Chad Heiser

Yes you can. You can have multiple charge sources going to your batteries at once like an MPPT and a converter or inverter charger, etc. There is no need for any additional equipment. This assumes the proper size wiring and fusing is in place. It also assumes the sum total of all your charge sources isn’t more than what the batteries can accept/are rated for.

Lithium batteries don’t like being kept at a true 100% state of charge for extended periods of time. Lithium does best when cycled, rather than sitting full. A good lithium charger will fully charge the batteries and then float them at the top 2 to 3% of the full charge cycle. What I mean is it will allow the batteries to cycle up and down from 100% to 97 or 98% and then back up again. This allows the batteries to not stay at a true 100% full charge, but basically remain full for when needed. If your charger isn’t lithium compatible, then it may or may not keep your lithium batteries full. Most regular chargers set up for lead acid (or AGM) batteries won’t fully charge a lithium battery up to 100%. They will get the batteries close, but not all the way. This could solve your issue. If your charger does fully charge the lithium batteries, then simply turning the converter breaker off periodically to cycle the batteries while sitting in a full hook up site would also solve your issue.

Well that was quick. Ambassador is now full for the rally and already has two people on the wait list.

The 2024 West Coast HDT Rally is scheduled for June 10-17, 2024. The rally has opened up for registrations. An advance email went out Wednesday to past rally attendees and all those who signed up for the rally email list through the contact form on the rally website (HDTWCR.com). As of this morning (Monday) there were only three sites still available at Ambassador for potential rally attendees during the rally. I know this doesn't leave much room for those not on the rally email list, but it is the process we have in place. If you want to get advanced notice for future rallies, please sign up for the email list through the contact form on the website. Ambassador RV Resort is our host campground for the rally. It is a beautiful park and has huge sites that work nicely for our large rigs. Unfortunately they have a limited number of those sites available for short term rentals and this limits the number of rally attendees we can host. We discuss this every year at the rally and so far the consensus of the group is to keep using Ambassador as our host facility even though it limits the number of attendees. We always have a high number of first time rally attendees at each rally, so I know it isn't keeping people from the opportunity to attend, but it does limit our overall numbers. If you would like to attend the rally, but can't get a site at Ambassador, there are other options in the area. Canyon County Fairgrounds/O'Connor Field House on the other side of the interstate from where Ambassador is located has 15 Full Hook Up sites available. For Elks members, the Caldwell Elks Lodge, one exit west on the interstate from Ambassador, has 8 spaces with water and 30 amp power (they utilize the fairgrounds for a free dump station). There are also other commercial RV parks in the area. The Caldwell Campground & RV Park is off the next exit past the Elks Lodge and Abundant Life RV Park is also in the area on the same side of the interstate as the Fairgrounds, but a bit further east. You can also still contact Ambassador and get added to the wait list there once the available sites fill up. We are still 8 months away from the actual rally, so I am sure there will be cancellations for various reasons which will open up sites at Ambassador along the way. If you have any questions about the rally, feel free to ask or comment here. You can also contact me directly at chad@hdtwcr.com.

In the RV world, solar panels and a charge controller are used to charge the batteries. Once the batteries are charged, those same panels and charge controller can provide “free” DC power for direct use by DC appliances like lights, etc. The solar panel(s) and solar controller(s) are independent of any of the other charging sources in the rig. That can work in conjunction with the other chargers without issue. The caveat to that is that all your charging sources don’t exceed what the batteries can handle. My solar charge controllers (three of them) are always on. They are on to provide power when I am boondocking. They are on when I am sitting in an RV park connected to a 50 amp pedestal. They are on when I (rarely) run my generator. They do not interfere with shore power or generator power. They are simply there to keep the batteries charged. If the batteries are full, then they simply ramp down and just float the batteries.

Lithium is happy taking a 0.5C charge rate (where C is the AH capacity of the battery). Many lithium batteries can do 1C and some can go even higher, but 0.5C is a good rate for longevity of the battery. With two 100 amp hour batteries, you could easily handle a 100 amp converter. Make sure the converter is Lithium capable. It would be the same for the DC to DC charger. If you are going to have multiple charge sources active at the same time, then the sum of those chargers shouldn’t exceed the 0.5C rate.

I believe what he is saying is that there are (at least) three business being run out of the same physical street address. Each business has its own website though. This is what I found when google searching the physical address listed on the RV Water Filter Store's website: RV Water Filter Store https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com › contact-us ... 12600 Stowe Drive STE 8. Poway, CA 92064 US Phone: 602-625-1875. Brad's Hours ... CA-1 Copyright © 2023 RV Water Filter Store. ComfyRobes.com https://comfyrobes.com › pages › contact-us ... 12600 Stowe Dr. STE 8. Poway, CA 92064. Office Hours: Monday - Friday Business hours vary due to COVID-19 safety guidelines (Pacific Time). News & Updates. Sign ... Schwalm RV Parts ( AnyRVparts.com ) - 12600 Stowe Dr ... BusinessYab https://businessyab.com › poway › stowe_drive › sch... Find Address, Phone, Hours, Website, Reviews and other information for Schwalm RV Parts ( AnyRVparts.com ) at 12600 Stowe Dr STE 8, Poway, CA 92064, USA.

