travel. Rod
  2. Watching for new info. I have been using PDA Net for years and have been very happy with it. I tried the WiFi Ranger, but was less than impressed, for my application. I have one phone and use it for all of my internet use. It's always better than any WIFI signal at any of the RV parks I visit. It also sometimes did better than the "Cable" internet at my Mothers home. She has changed recently so will see which one is better now. My question is do I have to add another "Phone" to my plan to get an available "Sim card" to use? I'm on a "Grandfathered" unlimited data plan and don't want to loose that by adding another phone and having to change plans. Is there a way around that? Rod
  3. Watching for new info. I have been using PDA Net for years and have been very happy with it. I tried the WiFi Ranger, but was less than impressed, for my application. I have one phone and use it for all of my internet use. It's always better than any WIFI signal at any of the RV parks I visit. It also sometimes did better than the "Cable" internet at my Mothers home. She has changed recently so will see which one is better now. Rod
  4. I saw a headline recently about the IRS already having all the information needed to compute our real tax burden, but they won't unless we do it first. (I didn't read the article, but from the title it was my assumption.) While I don't believe it's true for everyone, but I would be one of the people who could fall under that assumption. I work for a company that figures and pays my portion of taxes out of my wages. I get a W2 form at the end of the year. I have a few investments, but nothing that currently generates "Income" so there are no taxes there. Why do I have to pay a person to fill in the blanks on a form? Don't say do it yourself, because the last time I did it I got audited and it cost me. Even had a CPA review it before submitting. He was the one who had done my taxes before when I had to file in multiple states. I had taken a break from travel for a few years and Florida was a no state tax state so it was pretty easy. I'm for a level tax on all depending on income. There are no deductions for anything. The more you make the more you pay. Balance the budget on top of that. I cannot believe how the government is just throwing money at so many different things and having no way of repaying it. It may not affect me, but it sure will my Grandkids and their kids. It's like they want to print money till there is no paper left. Rod
  5. There was a post about fixing a frame at an HDT rally a while back. I will try and search for it, but maybe the author might chime in before I get the chance to spend the time. Rod
  6. I have an LG Brand not sure of the model number. The ODU (Outside Unit) supplies both an 18000 and a 9000 BTU IDU (Indoor Units). The larger one is a low something that is connected to the Spacecraft ceiling duct and provides the majority of the heating and cooling. I have the 9000 mounted on the wall in my Bed/living room and don't really have to use it but it does radiate the hot or cold going through it's system even if the fan isn't running. I have it set at 2 to 4 degrees higher or lower than the main unit (depending on season). It's 14 degrees this morning and my thermometer on my desk shows 68 degrees. It's in the furthest away area of the rig from the main IDU. I could have it higher, but I did use more than the allotted electric in January so I'm trying February with it set 2 degrees lower. I'm a cold weather person and have yet to wear a coat for any length of time, especially if I'm just going from my house to my car and then the car to work. ( I do have a coat, gloves, insulated bibs in the Jeep, just incase.) I haven't been to a major RV show since leaving Tallahassee 3 years ago. I know Spacecraft's latest "Show Model" at the Tampa RV Show has had a Mini Split in it for many years now. The last time I was there it also had a large battery bank and had everything in the coach running (including the mini split) and they had the power cord hanging in front of a window to show it was not plugged in. I don't have the battery bank (yet) that will allow me to do that, but it has been my plan for a while. Not sure when the "Commercial" manufactures will get on board with the mini split systems. I'm pretty sure New Horizions is now using them in addition to Spacecraft. I have a Propane furnace that was installed after the fact and I hated it when ever it ran. I was in South and North Florida and to me the temperatures were not low enough for it to kick in, but the piece of Junk Basement HVAC unit installed new in my rig would not allow me to change the setting of when to use the propane. It was a heat pump that according to the builder was sufficient for the Upper Midwest for 4 seasons. That fact was immediately proved wrong 4 days after delivery when I parked it in Iowa and found it not just "Inefficient" but unacceptable as well. 500 miles later the rig was back at the factory and they put in the propane furnace. The worst part is they accepted my suggestions on how to do it and that probably resulted in my having to replace my HVAC system in less than 4 years of ownership. Off on a tangent, sorry. It still bothers me. Rod
  7. lappir

