Second Chance

Our truck burns diesel. We have a Pilot/Flying J fuel card (an actual credit card - not a discount card to use with a credit card) through Good Sam. We have an EFS fuel card for all the other truck stops. EFS actually has better discounts than the PFJ card. Rob

Good to know - and thanks. This experience is in my future (hopefully not for another ten years or so). Rob

These are available for Coleman and Dometic models. Pretty pricey and amount to nice looking baffles: AC Silencers Rob

I've never had to pay a TFL deductible of any kind. As a secondary payer, TFL has picked up anything Medicare didn't. Rob

Read ALL of the first post in this thread: http://www.rvnetwork.com/topic/125345-texas-class-a-or-b-license-upgrade-faqs/ It has been updated and tells you exactly which parts of the manual you need to study. Rob

My wife and I both use Live Mail (essentially Microsoft Outlook mail accounts) and calendars. The mail and calendars will sync across both of our laptops, our android phones, and my Kindle Fire if I want to. I just used the search function to go as far back in the calendars as we've been using Live Mail (about ten years) in order to establish a timeline on health care providers - worked very well. All devices are synced via the databases on the servers. Rob

VA/MTF pharmacies work for those of you that have a home base and/or stay in one or two places for longer periods. For us rolling stones, Express Scripts and Escapees mail is the option that works best. Rob

If you are eligible for a USAA membership, they can put a package together for you, too. They've been very good to me for 35 years and, when we transitioned to full-time, passed me off to a supervisory agent, licensed in Texas, and familiar with the ins and outs of full-timing. (Yes - the coverage includes VPP/valuable personal property coverage and an umbrella policy for additional liability coverage). I think they only cover towables now, though - if you have a motorhome they shunt you to Progressive. Rob

Good thing I had just set my coffee down - that's funny! Rob

Considering the safety issues of RV absorption refrigerators, their uneven cooling, and the fact that we've had the cooling unit on our Norcold 1210 replaced once, already, we will be ordering our new rig next month with a residential refrigerator. The basic residential configuration comes with a 1,000 watt inverter and is intended for two 12V batteries. We'll be ordering the manufacturer's solar option which comes with 300 watts of panels mounted, a 2,000 watt inverter, battery monitor, regulator/charger and transfer switch. Should keep the frig going even if we loose power for longer than overnight (as was happening in California over the past month). Rob

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. We've been using an outdated copy of Office 2003 Professional that's not compatible with some of the new file formats - and the compatibility pack is no longer available for 2003, either. I had previously tried Open Office and didn't like it. I've downloaded and installed LibreOffice this morning and, so far, I like what I see. Thanks again. Rob

This^^. (Native of the Las Cruces/El Paso area - travel this route often.) Rob

Same package for $429 on Amazon with free shipping if you're a Prime member. Rob

"Receipts?" Have you been required to pay for something? Rob

More care must be taken to install aluminum wire to avoid fire hazards. Intermittent heating and cooling from conduction cycles can cause connections to become loose with aluminum wire and possibly spark. Larger gauge aluminum wires are required to conduct the same loads as copper - so if space is a concern when routing, copper wins. Rob

It depends on your receiver. We have not been able to do this with 211x or Wally receivers without the antenna connected and locked onto at least one satellite. I asked Dish and they confirmed this is the case for the single-tuner "RV" receivers with external hard drives. Rob

Many of you have probably already been notified or have seen news of this (per email from Tricare): On Jan. 1, some copayments for your prescription drugs will increase. If you get your prescriptions through the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or at a retail network pharmacy, you'll pay anywhere from $2 to $7 more starting Jan. 1. Congress made this change in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. Rob

I was a few years behind Smitty... my late wife and I bought a new Westphalia pop-top in 1974. We thought it was the cat's meow with a little frig, propane stove, two beds, etc. Looking back, it didn't have A/C (even when driving) nor the power to make it over a long 7% grade in fourth gear. Times have changed. Rob

I agree. We've stayed at almost all the co-ops and are on the list at two of them. The median age at several of them seems to be about 84, so your observation rings true. I don't understand the disconnect between needing Escapees to buy in as people die or age out and being clique-ish or unwelcoming. I also agree with you about Sutherlin - nice bunch of folks there... just wish they took reservations! Rob

oRV beat me to it (that's how he spelled his name on his Escapees name tag the last time we saw him - love it!). Looking at the Xscapers web site, they seem to connect on Facebook and other social media platforms. I know our kids do, too, and think I'm a dinosaur for participating in "old-fashioned" forums. The Xscapers also have their own gatherings, etc. On the other hand, I've seen the younger crown (that's anyone younger the us, I guess) welcomed by most Escapees anywhere we've been (there's at least one curmudgeon in every large group of any kind). Rob

We haven't called or chatted since Dish gave us the ability to change locals with the phone app. It's great - and MUCH faster! Rob

Google Maps for the first, general planning. Then the Mountain Directory (Eastern or Western) if we're going through places where grades and roads might be of concern. Then, using the information gathered above, set a course in our Garmin RV760 which makes sure we steer clear of low overpasses or bridges, restricted roads (have seen several of those in CA where we are at the moment), etc. This combo has kept us out of trouble for four years and 40K miles. Rob

Derek, I appreciate how you follow the technology industry and post usable information for the rest of us. I'm posting this in support of what you have said above and to say that I have been using (only) Windows Defender for a couple of years now with excellent results and no incidents of infections or malware on our two laptops. One thing I never liked about products like Norton (besides the money-grabbing pricing schemes) was the amount of resources and overhead they demand. I found that they slowed down most processes - especially web browsing. Windows Defender seems to be more efficient and less "consumptive" than avast! which I used for a long time, too. (I was a systems and database manager for a large community hospital before retiring and all the techs recommended avast! for PCs.) So another vote for Windows Defender from a satisfied user. Rob

I've tried a number of different brands and styles of water hoses... some are too stiff to work with when the temps are below 90 deg. F, others kink if you look at them the wrong way, and still others can't hold up to being pressurized all the time. Does anyone know of a brand/series of fresh water hose that they've been happy with? We have a heated hose for use in the winter - I'm looking for just a regular, non-heated hose that's safe for the fresh water system. Thanks! Rob

I was answering his specific question about going to a "heavier" tire. I have no argument with what you are saying. Rob