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It works fine with our Travel’r antenna. No issues since the sunset of 129.

I haven't used that particular one, but I have a similar one I bought off Amazon back in 2017. It is a wireless connection to an app on my phone rather than a hard connection so if you have a different physical connection on a different phone, it still works. It creates a local wifi signal that you connect your phone to and then it sends the video to its app on your phone. I have been very happy with it and use it a half dozen times a year or so. Here is the link: https://a.co/d/1knGm18. I bought this case to keep it in and protect it when not in use: https://a.co/d/9gXoXS8. I figured I would give this one a shot because it was inexpensive with the idea of buying a better one some day. This one has worked well enough that I never got around to buying a better one.

I know this isn’t the popular opinion, but I don’t carry any spare parts for my HDT. I don’t carry any spare parts for any vehicle I own (except a drive belt for my RZR SXS). I carry tools to fix basic issues, but if I need a part I go buy it. In 12 or so years of HDT ownership, my rig has stranded me (needed to go to a shop and get repaired) twice. Once was an ECM (a multi thousand dollar part - no way I would spend that just to carry one around) and the other time was a faulty head (no way I’d be carrying one of those around either). Neither of these would have been possible (or obvious) roadside repairs. Both took diagnostic work to determine the ultimate problem before repairs could be done - in other words required a shop. None of my other (on road) vehicles have every stranded me. If something happens that I can’t easily diagnose and repair quickly/easily, I have tow coverage and will get the rig to a shop and let them deal with the issue. Knock on wood, this practice has worked well for me. The two times the truck had to go to the shop it was inconvenient, but didn’t end the trips we were on. We improvised and were able to continue on in different ways.

I moved the one you made for me (thanks again) over to my new (to me) hitch when I swapped them after my “incident”. One of the best mods I’ve had done. I did have to drill new holes in the (new) hitch head. Of corse the gussets underneath the “new” head were located slightly differently than they were on the old head and of course interfered with the screw holes. This required making some modifications, but I got it all to work. It’s nice to not have to mess with the lube plate anymore.

I literally have ten pages (typed out) that document all the modifications I have made to my rig and I’ve only owned it since May of last year. The biggest/best changes were a complete solar, battery, inverter system with 3390 watts of solar, dual Victron Quattro 5KVA inverter chargers and 1080 amp hours of Battle Born lithium batteries with a bunch of other bells and whistles. Next would be a Flex Armor roof and Continental 235R17.5 tires. We also had the floor plan customized to meet our needs better. It is a very unique DRV MX450 Full House Toy Hauler. I think I have pretty much done everything I can to it to make it fit our needs and traveling style the best that I can.

I know Starlink is on the expensive side, but it is definitely not hard to set up. It is literally plug (in) and play. All you have to do is set the antenna where it can see the sky, plug it into the router and supply power to the router. It does everything else. I have both cellular based internet for my RV and Starlink. The cellular based internet is decent, but it does not work everywhere. I have yet to find a place where my Starlink doesn’t work.

I noticed 129 was missing when I set up at my last location. I was a bit concerned a ran a check switch a few times thinking there was an issue. Seems that what dish told you was correct though. I only had two satellites, but had all my channels.

I used to have Good Sam and I had decent service from them. They will no longer cover my rig (and GDT towing a 5th wheel), so I switched to Coach-net. I have not used Coachnet since I made the switch, but Coach-net has a good reputation and they are very popular in the RV world.

There are three different versions of the 12 volt 3kva Multiplus. There is the original Multiplus, which is a three wire (L, N, G) inverter. There is the Multiplus II 2x120, which is a four wire inverter (L1, L2, N, G). Now there is also a three wire version of the Multiplus II. There are also UL listed versions of these MP’s, but you don’t need a UL listed version unless you are using it in a grid tie situation that requires UL listing (no need to spend the extra money for the UL rating for an RV install). All of the MP II units look identical from the outside because they use the same case. The three wire MP II is functionally the same as the original MP. There are some minor differences in the internal components, but functionally they are the same thing. The only significant difference between the two is their form factor. The original MP is basically a short, fat rectangular box while the MP II is a longer, skinnier rectangular box. Victron continues to produce and support the original MP because it will physically fit in tighter spaces than the new version MP II. They do this because in boats and RV’s (major markets for them) that can mean the difference between it working in a particular install or not. The original MP and the new three wire MP II are the same price, so it just comes down to which form factor will work best for your installation when deciding which one to purchase. If your original inverter was simply powering a sub panel (single leg of power) off the main power panel, then you will want to go with one of the three wire versions (either the original MP or the new form factor MP II). There is no need to spend the extra money on the MP II 2x120 (four wire inverter) unless you have a 50 amp rig and you want the MP to be installed ahead of the main 50 amp power panel so that it has the ability to (try to) power any AC load in the breaker panel. I can provide exact part numbers for each MP if you would like. The original MP is fairly obvious because of its different form factor, but sometimes it can be difficult to determine if you are buying an MP II or an MP II 2x120 when buying on line if you aren’t that familiar with them. By the way, you should buy all Victron components from an established Victron dealer. Victron’s business model for support for the end user is to go to a dealer for questions and technical assistance. This can be an on line or brick and mortar dealer, but make sure it is a dealer that actually has a good contact number and is willing to talk to you. Victron does not support anonymous sellers on Amazon or similar market places because they typically don’t provide the support that Victron requires. Victron will actually go after anonymous sellers and get them removed from those market places because they don’t offer the support Victron corporate mandates.