    Diesel Gel Issues

    One of the few times it's better to allow your vehicle to sit and idle instead of driving off slowly and warming everything up equally. Of course if you have the time and the ability to drive slowly enough to warm it all, before needing to get up to "Highway" speed. It's still better to warm up while driving. IMHO Rod
  8. Standard RV HVAC units have not changed much for way too many years. I had a "Basement" unit installed when I built my Spacecraft, because I didn't want anything on the roof interfering with planned Solar installation at some point in the future. That unit lasted only 3 years and was marginal at best in the hottest area and sorely insufficient when it was cold. I replaced it with a Mini Split system and have had 3+ years of comfort in the Hottest and Coldest climates an RV is usually used in. I would never buy another rig with the roof top units that are loud, inefficient and require a large hole in the roof for placement. Rod
  9. Just got home from work in SEMO. Its cold windy with a bit of something moving in the air. The ground is almost White with sleet and maybe a little snow mixed in. Not slick enough to play in (or deep enough) and it certainly won't make a snow ball or snow man. They are using way too much salt on the streets and late tonight when it gets colder it will all freeze and be rock hard my morning. Rod
  10. Have you checked out Solomon's Castle near your area? There is also a college in a town in the center of the state that runs a hotel with a dining room. Don't remember the name of either, but always had a good meal when I rode with the South Florida Riders Club. It was buffet style and they had many delicious dessert choices. Rod http://solomonscastle.com/
  11. I knew that and with my current career path, driving won't ever come close to the green I'm currently earning with much less stress. Rod
  12. I don't have a Her, but agree with the concept. Rod
  13. Am not and have not been one. Aspired to be one out of High School, many years ago, but took a different path. A few years ago I bought an HDT and still think I'd like to try the OTR lifestyle right now the pay for my current career is pretty good and driving won't be any where close. I like my job and get to drive my truck every few months so it's good. I still think about trying to drive for a few years, buy the new truck they get for me and then enjoy the full time life slowly enjoying the scenery. Rod
  14. I've had a few and usually bought then used if they didn't come on the used truck. You will never get much out of them trying to sell, so I'd look for used one. Rod
  15. Rick, I'm sort of close to your location in SEMO. Cape Girardeau, Mo. to be exact. It was 60+ yesterday and 49 this morning. Currently 29 with some drizzle. Roads are wet, Grass has some ice on it and my Jeep had Ice starting to freeze from what kicked up from the road. I don't think they put down much if any "Salt". Tomorrow it will be different, I'm sure sometime tonight when things get much colder and the wet stuff starts to freeze on the road they will load them up with Salt. I was hoping for white stuff, but not sure if I'll see any. Rod
  16. The problem with the GPS is most of them have screens too small to actually see the roads you are going to travel in if you want to see the entire route. On a Map or an Atlas it was much easier to plan your route and "Stay On It". It took a lot more time for sure and you wouldn't have the real time "Traffic Info" that some of the GPS devices have. I have had a GPS change my route too many times to count. I've also thought I hit the right destination only to find out when I'm half way there, that I chose a town with a very similar name in the same general area, but I wouldn't be arriving when and where I really needed to be. If only I had been a bit more careful. How many of us say that after an unfortunate event?? Any GPS is only as accurate as the person using it. Give them good information and usually they will get you to the place you want to go. I like the Android Auto feature I have recently started using. For around town I use the Google Map with the Satellite view, but for a longer trip I use Waze for the speed limit on the screen and the "Sharing" features. At some point I will upgrade my truck "Head unit" to one that will connect to my Android Auto on my phone. Rod
  17. lappir

    Bobtail mileage

    "Jet Fuel", sounds powerful right !!! It is in the right circumstances, very powerful. When I was much younger and my Father was an "Oil Jobber" I asked him why we didn't sell "Jet Fuel" to the farmers instead of the "Number Two" fuel and why we hardly sold any "Number One" except in the winter. I don't remember his exact words, but it was something about when the crude oil was refined and I don't remember the other numbers. (Google it maybe). Number two was the third to last in quality. Number One was just above "Jet Fuel" he called the left overs from the refining of oil, without much of the needed lubrication properties of a diesel motor. I'm sure he went on with other stuff, but I'm now probably at the age he was when I asked him the question and didn't chose being an "Oil Jobber" as my career. Rod
  18. I agree with what Rick wrote. It's been several years since my first trip to Colorado and the "Pony Pack" mounted to the truck rails developed a leak and caused an issue with my coolant level. A couple of years later I found one of the tanks had a small leak also, luckily I was near a dealership and replace it. I had my coolant checked 2 years ago and the mechanic said I had a few more years with my type of operation. I'll have him check again the next trip there. Rod
  19. I'm in a park that has cable connections to each site. I think it's from one of the satellite providers, but not sure which one. I guess it could also be the local "Cable Companies". All was good until sometime last week when I could get no channels for a day. Ran the channel scan and nothing came up. Another day I ran the scan using "Antenna" and got 4 channels I haven't had before, then they went away. I keep forgetting to call while I'm at work to see if the park is having an issue. I haven't seen where the Sun has been doing anything major, or maybe I'm not looking at the right news. Anyone else having issues? I'm in SEMO right now. Rod
  20. Best place to go for answers to that question is to have your Wife inquire from her "Allergy" physician Depending on they type of allergies, her reactions to said allergies and how long she has been taking the "Shots". In the initial phase of those injections they must always be done at an office with the appropriate emergency equipment available. Some are able to be done by a trained family member only if the injections have been successful for an extended time and attempts to wean from them have failed. I am a licensed health care provider, but the information provided is not a prescription nor a consultation, just a general answer to the question posed above. Rod
  21. One way to get away from the drafts in the slide outs is to do the raised floor in the slide. That way there is a seal completely around the inside part of the slide that seals against the wall when it's extended out. Flat floors are nice, but to me not worth the gap that's there with all of them. Spacecraft will build a bumper pull trailer, as will New Horizons. Have seen both in person and they are very nice, just not what I want to pull. They new Spacecraft did require an HDT to pull, not sure about the New Horizon unit. Rod
  22. I'm not sure if I've had the plan for 20 years yet, but it's been a long time. I should have stayed with the $9.99 unlimited data when I got it for my first trip to Florida for a winter job. I was only there for 3 months and had very good internet at home so I cancelled it. Next time I think it was $20 and I've kept the same plan for many years. When I up grade my phone I just buy one from ebay and so far have had very good luck. Now that I'm full time, I don't even consider changing the plan and my limit of 250 text messages per month. Not too long ago I got information that I no longer had a limit on the minutes used for talk. I never went over it anyway. I think it was 1000 per month and maybe for a while had rollover. For a long time it was just under $100 per month. It's a bit over that now, but I've had internet everywhere even when the phone didn't work all that well. I was near Golden Colorado for a 3 month job and had to carry a pager when I was on call because the phone wouldn't ring many times. I could usually call out, but the connection would drop out fairly frequently. Verizon sent a tech out and he could not help. Said I was in a "Dead Zone". They would be happy to let me out of my contract though. That was 10+years ago Rod Here's a copy of my potential new business card.
  23. If they want more than my name and money for the rewards then it's a no go for me too. I don't share my email or phone number with any businesses any more. Rod
  24. Shutting down the 3G and not wanting to have 5G near airports or airplanes. 4G better be ready for the extra work. Rod
  25. lappir

    No Vacancy

    I have traveled with my home on wheels for many years now. My first place for finding a spot was in the winter in South Florida. It was tough, but I got it done each year. In the last two years I went there I had found a small "Ranch" in the equestrian area that rented me a spot that had everything but sewer dump. I got by with using a "Port-a-Potty" service that was traveling through emptying out their units. Once you found the guy coming through and got their number you could call and have it done even if you weren't there. I left the money in a jar near the dump switches. You can schedule it with the "Company" but it's more of a hassle and more expensive too. Now back to subject. It is getting harder to find a spot. My current spot took almost a month to get, but I was lucky and had the job a couple months early. Most of the time I have just a few days and on occasion I've had to take spots that I normally wouldn't . It all works out though , at least so far. Rod
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