I’ve had residential compressor fridges in the last two rigs (with inverters). I would never go back to a gas absorption fridge. If you already have an existing inverter (that can power the fridge circuit), it’s a no brainer - go with a residential. It will be the cheapest option and will work very well.

We have an Insty Connect system with a dual sim modem. We currently only have one sim from AT&T in it. It works in most places, but not everywhere. One of these days I may add a second sim from Verizon or T-mobile to it to add to our potential coverage. This system is nice because it is always on and always communicating (assuming there is AT&T coverage). But even if there is no coverage, it is still creating a local network that all my devices can connect to. For when we don’t have cell coverage, we also have Starlink. It can work stand alone, but I use it through the Insty Connect router to add connectivity to the existing Insty Connect network in my rig when there is no cell coverage. This way all my devices stay connected to the Insty Connect network and I don’t have to switch them over to the Starlink network. The Starlink needs 120 volt power. Insty Connect will work on 12 volt or 120 volt and I have mine running on 12 volt so it stays on all the time. The Starlink needs to be set up at each location and taken down before moving to the next. The Insty Connect router can actually be set up to automatically use multiple networks/sims. In my case it can use Starlink and/or the AT&T sim automatically depending on what is available and has the best bandwidth (based on software settings through an interface developed by Insty Connect). This setup works really well and basically gives me connectivity with plenty of bandwidth to do anything I want from pretty much anywhere.

It would be possible to use at home and on the road, but you would have to punt and dismount the antenna and router in both locations. It would be more expensive, but a lot easier to get two antennas and two routers and then just move the modem between the two installations (at least I believe that would be possible). The modem is a small module that slides in and out of the antenna and holds the sim(s). I don’t think they are bound to the router, but it would be a question I would ask of Insty connect support before spending money. I know you can use multiple antennas with no problem (because I have done that). So a bit cheaper option would be to Mount an antenna and USB-c data cable in both locations and then just move the router and modem insert between the two locations. This would be pretty easy to do.

I got a new set as well (for my RZR that I have licensed as an on road vehicle in SD).

👍

You can use a portable generator, yet you won’t be able to Mount it in the generator compartment and use it in there. The Onan generators draw air in and exhaust out the bottom. Portable units draw air in and exhaust out the sides. This is not good in an enclosed compartment. Store the generator in there if you want, but pull it out and set it on the ground for use.

I have Insty connect and have been using it for a couple years. It is hardware only, you need to provide your own sim (or multiple sims). It is a different set up than most cellular based hardware systems. Insty connect puts the modem/sim(s) in the antenna rather than in the router. It also uses a proprietary design quad antenna. It works very well in my experience. They offer a standard omnidirectional “Angel Wing” antenna or a larger directional “binocular” antenna (also a quad antenna set up). I have the angel wing antenna mounted on the roof of my RV. It usually does the trick. I have the dual sim modem mounted in the antenna. I currently only have an AT&T (Mobley) sim installed. I have used the directional antenna once when I couldn’t get any signal from the angel wing. The modem simply pops out of the omni/angel wing antenna and pops into the directional antenna. I pointed the directional antenna generally in the direction of the nearest populated area and went from no signal to a good enough signal to be able to make WiFi calls and send/receive text messages. I could also check basic emails, but browsing the internet was still very slow and clunky. Still way better than no signal at all though. There is a simple USB-C cable that runs from the modem down to the router inside. This way there is no signal loss going through an antenna cable to a modem in an internal router like most equipment has. If you have two sims installed, you can choose either one as primary or have it auto select the strongest signal. If you have something like Starlink, you can run the Starlink signal through the Insty Connect router and let all your devices maintain there connection to you Insty connect network without having to reconnect them to the Starlink network for service. You can also select Starlink as the primary internet source or allow the system to auto select the best source. There is more, but you get the idea. I am very happy with it overall and have met the owner of the company and talked with him several times in Quartzsite over the last couple of years. He is very nice and knowledgeable.

My sleeper truck is 194” wheelbase, so it is short (which I prefer). Overall length is only about 16” longer than my crew cab dually was. I can still park it in a standard parking spot, although it is a bit tight. If I can hang the rear bumper over a curb, then it fits easy. The truck is way more maneuverable than the dually was. On long trips, a day cab truck is not any more comfortable than a pick up (which isn’t very comfortable). A sleeper truck is designed for long hours on the road and is built for comfort. The ability to get up and move around is a huge advantage for comfort. I personally would never consider a day cab for an RV hauler even though I prefer a short truck.